Sending of the Saints

Discernment Guide

Our task: "In 2008, each NIC church—alone or in cooperation with another church or churches—is expected to help start at least one faith community or congregation in order to reach, disciple, and serve persons outside their existing congregations.”

A "faith community" or "congregation" would be an on-going group that consists of persons who regularly participate in worship, discipleship, and mission/service. Examples might include the following:

• Sunday school class or Bible study for persons outside the church;
• ALPHA Course (for persons outside the church—neighborhood, prison, etc.);
• On-going small group made up of unchurched parents of children’s ministries (e.g. VBS, Kid Club, daycare, or pre-school participants);
• Launching a Hispanic faith community;
• New worship service targeting persons outside the church;
• New off-site congregation targeting persons outside the church, such as in a mobile home or retirement community, prison, sports bar, theater, or school;
• New church plant (done with the approval of the district superintendent).

Why?

• We are called by Jesus Christ to go into all the world and make disciples (Matt. 28:19).
• The purpose of The United Methodist Church, including the North Indiana Conference, is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
• 50% of Indiana’s population is not affiliated with any church (according to The Association of Religion Data Archives’ 2000 study).
• Numerous studies indicate that the most effective way to reach and disciple those outside the church is to start new faith communities and congregations.
• Our Bishop, Michael Coyner, has a dream that churches send teams out to start new faith communities (Sending of the 70).

Discernment Process

Who is God calling your church to reach out to? For whom is God calling your church to help start a faith community or new congregation? The following is a guide your church can use to help it answer these questions…

Step One: Recruit a Team

Create a discernment team. Start with a group of twelve or so people. If you have many more than that, the group may not function very well. In some churches, such an ad hoc committee won’t need official approval; however, if this isn’t the case in your church, have your church’s administrative council (or board) take such action.

Your church is encouraged to have its key leadership—such as its pastor and lay leader—select those to serve on this discernment team, rather than simply taking volunteers. Include your pastor and persons who will affected by this effort, such as key staff. Also include persons who have the gifts of wisdom and discernment, those who would have helpful information and experience, and influential lay persons. All should, of course, be spiritually mature and should be interested in pursuing the will of God in this matter.

Although the pastor may initially convene the group, it is encouraged that a lay person serve as convener from that point on.

Step Two: Initial Work

Ruth Haley Barton, who wrote the book entitled Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Formation, believes that such a discernment group will need to initially do the following:

1. Clarify the issue. Make sure that everyone understands the team’s task, which is to help the church understand the reason why participating in the Sending of the Saints is important, and to help the church answer the questions listed above under the section entitled, “Discernment process.”
2. Establish the basic guidelines that the group will follow and the values that its discernment will be based on. Your team may want to develop a team covenant to which each member would agree to uphold.
3. Pray. Pray for Holy indifference. Encourage the members to openly acknowledge any opinions or biases they may bring to the table and encourage them to set them aside if possible and pray for God’s will to be done. Pray for wisdom, and pray for protection for the church and the team through the process.

As a group for six weeks, pray the Lord’s Prayer, reflecting especially on the implications of praying “Thy will be done.” Also, read Luke 10:1-12 regularly for six weeks, reflecting on its implications.

The team should encourage the church to enter into an intentional time of prayer as well. Encourage the church to pray for complete openness to God’s direction and will.

Step Three: Gather Information

1. Gather information about the people God may be wanting your church to reach out to, such as the following:
   1. Those God people God is already bringing to your church. For example, Sunday newcomers, participants in weekday programs, and outside groups using your facilities. Why might God have brought these people into your church’s life? What gifts and community connections do they bring that God knows your church needs? What needs do they have that God might want your church to meet?
   2. Those in your community. Study your community’s residents using demographics, community leadership interviews, and windshield tours. These are all available through the conference’s website (www.nicumc.org). Go to the Church Development’s “Resource Tools” section, or contact Ed Fenstermacher.
2. Look for where you sense God is already at work. Consider the following:
   1. What kind of fruit is your church bearing? Don't simply list your church's ministries; list what God is producing through them. What ministries seem to be thriving with perhaps little effort? What people seem to be experiencing transformation?
   2. Considering your church's past five years, what might God be preparing you for? What has God been teaching you? Review your past and look for common threads or themes.
   3. What is God saying through your prayers? Is there a prayer that God seems to have laid on the hearts of those in your congregation? Sometimes God lays something on our hearts to pray that doesn’t make sense, but when we share that with others, it makes perfect sense, like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Do not be afraid to share with others promptings from God in your personal prayers. Your word may be that missing puzzle piece that finishes God’s plan for your church.
   4. Where do you already see God at work in your community? Where God is still dreaming, both in your church and its community?
3. Consider your church’s assets. Identify its leadership assets, its influence in the community (e.g. through its leaders’ web of relationships), its resources (e.g. volunteers, finances, and facilities), its programs and outreach, and its spiritual assets. How might these assets help resource God’s activity identified above? Note: For help in mapping your church’s assets, consider reading The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act on Its Gifts, by Luther K. Snow (Alban Institute).

Step Four: Pulling It Together

Given your answers to the above, what specific steps can your church take to more intentionally join God in what God already seems to be doing?

1. Who outside the church does God seem to be counting on your church to reach?
2. How could you begin to build relationships with these people?
3. Who from your church would naturally relate to them and might help start a faith community or new congregation?
4. What should such a faith community be like? What are ways you could turn to these people to help determine that?
5. Is there another church that you might partner with?

Write a summary of the results of the team’s discernment.

Step Five: Test It with Your Church

Hopefully your church has been praying for complete openness to God’s will through the above steps and that it receives the team’s discernment summary with expectant hearts and receptive minds. Here are some tips for sharing the results with the church...

1. Determine who needs to hear the results of the discernment and when. For example, an initial report may first be shared with the church’s administrative council in order to further refine it.
2. Determine what the appropriate setting for sharing the results should be, for example a church-wide retreat setting or a worship service.
3. Share the results and ask people to pray for a sense of confirmation.
4. Give the congregation a period of time to reflect, and create a system that allows for feedback and questions.
5. Have the discernment team respond to these questions and make revisions as needed.
6. Try to discern if there’s a sense that the congregation believes the results are in fact God’s will, is there a sense of peace and joy and unity with the decision? If not, return to the above discernment process.

Notes:

If there doesn’t seem to be consensus, contact surrounding United Methodist churches, or your district superintendent, to see if there is another church that’s starting a faith community or new congregation with which your church might partner.

If there is a clear consensus that God is not wanting your church to participate in the Sending of the Saints but to do something else, share this information with your district superintendent.

Step Six: Celebration and Commission

Once the church has embraced the decision—using whatever process is most appropriate (e.g. consensus or vote)—plan a church-wide celebration of the decision. Commit the church’s resources to the effort, and commission those who will be leading the effort.

In order to help the North Indiana Conference and your district support your church’s effort with prayer and other resources, please inform your district superintendent and Ed Fenstermacher.

For questions and assistance, contact Ed at ed@nicumc.org or 800.783.5138.