Appreciative inquiry: two months in
On Sunday, December 13, the members of our church gathered in the Disciple Center to have a conversation about the results of the appreciative inquiry interviews conducted last fall. We spent a couple of hours discussing the things that are working well in the congregation, looking at the assets we possess, and worked together to discover what some of our dreams for the future might be. It was a discernment process designed to lead us to take some simple concrete first steps toward the future that God intends for us and our congregation.
It is now a little over two months since that working lunch. Quite a lot has transpired in the life of our congregation in that short period of time. There are new ministries and projects starting up. Likewise, some older ministries are in the process of reinventing themselves. It has been exciting to see what has been happening already.
Conversations on youth ministry have already started to bear fruit. Starting March 6, Candice Garner and Jessica Hunter will be leading a new preschool class at the same time as the current Children’s Church ministry. We will have a joint Vacation Bible School with the United Methodist Church. In addition, this spring I will be teaching a baptismal preparation pastor’s class.
Another new ministry in the works is an adult Christian education class team taught by myself and Bobby Garner. We even have a nascent social media ministry under way. One of the most critical new ministries of all, however, is the Tuesday morning prayer group that meets in the coffee area of the church. We have been praying through the members and ministries of the church. It is an impressive group of praying Christians and has quickly become the most important part of my week.
Older ministries have revitalized themselves. The members of the choir met together to discern what their piece of the music ministry of our church should be. The results of that conversation speak for themselves. We have seen an incredible re-commitment to the choir. New members have come forward to take part. The men’s group is getting ready to have a similar conversation this Sunday. It will be exciting to see what they come up with together.
Most important, however, is not the listing of new and revitalized ministries. It is the fact that the energy level of our congregation is noticeably different. People are coming forward to take part in new and different ways. Our congregation has felt more alive in the past two months than it has at any point in the past couple of years. It is amazing to see. I encourage you all to become a part of what God is doing here. Find a ministry to which you feel called. Jump in. Experience what it means to be a part of the movement of the Holy Spirit. Thank you so much for making this a great time to be a part of First Christian Church (DOC).
