Beginnings

The first step in our seeking to discern the vision and dream we believe God has for St. Andrew’s was when Session gathered on Saturday, January 8^th for a day of retreat, prayer and listening to one another and to the Lord.

We met in a conference room in the new Vancouver Island University campus here in Duncan, and that very setting lent a wonderful element to our day. We were gathered in a community locale, and helped focus our heart in a very profound way upon the community in which God has placed us—the community we are called to serve in the name of Christ.

David Stewart led us through much of the day using an analysis matrix developed by Kennon Callahan and available in a book entitled 12 Keys to an Effective Church: Strong, healthy Congregations Living in the Grace of God. Callahan begins his book by outlining five vital concepts:

1.   Strong, healthy congregations live in the grace of God. This is a way of life; a way of experiencing the generosity of God and sharing it with others.

2.   Strong, healthy congregations build on the strengths with which God blesses them. There could be many; but strong, healthy congregations tend to exhibit nine of the twelve strengths listed below. (These are the 12 Keys.) Further, relational strengths are more important than functional strengths. Perhaps we could say “a house does not make a home; people do.”

3.   Strong, healthy congregations share the motivations of compassion, community, and hope. These are the things that motivate people. We are motivated by compassion not committee.

4.   Strong, healthy congregations develop a balance of both excellent sprinter and solid marathon possibilities. This means that we serve God in ways that are not just long-term high-commitment opportunities (marathon), but also in short-term and one-time opportunities (sprinter). We live in a technological culture with a face pace of life and high demands. In previous times in the story of the tortoise and the hare, the tortoise always won. That isn’t always the case anymore. Can we accommodate the hare?

5.   Strong, healthy congregations act swiftly. As we discover our strengths as a church family, we have fun, we pray, we claim those strengths as who we are (not who we wish we were), we add to our strengths over time, sustain our current strengths, and act swiftly. The art is to work smarter, not “harder.” We build on what we do well.

So What are the 12 Keys? Callahan identifies them as follows (you might want to consider how you would rate our congregation for each category):

Relational Strengths
1.	Specific Missional Objectives	Why are we here? If St. Andrew’s ceased to exist, what difference would it make in the community? What is the particular niche our ministry addresses? What specific programmes do we offer for a particular hurt or hope?
2.	Shepherding	How do we keep connected in people-to-people ways? How do we do pastoral and lay visitation? How do we pay attention to the ways we offer help and hope? Are we listening for hurts and hopes? Is there a real connection? Do we have strong gifts in this way? Are we targeting the right people who need shepherding? What kind of shepherding is happening for people who aren’t in the congregation?
3.	Inspirational Worship	Do people leave our worship feeling inspired and renewed? Is there joy, happiness and contentment in our worship? Are people motivated to follow Christ and serve others? Is there variety and freshness? Are the sermons inspirational and faithful to the gospel? Is music of excellent quality and uplifting? Are people of all ages included?
4.	Relational Groupings	Do our groups offer roots? Friendship? Support? Are there groups of some kind for all the ages represented in our congregation? Are our groups open and hospitable?
5.	Leadership Team	Is the leadership team collegial? Does it have a good balance of personalities and skills? Does it have an agreed upon vision? Does it do what it sets out to do?
6.	Decision-making Process	Do we have clear and helpful processes? Are our core values reflected in how we govern? Are there clear, articulated policies and working procedures? Are roles clear? Is there joy in serving?
Functional Strengths
7.	Programmes & Activities	What programmes and activities are offered? Is there something for all ages represented in our congregation? Are there specific leadership or oversight issued in our programmes? Are programmes and activities evaluated annually?
8.	Accessibility	How do people get at what we offer? Are there barriers to accessibility?
9.	Visibility	Do people know where we are? Do they know our leaders? Do they know where we are located? Do we have good signage?
10.	Land	How important is land to our ministry? What are the advantages and disadvantages of our particular property?
11.	Facilities	What are the advantages and disadvantages of our facilities? Are the facilities up-to-date? Do they need a lot of maintenance?
12.	Financial Resources	Are the financial resources adequate? Do the expenditures reflect the mission and purpose of our congregation? Is money seen as a necessary evil or the generous response of our giftedness?