Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Missional Leadership Academy Project Discussion

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Missional Leadership Academy

Project Discussion

October 2, 2011

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Transforming Church

Metropolitan Church Dynamics• Aging Metropolitan churches typically experience the development of a

“donut” population in which members move from the inner city to suburban areas while remaining members. As membership ages the population is not replaced locally and so census decreases with time.

• The TCI survey told us that we are experiencing this behavior.

• We have a ready population around us in this community with needs we can

address.

OSLC Beginnings• OSLC has already “stepped up” its community contact through the

efforts of our Youth and Family ministry program with events such as:– Trunk or Treat– Breakfast with Santa– Vacation Bible Publicity

• In addition OSLC has increased community and public visibility through:– Mata Ortiz Art show– Boys Chorus concerts– Play Group

• MLA Team recommends that it contact nearby Neighborhood Associations / Schools and poll participants to learn what their concerns / interests are in an effort to create a ministry Roadmap that would join our Mission with the community around us.

Progress Report• Identified adjacent

neighborhood associations and contacted key players where possible– Blenman-Elm - In

process through Kozachik office and older contacts

– Jefferson-Park - Is an active NHA with regular meetings, newsletter and planned activities

– Sam Hughes - Is an active NHA with regular meetings, newsletter and planned activities

Blenman-Elm NHA

• Contacts:– President - Alice Roe

– VP - Steve Morrison

– Located N & E of OSLC

• Significant Concerns / Programs– Historical status - home tours

April 2010

– Environment - hazardous waste pick-up

– Appearance / life style - potholes, brush & bulky pick-up, grafitti, building code / variances

– Care & Support - BENCA (Blenman-Elm Neighbors Care Alliance)

– Parking - U of A parking encroachment


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Sam Hughes NHA • Contacts:

– President - John O’Dowd– VP - Ed Stokes– Located - S of OSLC– Next meeting Tues Oct 18th 7 PM

Himmel Library

• Significant Concerns / Programs -– Historical status - Historic Water

Tower preservation– Appearance / life style -

potholes,RTA Broadway widening and Brake-Masters proposal, loud student parties, Student rentals, U of A stadium end zone refurbishment from Feb to Aug 2012, U of A overflow parking

– Care & Support - Sam Hughes Cares for Seniors, HUD Casitas on Braodway

– Neighborhood cohesion - SH school and State school tax credit, maintaining education experience







Jefferson-Park NHA • Contacts:

– President - Joan Hall– VP - Lisa Joones– Located - N & W of OSLC

• Significant Concerns / Programs -– Historical status - Historic

nomination, Home show March 2012

– Environment - storm water harvesting on Oct 15th

– Appearance / life style - potholes, design manual, grafitti, loud student parties, building code / variances - mini-dorms, Walgreens

– Care & Support - Lend-a-hand elder support

– Neighborhood cohesion - JP elementary school closure









University Of Arizona• UMC

– Staff and patients face significant issues on daily basis

– Christ’s call to care for our neighbor

– Consider opening our facility and providing support for patient’s families and UMC staff.

– Coordinate visiting family housing / transportation?

• Student Population– Have few opportunities for

integration in neighborhoods

– Seen as disrupting the established neighborhood culture

– Consider providing neighborhood events for permanent and student residents. OSLC could serve as a neutral location with excellent facility.

What do we Conclude?• OSLC neighbors have many common

challenges and concerns.• As a nurturing and caring community OSLC can

have a significant impact – Enrich youth and family life through music, inter-

generational gatherings/events, educational enrichment and spiritual development

– Coordinate support and transportation for elderly residents and families dealing with significant medical challenges

– Facilitate integration of university students through social events, learning support (tutoring / mentoring) and community awareness and service

OSLC Missional Academy Project• TCI survey pointed to a deep need to change how

OSLC selects, develops and leads its ministries.• OSLC MLA team proposes to develop a ministry

Roadmap which will guide ministry selection and prioritization through evaluation of ministry options against the congregation’s Code, Values, Vision, and Mission. Members are needed and invited to join the MLA team in developing this project– Need members to help in further developing

relationships with OSLC’s neighbors– Need members who work in our existing ministries and

are willing to assess these ministries against our maturing congregational vision.

