What is it? It is...
+ The next step in Central's reinvention process
+ Chartered with the task of defining how ministry involves everyone in the Central Family
+ A crucial step in the growth of our church
+ So important that everyone's awareness and involvement is needed
If you have any questions, please contact any elder or member of the Central Christian Church staff.
November, 2008
Generations... What's Next?
Below is a summary of what happened at the October 5 Congregational Meeting. The facts are these:
+ Jim Wyant was affirmed by a vast majority of our congregation to serve as an elder.
+ Those who served on the Generations Lead Team (Blake Wilson, Pam Mamaril, Tracy Maymon,
Geoff Sanning, Josh Motsinger), did a beautiful job of pulling our members together to help us
take the next steps in our reinvention journey.
+ The facilitators of each of the segment task forces and the people who gathered with them
contributed thousands of hours in an effort to understand where the gaps are in our attempts to
grow spiritually deep disciples in all the various ages and stages of our church.
+ The elders spent additional untold hours with the facilitators and privately in prayer and discussion
discerning the proper priority of action for the suggestions and ideas generated by our members.
This resulted in three overarching objectives (though all of the suggestions will be addressed
within this framework):
- Greater discipleship in LifeGroups
- Stronger support of Children/Students
- Better connection within interest groups
+ These objectives further pointed out the need for staffing and made clear to the elders and lead
team, what the staffing structure needed to look like. So, there were some staff changes:
- Paul Backer has been named Pastor of LifeGroups and Communities in order to
focus energy and attention on this vital area of church life and ensure that we are
achieving our discipleship objectives through LifeGroups.
- Linn Asbury has been asked to fill a full-time role as Outreach Director, as Paul
steps away from this focus. This is local, regional, national and international in scope.
- Lisa Russell has been asked to take on an office manager role and oversee all
office operations. This will also include a part-time financial secretary role that will be
hired in the near future.
+ There were also some staff additions announced:
- In order to better provide for our families with children and students and to ensure the
transitions between each of the age groups, we have added Paul Steiner as Pastor of
Young Disciples. He began working October 1 with Lisa Gross, Pete Howard, CJ Backer
and Danny Wright to build a cohesive and comprehensive plan for discipleship from birth to
college. Paul and his wife, Abigail, have three children, Kadison (9), Kenyon (5) and
Leyton (2).
- In order to address the concerns of the various interest groups in our church and
community and to help each member better live out their God-given calling to minister, we
have added the position of Associate Pastor of Generations. The Sunday following the
congregational meeting we announced that Graham Richards has been asked to join
us in this role. Graham and his wife, Angela have two children, Abigail (5) and Jacob (2)
and have just relocated here from Northampton, England. Graham will begin his new
ministry on November 2.
- Finally, after a great deal of effort on the part of a search team and others, we found
someone to serve as our Creative Arts Pastor. His name is Tony Wolf. He led
worship for us on October 12 and he and his wife, Laura, along with their children,
Brooklyn (4), Katie (3) and Adrienne (1) are moving here from Nashville, Tennessee at the
end of November to begin ministry on December 8.
Those are the facts. But the meaning behind the facts is another matter. For too many reasons to list here, we are more convinced than ever that the direction we launched two years ago is the right one for our church. This has been a great challenge, and we have made some missteps along the way. We decided at the beginning of the summer to take stock of where we are compared to where we intended to be, and then to map out a better way to get from here to there.
There were so many good ideas that came of out the Generations effort, it was tempting to begin implementing some of these ideas immediately. But, with no clear sense of timing and direction, we would have undermined our ability to sustain anything we started. Instead, we decided to put the engine in the car, to build a solid framework so we could maintain momentum in the long haul. This is the longer route to implementation of many of the ideas that were generated, but it is the best route to seeing that they are implemented well and with greater probability of effectiveness. The elders are working on a complete document that will be available very soon on our website or in the church office.
Thank you for all the questions and the affirming comments that have come our way during and since the congregational meeting. This is an exciting time in Central’s life. The future is bright but it will require all of us loving each other well and lifting each other up in prayer to push through the spiritual battles that are still in front of us.
