Malone Consultation Complete

One of our goals for this year was to engage with Dr. Paul Border in eight weekend consultations.  Consultation five is now complete.  This past weekend we were with Pastor Marc Watkins and his team at the First Wesleyan Church of Malone.  The report, including strengths, concerns, and prescription follow.  We came away believing that the best days for the Malone church lie in the future. 

Another added lesson was churches from all across the north country that joined us for a lay training event on Sunday afternoon and evening.  From East Pitcairn in the west, to Waterbury Center in the east, our pastors and people turned out enthusiastically.  For four-and-a-half hours of training and fellowship, 150 individuals listened to the voice of God (even without electricity.  The town of Malone was without electricity for 24 hours.) 

This weekend we ask for your prayers as we move to Plattsburgh and the Turnpike church.  These are busy but rewarding days, and your prayers and support are felt and appreciated.

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MALONE FIRST WESLEYAN CHURCH

CONSULTATION REPORT

SEPTEMBER 9 – 11, 2011

STRENGTHS

1.     Pastor Marc Watkins: Pastor Marc Watkins is valued highly by everyone we spoke to during the consultation process.  People appreciate his leadership, enthusiasm, servant’s heart and commitment to evangelism.  God is using Marc to lead the congregation in healthy growth.

2.     Becky Watkins:  Becky is valued for her leadership and excellent work with children.  She has been used by God to create, staff and lead an effective children’s ministry in a relatively short period of time.  The congregation is growing in large measure due to the effective children’s ministries.

3.     Growth:  The congregation has doubled in worship attendance in the less than two years that Marc and Becky Watkins have come to lead.  What is even more impressive is that a congregation that recorded no baptisms for a decade, has now baptized eight in 2011. 

4.     Giving:  Those who give to the work of the congregation do it generously when compared to other congregations in the United States.  The 17 giving units gave almost double the national average of other congregations.

5.     Resources:  God has given this congregation a number of significant resources that can be leveraged for growth.  These resources are:  location, the absence of debt, a committed core of leaders and a pastor and spouse who are leaders.           

CONCERNS

1.     Vision:  The mission of the congregation is clear.  It is to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment (GC2).  However, there is no clear vision that produces accountability for the fulfillment of this mission.

2.     Worship:  The Sunday morning worship service though improving in its development is not meeting the need many have for a meaningful worship experience.  Some want it to be more traditional while some visitors do not return because it is viewed as too traditional.  There are multiple agendas that are often in conflict with each other.

3.     Developing Status:  The congregation was put into developing status some years ago because of declining attendance and other issues.  Some see this status as punitive in nature and want to see the congregation returned to its status as an established congregation.

4.     Staff Members:  The three key ministries that help a congregation grow (worship, children and assimilation) are not resourced properly for growth.

5.     Building:  The building is not conducive for developing the key ministries that will enable growth.

PRESCRIPTIONS

1.     Vision:  The pastor will call the congregation to a day of prayer for God to provide a vision for the future.  This day of prayer will occur on a Sunday morning during a worship service.  Time will be given to ask God to break the heart of the congregation collectively and individually for the needs of those who are not yet disciples of Jesus Christ to become His followers.  Prayers will be offered for those who comprise different segments of the community e.g. teachers, first response personnel, those who work in the prisons, etc.  Also, the people will pray that God will open their hearts to a compelling vision for the future.  Following the worship service leaders will invite the congregation to join them in a prayer drive throughout the community.  This day will occur by October 30, 2011.  Following this day the pastor will initiate two weekly prayer events to pray for the community, the vision and the salvation of those apart from God.  These prayer groups will begin the first week of November.  The pastor, in consultation with his coach and DS will develop a vision statement for the congregation.  This statement will be in place by December 31, 2011.

2.     Worship:  The pastor will take on as one of his primary responsibilities the planning and execution of the Sunday morning worship service.  He will function as both the producer (determining who participates) and the director (determining how worship will be carried out).   Each worship service will be creatively planned in that there will be different formats(including the seating and lighting in the auditorium), often asking those in the congregation to participate in using their various senses as part of the worship experience.  Various styles and kinds of music will be used on different Sundays.  These services will be designed to help those who do not normally attend church feel safe and unthreatened in the worship environment.  The services will be missional in that people will be provided constant information as to what is occurring and what is expected, while helping them cross minimal cultural barriers to have a deep experience with God.  This new style of worship service will begin the first Sunday in January 2012.

3.     Developing Status:  The District Superintendent will recommend to the District Board to return the congregation to the status of an established congregation when certain milestones are reached.  These milestones will indicate that the congregation is ready to take its rightful stance as a full fledged established Wesleyan Congregation.  This will occur when the congregation’s giving averages $6000 a month for four months in a row and at the same time the worship attendance averages 75 people two months in a row.  The DS in consultation with the pastor feel that these milestones are easily doable within the next nine months and will demonstrate the congregation’s commitment to be a healthy one fulfilling our Lord’s command to make disciples.  These milestones will also evidence that the leaders are committed to having a congregation that is viable and open to the pastor’s leadership.  The leaders will also create an annual budget by the beginning of the next fiscal year.  Also when the congregation goes back to its established status it will be organized on the Accountability Leadership Model proposed by John Kaiser in his book Winning on Purpose.

