{"id":463,"date":"2014-06-28T12:17:43","date_gmt":"2014-06-28T16:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/?page_id=463"},"modified":"2014-06-28T13:07:23","modified_gmt":"2014-06-28T17:07:23","slug":"visioning-update-june-8-2014","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/?page_id=463","title":{"rendered":"Visioning Update – June 8, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vision Team Reports on Mission Statement and Goals<\/h2>\r\nVision Team Reports on Mission Statement and Goals The following articles were prepared by Vision Team members Pastor Grace Pak, Joan Cichalski, Wendy Turnock, Dianne Lowing and Dan Pak.[break]\r\n\r\n[break]\r\n\r\n\u201cObey me so that I may become your God and you may become my people. Follow the path I mark out for you so that it may go well with you.<\/em>\u201d (Jeremiah 7:23)\r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nWhen Christopher Columbus first set sail to discover new land in the late 1400\u2019s, they set a course due west and sailed for months until they reached the new land. Columbus and his crew discovered Grand Turk Island, Haiti and Cuba in their first voyage. For those of us who get lost even with the aid of the modern technology such as Google maps and GPS which give you turn by turn directions, it is a wonder how they were able to cross the vast Atlantic ocean back and forth discovering uncharted territories. One thing for sure, Columbus would have been steadfast, charting the course every moment by studying the movements of the sun and the stars to ensure they were headed in the right direction.\r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n\r\nMany things in life are similar to this analogy including church. Church is like a boat in the high sea where for miles around all you see is water everywhere. Church has to have a clear destination and direction of where it needs to go in order to get there. Without a clear destination and constant charting of the course, it is very easy to drift with the current and end up nowhere. When we pay attention to where we are and where we are headed, we are engaged toward our destination, our goal. The moment we take our attention away from charting the course, we are lost.\r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n\r\nThe vision team has begun its work in January 2014 reflecting on the Word of God, reading and studying books and praying. For the last 5 months, the team gathered once a month to examine where we are, where we need to be headed, why we are here, how do we want to get there and what need to be done. Following are the messages\/reports from the members of the team in hopes that we can navigate through the high sea following the path God marked out for us, so that we can be a vital church for everyone to know Jesus Christ and to make him known. These messages are written by members of the team after much discussion and collaboration by the whole team. I would like to thank Joan Cichalski, Dianne Lowing, Barbara Mason, Dan Pak, Lynn Scott and Wendy Turnock for their passion and love for our Lord Jesus Christ and his church, their willingness to give their time and talent and also for their hospitality.\r\n\r\n[break]\r\n

What is Church?<\/h3>\r\n \r\n\r\nOur group has been focused on this and other questions as we work to revitalize Embury and develop our mission statement.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n\r\nIn considering the question, \u201cWhat is Church?\u201d we read several books and articles, as well as scripture from the book of Acts. A few key points from our readings that help us understand this question follow:[break]\r\n\r\n\u201cKicking Habits\u201d (Thomas Bandy): Bandy firmly believes that in order to thrive, churches need to take an honest look at\u00a0many traditional habits and practices. The thriving church will be more open and fluid than traditional models of the past. He\u00a0states, that the \u201cfull diversity of the public is changed, gifted, called, equipped, and sent. Their ongoing experience of God\u00a0transforms their heart and lifestyles. They begin as seekers and end as Ministers.\u201d (p. 74) In other words, participants in\u00a0the thriving church listen to God, grow in their knowledge and experience of God, share God with others, and serve God\u00a0in the world.\r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n\r\n\u201cChurch 3.0\u201d (Neil Cole): Cole differentiates between attractional churches and missional churches and urges the modern\u00a0church to be more missional. He states, \u201cchurch… is the presence of Jesus among his people called out as a spiritual\u00a0family to pursue his mission on this planet.\u201d We should ask, \u201cwhere is Jesus seen at work in our midst?\u201d and should strive\u00a0to bring the message of Jesus to the world around us.\r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n\r\nActs 2 is the Pentecost story…the birth of the \u201cchurch,\u201d the event marked by the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus\u2019\u00a0followers and enabling them to speak to those around them in their native languages, spreading the word of God. \u00a0Speaking to those around him, Peter says, \u201c…let Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you\u00a0crucified, both Lord and Christ.\u201d (Acts 2: 36). Thus, in this earliest church \u201cfounding\u201d story, believers are called by the\u00a0Holy Spirit to speak to others around them, bringing them to knowledge and belief in Jesus. No buildings were needed, no\u00a0hierarchy of superintendents or bishops… just faithful followers who were excited and willing to share the truth of Christ\u00a0with those around them, even when challenged by traditions and doubters.[break][break]\r\n\r\nSo, the question for us remains: what do we want our church to become as we face challenging days ahead? What does\u00a0the Holy Spirit intend for OUR church to be? Right now, within these walls, we are believers who seek to deepen our\u00a0knowledge of Christ. We gather to worship and to praise God, and warmly welcome visitors who come to worship with\u00a0us. We are clearly comfortable being an attractional church, and we hope to preserve that quality as we move forward.[break][break]\r\n\r\nBut to become more vital, we need to find ways to add a more missional dimension to our established pattern and try to\u00a0live out our mission statement, \u201cwe are here to know Jesus Christ and to make him known.\u201d\u00a0So what do we do when we leave this place? Can we find ways to become more comfortable with being active sharers of\u00a0the good news of Jesus with those outside of these walls? Can we find opportunities to do this within the activities we\u00a0carry out here at Embury and in our outreach efforts? Can we be the people who live with a conscious desire to emulate\u00a0Christ in our relationships in the wider world? Most challenging of all, can we be the people who truly try to take church\u00a0to those outside these walls so that it becomes a living, transforming presence in the world?\r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n

