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Towards a Presbytery Mission Plan. Westminster Presbytery May 2013. Lessons from PCI. Three levels of Discussion: Assembly-agreed vision and principles. Lessons from PCI. Three levels of Discussion: Assembly-agreed vision and principles Assembly Mission Board strategy. Lessons from PCI.
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Towards a Presbytery Mission Plan • Westminster Presbytery May 2013
Lessons from PCI • Three levels of Discussion: • Assembly-agreed vision and principles
Lessons from PCI • Three levels of Discussion: • Assembly-agreed vision and principles • Assembly Mission Board strategy
Lessons from PCI • Three levels of Discussion: • Assembly-agreed vision and principles • Assembly Mission Board strategy • Presbytery implementation
The Vision • “Vibrant communities of Christ, serving and transforming Ireland”
Core Principles - Assembly-level • The Local Congregation is the primary unit of mission • The Centre exists to resource the grass-roots, not vice versa
Core Principles - Board-level • Those presently outside take precedence over those inside • People take precedence over plant • Teams take the place of “solo artists” • Leadership becomes truly corporate and courageous
Core Principles - Board-level • Go out to where people already are • Proclaim the Good News with sensitivity, courage and confidence • Pepare to be flexible • Resources - human and financial - follow priorities
Core Principles - Presbytery-level • Single-centre ministries are most effective • Team ministries are most effective • Resources normally allocated on basis of vision and “kingdom potential” not just population or finance
Goals: Presbytery-level • Only Congregations with clear missional goals will normally be allowed leave to call • Identify key strategic population centres and develop regional missional plans for each region
19 churches: 9 Ministers Old Presbytery of Donegal
14 churches: >16 people Full-time 3 Ministers 1 lay ev’list 1 yth devpt. worker 1deacon(ess) Part-time 1 Minister 1 Planter 2 evangelists 3 seniors pastors 3 yth workers + 6 Accred. preachers Northern Circuit X Central Circuit X X X Southern Circuit X Old Presbytery of Donegal
Goals: Presbytery-level • Train local leaders for the new reality • Students to get exposure to missional and contextual ministry at College
Goals: Presbytery-level • Investigate new ways of funding Bivocationalism Support-raising Redundant property Auxiliary Ministries
Goals: Presbytery-level • Find alternative ways of supporting isolated congregations
Goals: Presbytery-level • Develop a planting strategy and plant two new churches in next 5 years
Take account of emerging planting research • Less can be more • Community-based • Hub with satellites • Variety of funding and leadership models • Built-in reproducibility • Take a serious look at bivocationalism
Advantages of bivocationalism • Builds in inter-dependence from the start • Develops a healthy theology of work and vocation from the beginning • Natural way of developing missional relationships • Avoids unhealthy Sacred-Secular / Clergy-laity divides • Can take into account contextual sensitivities • Finance
Goals: Presbytery-level • Initiate a Presbytery-wide strategy based on core principles and agreed priorities
Weaknesses of process • A Paper Exercise? • Too top-heavy? • Implementation: vested interests
Strengths of process • Focuses attention on Mission and Vision, rather than A,B,C (Accounts, Buildings & Congregational size) • Starts with congregation, empowers Presbytery to ask hard questions • Encourages local self-sufficiency • Gets things done!