4.     Staff Members:  The pastor will assume the primary role of planning and implementing creative worship services beginning January 1, 2012.  The congregation will hire Becky Watkins as the Children’s pastor for $1000 a month beginning November 1, 2011.  She will also continue to serve in her janitorial role until funds are available to hire her replacement in order to let her focus entirely on children.  The pastor will require a volunteer to help him with the administrative side of the assimilation process.  This key volunteer position needs to be filled by January 1, 2012.

5.     Building:  The entire inside of the building upstairs and downstairs needs to be painted to provide a new fresh look.  The upstairs needs to be lightened up and the downstairs needs to be painted to appeal to children.  Once the painting is completed the District will send the congregation a gift of $1000 to be put towards the carpeting of the downstairs.  This work (the painting and the carpeting) needs to be completed by December 31, 2011.

As the congregation looks  to the near future and the possible purchase of near-by real estate, they need to consider how finances will be sought that will also allow them to update the rest rooms that are downstairs and build a restroom on the upstairs level.  The upstairs restroom needs to be built as soon as it is financially possible.  This will require the relocation of the nursery to a clean updated space.

THE CONGREGATION WILL VOTE ON THIS REPORT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT IT BY OCTOBER 9, 2011.  IF ACCEPTED THE DISTRICT PROMISES TO PROVIDE A COACH FOR THE PASTOR TO HELP HIM IMPLEMENT THE PRESCRIPTIONS.  IF REJECTED THE DISTRICT WILL RESPECT THE WISHES OF THE CONGREGATION AND NOT ENCOURAGE THE PEOPLE TO PURSUE THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT. 

           

Respectfully submitted by:

Dr. Paul D. Borden

District Superintendent - Pastor Paul James

Round Three

Across the years I have struggled with taking time away from ministry.  I grew up in a household where a good work ethic was applauded.  At twelve, I had my own lawn-mowing business.  At fourteen, I drove a laundry truck for Fowler Bros. Dry Cleaners, Spartanburg, SC.  At sixteen, I worked the service desk at the Sky City (a store similar to K Mart).  The service desk, which also served as a complaint department, was where I learned a lot about people and how to get along with them.   At eighteen, I was building Coke and Pepsi machines at Beverage Air.

When I started my ministry, it was difficult to take a day off each week or to get away from the church for a real vacation.  Fortunately, across the years I have learned the principle of rest and have come to understand that I function better when rested physically and emotionally.

Several years a go, I heard Rick Warren describe this principle by advising pastors to...

• Divert daily--short breaks that renew, 
• Withdraw weekly--a day away that refreshes, and 
• Abandon annually--a couple of weeks to let the batteries completely recharge.

In late August, Susan and I were able to do our 'annual abandoning'!  We spent two weeks in Florida; one week visiting family and the other watching the waves roll in on an Atlantic beach.

Now it's back to the District Transformation Project!  Dr. Borden arrives this week for the third round of consultations.  Malone and Turnpike will be our focus.  In addition, we will hold three Success Universities for pastoral training and one lay training event for the North Country.

The lay training event entitled, Developing Healthy Churches, will be held on Sunday, September 11, from 3p-8:30p at the First Wesleyan Church of Malone.  Approximately 150 individuals from our north-of-the-Adirondacks churches have indicated their attendance.  I am impressed!  The hunger to see life change and community transformation is palpable.

Please pray for all of these events, and for Dr. Borden and myself over these next ten days.  It is an intense period and we need wisdom from above.  Watch this column for updates on the consultations.  Audio files of Dr. Borden's teaching is available for download at the district website--www.enynewesleyan.org -> Church Multiplication Tab -> District Transformation.

Fourth Consultation Completed

Another intense period of consultations is now complete.  Hadley-Luzerne and Hague have received their prescription; Dr. Borden has come and gone. We are now in the incubation period.  Within 30 days, both churches will vote to receive or reject the prescriptions that they received.

The team that worked at Hague were Dr. Paul Borden, Rev. Wayne Wager, DS Central NY Disrict, Rev. Steve VanDixHorn, pastor Pine Knolls Alliance Church and myself.

Here are the strengths, concerns and prescription that was given to the Hague Wesleyan Church on Sunday.

HAGUE WESLEYAN CHURCH CONSULTATION REPORT

JULY 15 – 17, 2011

STRENGTHS

1. The Pastor:  Pastor Skip Trembley has led the congregation to grow, to reach out to many hurting people and has created an environment where people can be healed.  He is a good preacher and he, along with his wife Janet, have helped the congregation to be known for its compassion and forgiveness. 

2. Worship:  The congregation is known for its worship.  People are provided freedom in their expression of worship of God each Sunday.  Many spoke of their deep appreciation for that which occurs each Sunday morning.

3. Missions Heart/Ministry Outreach:  The congregation reflects in their words, actions and giving a heart for missions in a variety of places.  They reach out to minister to those in need.  They do it locally, nationally and globally.

