Tuckston’s Ministry Evaluation Task Force

1. Tuckston’s Ministry Evaluation Task Force October 21, 2013 “Yet not what I will, but what you will”

2. Agenda • Task Force mission statement • Individual research presentations • Team members • Top concerns • Solution generation • Recommendations • Conclusions • Discussion Speaker: Richard Conway

3. Task Force Mission • To summarize and recommend options for Tuckston to improve how it births Christians and grows disciples, with an emphasis on the worship services • Plan for action, set SMART goals Speaker: Richard Conway

4. Work, work, work! • Total of 10 working, productive meetings • 2 hour meetings every other Wednesday from June through October • 15 - 30 in attendance • estimate 500+ man hours given • Homework between meetings to do research, read books by experts, take surveys, or visit other churches Speaker: Richard Conway

5. Team Members • Harold Brown • Jim & Aurelia Wood • Brent Escoe • Dave & Beth Beeson • David & Hilda Fletcher • David Benson • Deb Jarecki • James Mooneyhan • Jeni Pringle • Jim Finger • John Turlington • Julia & Audie Norman • Marilyn Andrews • Larry & Barbara Cornelius • Linda Basinger • Lynne Billard • Nancy Knapp • Trent Harrell • Jim & Judy Williams • Richard Conway • Mo Flexner • Nathan Elder • John Hankinson • Katie Jane Smith • Kent & Karlene Lawrence Speaker: Richard Conway

6. Individual Presentations • Church Revitalization • MissionInsite.com • Tuckston finances • Tuckston attendance • Tuckston leadership position descriptions • Tuckston Life Groups • Tuckston’s website • Previous Tuckston Admin Council goals • The church in Genesis • Techniques for engagement • Cornerstone CoG • Watkinsville FBC • Valdosta FUMC • UGA Wesley Foundation • “Deep & Wide” – Stanley • “12 Keys to an Effective Church” - Callahan • “Start This, Stop That” –Cowart Speaker: Richard Conway

7. Top Rated Concerns(developed July 15) • Lack of leadership • Great ideas. Lousy follow up. • Lack of communication • Not everyone is giving and we aren't meeting our budgets • Volunteer Burnout • same people do all the work • involvement rather than attendance • Grow or Die • our growth, both spiritually and in numbers, has stagnated • No real vision for local missions • Worship services are not engaging Speaker: Jim Wood

8. Speaker: Richard Conway

9. Speaker: Richard Conway

10. Celebrate! Ideas already being pursued. • Communicate Admin Council minutes to congregation • Applications for volunteers to serve on teams • Anouncements/ Missions slideshow booth in Narthex • Welcome booth in Narthex before Sunday services • Youth visitors from neighborhood next door welcomed into gym • Utilities costs posted in bulletin to raise awareness • Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class scheduled • New guys sampling men’s life group on Wednesday • Children’s moments during services are laity-led • Children’s council identified 2014 chairperson in Sept. • Young parent’s Sunday class sponsored youth dinner in Oct. • Prayer vigil for Boyd Andrews and others in need Speaker: Jim Finger

11. Recommendations for Spiritual Development Our TOP priority: Make church really about God.  The content (the relationship) has to be there. Therefore we recommend that TUMC create/recreate a Prayer Team that would begin operation in Jan 2014: • to increase and deepen the prayer life of the church community; • with one pastor assigned as member and liason; • without any need for a sizable budget. Speaker: Nancy Knapp

12. Recommendations for Spiritual Development (cont'd) Some ideas the Prayer could consider include: • Begin a regular 30-minute prayer meeting prior to the 9:39 Sunday service • Have a prayer team that prays over the church grounds prior to Sunday services (7 – 8am). • Have lay people pray with Pastors 5-10 minutes before services • Have Pastor pray with choir 5-10 minutes before the 11:00 service •  Have healing prayer services (Sun. evening?) led by someone who has experience with healing through prayer. • Have appropriate group do a “prayer walk” and church blessing at least once yearly. • Have a “flash prayer” email/texting list and telephone chain for emergency prayer needs. Speaker: Nancy Knapp

13. Recommendations for Leadership • Define the church’s vision • Identify top 3 to 5 areas to be great at and sell the vision • Focus our limited resources on programming that best supports our mission and vision • Good is forgettable. Great is memorable. • Leadership Training • Clearly define leadership responsibilities and team structure • Create continuity in ministries regardless of leadership changes • Document work and pass down binder to next leader • Next leader identified and training at least 3 meetings/ 4 months before transition Speaker: Pastor James Mooneyhan