Why Church?<\/h3>\r\nThere are various ideas on what church is, but here are two. Church is….[break]\r\n
    \r\n\t
  • The entire body of those who are saved by their relation to Christ.<\/li>\r\n\t
  • And, a New Testament definition, the church is the body of Christ of which He is the head, being a Holy Temple\u00a0for the habitation of God through the Spirit, one flesh with Christ.[break][break]<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn Acts chapters 1 & 2 we learn about the beginnings of the early church and the new believers. Luke begins with a brief\u00a0summary from his Gospel before going on to the next stage of the story. By writing this way Luke emphasized the unity\u00a0between the story of the ministry of Jesus and the story of the beginning of the church. The Gospel tells what Jesus began\u00a0to do and teach; Acts relates what He continued to do and teach through His many witnesses.[break][break]\r\n\r\nThe final command of Jesus before His ascension comes in Acts chapter 1:8 \u201cyou will receive power when the Holy\u00a0Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the\u00a0earth.<\/em>\u201d[break][break]\r\n\r\nThe immediate task of the disciples was to act as witnesses to Jesus. The spread of God\u2019s Word was to take place by\u00a0means of the disciples, empowered by the Spirit.[break][break]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nActs 2 shows the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and Peter\u2019s speech to the crowd of the Good News about Christ. \u00a0About 3000 accepted his message & were baptized. The new Christians were united with other believers, taught by the\u00a0Apostles, and had fellowship and prayer meetings. New believers in Christ need to be in groups where they can learn\u00a0God\u2019s Word, pray and mature in the faith.[break][break]\r\n\r\nThe religious devotion of the early Christians was a daily affair. As the Christians were seen and heard by the other\u00a0people in Jerusalem, their activities formed opportunities to witness. When we look at the life of Jesus and the disciples in\u00a0the New Testament, the activities they engaged in led to changed lives.[break][break]\r\n\r\nThe church of Jesus Christ commits to making disciples. Discipleship is a journey toward a deeper relationship with Jesus\u00a0that transforms people\u2019s lives from receiving to giving, from wanting to be served to serving others and from looking for\u00a0my needs to be met to how I can serve God.[break][break]\r\n\r\nIn my understanding, God\u2019s purpose, or Why for His church, is to create passionate Christ-like disciples who stir up faith\u00a0and hope, to be a disciple making community.[break][break]\r\n\r\nChrist said in John 15:8 \u201cThis is to God\u2019s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.<\/em>\u201d[break][break]\r\n\r\nWe as God\u2019s church are to make new disciples, deepen disciple\u2019s faith and challenge disciples to go into the world to\u00a0change lives. \u00a0God\u2019s mission is to expand the kingdom of God in this world through Jesus Christ. We are to be the branches of Christ\u00a0that bear fruit by equipping disciples to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. \u00a0Paul said in Acts 20 verses 28 & 32 ”\u00a0So keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock which the Holy Spirit has\u00a0placed in your care. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he made his own through the blood of his Son.<\/em>\u201d[break]\r\n\r\n \r\n

