SEJRUN Work

I just met with the leaders from the UMRF Consultation group along with other urban jurisdictional leaders in Tampa, FL. The other 4 Jurisdictional Urban Network leaders work together find ways to get our urban ministries organize and moving.
I want us to get back together with all the members of the SEJ to get things going. We will be using some of this site to communicate and plan for:
1. An onsite meeting
2. A possible meeting at Lake Junaluska in the the summer.

Please let me know of your continual interest in working with this team. Thanks for your prayers and what I know you will do to support Urban Ministry concerns.
Joe Crawford

Seeing Tomorrow Today!

United Methodists: Seeing Tomorrow Today

This past week has afforded me the opportunity to reflect upon God's graciousness and God's goodness. I have also has the chance to think about the future of our great denomination. I agree with Schmidt that we must focus on the ability to see tomorrow today. We preach and teach about God's Vision. We stress that we are striving to live into God's preferred future. We even talk about wanting to be in the "Will of God" as we walk daily. So, now we can make it real and authentic.Schmidt is correct, it is tricky work, but we are God's peoples and tricky is something that we know how to overcome. We have the Lord on our side and we serve an awesome God.

--Sherry L. Daniels

Senior Pastor: Norfolk United Methodist Church

Senior Lead Consultant: OnPoint Church Coaching & Consultation, LLC

A diagnostic tool to help leaders turn a principle into practice
J. David Schmidt | posted 11/02/2007
This article provided by the Engstrom Institute

Looking to the horizon for what lies ahead is tricky work—but that doesn't make it any less important. In their book, Experiencing God, Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King point out that "understanding what God is about to do where you are is more important than telling God what you want to do for Him."

As leaders and managers, we have to strain to keep our eyes wide open for where God is working and is about to work if we are to remain relevant and effective. Sometimes, in response to the sheer speed and complexity of change, we develop managerial myopia. By focusing more on the present, we gain a sense of stability. It's a bit like spinning in circles, all the while staring at your feet believing that you'll be less dizzy. But when you lift your eyes you suddenly realize that staring at your feet made little impact. You're still dizzy. It's the same in ministry today. Focusing only on the present—looking at our feet—will do us little good. We must lift our eyes to the horizon by asking some probing questions to better understand our context. So how do you do that?

Follow these eight steps to get the discussion rolling on what lies ahead for your organization. Get the right people in the room and answer the following questions to get to the essence of what lies ahead for your organization. The key is to do some homework in advance. Push for clarity and relevancy.

Step One. What are the key trends and forces in the larger culture—right now——that are making our work more difficult? Or easier? Identify the trend/force and its implications.

Step Two. What are the key trends and forces in the Church that will impact the vitality of our organization over the next several years? Identify the trend/force and its implications.

Step Three. Consolidate the two lists into one.

Step Four. Look at the trends for what is hidden in them. Then identify 3-5 ways they might converge to create opportunities for our organization. List them.

Step Five. Look at the trends again. This time identify the 3-5 primary threats the convergence of these trends might create. List them.

Step Six. Begin to generate answers. What is the predominant issue or life-change that the bulk of our current constituent groups (staff, volunteers, donors, service/ministry recipients) will go through in the next five years that will impact our organization?

Step Seven. What need(s) will these constituent groups face within the five years that we might be well-positioned to meet?

Step Eight. Synthesize. Get to the "So what?" question. In light of this discussion, what do we need to START … STOP … or CONTINUE?

David Schmidt is the founder and president of J. David Schmidt & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, research, and organizational development for Christian organizations and churches. For more information, go to www.wiseplanning.net.