14. Recommendations for Communication Speaker: Katie Jane Smith 14 • Access to staff • Consistent weekly staff meeting • 10 minutes where congregation could sign up to speak with staff • Holds staff accountable for meeting each week, Allows congregation to feel heard, aware of decisions • Access to information • Minutes of admin council meetings, other important meetings posted online • Clear and concise method of communicating announcements to church members 10/21/2013

15. Recommendations for Communication (cont'd) Speaker: Katie Jane Smith 15 • Clearly stated method of posting announcements on website, bulletin, weekly email, and newsletter • Directions on website: • Email tuckston@bellsouth.net before Tuesday for bulletin and weekly newsletter • Email tuckston@bellsouth.net before the 25th of month for newsletter • newsletter sent at a consistent time each month • Email ____________________ a month before scheduled event for event to be listed on website • Weekly digest of items tuckston@bellsouth.net receives for website • Clear expectations – is Mr. Benson going to continue in this capacity? What can we do to communicate more clearly? 10/21/2013

16. Recommendations for Communication (cont'd) 16 • Encouraging communication • Adult community all listed in one place on website • Sunday Schools, Bible Studies, Life Groups, etc • Currently 2 life groups are listed with contact information • Group leaders need to know how to effectively share • Training with church members on how to get events listed in all 4 communication methods • Consistent listings online and in newsletter, with new and relevant updates on weekly email and bulletin. • Encourage social media use – Facebook and website • New member information section on website • What to expect, how to plug in, who to call 10/21/2013 Speaker: Katie Jane Smith

17. Recommendations for Missions, Outreach, & Evangelism • Create an Evangelism Team to begin in 2014 to -- • Reach out to serve the immediate local community • Follow-up with visitors • Organize opportunities for our congregation to help our neighbors in need • More missions to Tuckston neighborhood - e.g., • Great Day of Service to local community • Community interfaith basketball in gym • Work towards a tithe to missions Speaker: Lynne Billard

18. Recommendations for Participation/ Involvement • Membership Team: Jan 2014 • Communicate with new members how to get more involved • Create and distribute New Members Packet • Dedicated communications specialist for all members • Coordinate team meetings (practice) in preparation of welcoming and encouraging new/current members • Incorporate the youth into team, grow young leaders, encourage outside youth participation. • Encourage life group “socials” • Host 4 church-wide events per year. Unite congregation (Hosted by different ministry teams) Speaker: Deb Jarecki

19. Recommendations for Worship • Create a worship team that would begin operation in January 2014 whose mission would be to make our Sunday morning services excellent. • The one team would have branches specifically focused on each service. • The team would be commissioned to work with the staff on the sound, look and feel of the services as well as coordinating the different teams that work in the services. • It would welcome visitors more effectively by staffing welcome booths before, between, during and after Sunday services. Speaker: Jeni Pringle

20. Recommendations for Worship (cont'd) • Structure worship services around a series of sermons. • Recommend that Sunday morning worship services, and whenever possible, Sunday School and life groups have a unified topic that spans at least a month • This would allow more focused sermons, music, videos, decorations, Bible study, drama, prayers, lay speakers as well as giving everyone plenty of time to digest and wrestle with the topic, than identify and put into practice appropriate life changes. • Utilize the worship team to support worship series for maximum effect Speaker: Jeni Pringle

21. Recommendations for Worship (cont'd) • Recommend that a separate, short term task force with representatives from all 3 services be formed to investigate the specific issues of • Our congregation being split between the worship services • Our volunteers and staff getting burned out because of the large demand for leaders and relatively small pool of those willing to serve • Focus would be on the best way to coordinate the services and classes and would be responsible for gathering input from the congregation. • Recommendations would be made to the Worship Team and/or Admin. Council, and the Worship Team would have the responsibility of implementing any approved changes. Speaker: Jeni Pringle

22. Summary of Recommendations • Form several new permanent teams to implement ideas • Worship Team • Membership Team • 411 Team • Evangelism Team • Prayer Team • Form a temporary task force to dig deeper into the optimal organization of Sunday morning services and classes • Amplify communication of church activities and administration through technology • Train leadership to ensure fluid transitions between team leaders • Set a clear vision and focus limited resources on ministries that best support it Speaker: Richard Conway

23. Conclusions • Problems and potential solutions have been identified • Details are availablefor anyone and will be given to appropriate group leaders • Recommendations are before the Admin Council • Task Force requests decisions to be made at November AC meeting in time to get balls rolling in Jan 2014. • If there are no objections at this time, request that AC give tentative approval to create teams so that Nominations Committee can work on filling leadership positions now. Speaker: Richard Conway

24. Discussion Open Q&A Speaker: