Houserville UMC House Of Hope

HOUSERVILLE UMC CONSULTATION REPORT

NOVEMBER 14-16, 2008
INTRODUCTION

We, the consultation team want to thank the pastor and congregation of Houserville United Methodist Church for the opportunity to consult with you. We know that this has been a difficult week end since the congregation has so many great needs. However, we also hope God uses this week end to create hope and a future filled with effective ministry.

STRENGTHS

1. The Pastor: The pastor, Renee Ford has led this congregation through some very difficult times. She also has a heart to lead the congregation to make more new disciples for Jesus Christ. She is committed to her God and to this congregation.

2. The Congregational Leaders: Most if not all of the leaders want to see God do awesome things again through this congregation for the community in which it exists. They have demonstrated faithfulness by expending great effort to reach people. The people are also open to trying anything that will help them become effective in their mission.

3. Good Behaviors: The pastor and congregational leaders have been willing in the last two years to make decisions that have caused those in the congregation not committed to an outward focused mission to leave. As a result the pastor and congregation have experienced great pain. Yet their behaviors and choices were the correct ones.

CONCERNS

1. Critical Mass: The congregation has almost no critical mass (people and finances) upon which to build and grow. The lack of people and money makes it both hard to attract new people and keep them if they do visit. As a result those who are left are tired, frustrated and losing hope. There is little energy for conducting the ministries that do produce minimal but positive returns.

2. Lack of Production: The pastor and congregation have been trying to reach out to the community but are seeing few results for the time and effort expended. This lack of production is contributing to the poor morale of those who are trying so hard.

3. Past Decisions: The past decisions to deal with those in the congregation who stopped any outward mission with their behaviors and attitudes, while being the right decisions, have left a negative spiritual impact on the congregation.

PRESCRIPTIONS

1. Prayer Team: The pastor needs to mobilize a team of people in the congregation to begin to pray for the future of the congregation. This team should have a minimum of five to eight people in it. The purpose of praying is to ask God to do the following:

• Give the pastor and congregation the wisdom to implement well the prescriptions in this report;
• Give the congregation a deep and moving sense of compassion for those in the community that are lost and apart from Jesus Christ;
• Send women, men, children and families to this congregation in order to become disciples of Jesus Christ.

This team needs to be in place by December 14, 2008 and needs to meet once a week.

2. Prayer Event: The pastor and congregation need to have a day of prayer where God is asked to forgive the congregation for the hurts of people in the past and its inappropriate attitude and behaviors towards the community that have caused many outside the congregation to look on it with disfavor. The day should also be one where time is given to walk through the building and ask God to cleanse this meeting place, where sin occurred and bring His hand of blessing on the use of the buildings and grounds for His honor and glory. Finally this day of prayer should be for God to give the congregation a deep sense of compassion for those in the community who are not yet disciples of Jesus Christ. This day should be led by the pastor’s mentor or coach. During this day the pastor needs to share the vision God has given her for the community. This day should occur by January 5, 2009.

3. Refocus and Relocation: The congregation needs to shut it doors to the public on Sunday January 4, 2009. It should then meet for its own worship service and strategy session in the Woodycrest Church for eight months. During this time the pastor and others need to begin to strategize the re-opening of the church in the community on Sunday September 7 as they would a new church plant. Beginning February 1, 2009, the church will have a council of three and a staff of five or six people. All other lay positions will disappear. Staff members will be in charge of worship, preaching, children’s ministries, assimilation and outreach events. During this time, the current church building will be renovated and redecorated so there is room for growth. The worship services will be designed for younger generations and the meetings will also serve food. During this time, all Sunday school classes will meet at the Woodycrest UMC and the Houserville church building will be locked on Sunday. The hope is to build enough critical mass to have the funds to redecorate and update the church building and then move back in to the redecorated and updated building on September 6, 2009 with plans for ongoing expansions and renovations as resources are obtained to do so.

During the eight months the church is at Woodycrest, all ministries will be evaluated. Every ministry that continues must have a disciple making aspect to it or it will not be allowed to continue. Each ministry, other than the five mentioned in the previous paragraph must involve community people, have a strategy in place to move people into the church and have strategies and tactics designed to help people become disciples. During the first year, no more than two/three ministries can be initiated.

The congregation will conduct three bridge events in the first year (April 2009-March 2010) to reach out to the community.

All ministries must set goals and be evaluated if they are to continue or the people leading them are to continue as their leaders.

4. Coach and Mentor: The pastor will have a coach and mentor in place by January 1, 2009.

THE PRESCRIPTIONS WILL BE VOTED AT A SPECIAL CHARGE CONFERENCE ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2008. IF THEY ARE ACCEPTED THE COACH AND MENTOR WILL WORK WITH THE PASTOR. IF THEY ARE REJECTED THE CONGREGATION WILL BE LEFT ON ITS OWN, TO SUCCEED OR FAIL, IN WHAT EVER WAY GOD DEEMS FOR SUCH TO HAPPEN.

CONCLUSION

We recognize that the odds of this congregation becoming healthy and growing are staggering. Yet we also recognize that our God loves to do miracles. Our prayer is that God will do a miracle for Houserville UMC.
Submitted by:

Dr. Paul D. Borden

Dr. Marybeth Morrison

Rev. Doyle Klinger

Rev. Dave McCullough