There were two churches that went through the DTP Consultation process this spring--the Wells Wesleyan Church and the Colton Wesleyan Church. The Wells report was posted previously. They voted 29 to 6 to accept the prescription and they are already hard at work on their prescriptions. The report for the Colton consultation is posted below.
Colton
Wesleyan Church Consultation
April 5 - 7, 2013
Strengths:
1.
A Sense
of God's Presence - Many of those interviewed mentioned that one of the
things they appreciated most about Colton Wesleyan Church was the sense of
God's presence in the services and in the lives of the congregants. It is obvious to the team that prayer and the
Holy Spirit are an important part of the DNA of this congregation.
2.
A group of individuals
committed to CWC and each other - Through thick and thin, good times and bad a dedicated
core group has remained faithful to God and His church that worships in Colton.
3.
A warm, friendly family
atmosphere -
Many indicated that it was this loving, accepting attitude that they felt the
first time they attended CWC that caused them to return. "When we arrived we felt that we were
home," one exclaimed!
4.
Good Worship and Praise - It is evident that for a
church this size the worship and praise is meaningful to the congregants. There is unusual harmony regarding the music
style and service atmosphere.
5.
Pastor Tom Chappell and spouse - The pastoral family is
greatly respected and appreciated as evidenced by the recent vote. Pastor Tom's outgoing, genuine, community
minded spirit is influencing unchurched and de-churched folk to once again try
CWC.
Concerns:
1.
Inward
focus/ lack of clarity in the mission - vision of the church: The bulk of the energy and resources are
spent on taking care of those already in the church. There is no clear mission statement and there
is no compelling and strategic vision for the future.
2.
Lack of organization and
structure: Almost everyone that we talked to mentioned
that the lack of organization, planning and communication was a major
frustration and roadblock to the health of the church. "No one knows who is responsible for
what," someone said. " As a
result we are confused and frustrated much of the time."
3.
Absence of purposeful outreach
and prayerful assimilation: The congregation feels unfruitful in their
efforts to evangelize the lost and to usher the guests into a continuing
relationship with the church and Christ.
There is no system in place to follow-up on guests.
4.
A hit and miss children's
ministry: Lack of worker's and training has led to a
children's church that is spotty at best.
The nursery is almost non-existent and no program for children exists
outside of the 10 - 12 o'clock hour on Sunday.
5.
Building and Grounds: Mirroring the attitude of some of the
congregants, the building and grounds appear tired and worn out. If this is to change the leaders must invest
time, energy and money into "getting ready for company". First impressions are powerful!
Prescriptions:
Inward focused/ Lack of
clarity in the mission - vision:
On the day that this prescription is adopted, assuming that
it is adopted, the mission statement of the Colton Wesleyan Church will be -
The Colton Wesleyan Church exists to make more disciples for Christ. By July 1, 2013 a day of solemn assembly will
be held in which the leadership of the CWC will lead the congregation in
confessing the inward focus of the church and the lack of fruitfulness in
reaching the lost with the Good News of salvation through Christ. A prayer
drive will follow during which the congregants will ask God to break their
hearts for those that reside in their target area. Stops will be made along the way at prominent
and public locations and prayers will be made for those in leadership in these
North Country communities. A target area
will be selected and two outreach numbers will be chosen. One of these numbers will be the goal for
souls won to Christ in the next five years; the other number will be the goal
of lives touched with the love of Christ in the next five years. These will be in place by July 30, 2013. During the next year a ministry audit will
take place to assure the leaders that every ministry understands the mission
and has strategic plans to contribute to the long term goals. If a ministry fails to implement the
mission/vision it means that the ministry has chosen to cease to exist.
Lack of organization and
structure:
The leaders of CWC will read the book "Winning on
Purpose" by John Kaiser. This will
be completed by June 15, 2013. The
method of church structure known as the Kaiser Model will then become the
pattern that CWC follows. In this model
the board governs, the pastor leads, the staff (paid and volunteer) manages and
the congregation ministers. The pastor
will give priority to recruiting and training individuals who will be ministry
leaders in areas such as worship, children and assimilation. This ministry team will meet monthly
beginning in August to set goals and implement programs, plan special days and
events and participate in leadership development. This ministry team will be the engine of the
church that drives the church onward and upward. Recognizing that the pastor will benefit from
a coach the DS will select a coach to work with Pastor Tom for the next twelve
months. The coach will be funded by the
congregation. Also, the fresh initiative
to organize the church calls for a part time administrative assistant. This person will work at least ten hours a
week and will be paid a weekly stipend.