4. Leadership Team:  There is a gifted and dedicated core of leaders who serve their Lord and the congregation with excellence and dedication.  They reflect a passion for God that is demonstrated in their commitment to serve well.

5. Resources:  God has blessed this congregation with a number of key resources.  Those resources are:  quality facilities, no debt, high morale and many willing workers.

CONCERNS

1. An Inadequate Alignment of Mission and Vision:  There is no clear mission or vision statement and as a result there is a lack of clarity about mission and vision.  This lack of preciseness has created an inefficient use of the congregation’s time, money and energy.

2. No Room for Growth:  The congregation has hit the walls in relation to future growth.  This is true for both children and adults. 

3. Providing the Pastor with Resources:  The pastor needs new and different resources in order to help him lead the congregation to the next level of effectiveness.

4. Staff Led Congregation:  The congregation is not staff led in that responsibility, authority and accountability are not understood well or implemented consistently.

5. Structured for Mission:  The current congregational structure is not conducive for implementing an effective mission and vision.

PRESCRIPTIONS

1. An Inadequate Alignment of Mission and Vision:  The pastor and leaders will adopt the following mission statement:  Hague Wesleyan Congregation exists to honor God by making more disciples for Jesus Christ.  This will be in place by September 1, 2011.  The pastor and leaders will adopt the following vision statement:  Hague Wesleyan Congregation, as a regional church, will trust God to use this part of His body to lead 5% of its defined community to Christ in the next five years.  The congregation will also trust God to enable it to touch 20% of its defined community at least once with the love of Jesus Christ in the next five years.  This vision statement will be adopted by September 1, 2011.  The pastor and leaders will commit to establishing financial and ministry priorities for the accomplishment of the mission.  These decisions will be in place by November 30, 2011.  The pastor and leaders will adopt a new name for the congregation that reflects its regional commitment on a number of campuses.  This will be completed by December 31, 2011.  The pastor will lead the staff to conduct a mission/ministry audit of all ministries.  The audit will begin January 1, 2012 and be completed by December 31, 2012.

2. No Room for Growth:  The congregation will move to two worship services by March 26, 2012.  Both services will be on Sunday morning and the leaders will explore having two styles of worship.  There will be an extended fellowship time between the services that will replace the fellowship dinner.  Once each quarter the two services will be combined and meet in the community center.  It is understood that once both services are nearly full, one will be moved to the Ticonderoga campus.  The congregation will rent office space in Ticonderoga, including a large room for training. This office will be the Ticonderoga campus, until a congregation is ready to move to that town.  The pastor will lead the congregation to conduct two bridge events in Ticonderoga in 2012.  The pastor, in consultation with his coach, will determine the number of bridge events conducted at the Hague campus. The offices will be established by January 1, 2012.

3. Providing the Pastor with Resources:  The pastor will make the decision to work outside the church only one day a week.  This means that the pastor will be in the office in Ticonderoga at least three days a week.  The pastor, under the direction of the coach and DS, will hire an administrative leader to work a minimum of 24 hours a week.  This administrative leader will oversee the pastor’s schedule, oversee assimilation and leadership accountability.  These two parts of this prescription will be in place by January 1, 2012.  The congregation will pay for the pastor and his wife to go for counseling to deal with issues from past ministry experiences.  The counselor will be approved by the DS.  This counseling will begin by November 1, 2011.  The consultation team is recommending the parsonage be sold, with 70%  of the income going for future property needs and 30% of the income being used to help meet some of the prescriptions in this report.  The pastor will also be given a congregational coach to help implement these prescriptions.  The coach will be in place by October 1, 2011.

4. Staff Led Congregation:  The pastor will appoint a staff to help him lead those ministries that enable a congregation to be healthy and grow.  Most staff members will be volunteers.  However, it is understood that staff will meet minimally monthly with the pastor for training and other staff issues.  They will also be expected to set goals including, evangelism goals, leadership development goals and growth goals.  Staff members not meeting goals over a set period of time will not be able to remain on staff.  This staff will be in place by January 1, 2012.

5. Structured for Mission:  The leaders will adopt the Accountable Leadership Model of governance.  In this model the LBA governs, the pastor leads, the staff manage ministry and the congregation does the ministry.  Govern means the board holds the pastor accountable for goals and assures the congregation that the pastor is staying within any boundaries that have been established, in relation to theology, morality, financial integrity, the treatment of people and legal issues.  This will be in place by January 1, 2012.  Also the staff will function with a budget beginning January 1, 2012.

THE CONGREGATION WILL VOTE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT THIS REPORT BY AUGUST 21, 2012.  ALL REGULAR ATTENDERS WILL VOTE.  IF REJECTED THE DISTRICT WILL NOT WORK WITH THE CONGREGATION IN RELATION TO THE REPORT SINCE THE CONGREGATION WILL HAVE SPOKEN.  HOWEVER, IF ACCEPTED THE DISTRICT WILL PROVIDE WHAT EVER RESOURCES ARE WITHIN ITS POWER TO GIVE ASSISTANCE FOR THE CONGREGATION TO ACHIEVE THE PRESCRIPTIONS. 