    Where is Embury now?<\/h3>\r\nWHAT IS THE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF EMBURY?[break][break]\r\n\r\nVital Congregations follow the ways of Jesus Christ to be inwardly transformed so they can leave the church for mission\u00a0and ultimately grow disciples of Jesus Christ and expand God\u2019s Kingdom. A recent study of United Methodist Churches\u00a0in New Jersey revealed that only 14% of our churches have vital congregations. It\u2019s not a secret that Embury is among the\u00a086% of New Jersey Churches that do not have vital congregations.[break][break]\r\n\r\nThe Vision Team did a lot of research and spent a lot of discussion time narrowing down where Embury is now as a\u00a0church and what direction we should go toward in the future. We have several challenges to face in order to successfully\u00a0move Embury forward.[break][break]\r\n\r\nWe are a Connectional Church<\/span>, meaning that we are a part of a group or conference and therefore we have certain\u00a0guidelines to adhere to that create a challenge for us both financially and operationally.\r\n\r\n[break][break]We are an Attractional Church<\/span>, which is to say that we are membership focused, we want people to come to us, inside our\u00a0walls, into our comfort zone. We want them to attend and to join our church. We are an Attractional Church because we\u00a0have always been an Attractional Church. It is what we know and grew up with. We are use to being an Attractional\u00a0Church.[break][break]\r\n\r\nWe are an Institutional Church<\/span> This area is probably our greatest challenge. It means that we spend a lot of time and\u00a0energy focusing on sustaining the church. Our focus has become the day-to-day running of the church, staying afloat,\u00a0surviving. We have fallen into the trap of maintaining the status quo even when it is clearly not working for us.[break][break]\r\n\r\nWe have moved energy and resources away from mission in order to sustain the church. We are trapped in preservation\u00a0mode. We need to escape from our preservation mode and become more engaged in mission. Mission takes us outside the\u00a0walls of the church and leaves behind complacency so that we can connect with people and magnify God\u2019s presence in the\u00a0world.[break][break]\r\n\r\nRight now, we have an opportunity to try and transform Embury into a vital congregation. If we transform how we\u00a0operate, we can move Embury from being a declining church into one that thrives. We can take advantage of valuable\u00a0resources from the Greater New Jersey Conference that will help us become a vital congregation, one that is involved in\u00a0mission both locally and globally.[break][break]\r\n\r\nJesus\u2019 ministry was both Attraction and Mission based. By maintaining a balance of both the Attractional and Missional\u00a0philosophies, we can begin our work for transformation. The conference is trying to turn the tide for the Methodist\u00a0Churches of New Jersey and we need to do the same if there is any hope for future vitality at Embury.[break]\r\n\r\n \r\n

    How Embury Will Become The Church<\/h3>\r\nIn order for us to think about how Embury can become the church God intended, we adopted an\u00a0approach (the Golden Circle by Simon Sinek), which provides a different perspective on how an\u00a0organization should align its thinking and resources. Instead of starting with the conventional way of\u00a0\u201cWhat\u201d it starts with the \u201cWhy.\u201d This ensures that we are solidly grounded in why we exist as a church.[break][break]\r\n\r\n\"visioning\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[break][break]\r\n\r\nWhy \u2013 The Purpose or Mission Statement<\/strong>[break][break]\r\n\r\nWith this concept in mind, the team came to an agreement on a mission statement that begins\u00a0with inside the church, but will also send people outside the walls of the church building for\u00a0mission\/ministry.[break][break]\r\n\r\n\u201cAt Embury, we are here to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known.<\/strong><\/span>\u201d[break][break]\r\n\r\nThis mission statement defines why we exist and what our purpose is. All our activities,\u00a0programs and decisions need to be aligned to it. For example, when we are faced with a\u00a0decision, we ask ourselves \u201cWill it support our mission?\u201d[break][break]\r\n\r\nNext, the team discussed and determined that the following represents how Embury will\u00a0accomplish this mission and align our work.[break][break]\r\n\r\nHow \u2013 The Process<\/strong>[break][break]\r\n\r\nP.A.C.E.<\/strong>\r\n
      \r\n\t
    • P<\/strong>ractice intentional discipline to know Jesus Christ and make him known<\/li>\r\n\t
    • A<\/strong>lign all ministries to know Jesus Christ and to make him known<\/li>\r\n\t
    • C<\/strong>reate and innovate new ways to know Jesus Christ and to make him known<\/li>\r\n\t
    • E<\/strong>quip and train others to lead and share how to know Jesus Christ and to make him known<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[break]\r\n

      What Next?<\/h3>\r\nGoing forward, we\u2019ll assess and ensure all of our ministries are aligned to our mission. This will help us validate that\u00a0we\u2019re on the right track and fulfill our purpose as the church of Jesus Christ.[break][break]\r\n

      Conclusion<\/h3>\r\nWe are charting the course and are excited about where God is taking us. Let us pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit\u00a0as we seek ways to revitalize Embury in the months and years ahead.[break][break]\r\n\r\nMany thanks to ALL Vision Team Members: Pastor Grace Pak, Joan Cichalski, Barb Mason, Dan Pak,\u00a0Lynn Scott, and Wendy Turnock. It is the hope of the Vision Team that ALL Embury members will get\u00a0involved in implementing the goals formulated during this work. The Administrative Council will work with\u00a0all committees as we go forward to see that our programs align with our mission statement, \u201cto know Jesus\u00a0Christ and to make him known to the world.\u201d If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with\u00a0any member of the Vision Team.[break][break]<\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Vision Team Reports on Mission Statement and Goals Vision Team Reports on Mission Statement and Goals The following articles were prepared by Vision Team members Pastor Grace Pak, Joan Cichalski, Wendy Turnock, Dianne Lowing and Dan Pak.[break] [break] \u201cObey me so that I may become your God and you may become my people. Follow the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-463","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=463"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488,"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/463\/revisions\/488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/emburyumc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}