2. Natural Church Development Effective Structures…

3. NCD - Effective Structures What is measured: To what extent do our decision-making processes, operating procedures (official and unofficial), leadership team, and ministry structures facilitate rather than hinder the fulfillment of our church's mission?

4. A Simple Request… What the Mission Developer envisioned What Pete Norgren designed What the EOCM Review Team approved

5. Gets Awfully Complicated! What the MIF agreed to finance What the Leadership Team voted on What the church members really wanted

6. Mission Moment Which one of the following best describes your congregation’s organizational structure: –Homer Simpson –Britney Spears –George Bush –Barack Obama –Ruben Duran

7. Effective Structures… Framework for ministry Logos/order of “our” creation Institutionalizes the “institution” Using what you already have to do what God is calling you to do

8. Effective Structures… Visible sign of progress Lends legitimacy to ministry Lessens anxiety for those who need something to see - to “believe in” Dynamic – NOT static – way to order the body of Christ` Gives shape to ministry

9. Effective Structures… Define relationship, authority, accountability, responsibility, boundaries Mark of a healthy & growing church Measure of flexibility & change Always a spiritual matter “Gives birth to/reflects” the culture, customs, traditions, activities, mores, values and rites that define ministry

10. What resources do you have - right now - to do ministry? People… Program/Activities… Place… Think about it...

11. How can you best organize your resources? How can you build “Effective Structures” for your… Leadership? (committees, teams - who, how many, what kind?) Program? (Can you really be “all things to all people?”) Facility? (use what’s available - don’t make excuses!) Think about it...

12. What’s working well? Why? What’s not working? Why? What CAN YOU change? Why not?! Think about it...

13. “The Sabbath was made for the children of God – NOT God’s children for the Sabbath!” The Form of ministry ALWAYS follows the function of ministry Structure ALWAYS follows vision and mission Structure is ALWAYS the slave – never the master! Insight: Bubba says...

14. Effectivity Asks… How can we maximize the fruitfulness of our ministry?

15. Effectivity Asks... Does the structure of our ministry help us to produce discernible results, reproduce our ministry, and change lives?…or not?

16. Effectivity Asks... Does every good tree bear good fruit? What‘s the fruit look like?... No fruit? –Fertilize it –Prune it –Get rid of it!

17. Mission Moment: Effective Structures What structures are you building to serve your ministry? What are you doing/will you do… to reproduce your ministry? What would you do (in ministry) if you knew you couldn’t fail? What’s the one “essential” thing that you can do that no one else can do?

18. Whenever God breathes God’s Spirit into formless clay - both life and form spring forth. Wherever God pours out God’s spirit within the church – structure and form spring forth” (NCD:29).

19. Effective Structures The most important criterion for forms and structures in the church is if they help to fulfill and support the mission – or not! With the passing of time, people become more and more traditional – “fixed”. Traditionalism/traditions/structures then become an end in themselves. Evaluation and self-renewal will help combat the negative affects of traditionalism. Do you have the wisdom, the grace, and the guts to let it die?

21. Mission Moment 1. Divide Into Groups 2. Do a Quick Resource Inventory – What do you have to work with? 3. Build/Create/Invent Something… Anything (Be Creative) 4. Name Your Creation 5. What’s It’s Purpose? 6. How could you improve your creation? (What else do you need?)