He/she will begin work in July and will spend several months setting up
job descriptions and putting systems in place that will greatly benefit the
congregation in planning and communication.
In addition, a website will be up and running by September 1, 2013.
Absence of purposeful outreach
and prayerful assimilation:
The pastor, along with his coach, will plan four - five
bridge events during the 2013-2014 district year. Pastor Tom will place a strong emphasis on
reaching and assimilating new attenders and new believers into CWC. At least ten leaders will attend Unleash 2013
(the district training day) in Cobbleskill on June 15, 2013. They will receive coaching in skills that
will aid in reaching and keeping individuals for the kingdom. It must be noted that whenever a conflict
arises between ministry to existing attenders and reaching new attenders, the
new attenders will get the time and resources.
Pastor Tom will make every effort to be known as the community
pastor. Beginning July 1, 2013 he will
visit one community leader each week.
This is to build relationships and to seek opportunities to serve.
A hit and miss children's
ministry:
A VBS will be held this summer. If CWC does not have enough workers to staff
the VBS they will approach sister Wesleyan Churches and ask for help in
implementing this crucial ministry. By
September 1, 2013 a children's director will be in place and children's church
will be offered every Sunday. Attention
will be given to recruiting and training enough staff so that no one person is
burned out. Field trips will be taken to
other churches to observe a successful Children's Church. The DS will offer suggestions as to the
churches to visit. These trips will take
place before school starts this fall.
The nursery will be given an overhaul until it is the cleanest and
safest place in the church. If no babies
are attending, the nursery director will spend the Sunday School Hour praying
that God will bring young children and their parents to the house of worship
and instruction. The nursery will be
open by August 1, 2013 The downstairs
area will be lightened, brightened and renovated to reflect the new focus on
children. Fresh paint and decals on the
walls, new learning centers etc. will show children and their parents that kids
are important to God and to us. The team
understands that CWC has much renovating to do in other areas of the
church. Therefore, the deadline on the
basement upgrade is June 30, 2014.
Building and grounds:
The CWC building needs much TLC. This spring lights should be put on the sign
and the new web address added to the sign.
Outdoor spotlights will be put on the front doors after the doors are
stained and the dark brown accent stripe on the front of the church and the
handicapped ramp are repainted.
Landscaping around the front of the church will add curb appeal. Prices will be gotten on enlarging the
parking lot and adding a gravel base to make all parking less muddy. These outdoor projects should be done by June
15, 2013. The sanctuary will receive a
fresh paint job. New lights will be
placed in the foyer and bath. Also a new
vanity will be added. The pews will be
replaced with chairs and new carpet will be installed. Ernie Reed of Sherwin Williams will be the
consultant so that all colors are coordinated.
This will be completed by October 1, 2013. In May a dumpster day will be held with the
purpose of removing clutter from the entire church. No hoarders are allowed on the campus that
day!! We are getting ready for
company. All things must be done with
excellence! The "that's good
enough" attitude must not have a place among us. While the worship center is receiving its
facelift a new sound system and electric piano will be purchased. This major renovation of the worship center
will be completed by September 15, 2013.
The team understands that finances are always an issue. Therefore, the entire congregation will be
challenged to read and discuss "The Treasure Principle" by Randy
Alcorn. This should be completed by July
1, 2013. The pastor and coach will lead
the church in fundraising so that the projects in this prescription can be
implemented. It is anticipated that each
family will prayerfully consider what God have them sacrificially give to
invest in reaching the Colton area for Christ.
After ninety days of vision casting and fundraising attention will be
given to borrowing the needed funds to complete the renovations. $20,000.00 - $25,000.00 would be the cap on
any borrowing.
THE CONGREGATION WILL VOTE BY MAY 5, 2013 ON THE
PRESCRIPTIONS (THIS INCLUDES REGULAR ATTENDERS THAT MIGHT NOT BE MEMBERS). IF
ACCEPTED THE DISTRICT WILL DO ALL THAT IT CAN WITH ITS LIMITED RESOURCES TO
HELP THE CONGREGATION FULFILL THE PRESCRIPTIONS IF THE VOTE IS NEGATIVE THE
DISTRICT WILL NO LONGER ENCOURAGE THE CONGREGATION TO IMPLEMENT THE
PRESCRIPTIONS SINCE THE CONGREGATION WILL HAVE REVEALED ITS DESIRE NOT TO DO
SO...
Team Members:
Rev. W. Paul James
Rev. Norm Mesel
Rev. Rusty Bissell
Rev. Marc Watkins
