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The Lyndon Vision
This is the report of the recent 'visioning day' and it provides the basis for our plans for the next 5 years at Lyndon Church.A PLACE TO BELONG AND BELIEVE
Lyndon Methodist Church response to “Our Calling”
Responding to the “Our Calling” document of the Methodist Church, the congregation of Lyndon Methodist Church have identified a number of goals to direct how they will seek to live out that calling over the next 5 years.
In the context of worship and a study of Romans 12 v1-13, members of the congregation determined the aspect of “Our Calling” which most resonated most with them:
SERVICE
You care about: injustice – whether that be on a personal, community or global level; meeting the needs of the community; and deepening our understanding of God’s commitment to those who are on the margins of society
WORSHIP
You care about: how we dialogue with God; how we express our awe and wonder, thankfulness and praise; how we engage with the Bible and through prayer; how others can encounter God and be drawn into worship.
EVANGELISM
You care about: making followers of Jesus Christ; the Church having a clear gospel message; making our presentation and premises more welcoming; people belonging and believing within the church
LEARNING AND CARING
You care about: how we link faith to everyday life; how our care of each other reflects and deepens our understanding of God; how we disciple each other in faith; how we communicate so that all can learn and be cared for
Having identified a preference, members then met with like-minded people to consider goals that might be developed for the short and medium term. Emerging from these groups a number of goals were commonly voiced by the members of the church for further exploration and development:
WORSHIP
A place for all: A desire for worship which is reverential and inclusive for all members of the church – younger and older – and welcoming to the wider community. This would include a regular mix of traditional and more contemporary styles and experiences of worship. Our monthly services involving the Brigades form an ideal opportunity to reach those who would not normally worship.
A place to contribute: Developing the involvement of more members of the church through their different talents in worship
LEARNING AND CARING
A place to share faith: To find ways of including time in worship and the rhythm of church activity to share faith life in smaller groups, recognising the opportunity this offers to provoke insight, learning, encouragement and care. E.g. men’s groups
A place of relevance: Special services and activities in the church and community, which through a focus on a particular event or topic encourage a deepening of faith and its applicability to daily life. For our younger members to develop groups for: 3-5, 5-7, 7-11 and 11+
SERVICE
A place in the community: Bring the groups who meet in the church “into the church” and take the church into the groups - each group having a dedicated month in the prayer area; to offer to hold special services; and as a church better engage with groups like the Brigades and Nursery
A place for justice: Raising awareness and challenging stigma and inequality
EVANGELISM
A place to belong: To better utilise the Website as a means of sharing the life of the church and to develop a team to support this aspect of church life
A place to believe: To develop a team to regularly run Alpha and Youth Alpha courses
ADDITIONAL THEME
An additional theme fed back from all groups was the need to better reflect, co-ordinate and communicate the range of activity within and associated with the church - to join up our thinking. We need to ensure that initiatives are followed through; and the contribution and interests of all members are known and able to be drawn upon to build up the body of the church. To join up our thinking
NEXT STEPS
Having identified a number of common goals, our next step is to develop a plan as to how we will take these forward over the next 5 years. An initial recommendation would be a series of services that would take each aspect of ‘Our Calling’ as a theme, for example the first one on evangelism. This would enable us as a church to maintain a sense of ownership and involvement in how we develop our plans.
22 November 2007