Submitted by:

Dr. Paul D. Borden

Rev. Paul James

Rev. Wayne Wager

Rev. Steve VanDixhorn   

On My Birthday...

One day out of the year, I am a big FACEBOOK fan. On my birthday, I hear from friends far and wide...and this year was no exception. When it comes to relationships I am one of the wealthiest men alive.

Let me share with you one note that I received this year. It was from Wade Frantz in Warsaw, Indiana (pictured below). He posted on my wall... "Happy birthday old man, lol, lol, love you preach. The LORD has been good even when we don't deserve it. Thanks for all your commitment. A lot of people are going to heaven because of it and I am one of them, Praise Jesus."

 When I was Wade's pastor, he was in his twenties, an outgoing body builder, who was easy to like.  He was a part of the young adults group that sat right down in front every Sunday.   It was exciting preaching to those front rows of energized twenty-somethings.

He and his fiancee, Heather, both accepted Christ, and now, 20+ years later, are both serving God.  When I received this message from Wade I sat and cried.  Trophies of grace!  And although the miles have kept us apart, we will get to spend eternity together.

I have lived long enough (yes, I hit the big 6-0 this week) to know that right decisions repeated over time compound.  I am so glad that I accepted Christ as a teen, heard His call to preach and have earnestly tried to obey Him.  I am grateful for the divine appointments with people like Wade that have resulted in changed lives.  It just doesn't get better than this.

On a different note...

We have now completed our consultation of Hadley-Luzerne Wesleyan Church.  Our team had a great weekend with Pastor Dick Osborne and his people.  Following are the results of the consultation with the prescription to help them move to the next level.  Also, if you were not able to attend the training event at HLWC on Sunday afternoon/evening, you can download the audio file of that, entitled A Great Commission Congregation.  To find it, go to www.enynewesleyan.org, select 'District Transformation Project' from the Quick Links list (upper left), then select 'Borden.Great.Commission.Congreg.7.11'.
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HADLEY-LUZERNE CONGREGATIONAL CONSULTATION

JULY 8 – 10, 2011

STRENGTHS

1. A Loving and Caring Congregation:  This congregation welcomes and accepts new people from a wide variety of backgrounds with love and grace.  Many of the people we spoke with affirmed that they are a part of this congregation today because of the way they were treated their very first visit.  The people in the congregation reflect honesty and genuineness in how they portray themselves while welcoming people without judgment and prejudice. 

2. Pastor:  The pastor has led this congregation in spiritual and numerical growth.  He is respected for his integrity.  He is honored for his commitment to preach the Word of God with excellence. 

3. Missional Ministries:  There are two congregational ministries that are intentionally reaching out to engage “lost people”.  These two ministries are the children’s ministry and Celebrate Recovery.  The children’s ministry is doing an excellent job during the year and in VBS of ministering to children both from homes where people attend church regularly and where they do not.  The Celebrate Recovery ministry is reaching out to both believers and unbelievers who sense their personal needs and are seeking help from those who are pointing them to Jesus Christ.  Both ministries are doing a good job of developing teams. 

4. Morale:  The morale of the congregation is high.  There is deep appreciation for God, his Word, the pastor and each other.  People care for this church and are delighted with what God is doing in and through the congregation. 

5. Resources:  God has blessed the congregation with an abundance of resources including:  a growing number of those attending the worship service, new and well cared for facilities, six acres of land, little debt, an excellent pastor and pastor’s spouse, and a core of faithful servants. 

CONCERNS

1. A Biblical Alignment between The Great Commission, Mission and the Vision:  The congregation does not make all decisions based ultimately on the Great Commission.  This is reflected in its current mission statement and lack of vision. 

2. A Pastor/Staff Led Congregation:  The congregation is not pastor led/staff led.

3. Maximizing Facilities:  The current facilities are not being used for maximum ministry. 

4. Finances:  The congregation is asset rich and cash poor which is negatively impacting its ability to conduct excellent ministries.

5. Commitment to the Community:  The ministries of the congregation are focused more on serving the body of believers than ministering to the community.

PRESCRIPTIONS

1. A Biblical Alignment between the Great Commission, the Mission and the Vision.  The pastor will call the congregation to a day of prayer.  The purpose of this day will be to pray for several major items.  First the congregation and its leaders will confess the sin of relying more on congregational growth through the transfer of believers than reaching “lost people”.  The congregation will also pray that God will break their hearts collectively and individually for lost people and become more intentional about making more disciples.  This day of prayer will take place in a Sunday morning worship service by October 2, 2011.  The congregation will adopt as their new mission statement that HLWC exists to honor God by making more disciples for Jesus Christ.  This mission statement will be in place by October 2, 2011.  The pastor along with his coach will adopt a vision statement that will be presented to the congregation by October 30, 2011.  Once these are in place the pastor and staff will conduct a mission/ministry audit of every ministry in the congregation to see how it is helping the congregation fulfill the mission and achieve the vision.  Those that are not will be changed or cancelled.  This audit will be completed by July 31, 2012. 

