Stewards-by-Design

Stewards-by-Design 2013 Conference

I’ve told you about the work on core values and objectives we did as the congregation I serve with spent some weeks focusing on listening. (click here to read those).

The last formative experience was the Stewards-by-Design conference organized by our national denomination, The Presbyterian Church in Canada.  Unlike many of the conferences I’ve been to in the past, this one focused on equipping congregational leaders rather than solely individuals.  Twenty churches were present, represented by four delegates each.

My teammates and I received a package of materials in the weeks leading up to the conference, including Dr. Kennon Callahan’s classic book, 12 Keys to an Effective Church.  We were also challenged to fill out a profile about our congregation, describing its strengths and primary challenges.

The weekend was filled with rich and experiential worship, insightful plenary sessions, and significant conversations with our team, a mentor and other colleagues.

We had a number of “take-aways”:

1)   Build on Strengths first, then leverage these to address our challenges.  This differed from the common wisdom of focusing energy on our weakest area.  Callahan made the point that doing so doesn’t get the kind of quick returns a congregation needs to feel energized.  Once they have some successes however, there’s joy – and the joy brings strength to take on a greater challenge the next time.

2)   Sprinters and Marathoners.  The church does long term “Marathon” programming very well.  We offer weekly or monthly events where results are best if people commit to being there regularly.  But, we more and more of our neighbors are sprinters, people who only commit to a one-time events or short-term series.  We need to make room for them in our churches.

3)   Emphasize Compassion, Community and Hope.  No one comes to faith because of the challenge or commitment involved.  While challenge and commitment are important, they take years to nurture. Doing mission in today’s society requires connecting with people who are interested in seeing lives improved (compassion), in connecting with others (community) and in hope for a brighter tomorrow.

4)   Be grace-filled.  Callahan demonstrated this well.  He was positive, upbeat, receptive and affirming.  We were challenged to infuse our congregation and its expressions with the same?  One of my favorite quotes from him is to the effect of: “If you want to build a boat you don’t divide people into task groups and outline what a boat looks like.  You teach them a love for the sea.  In the same way, if you want to build Christ’s church, you don’t divide them into task groups.  You teach them a love for the grace that has been revealed in Jesus Christ.”  Ouch and amen.

5)   People give to People.  Most people are generous most of the time. Its just that they don’t want to give to projects – they want to touch other people’s lives.  People give to people, not projects.  When raising needed funds, there are many sources we can use, but always return to the story of people who will be affected.

6)   Joyful.  More than once we heard “you are welcome to think about what you would have fun doing.”  What brings joy is one way we figure out what God has gifted us to do.  Having fun should inform which mission we choose, which projects we pursue and which programs we run.

We made a number of recommendations to Burns’ leadership team.  But on a personal note, I left the conference feeling encouraged, like I’d met with God.  I also left equipped with practical ideas for improving my “serve”.

I love how, when we pause to listen, God speaks in some pretty amazing ways.