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CHURCH DEVELOPMENT Embrace The “And” And Reject The “Or” By Charles W. Courtoy
Executive Director of Church Development
The key word in congregational development is
vital. The Conference Committee, as its vision statement says, is committed to “vital
congregations reaching out to every person within The Florida Conference area.” Vital
congregations can be large-, middle- and small-membership; new and long-established.
Size and age are not determining factors in making a congregation vital. The Conference Committee’s vision describes vital congregations as “reaching out to every person.” The committee believes the fundamental task of the local church is to make disciples for Jesus Christ.
A person challenged me that the vision statement neglects persons who are already members. I contend that it doesn’t. “Reaching out” includes everyone — both members and non-members. It embraces an invitation to Christian discipleship and nurture in Christian discipleship and deployment as Christian disciples.
James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras in “Built to Last” say that visionary companies (churches) reject the “Tyranny of the OR” and embrace the “Genius of the AND.” I do not believe it is productive for us to think in terms of vital congregations being large or small, new or long-established, nurturing or evangelistic or mission-oriented. Vital congregations are to be found in both small- and large-membership churches. Vital congregations are nurturing and evangelistic and mission-oriented.
I believe an analysis of the expenditure of funds reveals, as a conference, we are attempting to help all churches to be vital. We have budgeted $519,227 in the New Church Starts Apportionment and $425,000 in the Equitable Compensation Fund to help smaller membership churches have full-time pastors. We have launched 17 new fast-start churches, plus 11 new missions, and we have 21 established churches in a Pilot Revitalization Project. We have an $11 million loan fund to assist new churches build their first unit, and we have a $20 million Church Development Loan Fund to enable established churches to borrow funds for facility expansion. Our districts are investing in land and programs to start new churches, and our Conference Council on Ministries has a $1,872,305 budget to assist all churches in nurture and outreach.
A vital conference, as well as a vital congregation, embraces the “AND” and rejects the “OR.”
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