Thank you for aspiring, along with us, to be the church Jesus dreamed about: a church that extends grace and truth and trusts God while stepping toward a future that is unclear but filled with hope.
September, 2008
It is very exciting to see where the Generations effort is heading. As you probably know, Generations is the name we have put on an effort to define family ministry here at Central. We have recognized that our family at Central is comprised of many segments, some driven by age (e.g. Teens, Seniors) and some by life stage or situation (e.g. Parents, Single Adults, Married Couples). Many people joined this effort over the summer and collectively spent over 1000 hours of time to help define the unique attributes, develop goals for spiritual maturity and create specific plans for growth and outreach for each of the 12 identified segments.
We are now in the process of determining how to structure our leadership in such a way as to effectively move forward with our plan. Our hope is to roll the plan out to the entire Central family in mid-September.
What types of things can you expect to see?
Ministry recommendations will be rolled out in three distinct areas. They are as follows:
Foundational Ministry - These are items that will be supported over the long run. In some cases, there will be a staff person and/or an elder directly responsible for the area and in others there will be a volunteer position that will be consistently filled, (e.g. if a volunteer steps down, a new person will be sought to replace them in that position). Most activities that take place on a Sunday morning (teaching, worship, etc.) would fall in the foundational ministry category.
Gift Led Initiatives (GLI's) - We will be putting a process in place for people that feel they are being led by God to do some form of ministry to help them act on their calling. These initiatives could range from organizing and hosting a one evening event (or guest speaker), to teaching a 3-month series of classes based on a given topic. The key to a GLI is that when the volunteer that has been called to lead an effort is "done", the ministry goes away. If a new person would like to step up and keep an effort going, they will have the opportunity to do so by going through the process themselves. The staff and elders will help to oversee the GLI's to ensure there are no conflicts with timing or direction.
LifeGroups - We continue to feel that LifeGroups are the single best opportunity for an individual to grow in their spiritual maturity. As such, many of the needs and opportunities that were revealed during the Generations effort will be best met through these groups. A great example that surfaced deals with marriage. How great would it be if a LifeGroup surrounded a couple when issues first arose, and guided/coached/loved them through their situation. Today, the body is often not even aware of a problem until it is much too late to do anything proactive. You will see more emphasis and staff attention on LifeGroups and training than you have seen in the past.
What are the hopes of leadership through this process?
We believe we will see a dramatic increase in the spiritual maturity of our family at all levels and across all segments. With increased maturity comes a natural outpouring of faith that will draw and attract people outside of the family and bring them in.
Many new believers will join us and begin the journey themselves.
Hopefully you can see, this is not "just another program." The leadership of Central feels strongly that this is the Church we have been called to be. Please join us in this exciting effort!
August, 2008
As previously mentioned, we have been in the process of defining “family ministry” for our body at Central. To date, here is what has been accomplished:
- A lead team was formed which created a structure and guidelines to direct the effort
- Twelve family segments were identified which include everyone in the body
- Nine facilitators were trained and took responsibility for leading volunteers through an intensive
process of examining each of the segments
- Each group met weekly for 6-8 weeks to look at scripture, identify the unique needs of each
segment and to generate ideas for helping that segment to grow in their spiritual maturity and to
be more effective in outreach to non-believers
We are very excited about the ideas and the directions that the various teams have developed. Thanks to all who devoted much time and effort to this process!
As you read this newsletter, the next step is being taken to review the recommendations from each of the teams, and craft a strategy to move forward. This is being done by the lead team and the Elders. We will continue to provide updates as we move forward to keep everyone informed as to the status of this very exciting effort. As always, we welcome your comments and questions.
CCC Elders
June, 2008
“They’re Off!!” Those are exciting words at a racetrack. They tell us that what we have been anticipating for the past days or weeks (in the case of the Indianapolis 500, a year) has finally begun. The adrenalin is pumping, hopes are high, even if you are in the 11th row. All of that soon settles into something that looks a lot like work for the driver and the team that supports him. Five hundred miles is grueling and takes its toll on drivers, mechanics and machines. Part of the thrill of it all is the fact that the outcome is unknown. We don’t know at the beginning of the race whom will finish much less win.
