Peggy Johnson, Resident Bishop Lillian Smith, Executive Director, Connectional Ministries Vance P. Ross, Facilitator

 Read the data  You have statistics from the annual conference for your area  Look at the data  See how it connects to the “look” of your worshipping and ministering congregation

 That is to say Walk the data  MBWA (Ministry By Walking Around)  Walk the neighborhood  See the generational, cultural, economic, racial distinctions  Make notes

 Connect the talk and the walk  Look over your notes and compare to what you read from conference statistics  Where are discrepancies? Where are accuracies?  What conclusions could/should you begin to draw?

 Preach the talk and walk on Sunday  Discuss what you read and saw  How does Acts 1: 8, witnessing to Jesus, look like –for your congregation-in light of what you have seen?  Offer the possibilities and the challenges  Invite assistance, conversation, ideas

 Teach it to staff, Share the conference data  Take staff on the walk  Discuss what was seen, heard and felt as you walked  Discuss the comparison/contrast of the conference data and the walk around the neighborhood  Based on this data, what can we know about the neighborhood and our relationship to it? How does this impact our strategic points and tactics?

 Teach the lead team, in light of determination of what we think we know about the neighborhood/ our relationship to it?  Church council major agenda item: What does our this knowledge this mean for 1. Christ Centering 2. Celebrating 3. Connecting 4. Considering 5. Calling 6. Conveying

 How do we change worship or create new worship?  How do we connect persons based on what we have seen?  What do we need to teach so that we and others are thinking faith in light of the demographics?  What does calling mean and how do we become agency/agents of God’s call?  How do we share who God is-in Jesus-and who we are in light of this data?

 Home work: TAKE VACATION! BE SURE YOU TAKE VACATION!  What is you ministry action plan in this regard? 1. How will you begin to use the conference data? 2. When will you use MBWA? 3. When will you do MBWA with staff and/or lead team?

 After this happens, how will you put the data and knowledge to use? What goals will you set?  When will you have this done? What dates are you setting?  How will you know it is accomplished? When will you evaluate the goals and measure what has happened?