Winchester First United Methodist Church

WEST NEWTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CONSULTATION REPORT October 11, 2015

INTRODUCTION We, the Consultation Team, would like to thank Pastor Don Zlaty, the lay leadership and the congregation of West Newton United Methodist Church for the invitation to consult with this body of Christ.

The following observations and Ministry Action Plans (MAP’s) are the result of this team studying the following information: 1) West Newton UMC’s self-study document provided by its leaders; 2) the FCJ online survey; 3) interviews with the pastor; 4) interviews with ministry team leaders; 5) a meeting with the Governing Board; 6) a MissionInsite demographic report of the area’s population; 7) the Faith Perceptions Mystery Guest Report; and 8) input from Saturday’s leadership workshop.

Our prayer is that God will use this assessment experience and consultation report to help West Newton UMC more effectively make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the community and the world.

STRENGTHS West Newton United Methodist Church’s greatest strengths are as follows:

1. FRIENDLY CONGREGATION The people of West Newton UMC offer friendliness and hospitality to new visitors that are concrete and impressive. Mystery guests overwhelmingly agreed the congregation’s friendliness made them feel very welcome to worship here. Guest comments included: “West Newton UMC's pre-service greeting was amazing! Every person's greeting was very warm, inviting and sincere.” “Entering the sanctuary we were welcomed by several people who clearly went out of their way to say hello. Overall the greetings upon arrival were excellent.”

2. PASTOR DON AND JACKIE Leader after leader interviewed by the Consultation Team indicated high confidence in Pastor Don and his leadership and great appreciation for his and Jackie’s passion, talents and service. The Consultation Team heard great appreciation for Pastor Don’s and Jackie’s musical gifts, for their love for God and the many things that have already gotten done through their leadership. West Newton UMC has tried new outreach events, spruced up the building, added technology and learned to love God and others more deeply through Pastor Don’s leadership and example.

3. SIMPLIFIED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE West Newton UMC has put in place a Governing Board and ministry teams that have shifted the focus of time and energy from attending committees to doing ministry. The main functions of the Trustees, Finance Committee and Pastor Parish Relations Committee are fulfilled, and the attention is increasingly focused on CONNECT, GROW, SERVE and GIVE in a way the Consultation Team sees as healthy and effective for future ministry. The Consultation Team believes this structure will serve West Newton UMC well in making timely decisions, moving the church forward and enabling new and creative ministries in the future.

CONCERNS

West Newton UMC’s greatest areas of concern are as follows:

1. UNCLEAR VISION West Newton UMC has a mission statement, which is well known and articulated by its leaders: “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Although a vision has been articulated, many in the congregation are unaware of it, and it is not currently providing a clear, shared direction. This lack of a cohesive vision also hinders realistic goal setting, long- range planning, evaluation of results, and the wise stewardship of human and financial resources.

2. INADEQUATE LAY LEADERSHIP AND INITIATIVE West Newton UMC has largely been a congregation of followers. What has gotten done at the church has been mostly what was created and led by the Pastor. While the healthiest dynamic for a congregation is to be pastor-led, in many ways West Newton UMC has become pastor- dependent. One member told us, “People are willing to help when asked. But don’t ask them to lead.” Several leaders expressed concern about how much Pastor Don will be able to do with two congregations to serve and seminary. There is a great need for members of the congregation to take ownership and initiative alongside Pastor Don to make West Newton UMC a more vital, fruitful congregation.

3. LACK OF OUTREACH AND CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNITY For West Newton UMC to continue to grow and have greater impact in the future, the congregation must find new ways to connect with the community and make Christ’s love real outside the walls of the church. While the congregation has tried outreach events such as “Movies on the Lawn” and “Trunk or Treat,” there is no stated, intentional strategy for reaching out in ways that build relationships with people who need God’s transforming grace and who might become part of the loving community of the congregation. In many ways, West Newton UMC remains invisible, even to those who live close by and drive by the building every day.

