Natural Church Natural Church DevelopmentDevelopment

Effective Structures…

NCD - Effective StructuresNCD - Effective Structures

What is measured: To what extent do our decision-making processes, operating procedures (official and unofficial), leadership team, and ministry structures facilitate rather than hinder the fulfillment of our church's mission?

A Simple Request…A Simple Request…

What the MissionDeveloper envisioned

What Pete Norgren designed

What the EOCM Review Team

approved

Gets Awfully Complicated!Gets Awfully Complicated!

What the MIF agreed to finance

What the Leadership Team

voted on

What the church members really

wanted

Mission MomentMission Moment

Which one of the following best describes your congregation’s organizational structure:

– Homer Simpson– Britney Spears– George Bush– Barack Obama– Ruben Duran

Effective Structures…Effective Structures…

Framework for ministryLogos/order of “our” creationInstitutionalizes the “institution”Using what you already have to do what God is calling you to do

Effective Structures…Effective Structures…

Visible sign of progressLends legitimacy to ministryLessens anxiety for those who need something to see - to “believe in”Dynamic – NOT static – way to order the body of Christ`Gives shape to ministry

Effective Structures…Effective Structures…

Define relationship, authority, accountability, responsibility, boundariesMark of a healthy & growing churchMeasure of flexibility & changeAlways a spiritual matter“Gives birth to/reflects” the culture, customs, traditions, activities, mores, values and rites that define ministry

What resources do you have - right now - to do ministry?

•People…

•Program/Activities…

•Place…

Think about it...Think about it...

•How can you best organize your resources?

•How can you build “Effective Structures” for your…

•Leadership? (committees, teams - who, how many, what kind?)

•Program? (Can you really be “all things to all people?”)

•Facility? (use what’s available - don’t make excuses!)

Think about it...Think about it...

What’s working well?

•Why?

What’s not working?

•Why?

What CAN YOU change?

•Why not?!

Think about it...Think about it...

“The Sabbath was made for the children of God – NOT God’s children for the Sabbath!”

•The Form of ministry ALWAYS follows the function of ministry

•Structure ALWAYS follows vision and mission

•Structure is ALWAYS the slave – never the master!

Insight: Bubba Insight: Bubba says...says...

Effectivity Asks…Effectivity Asks…

How can we maximize the fruitfulness of our ministry?

EffectivityEffectivity Asks... Asks...

Does the structure of our ministry help us to produce discernible results, reproduce our ministry, and change lives?…or not?

EffectivityEffectivity Asks... Asks...

Does every good tree bear good fruit? What‘s the fruit look like?...

No fruit?–Fertilize it–Prune it–Get rid of it!

Mission Moment:Mission Moment:Effective StructuresEffective Structures

What structures are you building to serve your ministry?

What are you doing/will you do… to reproduce your ministry?

What would you do (in ministry) if you knew you couldn’t fail?

What’s the one “essential” thing that you can do that no one else can do?

Whenever God breathes Whenever God breathes God’s Spirit into formless God’s Spirit into formless clay - both life and form clay - both life and form spring forth.spring forth.

Wherever God pours out Wherever God pours out God’s spirit within the God’s spirit within the church – structure and church – structure and form spring forth” form spring forth” (NCD:29).(NCD:29).

Effective StructuresEffective Structures

The most important criterion for forms and structures in the church is if they help to fulfill and support the mission – or not!

With the passing of time, people become more and more traditional – “fixed”.

Traditionalism/traditions/structures then become an end in themselves.

Evaluation and self-renewal will help combat the negative affects of traditionalism.

Do you have the wisdom, the grace, and the guts to let it die?

Mission Mission MomentMoment

1. Divide Into Groups2. Do a Quick Resource Inventory –

What do you have to work with?3. Build/Create/Invent Something…

Anything (Be Creative)4. Name Your Creation5. What’s It’s Purpose?6. How could you improve your

creation? (What else do you need?)