Visioning Week-end Workshops
(for boards, staff and congregations) (Typical Timeline for a full week-end using 3 to 4 workshops – Friday 7-9:30 pm & Saturday 9:30 am to 4:30 pm) – These five visioning workshops and accompanying brainstorming sessions will help churches assess themselves, explore what biblical visioning looks like and provide church leadership with some helpful material in putting together strong godly Vision & Mission statements, and a set of Core Values that can lead to the appropriate action necessary to fulfill the Vision Document.
(Note: in preparation for this week-end it’s a good idea to ask the congregation to read one of the four Gospels or the book of Acts asking these questions: What did Jesus and/or the Early Church truly value? Where am I valuing or not valuing what Jesus and the Early Church Valued? Where are we as a church Valuing or not Valuing what Jesus and the Early Church Valued?
(Note also that: Eugene doesn’t necessarily use all of these workshops in a visioning week-end. He will mix and match them based on what will be most helpful to the church)
(for C&MA Churches) What does it Mean to be an Alliance Church? – This workshop for Alliance Churches sets the tone for a visioning week-end. Through a very interesting video it provides a brief history of the early Alliance’s vision and the intriguing way in which the movement began. We then explore today’s vision and learn how to take from the past and put it into a 21st century context.
The Life Cycle of a Church (Security or Significance) - By looking at the difference between churches that are on the “Incline”, the “Recline” or the “Decline” – and between churches that seek significance over security, this workshop will encourage a church to take God-sized risks for God and become the church Christ envisioned. (Resources – Ken Priddy; Ben Chandler [Faith Today Magazine])
Biblical Visioning (A Vision that Encompasses the Heart of God) - Using a “target” illustration Eugene will outline five important biblical elements that churches need to prayerfully consider when evaluating, developing or implementing a vision – their Passion, Purpose, Plan, Pillars, & Preferred Future
An Attractional vs. Missional Church (a both/and approach) – This workshop explores the difference between these two models (one of which invites the community to come to the church; the other one takes the church to the community). It then provides churches with a means to investigate what it looks like to become more missional in their context (both corporately and individually) - helping them to discover how they might wisely and slowly introduce a more missional mindset into their church.
Being in Christ vs. Doing for Christ (Life “with” God or Life “for” God) - This teaching speaks to the fact that one’s “doing for Christ” must always come out of one’s “being in Christ”. In other words, what one does “for” God needs to come out of their walk “with” God. In addition, this teaching will also illustrate how the “being” & “doing” components of the church fit into a church’s Vision, Mission, Core Values, and Goals and Expectations