MINISTRY ACTION PLAN The Consultation Team is confident that the leadership of West Newton UMC is able to implement the following ministry action plan. We also believe that the church will be able to discern the next steps and strategies in order to be faithful and fruitful in the future.

1. DEVELOP A CLEAR, SHARED VISION

Upon the acceptance of this report, the congregation will reaffirm the mission statement of the United Methodist Church, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” The congregation will have a worship service of prayer and forgiveness to become focused and unified in mission, and begin to seek unity in the spirit of Jesus Christ. This will help the congregation to be more spiritually prepared for the Lord’s vision for the future. This will be organized by the pastor and the FCJ Prayer Coordinator and be conducted by January 10, 2016.

The coach will conduct a vision workshop for the congregation by January 24, 2016. The purpose of this workshop is to help the congregation discern the vision that will guide future decisions and ministries of the church.

Following the vision workshop, the pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a leadership team of 4-5 persons who will lead the process to discern the vision which will be presented to the Governing Board for discussion and adoption by March 27, 2016, and then presented to the congregation.

Upon adopting this vision, all church ministries, committees and teams will conduct a ministry analysis, as well as set goals, in order to align their efforts with the church’s mission and vision. The Governing Board will collect the results of the ministry analysis and goal setting by September 25, 2016. Ministries that are not in alignment with the vision of the church will have one year to align to the vision. The Governing Board will then align the church’s resources to support these efforts and monitor progress. All future ministries must be aligned to the mission and vision and all ministries will be reviewed annually.

2. INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a team of 4-5 persons to formulate a leadership development system by June 26, 2016. This system will include the following: · the use of regular, fruitful goal-setting and holding one another accountable to achieve the goals, · the practice of having apprentice leaders or co-chairs, · the practice of rotating leaders through term limits, · the continued shared learning through guided study of books (from FCJ Step 1), · the use of spiritual-gift and personality profile inventories, · the development of steps to assist members into ministry.

This system will be adopted and instituted by the Governing Board by March 26, 2017.

3. INTENTIONAL CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY

The pastor, in consultation with the coach, will establish a team by January 31, 2016. This team of 4-5 persons will develop an outward-focused strategy for the church to reach and connect with the community.

The team will: ·take an inventory of all the points of contact the church already has with its community, (such as VBS, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, etc.) and members’ relationships (neighbors, work/school and social acquaintances, etc.); ·identify strategy and tactics for building redemptive relationships with people outside the congregation, such as the B.L.E.S.S. strategy shared at the workshop on Saturday. ·encourage members to intentionally learn the names identified above, and develop next-step actions to develop deeper relationships with them, such as offering to pray for them, inviting them into their homes for a meal, spending time with them, becoming a surrogate grandparent; ·develop bridge events to which these individuals can be invited into the life of the church, such as Scout Sunday as a way to invite the scouts and their families into worship; ·develop a partnership with the local elementary school to assist with tutoring, snacks, etc. ·develop a partnership with the local community to plan festivals, picnics, and other community events; ·seek ideas of how to utilize the church’s campus to bring more people onto the property (such as walking trails, chapel in the courtyard, use of the amphitheater, etc.) ·conduct a communications audit to evaluate all existing communication methods, including the website, social media, signage, as well as other effective ways to communicate with the target audience.

This information will be presented to the Governing Board by December 31, 2016.

CONCLUSION We, the Consultation Team, want to thank you for the opportunity to serve your congregation through this Fruitful Congregation Journey assessment process. Our prayers and hope for your congregation are that God will use this process to help your church become more effective and fruitful in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. May God give you courage and strength as you move forward.

Steve Clouse, Kirk Freeman, Mike Dominick

Town Hall Meeting Dates (at the church): · Sunday, October 18, 12:15 pm in the Sanctuary · Sunday, October 25, 12:15 pm in the Sanctuary · Sunday, November 1, 12:15 pm in the Sanctuary

Church Conference Date (at the church): · Sunday, November 8, 12:15 pm in the Sanctuary