Next Steps• MLA team will draft the Missional Academy Plan

and submit it• MLA team invites members and friends of OSLC

to attend a Nov 8th meeting in the Patio Room beginning at 6:30 PM.– Those who wish to work with OSLC neighbors can

develop a plan for how to proceed– Those who wish to work within existing OSLC

ministries to further refine mission and evolve ministry alignment with our mission can develop a plan for how to proceed

Back-Up

Strategic Framework• CODE: Defining essence of a church. Who are we?• Values: Beliefs that are shared among the stakeholders

of an organization. Values drive an organization’s culture and priorities and provides a framework in which decisions are made.

• Vision: Defines the desired or intended future state of an organization or enterprise in terms of its fundamental objective and/or strategic direction

• Mission: Defines the fundamental purpose of an organization or an enterprise, succinctly describing why it exists and what it does to achieve its Vision.

Example(s) (1 of 3)• Code:

– Adjectives• Spiritual• Joyful • Faithful• Caring• Hopeful / Encouraging• Loving• Nurturing / Supportive• Persevering• Relevant

– Nouns• Family• Community• Refuge / Sanctuary

• Values: – Supportive / Caring– Serving – Faithful / Spiritual Growth– Music – Tradition– Outreach – Welcoming– Worship– Youth– Diverse– Ecumenical

Example(s) (2 of 3)• Vision: (Future state - who do we become)

– A Tower of Hope: providing spiritual comfort, healing and growth for our families and neighbors through ministries founded in our Christian and Lutheran theology

– A Community of Believers who experience God’s Love and invite others to know Him.

– A Sanctuary for all who need His Loving care.– A Community experiencing God’s Love and seeking to

help others find it.– OSLC is recognized by the community as a source of

God’s loving care– OSLC challenges all to be stewards of the Good

News, each other and the world

Example(s) (3 of 3)• Mission: (Why are we here and what are we doing)

– In the Spirit of Jesus we share our gifts with our community and world and invite all to join us on the journey of faith.

– We share our Lord through our actions of service and worship.

– We grow in faith through worship and education while sharing God’s love with our community through service.

– We grow in faith through worship and education while nurturing and caring for God’s community through service.

– We follow Christ’s example in loving and caring for our neighbors and each other

– Engaging our members and neighbors in a meaningful and contemporary way.

Membership History• While the population has grown slightly in the area

around OSLC our population has decreased. This is the case throughout churches in North America. Churches which are experiencing sustained growth have turned outward to their community.

What does Process Look Like?

Develop a Vision for God’s Mission

Focus Ministries on God’s Mission and Discipleship

Build Lay Leadership with Support of Staff

Cultivate a Dynamic Healthy Congregational

Culture

Prepare for and manage Competing Values

Good use of finances and facilities

Celebrate Successes

Ministries and small groups (1 of 2)• Church Council• Property

– Thursday Work Crew

• Finance• Endowment• Stewardship• Altar service• Music

– Chancel Choir– 12 Measures– Bell choir– Recorders– Banjo Blasters

• Education– Youth Committee– Sunday school– 10:10 Bible Study– Sunday Forum– Tuesday Men’s Bibles Study– Wednesday Bible Study– Vacation Bible School (children and

adult)

• Worship– 7:45 Chapel – 8:45 Traditional– 11:15 Celebrations

Ministries and small groups (2 of 2)• Social Ministry

– Casa Maria– Primavera– Habitat– Prince School– Quilters– Youth Serve

• Youth– Workcamp– God’s Pals, Little,Middle,

Junior, Senior leagues

• Koinania / Fellowship Groups– WELCA / Circles– Mom’s Day Out– Play Group

– Lively Lutherans– Scrapbookers

• Outreach– Breakfast with Santa– Trunk or Treat

Enhancing Communication

• Email messaging to / from members

• Face-book posts to / from members

• Weekly email newletter ([email protected])

• Weekly Announcements

• Monthly Roadrunner Newsletter

• Small group / ministry reps with council

• Telephone messaging to / from members

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Defines its Mission for a New Day

• Radical Hospitality - Many in U of A community are from “somewhere else”

• Discipleship over membership - Many no longer come from a churched background. They need to be discipled more than be “members”.