2. A Pastor and Staff Led Congregation:  The congregation in consultation with the District Superintendent will move to a model of governance where the board governs, the pastor leads, the staff manages and the people do the ministry.  This will occur by October 2, 2011.  The pastor will have a staff in place to cover the ministries that intentionally help the congregation grow.  This staff (including full-time, part-time and volunteer staff members) will be in place by January 1, 2012.  The pastor will hold these staff members accountable for measurable goals in the areas of evangelism, leadership development and growth.  These goals will be established by January 1, 2012.  The pastor will have bi-weekly staff meetings with the staff members that are in place by October 3, 2011.  The three staff areas that need immediate attention are worship, children and assimilation. 

3. Maximizing Facilities:  The pastor will lead the congregation to make needed changes in the facilities in order to make them more user friendly for children.  These changes will be done by December 31, 2011, assuming that financing is available.  By that date the pastor will also lead the congregation to increase the number of parking places.  The worship center will also be made more user friendly for any ministry the pastor and staff deem worthy once the report is adopted. 

4.  Finances:  The pastor will lead the LBA and congregation to raise funds and/or refinance the congregation’s debt on the facilities in order to raise up to $75,000.    Once the money is in place the pastor will oversee the expenditure of dollars for the following: paying needed part-time people to staff ministries, making changes to the building and parking, coaching for the pastor and field trips for the pastor and key staff members to learn from other congregations.  Dates for these responsibilities will be set with the coach and the DS once the funding becomes available.

5. Commitment to the Community:  In addition to the pastor’s responsibilities of leading the staff he will provide leadership for the congregation in order to help it engage the community.  The strategy of doing good deeds to create good will in order to produce good disciples will be led by the pastor.  The pastor does this by engaging leaders in the community and developing congregational teams to implement such a strategy.  This new aspect to the pastor’s job description will be developed in conjunction with his coach and the DS and be in place by January 1, 2012.  The pastor will also lead the congregation to conduct four to six major bridge events a year that are designed to help new people connect with the congregation and to lead the congregation to minister collectively in the community.  The first of these two big events will occur between October 2 and December 31, 2011.

 THE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT WILL LEAD THE CONGREGATION TO VOTE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT THIS REPORT.  ALL REGULAR ATTENDERS MAY VOTE.  IF ACCEPTED THE DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE PASTOR AND CONGREGATION TO HELP PROVIDE RESOURCES (WHERE POSSIBLE) FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REPORT.  IF THE CONGREGATION REJECTS THIS REPORT THEN THE CONSULTATION PROCESS IS OVER AND THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE THE CONGREGATION TO BE INVOLVED IN ANY ENDEAVORS DISCUSSED IN THE REPORT.  THIS VOTE WILL OCCUR ON AUGUST 7, 2011.

Respectfully submitted by:

Dr. Paul D. Borden

Rev. Paul James

Rev. Stan Hoover

Rev. Chris Williams

Dr. Tim Roehl

Awakening

Our second church, Cobleskill, has now completed their consultation weekend (which they called Awakening), their Town Hall meeting and their vote on the prescription for moving them to greater health.

The vote to proceed was 125 to 3!

I am happy to report that Dr. Borden was very impressed with the overall health of this church. Several times he mentioned that they were in better shape than most of the churches he is called to consult. However, there are still areas to improve, and the Cobleskill church has said a resounding 'yes' to moving forward with their part in the District Transformation Project.

Here are the strengths, concerns and prescription as posited to the Cobleskill Wesleyan Church on March 20.

STRENGTHS

1. Pastor and Spouse: Andrew and Kathy Fetter are key assets in this congregation. God has raised up a leader who is committed to leading the congregation to fulfill the “Great Commission”. He is respected for his leadership, preaching and connection with people. Last year at least forty people expressed their commitment to follow Jesus Christ as a disciple. Under his leadership this congregation is filled with “new Christians”, younger people, people from all walks of life and people from a variety of denominations. “Fetter” is doing an excellent job!

2. Worship: This congregation is known for its worship services. People are led to honor God through music, the creative arts and the preaching of the Word. The services are relevant and reaching many people who are coming from either un-churched or de-churched backgrounds.

3. Children: The Children’s ministry is ranked highly by those who attend. The leaders are making do with limited facilities while serving families and children. Strategies and tactics are employed to reach out to children in the community as well as those children that attend on Sunday.

4. The Leaders: The leaders of the congregation were and maintain continued commitment to directing the congregation to fulfill the purpose Jesus Christ gave to The Church, which is to make disciples who make disciples. There is unity among the leaders in being committed to a common mission.

5. Welcoming Congregation: When this congregation states that it is a friendly congregation, it is true. We heard story after story of individuals who felt so welcomed their first Sunday that they made the decision that day to return and become regular in their attendance.

CONCERNS

1. Large Church Mindset: This congregation is in the top ten percent of all congregations in the country. However, the congregation limits its effectiveness by thinking and acting as a small congregation. God has sent this congregation many human resources and these resources need to be leveraged to achieve the Great Commission.

2. Discipleship: This congregation, while doing a good job of making new disciples for Jesus Christ, is not skilled in helping the new believers (and older believers as well) in becoming reproducing disciples for Jesus Christ.

3. Finances: The finances set aside for building are not going to help this congregation reach its missional potential. The current attitude towards money reflects viewing staff members as financial liabilities not as financial investments.

