Diocesan Strategy

No Quick Fix!

Long-term (5-10-15 years application)

Hard work!

Diocesan Strategy

Simple Focus!

Diocesan Mission Purpose

8 Quality Areas

Diocesan Strategy

Simple Focus!

8 Quality Areas

WorshippingGod

Making New Disciples

Transforming Communities

Diocesan Strategy

Simple Focus!

WorshippingGod

Making New Disciples

Transforming Communities

Ministry

Empowering

Gift-oriented

Passionate

Inspiring

Holistic

Need-oriented

Loving

Functional

Leadership

Structures

Outreach

Small Groups

Worship

Spirituality

Relationships

Diocesan Strategy

6

Christian Schwarz’s research

•1000 churches•1000 churches•32 countries•32 countries•5 continents•5 continents•4.2 million answers•4.2 million answers•Natural Church Development (NCD)•Natural Church Development (NCD)

Good quality:SoilWaterTemperatureSunlight

Tree has no choice!…. It cannot do anything else

but….

g r o wCreated healthy environment for

growth

BUT……SoilWaterTemperatureSunlight

Tree has no choice!…. It cannot do anything

else but….

D i e

Need ALL the qualities! Miss one out and you will not

sustain growth

REMOVE any ONE item…..

A barrel can only hold as much water as the

LOWEST stave.

So work out our WEAKEST

(Minimum) quality and improve it!

And at the same time ensure we use all the other qualities whilst improving the one weakest, so that

ALL qualities improve together.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Leadership

Ministry

Spirituality

Worship

Small Groups

Outreach

Relationships

Structures

Empowering

Gift-oriented

Passionate

Inspiring

Holistic

Need-oriented

Loving

Functional

8 Essential Qualities in Healthy Growing Churches

When all qualities

were consistently

above a certain level all churches in research

were growing.

Bottom line?......

You might not like some of the

qualities but if you don’t have them you won’t grow!

EMPOWERING LeadershipAtmosphere in whole church….. (not just the vicar/‘leader’!)?

Every leader intentionally

identifies, inspires, recruits, trains, supports and

releases others into leadership

responsibilities and rejoices that they do role better than you!

The ‘see-saw’ effect….

People start off ‘lower’ than you, and you raise

them up above you.

‘Our ceiling, their floor’.

EMPOWERING Leadership

How do people feel after they have been talking with you as a

leader? Do they leave feeling you are better

than them, or that they are/can be better than

you? Do they feel ‘lifted up’ or ‘put

down’?

The ‘see-saw’ effect….

Have the same people been doing the same jobs for

umpteen years? Are people exercising an unhealthy level of control over ‘their’ area, or

even the church itself?! These will be a barrier to growth.

I do,you watch

I do,you help

You do,I help

You do,I watch

Select team

Leader

TraInIng

L1 L2

L3L4

GIFT-ORIENTED MinistryMost churches.......?!

This is what we do……. will you please help us?

GIFT-ORIENTED MinistryWhat do you want to

achieve for God before you die…? And is the

local church helping you achieve it?

What would you like the vicar to say about you at

your funeral service? And are you doing it now?

People with passion achieve more than people with just ability…. so what are you passionate

about? What gifts can you apply to that passion? How can the church support you in that?

PASSIONATE Spirituality

Authenticity of faith? Is it real?!

Are all fruit of the Spirit in evidence in congregation?

Levels of self-sacrifice (inc giving)?

‘The Kingdom of Heaven is among you’…. so do people get a taste of heaven when they meet

members of the congregation individually and collectively?

Prayer life of church and individuals?

PASSIONATE Spirituality

Age and fruit of Spirit?

(Young) people are not put off by age…

but they are by attitude!

INSPIRING Worship

High point of your week

Connect with God there.

So inspiring you want to invite your friends who have no faith along to it to experience it.

You’ll have a regular stream of visitors coming to see what it’s like (if they come and don’t come back that’s another question!)

No ‘cringe’ factors for guests

Style irrelevant….it’s the quality (inspiring) that counts!

HOLISTIC Small Groups

Small within big

Do everything a church does, but smaller scale:

Worship (but different to ‘main’ church as smaller), Bible application, pastoral support, prayer, outreach, use of people’s gifts,

transforming community, g r o w, multiply, etc.

NEED-ORIENTED Outreach

2 aspects:

Meet people’s practical needs (ie serve the poor, transform communities)

Meet people’s faith exploration needs as they journey towards Christian faith.

LOVING Relationships

3 key aspects:

FUN!

WELCOMING!

FORGIVING!

LOVING Relationships

3 key aspects:

FUN!

Who would want to be part of something miserable?!

Ability to laugh at oneself is a sign of humility

Growing churches have a lot of laughter in them.

LOVING Relationships

3 key aspects:

If Jesus did all of that (!)…. the LEAST we can do is walk across the room to somebody we do not recognise and say, ‘Hi, it’s lovely to see you.’ Being shy is NOT an excuse!

Remember…. no second chance at a first impression! And open circles!

WELCOMING!

How welcoming in atmosphere for BOTH men AND women!

LOVING Relationships

3 key aspects:

Christian churches should be the most forgiving places on the planet! So why aren’t they?! No excuses NOT to forgive (people, Diocese, etc)

Especially important in serving the poor.

FORGIVING!

Let go of the nets!

FUNCTIONAL Structures

Exist to enable all of the 8 qualities to

flourish throughout the whole life of the

church!

Need to be flexible and adapt as growth

occurs.

Just reflect how much damage you/PCC can potentially do to a person/organisation and God’s Kingdom by operating

outside of these qualities!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Leadership

Ministry

Spirituality

Worship

Small Groups

Outreach

Relationships

Structures

Empowering

Gift-oriented

Passionate

Inspiring

Holistic

Need-oriented

Loving

Functional

8 Essential Qualities in Healthy Growing Churches

Which are your best 2 qualities?

Which is your

weakest?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Leadership

Ministry

Spirituality

Worship

Small Groups

Outreach

Relationships

Structures

Empowering

Gift-oriented

Passionate

Inspiring

Holistic

Need-oriented

Loving

Functional

8 Essential Qualities in Healthy Growing Churches

What 3 or 4 ideas do

people have to improve our weakest area over the next year, making sure that we

use our best 2 in doing it, and

ensuring we also use all the other qualities

too?

Simple Focus!

WorshippingGod

Making New Disciples

Transforming Communities

Ministry

Empowering

Gift-oriented

Passionate

Inspiring

Holistic

Need-oriented

Loving

Functional

Leadership

Structures

Outreach

Small Groups

Worship

Spirituality

Relationships

Diocesan Strategy

Simple Focus!

WorshippingGod

Making New Disciples

Transforming Communities

Ministry

Empowering

Gift-oriented

Passionate

Inspiring

Holistic

Need-oriented

Loving

Functional

Leadership

Structures

Outreach

Small Groups

Worship

Spirituality

Relationships

Diocesan Strategy

Focus on Mission Purpose

WorshippingGod

Making New Disciples

Transforming Communities

Ministry

Empowering

Gift-oriented

Passionate

Inspiring

Holistic

Need-oriented

Loving

Functional

Leadership

Structures

Outreach

Small Groups

Worship

Spirituality

Relationships

No Quick Fix!

Focus on 8

QualitiesAppropriate and Relevant Equipping

Diocesan Strategy