• Community outreach– Our service heritage is a great foundation– We can engage right here in Tucson

OSLC Relative Strengths• Compared to the national norm, your church

scored highest on the following questions: • This church’s buildings and facilities are effective in

supporting our ministries.• This church effectively meets the needs of senior citizens.• I am involved in a regular smaller group within the church.• I am valuable around here.• Our church effectively meets the needs of its single adults.• I am efficient around here.• I am helpful around here.• I have a clearly defined role in the church.• There is faith in me around here.• I am satisfied with the church’s programs and services

outside of our regular worship service.

OSLC Areas for Improvement• Compared to the national norm, your church

scored lowest on the following questions: •Our leaders effectively establish the church’s direction, purpose, and objectives.

•Our church effectively closes down programs or ministries that are no longer effective.

•This church retains its members.•This church’s goals and direction are clear to me.•Changes at the church rarely catch me by surprise.•Conflicts are handled well by leadership.•Our leaders are unified in purpose and direction.• I am excited about where our church is headed in the next few years.

•Lines of authority and responsibility are clear in this church.

•Difficult issues or subjects are addressed in helpful ways.

Path Forward• Let us gather our dreams for OSLC!

– When we dream alone it is only a dream. But when we dream together it is the beginning of reality.*

• “Your Missional Context” – Feb 13 at 2PM here at OSLC by Dr. Root. Please consider attending!

1. Sherwood Glover2. Scott Koenig3. Pastor Marilyn4. Quentin Peterson5. Kent Pflibsen

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

* Dom Helder Camara - Roman Catholic bishop of Recife and Olinda, Brazil

mailto:[email protected]










Transformational Leadership• Leadership characteristics

– Agile / adaptive – responsive to underlying / unknown needs and opportunities, on-going

– Grass roots – Ideas, requests, concerns flow upward from members / teams

– Expects to address and manage competing values• Uses 3 D’s in decision process - Dialogue / Discuss / Decide

• Changing circumstances lead to competing values

• Resolving competing values needs to come through understanding and agreeing on who we are.

• Develop professional and lay leadership who can orchestrate the speed and stress of resolving competing values

• Change Management– Adaptive – responsive to needs and opportunities– Technical – solves a specific problem for a finite duration

Forming a Missional Congregation• The MLA process seeks to put an adaptive lay-

empowered leadership in place so change happens continuously over time rather than as abrupt transitions.– MLA team has committed to extended engagement

and training to facilitate leadership transition.– Congregation should not expect “quick fixes” but a

culture change to provide ongoing evaluation, growth, and change.

1. Maintenance2. Membership3. Pastor-centered4. Chaplaincy (self)5. Focus on ourselves6. Settled

1. Mission2. Discipleship3. Lay-empowered4. Hospitality (others)5. Focus on the World6. Sent

1. OSLC is the sanctuary where I come to hear the word of God in a traditional Lutheran service. I enjoy sharing the joy of Christian fellowship with other believers who have become a family for me.

2. OSLC should continue to proclaim God's love and salvation; carry on interesting programs for all

ages, provide care for the needy in our church and in our community; and encourage others to join our welcoming, friendly congregation which is open to all, through our church's involvement in outreach and by our own daily lives of commitment to Christ.

3. Our ministries should include strong music programs for each of the three services ( and add a

much-needed children's choir); educational programs for all ages; social events for fellowship with one another; groups for individaual interests (Bible studies, circles, Lively Lutherans, children and young adults) and taking part in community service.

4. In very broad terms, OSLC should be spending its resources on the

younger folks.

Feedback



Further Example(s)• Caring / Support• Music / Tradition• Family• Outreach/ service• Refuge / sanctuary• Community of Believers• Friendly

• Diverse community; relish it; encourage individual’s pts. of view;



Documents

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Missional Leadership Academy Project Discussion