Learning Experiences

Pretend you are the Senior Pastor of a church. You are about to leave for a six-month trip to deepest Africa. You are now going to write a memo to all the leaders in the church. In this memo, you will tell your leaders what are the most important things for them to focus on while you are gone. This memo will contain your views regarding the most important principles and values in the life of the church. This memo will summarize your vision of a healthy church. Be specific and practical. (Don’t just say “Serve God with all your heart” but describe what that means in practical terms.)

Please begin your memo with the following statement:

“The Lord has led me to spend the next six months training leaders in the middle of Africa. Because of the secrecy I must observe during that time, I will not be able to contact any of you in any way – not by letter, telephone, email, fax or messenger. Consequently, I have written the following memo on how you must lead the church in my absence…”

When you have completely finished your memo, please read:

The ABC’s of Natural Church Development by Christian A. Schwarz.

Natural Church Development by Christian A Schwarz. In particular study Part 1. The questions used in this survey are found here.

2. Consider Living Faith. Or think of your home church if it is not Living Faith. In this case, please work with your team on Living Faith, and also develop a plan for your own church.

According to the principles contained in the books as well as everything else you've learned during ConneXions, please evaluate the health of the church. Then, using the Implementation Guide to Natural Church Development Part 3, please design a strategy to help the church become “healthier.” What specific areas need to be addressed? How could they be addressed? Please be very specific.

Write a team paper summarizing your evaluation of the church’s present state and your strategies for improvement.