Inviting and Welcoming God’s Preferred Future

Welcome

Appreciative Inquiry

•What is a sweet thing God has been up to in your congregation?

• Fellowship, Proclaiming, Educating and Serving

Lakeland Conference Confirmation Night - Lost and Found

River of Hope - Hutchinson

Appreciative Inquiry

•Cultivating attentiveness to what God is doing -

Eugene Peterson

Fall Theological Conference 2011

Deep and Wide

•Deep and wide. Deep and wide.

•There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.

• Deep and wide. Deep and wide.

• There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.

Welcome

•

• Three Objectives

• Three Great Listenings

• Know and experience SOAR as a planning tool - and share a few others

• Know you are not alone - learn with and from one another - share assets

Welcoming and Inviting God’s Preferred Future

• Why in God’s name do we exist?

• What in God’s name are we doing?

• Where in God’s name are we going?

How do we invite and welcome God’s preferred future?

???

Discernment

LISTENING TO GOD

It begins with prayer

• God begins renewal

• God’s grace comes as a gift

• God works to call us into ancient practices

• God walks with us as we live out our faith

• Eugene Peterson

Listening to God – Bible and Catechism

Acts 6:1-7

•Dwelling in the Word

•What catches your attention

•Demand - Law

•Promise - Gospel

•Share what your hear from your neighbor….listening to God and one another…

Acts 6:1-7 • 6Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in

number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, 4while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” 5What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. NRSV

Acts 6:1-7- MSG • 1-4 During this time, as the disciples were increasing in numbers by leaps and

bounds, hard feelings developed among the Greek-speaking believers—"Hellenists"—toward the Hebrew-speaking believers because their widows were being discriminated against in the daily food lines. So the Twelve called a meeting of the disciples. They said, "It wouldn't be right for us to abandon our responsibilities for preaching and teaching the Word of God to help with the care of the poor. So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we'll assign them this task. Meanwhile, we'll stick to our assigned tasks of prayer and speaking God's Word." 5-6The congregation thought this was a great idea. They went ahead and chose— Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, Nicolas, a convert from Antioch. Then they presented them to the apostles. Praying, the apostles laid on hands and commissioned them for their task.

• 7The Word of God prospered. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased dramatically. Not least, a great many priests submitted themselves to the faith.

•God is calling us to be an inviting and welcoming community of faith, that grows deeper in Christ through practices and serves the Gospel as God calls and sends us into God’s world.

LISTENING TO ONE ANOTHER…

• What is the greatest possibility you can imagine for deepening your mission and ministry in the name of Jesus?

LIFT – New root metaphor Vibrant Network

• Network serving the Gospel

• All connected

• All working to build up God’s church and to serve in God’s mission for the world

LISTENING TO OUR COMMUNITIES…

www.thearda.com

Gillespy/Stinson - Grieving For The “Old Normal” • Denial – “This is not happening.” “Just wait, things will return to

normal.”

• Anger -- “Who is to blame?” Rage and gridlock rule and anyone who symbolizes life, energy, progress, success, happiness, etc. is treated with resentment and mistrust.

• Bargaining – “I’ll change if this just goes away.” Somehow, we can get back to the old normal if we just return to good, ole fashioned (conservative/liberal) values.

• Depression (emotional, not economic) – “What’s the point in trying?” “We are all doomed anyway.” The certainty/finality of events is finally recognized.

• Acceptance – “It’s going to be okay.” Looking for opportunities begins.

Gillespy/Stinson - The “New Normal” Probably Means

• Slower economic growth

• Labor and talent will be the scarce resources

• A single-minded focus on productivity

• Chronic government deficits & cuts in service

• Worries about how to pay for past promises

• Disruptive events/innovations more frequent

• A whole new set of opportunities

Stinson/Gillespy - Minnesota Faces a Fiscal Trap

1. The issue is a long run, structural one— short run solutions will not solve the problem

2. Trend growth alone will not be sufficient. Fundamental changes are necessary

3. Revenue growth will slow. Efforts to increase it will be met with resistance

4. Spending pressures will increase driven largely by issues of aging and health

5. State spending will shift its focus from education, infrastructure and higher education to care and support of the aging

Called and Sent on a Mission

• God’s Spirit

• Calls us to faith

• Enlightens us

• Gathers us

• Resurrects us for Discipleship – follow a teacher

• Apostleship – sent on a mission

• Stewards of Gospel

OUR VOCATION TO A DEEP AND WIDE MINISTRY

Our goal is not survival of our congregations Our goal is to participate in God’s mission of growing faithful and fruitful Christ followers and sending them to love God’s world.

RENEWAL IS HARD WORK

Vision

Architects

Engineers

S.O.A.R. A simple framework for

vision and mission conversations

Our ELCA Mission statement give us grounding

and a framework for God to do God’s Work with Our Hands

• Marked with the cross of Christ forever (+), we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world .

Eugene Peterson: “Cultivating attentiveness to what God is doing”

Bishop Jon Anderson: “What’s the greatest possibility you can imagine God is doing or could do in your community?”

S.O.A.R.: Offers a framework and

grounding for God to vision and imagine mission through

us.

S.O.A.R. offers one framework for renewal!

S.O.A.R.: A framework for vision and mission

Strengths:

Opportunities:

Aspirations

Results

S.O.A.R.: A framework for vision and mission

Strengths: What has God already placed in our

midst that God can build upon through us?

Opportunities: What are the “opportunities” for

mission God reveals in this community?

Aspirations: What is God placing on our hearts

that we care about deeply?

Results: What’s one thing God is calling us to

see, that we could do together?

S.O.A.R.: a framework for renewal!