Well, this gives some idea of what it feels like to the leaders here at Central to see the Generations teams off and running. It is a joy to see almost 170 of our members volunteer to help in this effort. It was exciting to see so many of them at the launch meeting. The eagerness of so many in that room was contagious.
This is where the proverbial “rubber hits the road” as the task forces dig into the hard work ahead. They are studying the Bible to see what it says about growing the souls of people who fit into their task force’s age and/or stage. They are looking at books and at other churches to see what is being done by others
The outcome is unknown. How do we take the values established in our reinvention and make them tangible, doable, repeatable so that every age in our church has a clear path to a deeper walk with God? Which of these possible methods are foundational to life at Central (things we must do to be who God has called us to be)? Which will become part of what is done in and through LifeGroups? What new ministries will be birthed out of the gifts and passions of members seeking to live out their mission in this world? We’ll know the recommendations in about 5 weeks or so.
There are ways you can keep informed about what is happening with this effort. You can visit our website (cccCarmel.org), you can talk with a staff member or with one of the elders – especially the three who are most closely connected with Generations: Jerry McColgin, Greg Filson and Mark Adams. You can get connected with one of the task forces. Greg can help you do that. We would love for you to be part of the solutions we are dreaming, but if that is a path you choose, you should know that you will have to work to catch up.
Please pray for all those involved in this, especially those facilitating the task forces:
Jim Wyant James Purdie Shelley Hamilton
Mary Warner Luanne Hodgin Scott Maymon
Steve Butz Doug Lawler Mark & Serenity Zander
Jim & Mary Plew Blake Wilson Gerson & Elsa Cardona
May 2008
Generations….a journey of faith has had an incredibly strong start. Thank You to the16 facilitators and to the 160+ members who volunteered to serve on one of the task forces. The fact that so many of you are willing to play an active role in helping Central be the church God intends for us to be is a testimony in itself. The path we’re taking in this next step of the reinvention process can be difficult for some of us to understand. Although there is a loosely designed structure, it’s so flexible, creative and sometimes downright outrageous that it can be intimidating. It’s like having too many choices of ice cream to choose from; it’s going to be delicious no matter what you choose. You have to trust the outcome is worth the sometimes gut-wrenching narrowing down of choices.
The back wall in the Spiritual Growth Center is dedicated to providing updates on what’s happening with the Generations task forces. Please check often to see the stories coming out of the various teams. A final thought about Generations and the process: If you’ve ever participated in a brainstorming session, you know that nothing is too outrageous or ridiculous to suggest, no idea is shot down as a bad one and everything is fair game. At the end of the session, the final product probably bears no resemblance to much of what has been suggested in the brainstorm sessions. The mere creative forces at work as brainstorming occurs frequently produce not only enthusiasm, but ideas which turn into solid, sensible and actionable plans. That’s exactly what’s going on in the Generations task forces.
Now here’s the risk: If you aren’t personally involved on the task force and happen to hear secondhand what is being discussed in brainstorming sessions, you’d naturally be inclined to think this team might have gone off the deep end with no flippers. Not to worry! It’s extremely likely what you’ve heard bears no resemblance to the truth of what the end result will be. For example, if someone tells you they’ve heard a task force has decided there will be no more PraiseLand or Sunday service, you can be pretty sure that’s just part of what’s being discussed and tells only half the story. Beware! satan loves creating havoc with half truths misinterpreted. Get the straight facts from any elder, staff member or task force facilitator.
Greg Filson on Generations: “We’re on a journey of faith, not a trip of faith.”
In other words, this is not a finite, point-to-point trip where we rush from one “to-do” to the next “to-do.” We’ll enjoy this journey of faith “being” God’s own children, allowing Him to transform us in His own time, and prayerfully to His glory.