Church visioning programs put focus on faith
Photo 
Rev. Steve Ekblad
Photo
Rev. Jon Grice
JANESVILLE — A bigger building doesn't mean better people.
A remodeled sanctuary doesn't translate into changed hearts.
Most church leaders understand those concepts but still find themselves having long arguments—in even longer meetings—about how to "grow" their congregations.
A new church in the suburbs? A remodeled entryway? New furniture in the nursery?
But some Janesville churches are looking at "church growth" in a different way.
Roxbury Road Church of Christ did a professionally designed spiritual life survey of its members.
"We're not counting 'nickels and noses,'" said the Rev. Jon Grice, senior pastor. "We're trying to get at the spiritual practices, the spiritual habits, the spiritual commitments of people."
Designed by the Chicago-based Willow Creek Church, the Reveal survey has been used by more than 500 churches nationwide.
Here's how Willow Creek's Web site describes it: "Reveal helps people move forward along the spiritual continuum—its ultimate goal is taking people from stagnation into transformation."
The confidential survey asked people about their prayer lives, how often they invite people to church, what are the five most important things they need from their church, how comfortable they are talking about their faith with others, what they want from their pastors and a variety of other questions that address spiritual issues.
For Roxbury, it was a way to gauge the congregation's relationship with their church and with God.
"We want to look at ourselves in the mirror in the most accurate way we can," Grice said. "We wanted to get a little more empirical data about ourselves."
Sometimes church leaders' ideas about their congregations' needs miss a reflection of reality.
So what did the Roxbury Road congregation tell its leadership?
-- They wanted strong programs for families and children.
-- They wanted help developing and deepening their relationship with God.
-- They wanted a more in-depth understanding of the Bible.
"There weren't a great many of surprises," Grice said.
The church had recently hired a family pastor to enhance youth ministry.
But instead of being a kind of faith subcontractor, where the family minister provides programs and then returns kids to their families, the church hopes to work in partnership with families.
"We want to see church ministry in the context of the family," Grice said.
The survey results "reaffirmed that this direction was important to people," he said.
About 64 percent of respondents noted that they were comfortable talking to about their faith with others. But a less significant percentage said they had asked people to come to church with them, and Grice wondered about that dichotomy.
Grice hopes his congregation will take the survey again to see how people's faith lives are evolving.
"The emphasis is not simply going from no faith to faith, but going from faith to a faith that will give us a new kind of life," Grice said.
It's that kind of "visioning" that keeps people "focused on the cross," said the Rev. Steve Ekblad, pastor of Good Shepard Lutheran Church, Janesville.
Ekblad first came to Janesville in 1986 and remembers his church struggling with the rebuild-remodel kind of "visioning." The congregation and its leadership decided to focus on smaller changes to the building and making the bigger, more challenging changes in their hearts.
Ekblad and his church council have tried to keep that focus by encouraging congregation to participate in a yearlong Bible study called "Divine Drama."
"We're after an understanding of Jesus, to understand the mind, the meaning and the mission of Jesus," Ekblad said. "It's the cross, which is forgiveness, and beyond the cross to the lifestyle of Jesus. How do we copy Christ in our own lives?"
It's crucial that any church planning starts with a congregation "seeking to think with the mind of Christ" instead of being pressured by a culture that always wants what's new and what's best.
"That visioning thing—it's what God is calling us to be in the near term and the long term," Ekblad said.
Oct 8, 2009 at 6:11 p.m.
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maxdetail, you don't even know what sarcasm means. Look it up while you're looking up hypocrite and maybe next time you'll use the word correctly.
Oct 8, 2009 at 6:05 p.m.
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G-fan, I'm finished with you. You're a troll. You're a sarcastic, anti-Christian troll.
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Sarcasm is the complaint mode of the chronically unfocused. The real point of sarcasm is to insult the other person, it is not the act of analysis. The act of insulting the other person is to be off the point, to not be analytical, to be unfocused.
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Words to live by.