Strengths: What has God placed in

our midst that God can use us to

build on?

Strength: God’s Promise—The

Cross of Christ! What else?

Helps to ask: What’s working here?

S.O.A.R.: a framework for renewal!

Strengths: What has God placed in

our midst that God can use us to

build on?

Strength: God’s Promise—The

Cross of Christ! What else?

Helps to ask: What’s working here? (x)

Opportunities What is God longing for us to see? What are our longings as God’s people working for God’s mission?

People have LOTS of longings...4 common ones

Who am I?

The search for

individuality

(identity, integrity,

autonomy, power)

People have LOTS of longings….

Where do I

belong?

The search for

community.

People have LOTS of longings….

What gives life

meaning/purpose?

The search for

meaning/purpose

in life.

People have LOTS of longings….

What gives life

hope?

The search for

new life—hope is

stronger than

memory.

Opportunities

What is God longing for us to see? What are our longings as God’s people working for God’s mission? (x)

Aspirations: What does God care deeply about? What do we “aspire” to do as God reveals these opportunities/strengths?

ASPIRATION: What “aspirations” for Jesus do you

have?

What do you WANT TO get passionate about at: ______Lutheran or Conference

or in our synod? (x)

S.O.A.R.

Strengths

Opportunities

Aspirations

Results—Write one GOAL you are

willing to work on in the next year.

Results: What’s one—or maybe two or three—goal(s) you would be willing to work on in the next year?

S.O.A.R.: A framework for vision and mission

Strengths: What has God already placed in our

midst that God can build upon through us?

Opportunities: What are the “opportunities” for

mission God reveals in this community?

Aspirations: What is God placing on our hearts

that we care about deeply?

Results: What’s one thing God is calling us to

see, that we could do together?

Discovering Hope

Hope Insight Confidence

Mission Planning for Every Congregation and Conference

• Demographics – Do you know your age?

• Congregation

• Community

• Make choices from strength and with confidence

Unbinding the Gospel

Begins with prayer… • Small group

praying for congregation and renewal.

• Learning to have faith conversation

Journey for Renewal

• Personal Wellness

• Congregational Wellness –

• First Call Pastors

• Others

• Changing the environment in which God does God’s work

Youth and Family Institute

• Four Keys

• Caring Conversations

• Prayer

• Service

• Rituals and Traditions

Transformational Ministry 2.0

• Rooted and Rerooted in the Gospel

• Working with other congregations

• Cross-learning

• Mutual accountability

Natural Church Development

…that they fail to consider the root that produces the fruit.“

“Some pastors and church leaders are so focused on the fruit ...

Principles of Health

not Growth

Pathway to Renewal – Smith/Sellon

• Images on following slides come from…

What is the greatest possibility you can imagine to deepen the ministry and mission we share in Christ Jesus

Thanks

•

• Three Objectives

• Three Great Listenings

• Know and experience SOAR as a planning tool - and a few others

• Know you are not alone - learn with and from one another - share assets

Prayer

• O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

•

CHURCHWIDE - ELCA

•The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America- We are a church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace

•We are a church whose unity is in Jesus who gathers us around word and water, wine and bread

• We are a church called to discern together what the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ means for the world and for our common life

•We are a church called to do God's work in the world, restoring and reconciling community

•We are a church that belongs to Christ, and we believe God calls each of us by name

ELCA Malaria Campaign

Seminaries are changing

• LSTC and Valpo

• Luther and LTSG

• DL

• Communications MA

• Others talking partnerships

Spirituality of Place or Journey

• Place

• God is in the box

• Once they arrived in Israel, they built the temple. They then moved to a spirituality of place, with the focus on God’s presence in the temple

• Journey

• God is out in front of us

• Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they entered into a 40-year spiritual journey, seeking the promised land.

Video Warm Up

• Be the Change - Be the Gospel

• Freed in Christ

• http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Office-of-the-Secretary/ELCA-Governance/Churchwide-Assembly/Multimedia/Video.aspx

•

Acts 6:1-7 - NIV • 1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the

Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

• 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

• Footnotes:Acts 6:1 That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture New International Version (NIV)

Happenings - Acts 6:1-7

• 1. Along about the time that a lot of members were coming into the church, the liberals got into a hassle with the conservatives because some of their dependents were being discriminated against in the distribution of relief funds. So the twelve called a meeting of the whole church and said, "It's not a good idea for us to take time away from the teaching of God's word to tend to material matters. So brothers, why don't you choose seven reliable men who are spiritual-minded and wise, and we'll commission them to take this responsibility? Then we can give full time to prayer and to the cultivation of the word." This suggestion pleased the congregation, so they nominated Steve, a deeply spiritual fellow who was on fire for the faith, and Phil and Proctor and Nick and Timmie and Farmer and Nichol, a former church member from up North. These were recommended to the officers, who then prayed for them and commissioned them.

• 7. The word of God made much headway. The number of converts in Atlanta increased tremendously, with a goodly portion even of the ministerial association becoming Christians.

• The Cotton Patch Gospel

Developing More Networks – less geography

• Men

• Women

• Youth – Youth Leaders

• Support Staff/Secretaries

• Christian Ed

• Size

• Area Parishes

• Large Membership Congregations

LIFT - Last paragraph of report

• Missionary God

• Baptized - All Missionaries

• Pastors – Directors of Mission

• Vocations

• Congregations Mission outposts

Conference Mission Tables • Reconciliation Shepherds

• Two lay and two pastors

• Listen /Report

• Mission Interpretation Shepherds

• Call Process Shepherds

• Long Range Planning Shepherds

• Healthy Congregations

• More than pastors and professional