4. Facilities: The current facilities are limiting growth and will hinder and perhaps prohibit the accomplishment of the mission long term.

5. Growth of the Senior Pastor: The Senior Pastor, though highly gifted in many areas, is not currently equipped to lead the congregation to its next level of effectiveness.


PRESCRIPTIONS

1. Large Church Mindset: In large congregations mission and vision is placed above self-interest. This congregation has the right mission but not an accountable vision. One will be established by the leaders, reported to the DS, and be in place by May 15, 2011. Large congregations are led by staff members who are recruited to cover those ministries people expect when they visit and attend a congregation. The major ministry that is missing is one that connects new people to Jesus Christ, His Body and then mobilizes them for ministry. Such a ministry will be in place and led by a staff member by September 1, 2011. The pastor’s new staff will be deployed, resourced, and begin to be held accountable by September 1, 2011.

2. Discipleship: The pastor and his staff members will develop a description of what a disciple of Jesus Christ looks like in current culture. They will then develop an intentional path to help people become such disciples. Such a path will help the leaders evaluate progress collectively and individually. This description and this path will be in place by December 31, 2011.

3. Finances: The pastor and board of the congregation will ask the District Superintendent and the District Board of Administration to release the $100,000 committed to land and facilities so that $50,000 to $75,000 can be used for hiring staff members and funding various ministries. This request will be made by May 14, 2011. Assuming it is released, funds will be used to hire part-time staff members to help with the assimilation and discipleship strategies and for hiring a key administrative person. Funds will also be used for training and providing resources for key staff areas and for coaching the Senior Pastor. Coaching will begin by May 31, 2011 and staff members will be in place by September 1, 2011.

4. Facilities: The congregation needs to move into larger facilities as soon as possible. These facilities will need to be rented or leased since the congregation is not in a position to purchase either land or erect new buildings. No deadline can realistically be placed upon such a prescription; however, a transition plan will be in place by October 1, 2011. Church leaders will mobilize the congregation for a week of Spring Cleaning in order to thoroughly clean all existing church properties. Trash and non-essential items will be removed. This will be completed by May 15, 2011.

5. Growth of the Senior Pastor: The senior pastor will employ a coach approved by the DS to help him lead the congregation to its next level of effectiveness. This coach will be in place by May 31, 2011.


THE PASTOR WILL LEAD THE CONGREGATION TO VOTE TO EITHER ACCEPT OR REJECT THIS REPORT BY APRIL 30, 2011. IF REJECTED THE CONSULTATION IS OVER. IF ACCEPTED THE DISTRICT COMMITS TO HELP THE CONGREGATION FULFILL THE PRESCRIPTIONS BY PROVIDING THOSE RESOURCES IT HAS AT ITS DISPOSAL FOR THIS DISTRICT TRANSFORMATION PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS.

Submitted by:

Dr. Paul D. Borden
Rev. W. Paul James
Rev. Stanley K. Hoover

Intervention! Pt 3

(In order to get a better understanding of what is to follow, I suggest that you read Pt 1 & Pt 2 first)

The morning of April 10 dawned bright. "What did God have in store for us today," we wondered. Soon we were to find out.

Following a message based on the key words 'Forgiveness', 'Surrender', and 'Confession', the service moved to the public confession stage. The vice-chairman of the Local Board of Administration moved to the platform and brokenly began to read...

Ezra 9:5-7
Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God 6 and prayed: “I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7 From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

I stand in front of our Lord and this body of believers today with a contrite spirit and a deep longing for a cleansed and healthy church!

As a sitting member of our Local Board of Administration for the last 15 years; I confess the sin that has emanated from the leadership of Ridge Road Wesleyan Church, for more than two decades.

In his report to us, Dr. Borden addresses the sins of the tongue; both the sins of commission and the sins of omission. This day the Local Board of Administration confesses and repents of both of these types of sins.

I confess that the LBA has not always been easy to work with for Pastors. I confess that at times the LBA has “Lorded it over” pastors and not behaved in an appropriate spirit of cooperation with pastors and in a spirit of seeking to come along side and support, but with a mind to stop “uncomfortable” change and control the church.

I confess that the Local Board of Administration has swerved from the focus of representing the mission and vision of the church; to focusing on making sure certain groups in the congregation were represented. We have most often been inwardly focused, with little focus on our responsibility before God to take the transforming message of the Good News to our community.

James 4:17 - Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. I confess that the Local Board of Administration has been largely negligent in the principles spoken to in Matthew 18. Whether it was due to being uncomfortable with confrontation, or fearful of fallout in the church; we have been woefully inept at appropriately dealing with Church discipline.

As leaders; we have failed in effectively modeling and instructing people on how to apply the principles in Matthew 18; as often times reports came from individuals in the congregation, but we did not insist or most often even encourage people to go and seek restoration with the other party.

On those rare occasions when the LBA has been involved in addressing behaviors which were sowing disunity in the body; I confess it was not done effectively; with too much anger, not enough prayer, and not enough seeking to understand before attempting to be understood.

