CHURCH HEALTH
The Christian and Missionary Alliance offers many different tools to foster health in the church. Some of these are implemented through the District Office, others are are from the National Office or outside sources. If you are are experiencing some difficult circumstances or are concerned that your church may be in decline, there are a variety of ways we can help. We want to come alongside you and do whatever it takes to help change the direction of your church.
Through the C&MA National Office, Alliance New England has a subscription to MissionInsite, a web-based demographics platform designed specifically for churches and other faith-based organizations. This can be an invaluable resource if you are looking to:
· Better understand the people in your church and in your community through
· Demographic, financial and geographic data
· Prevailing community beliefs, religious preferences and life concerns
· Reasons for participation or non-participation in religious activities
· Preferences for ministries, programs, communication and hospitality
· Identify potential geographic areas for new small groups, ministries, campuses, or church plants
· Plot your congregants to visually see where they live and where they are clustered
· Purchased targeted address lists
If you are interested in utilizing the data and reports that MinistryInsite offers, contact Shelley in the District Office. We can discuss what you are looking for and either (a) run reports for you as needed or (b) train your staff person for on-going, direct access if you anticipate using the data more regularly.
The PEAK Profile assessment tool is designed to identify the strengths a church can build on and the opportunities for growth. PEAK fosters a culture of improvement by creating positive dialogue and common language around church development. PEAK provides an accessible tool, grounded in Alliance values, that assesses church development according to nine essential elements. As a church grows in self-awareness and applies itself to a process of development, it is better prepared to advance the Kingdom! Contact Shelley in the District Office for more information.
Changing Course Consultation is designed to help plateaued or declining churches of all sizes find new direction. The consultation has two strategic components—coaching and mentoring for the lead pastor, and training, analysis, assessment, and planning for the lay leadership team. The goal at the end of this six-month process is to implement a strategic plan crafted by the pastor with substantial input from the leadership team that will guide the church to once again make a dynamic kingdom impact in its community. Changing Course Consultation services are provided to churches through their corresponding District offices. These services equip and empower church leaders to identify and overcome common roadblocks to healthy growth and ministry impact. Contact Andy in the District Office for more information.
Fresh Start is the process of restarting and strengthening churches by reinvesting the people and assets of a struggling and perhaps dying church. The purpose of the program, is to forge a new congregation with the help of the team on the ground, the district, a healthy partner church and an excellent coach. Fresh Start is a careful and prayerful systematic approach involving 12 steps a church must take toward a new beginning. Step one is to move from “desperation” to “holy desperation.” Every church in significant, long-term decline feels desperation. Holy desperation begins when members of the congregation humble themselves before God and realize they can no longer keep doing ministry the same way and expect a different result. Contact Andy in the District Office for more information.
The Alliance Transitional Ministries Network (ATMN) exists to help churches navigate the challenges of leadership transition intentionally and strategically. In partnership with Interim Pastor Ministries and VitalChurch, the ATMN
Recruits (but does not place) qualified interim pastors
Provides transitional resources and coaching
Encourages healthy, growing relationships
Educates lay leaders about the benefits of intentional interim ministry
Assists with assessment and consulting for churches in transition
ALLIANCE PEACEMAKING
Alliance Peacemaking has a mission is to change the culture of the Alliance family so we resolve conflict in a God-honoring way. To do this we use a biblical framework and common language to approach conflict. Conflict is inevitable; how we handle it is not. God expects us to handle our conflicts differently than the world does. AP teaches how He wants us to deal with conflict through trainings offered throughout the year. AP also offers help when issues of conflict go beyond what the local church can handle, even with proper training.
Level 1 - Resolving Everyday Conflict: This one-day seminar lays out the basic biblical principles of peacemaking and how God uses conflict to transform our lives. The training is for both leaders and laypeople.
Level 2 - Conflict Coaching : If you are a Christian leader (ordained or lay), you are already coaching. This two-day live seminar equips you to coach better from a biblical standpoint to help another person see and resolve their conflict from a godly perspective. Certified conflict coaches become resources for their churches.
Level 3 - Mediation: This is a combined online cohort-style training followed by a live two-day hands-on seminar that prepares skilled conflict coaches to successfully mediate conflicts at their churches. Trained AP mediators are resources not only locally but also in their districts and regions
Consulting : AP is available to consult with districts, church leaders, and international mission fields free of charge by appointment. Please contact us for further information.
Church Intervention Mediation: Before a church conflict becomes irreconcilable, AP will help. We have experienced mediators across the country who will help the parties involved in an emotionally charged conflict work through their differences in a God-honoring way before a church split occurs. The earlier a congregation seeks outside help, the more likely a successful resolution will occur.
District/ Institutional/ Mission Fields: AP also offers mediation services for district issues, Alliance institutions, and Alliance mission fields.
Arbitration: 1 Corinthians 6 tells us that if Christians take each other to court, they have already lost. AP offers binding Christian arbitration within The Alliance to resolve disputes that the parties have been unable to settle themselves. In most cases, arbitrators are Christ followers with a legal background.