Oct 8, 2009 at 5:09 p.m.
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maxdetail, go to your bible and read about hypocrites, that's what you are.
Oct 8, 2009 at 4:41 p.m.
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Wow, I think it would be great to have discussion on this topic rather that negativity. I think that if one is of a faithful nature, why not 'dig deeper' into it. I also think that reaching out to the congregation for such detailed information is a fabulous idea and give Roxbury kudos for taking such an interest in the future of their church, its members, and even potential members.
Oct 8, 2009 at 1:55 p.m.
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Max sorry to offend. Now then don't you find it interesting that if your were born on the other side of the world you would be pitching Islam instead of Christianity?
Oct 8, 2009 at 1:51 p.m.
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That wasn't a name Bibledude, that's a title.
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"In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion."
Oct 8, 2009 at 1:41 p.m.
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Max-Where did the Ned Flanders act go? I thought you said we were only supposed to be nicey nice to our atheist friends? Calling Pro a Troll is not nice.
Oct 8, 2009 at 1:08 p.m.
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The day I was confirmed was the last day I attended church. I was forced into it by my parents, but I know better thanks to my parents?
Oct 8, 2009 at 12:08 p.m.
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Prounion, there was no argument or debate going on in this story. You couldn't wait to get here to attack Christianity anew. This proves that you are anti-Christian from first to last. You're not interested in learning, in logic, in reason, in dialog. Everyone knows you are anti-Christian, you say nothing new, you only attack and so I ask you again. What does it matter? You believe in a world without purpose so why does in matter matter to you? I'm starting to think you are just a troll, an anti-Christian troll.
Oct 8, 2009 at 11:02 a.m.
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Prounion- The Bible speaks more of Gods love for us and His mercy and grace than the examples you have given.
Oct 8, 2009 at 10:58 a.m.
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A lot of people take what they learn in th Catholic Church and apply it to all forms of religion. I started searching for what I believed in at the age of 16, and what I found (Redemption and Forgivness by Christs death on the cross) is what I feel is correct. Please don't apply what you learn from your experience in religion to all religion.
Oct 8, 2009 at 10:25 a.m.
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Joe maybe you could take one of my biblical posts and comment with a rational arguement about how I was incorrect? I like to learn if I am in the wrong.
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Reality is the bible shows an angry veangefull jealous petty god that indulges in slaughter on a regular basis. Due of course to the fact that it wass written not by a god but by a bunch of dudes that liked to eat burnt offerings and didn't want to go out and do the work themselves.
Oct 8, 2009 at 9:53 a.m.
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Here we go again, Prounion has all knowledge of everything from time past to present and even into the future. Prounion has been everywhere in the universe, looked under every Rock on earth, Prounion knows it ALL!! Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the all knowing prounion. HEY is prounion God? Seems to know everything like God says He does.
Fact is Prounion does not know everything there is to know about all things at all times and really has no idea if there is a God or not but is counting on the fact that when He/She dies (Cross your fingers) there is nothing or no one to give an account to (You know like the BIBLE SAYS). Of course there is no way for He/She to really know that unless HE/SHE HAD ALL KNOWLEDGE!!!
However, prounion suprisingly knows alot about the bible. It's just all wrong. And you need new arguments all your complaints (You Have No Facts against the Bible) have been settled. Get new ones.
Oct 8, 2009 at 8:44 a.m.
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Blind faith is not a virtue people - its what Tim Mcviegh had when he blew up that building and what the hijackers had when they flew the planes on 9/11. Don't waste your life lving by a book written by 1st century men, and don't imflict that intellects tunting disability on your children.
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Why not let them make their religion choice at the age of say 12 instead of at birth?
Oct 8, 2009 at 7:16 a.m.
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I noticed in the survey, the congregation was asked what they wanted from their pastor and church. I believe an important "missing" part is what can the congregation do for their pastor and church. It takes everyone working together to make things work. Bless you for continuing on, searching souls and tending to the hearts of everyone. May God bless you and your congregation and community.
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