Today, the LBA confesses these and any other sins. We humbly ask the Lord, the church and the community to forgive us for the devastating affects our behavior has had on the Kingdom. May God have mercy on us and reach out to those who were deeply offended and wounded by our behavior and thus driven away from our Lord.

A hush had settled over the congregation. He sat and a lady representing the congregation took his place...

In Matthew 12 versus 36-37, Jesus says to the Pharisees, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.” Jesus reminds us that what we say reveals what is in our hearts.

I am here this morning to represent the people in our present congregation as well as past congregations to repent for the sins of this church and ask forgiveness from our Father in heaven and from all those who have been hurt by us in the past. The word Repentance means to experience sorrow for and seek to change wrong behavior. We have certainly caused much sorrow and engaged in years of wrong behavior. We will not let our pride keep us from admitting our sins this morning.

We ask forgiveness for not trusting in the leadership of our former pastors, for not giving our support even though they are clearly men of God. We ask forgiveness for not showing grace to the wives and children of our pastors. We feel great sorrow for the pain and alienation these families must have experienced. Beyond our leaders and their families, we have spread our gossip and negativity for the sole purpose of hurting others. We ask forgiveness for the times we were not transparent in our motives, the times we did not communicate or communicated in such a way to be hurtful and deceptive. We ask forgiveness for putting our personal preferences above God’s work, for being resistant to change even though it would have meant reaching others for the Kingdom. We ask for forgiveness from all those who have been hurt by our quickness to judge and our self-centered actions to the point of exclusion. We are deeply saddened by our words, thoughts and actions that have caused so much pain for so many people throughout our community. We are truly repentant for all the times those of us stood by and allowed the sinful behavior of a few to continue. Because of our tolerance and complacency, many have been hurt.

And still, as I stand before our Lord God and all of you, my heart has only these words,

Dear God, as your sinful people, we come before you now and we cry out for your forgiveness and the forgiveness of those we have wronged through our thoughts, words and actions. Please heal us and all those we have harmed so that we may be the congregation you intended.

Amen

A song gave all time to breath. Then we were back to the confessions. It was my turn!

As District Superintendent of the Eastern New York/New England District of the Wesleyan Church, I stand before you with a broken heart. I repent of the spirit of pride that has permeated our district and our churches. We have been proud of longevity while ignoring our lack of fruitfulness. We are in danger of hearing Jesus say, as He did of the fig tree, "Where is the fruit? Cut it down and cast it into the fire."

I am distraught over the fact that many of our church are full of disease and disobedience; making very little difference in the lives of these they serve and minimal impact on the communities in which they are located.

I repent for allowing a spirit to prevail that would allow the Ridge Road Wesleyan Church to become a disobedient, sinful church--one full of gossip and slander, so much so that the witness to this community has been damaged almost beyond repair.

I repent for tolerating a spirit of rebellion that had manifest itself, a spirit that clamors for MY WAY!

I repent for the communications that have come from my office that have been heavy-handed and destructive, rather than redemptive and missional.

I repent for allowing individuals who should know better to muddle, interfere, and sow seeds of discord and negativity in a church that God was trying to bless.

I am heartbroken over the manipulations, the attempts to control, the desire to return to the past and the refusal to cooperate with leadership as they sought to lead Ridge Road to become a purposeful, outreach-driven church.

As district leader, I repent for myself and my Board, for our prayerlessness, for our lack of spiritual concern and for allowing secular business to come before spiritual, life-changing business. May God forgive us all.

I sat as Pastor Dean rose to take my place. He represented pastors, past and present...

It was Isaiah the Prophet, who, upon seeing God in His holiness, exclaimed, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isa. 6: 5)

I stand before you representing the cadre of Wesleyan and non-Wesleyan pastoral leaders who have served this congregation since its founding in Glens Falls, New York.

I confess that we have felt like Moses of old, who must have wailed, “This people is a stiff-necked people whom you have asked us to lead.” As a result of those feelings, we have sinned against You, O Lord, by not upholding Your holiness among the people (Deut 32:51). Because we’ve held improper attitudes and done wrong deeds, we pastors have not seen the Promised Land of spiritual growth, the lush valley filled with saved souls, nor climbed the mountain of true numerical blessing. Instead, we’ve only seen the land of promise from a distance; we could not enter it because of our sin (Deut. 32: 52). Forgive us, O Lord!

Like Isaiah of old, we should have asked You for the seraphim to fly to us with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar, and received the gift You had prepared for Your preachers: “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isa. 6: 6). O Lord, we, instead, trampled on the holy and abused the sacred honor of declaring Your Word. We used our mouths to utter sinful, unholy things to the sheep that had been placed under our charge. Our words have caused great hurt and deep wounding to the people. We have sinned, O God, against You and Your people. Please forgive us, I pray!

I confess that though we were surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, we did not throw off everything that hindered and the sin that so easily entangled. We failed to run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. We did not endure the cross You gave us, nor did we consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, but, instead, grew weary and lost heart. Forgive us, O Lord!

I confess that we have talked badly about the people and acted as if we had had an injustice done to us because we were called to serve at 543 Ridge Road. We have complained about the hardships, resented having to put up with the continuous grievances, mourned the loss of income, and wished that we could move away and be free of this lot. For our sin of ingratitude and indifference, we ask for Your forgiveness, dear Lord!

