My Key Concepts
The purpose of this blog is to promote discussion of some ideas which I think will promote
the development of first world churches, and through debate to improve those ideas. To follow the flow of my logic, read forward
from the first entry;
entries which form the cornerstones of my thought are flagged with "KEY--", and are listed below with a short summary of the key idea. Kindly share your suggestions and improvements with me, and I will adjust the contents accordingly.
Thank you for your participation! (Direct email contact is also welcome.)
- KEY--Why are congregations weak?
(Mostly due to defects in the culture of the judicatory: unclear mission/vision, ineffective structures, misaligned incentives, and lack of support, all of which lead to a low quality "product".) - KEY--Correcting diocesan weaknesses
(A summary explanation of what is involved in correcting those defects.) - KEY--Correcting the weakness of congregations
(How to move away from a "laisser faire" leadership style at the diocesan level in a way that has organisational legitimacy.) - KEY--Setting Targets (Overview)
(Dioceses now measure mostly finances and attendance, if they measure anything. Some suggestions on better measures which should have a cause and effect relationship towards wholistic growth, a Balanced Scorecard.) - KEY--Sample Benefits from a Balanced Scorecard
(Illustrating what wholistic growth would look like: much more than just more money or more people in church!) - KEY--Cause and Effect for Laurentian Congregational Revitalisation
(Shows the linkage between the different strategic activities in Laurentian churches, and growth in organisational, spiritual, financial and participatory health.)
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
KEY--Cause and Effect for Laurentian Congregational Revitalisation
Understanding the situation of a congregation or a set of congregations in a region in order to create a valid Balanced Scorecard requires a Cause and Effect analysis of the components or actions which lead to the desired results. This analysis is likely to be different in a different region, but I suspect that the core concepts are similar enough that it is worth sharing here. This cause and effect diagram is at least valid in the Laurentian Deanery of the Diocese of Montréal, but likely applies to most of the other congregations in the diocese. You can tell me if it applies to your situation.
- Primary strategic activities are indicated in a heavy solid outline, and secondary activities are in dashed lines
- Activity in each of the four main areas of the Scorecard is indicated with a separate colour; a general “summary” label is added in purple to describe some of the groups of activities (this is not a formal part of the Scorecard, but provides a useful summary of the general objectives and values of the project).
- The starting point, and continual source of refreshment is our God-inspired, shared vision of the future, often expressed in mission planning, and regularly refreshed in Ministry Review activities (both self-review and evaluation by others; at the bottom of the diagram)
- The “core business” of Christian churches is the creation and support of spiritually alive and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. One of the prime vehicles for this is worship services and fellowship that nourishes people (both members and visitors). As we show in this diagram, Adult Groups for faith-sharing and faith-education are an important component in making disciples and in making the worship and fellowship more meaningful: Christianity is not a Sunday-only activity!
- The worship and fellowship experience is influenced by several important factors including the Organisational Climate in the congregation and the Pastoral Care of Members. Given what we consider to be the generally mixed quality of Anglican worship and preaching, we expect that Leadership Training will be an important factor in making this vital component as effective as it should be.
- We believe that Numbers of Visitors is a direct result of Nourishing Worship and Fellowship; in other words, when a congregation’s Sunday fellowship is dynamic and nourishing, people in the community hear of it. Then, if they or someone they know has a spiritual hunger, they are more inclined to attend. Attendance is also influenced by Building Maintenance, in that well-kept facilities attract people, and run-down ones encourage them to stay away. Finally, the number of visitors can undoubtedly also be increased by active and sensitive marketing efforts, which begin to be worth pursuing when we are sure that the quality of what we have to offer is acceptable.
- The only way to get sustained attendance growth and new members is to have a good stream of visitors, both in total (‘raw” numbers) and in numbers of visitors who live or vacation regularly in the area (“with potential”). From a large stream, some of whom have the potential to become members, some smaller number will continue attending and eventually become members, but only if the congregation has Good Welcoming Skills and, crucially, the Willingness to Incorporate new people into their fellowship.
- New Donors (at least serious donors, with High Average Donations and a higher number of Proportional Donors) are the product of having developed new members, to which is added an appropriate process of Stewardship Education, including talking specifically about money (which is just another aspect of honest Christian disciple-making).
- Good numbers of good donors, who have also considered seriously the question of legacies and gifts, are the only reliable way to get to Healthy Finances. That in turn, is the only responsible way to produce Increased Ministry Spending, greater Generosity and Outreach to the Needy, Sufficient Staff (paid and volunteer), and more than a minimum payment for clergy.
- Pastoral Care of Members is not highlighted and is not considered a Primary Strategic Activity, because it is already so firmly anchored in the culture of the Anglican Church. If anything, our over-focus on caring for those on the inside will likely have to be sacrificed somewhat in order that we can care for those on the fringes of our community.
- Readers will have noticed, of course, that all of the factors identified on this chart are measurable; only the ones which we consider to be critical success factors are indicated; and every one is subject to ongoing review as we go along, and to being replaced by better or more relevent measures as we learn how to do this work better.
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Copyright 2005, Mark Gibson (email at markagibsoncan@gmail.com) |