I confess that we have sinned against our leaders, as the people have sinned against us, by not following them as we are called to do in scripture. We confess that we have been critical and worked against them by not helping them advance Your Church. We repent of our sin today!

O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have not lived up to our true leadership calling but have, instead, embraced the methods of the world in an attempt to manipulate the people into doing what we’ve wanted. We’ve deserted Your proven tools of prayer, fasting, scriptural study, and spiritual admonition and, instead, taken the easy route of growth seminars, downloadable podcasts, and packaged programming. We, and the people You’ve given us, have grown fat on programmed fast food while becoming ill from not ingesting the health fruits and vegetables found in the Word of God. Forgive us, O Lord, we pray!

As Moses declared so long ago, I too, declare today, my Father: “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” (Ex. 32: 31-32)

You, alone, are God and we are the under-shepherds called to lead this flock. We humble ourselves before You, and them, and ask for Your cleansing healing to come upon the pastoral-congregational relationship in this church. We thank You for hearing our confessions and forgiving our sins. Amen!

At this point, he turned to address the former pastor and family who were seated in the congregation...

Marc and Becky, we have invited you to return to our church today because we know that we have sinned against you by the way we treated you while you were our shepherds. We spoke ill-will to you in front of your children. We misjudged your intentions and criticized your decisions, and failed to do God’s prophet no harm.
We did not live up to our calling to honor God’s servant but instead made your time with us unpleasant and painful and burdensome. We believe you left us wronged, hurt and grieving your time here. It is not right how we’ve acted. We ask you, Marc, to please forgive us for our sins!

Becky, we treated your husband with disrespect and failed to honor you as our Pastor’s Spouse. We have brought tears to your eyes and sorrow to your heart and we are so very sorry for the wrongs that we have done to you. Please forgive us our sins!

Kids, we were not good role models to you while you were here with us. We know your Mom and Dad loved us but we spurned that love and resisted their influence in our lives. We stood back and let others hurt them and we did nothing to stop it. It must have hurt you to see your parents hurting so much. Kids, we did not act like a church should act towards its leaders and their children and we ask you to please forgive us for our sins!

After the church had given Becky a bouquet and gift, and each of the kids had received a card with a check in it, Pastor Marc was given a Nook, a Barnes & Noble reader, something pastor Dean said that he wished the church had given to him. Can you imagine shamelessly using a prayer and repentance service for hint-dropping?(LOL)

Marc and Beck addressed the congregation, asking for forgiveness for words, deeds and attitudes that they had exhibited during the days of stress.

Later that afternoon, I received a text message from Marc...

Pastor Paul, We are almost to Buffalo...Becky and I have been sharing how this has been a Great Day...a Life-Changing Day. What a difference God can make when His people seek Him (Forgiveness, Surrender & Confession).

I don't know what the future holds for Ridge Road Wesleyan Church, the District Transformation Project or the ENY-NE District, but one day at a time I am enjoying watching God be God and one step at a time I want to follow Him.

"He is God," Rick Warren said, "And I am not".

Intervention! Pt 2

(In order to get a better understanding of what is to follow, I suggest that you read Pt 1 first)

At the conclusion of the report, Pastor Dean took several minutes to share with his people that he was in total agreement with the intervention report and prescription. He spoke words of love, hope and challenge. The congregation left to pray and meditate over the report, but they also left with hope of a new day!

Two weeks later I went back to lead an all-congregation Town Hall meeting. For two-and-a-half hours the report and the prescription were debated. Some took the opportunity to vent about things that had bothered them for years. We listened! We answered questions! I believe that all went away feeling that they had been heard and that their questions had been answered. Now we were prepared for the vote that was to be taken on April 3 following the morning service.

One of the strengths of the Borden consultations is that the congregation is allowed to develop ownership. It is not a top-down process; rather it is a grass roots, bottom-up event with ownership events built in along the way.

I attended the service at Ridge Road on April 3. People were upbeat. Optimism was in the air. Hope had arrived! The music was good, the message right on. At the close of the service, the vote was taken. This was the moment of truth. An unfavorable vote would not only throw Ridge Road into a tailspin, it would greatly hamper the momentum that we were developing with our District Transformation Project.

The vote was taken. Ballots counted. Results announced. Fifty-four were in favor; zero were opposed. A miracle had occurred! Never had anyone expected this. Ridge Road had not been united like this in years--decades. We all left with the understanding that God was at work. We were standing on holy ground.

There was still the spiritual disobedience part of the report that needed to be dealt with. How could we, as a body of Believers, cooperatively confess for wrongs/sins that had accumulated over the years. Was a public service of prayer and repentance feasible? What would a service like that look like? How would it be received?

The Ridge Road leadership team decided to take one more risk--to take one more step of obedience. A service of prayer and repentance was scheduled for April 10. A former pastor and his family that had been wronged were invited back. Following the scriptural patterns of old, this congregation was being invited to publicly and corporately face their sins.

To be continued... (Please don't stop before reading the next part)