GREENFIELD — It wasn’t a to-do list, but a what-we’re-already-doing list.
Ginette Einspahr and some fellow church members were encouraged to list everything people do at their church, from every Bible study that meets to every funeral dinner served.
“We sat down at one meeting to list everything we do at the church, no matter how small,” she recalls. “We had 43 things that we do with our church.”
Amity and other smaller United Methodist churches in the area have gathered every other month for more than a year to think about how they’re doing ministry now and how they might more effectively do it into the future.
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The IMPACT series brings representatives from several congregations together on one Saturday every other month. Early in the journey the group discussed the book “The Healthy Small Church” by Dennis Bickers. There’s a topic for each meeting, and subjects have ranged from streamlining administrative structure to engaging the next generation.
During the most recent meeting Jan. 11 at Curry’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Greenfield, the focus was “The Worship Experience.” Einspahr said the presenter talked about services as a celebration of God’s character; it was perhaps her favorite session yet.
“It was so enlightening,” she said.
The Rev. Rick Hutson joined the sessions midway through the process, after he was appointed pastor at Shirley-Wilkinson Community United Methodist Church. His predecessor and a group of church members had been attending since the start, though.
Hutson sees the series helping the church streamline its efforts, such as reducing the number of church committees, which frees committee members’ time from multiple meetings and avoids a scenario in which committees with overlapping functions need approval from each other over multiple meetings.
He says IMPACT has also encouraged his congregation to explore new avenues of ministry, such as launching a small group Bible study.
“They came back to me and said, ‘Pastor, we want to do that’” after one meeting in the series, he said.
“I’ve been really pleased with that. We’ve taken it back to the church and really implemented this stuff. … I get a lot of good feedback from them.”
The series is designed “for church transformation by building on the traditions of the past; understanding the present culture; and preparing for future ministry,” according to the state denomination’s website. It is scheduled to conclude in March with the topic “Working Through Church Change.”
The Rev. Dave Wise, pastor of Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greenfield, said his congregation has already changed some things during the series. It’s reached out to Weston Elementary School, with some church members volunteering time as ReadUP reading tutors. The church also conducted a food drive to help ensure that families in need had enough food to make it through fall break.
“It’s been, really, extremely helpful,” Wise said. “It has helped transform Otterbein. It’s given us a new vision and a new mission.”
Einspahr said the series has been a reminder of what her church is already doing right and what it can do better moving into the future — a future that includes seven new members who joined Amity last fall.
“’That alone is amazing, and it’s a blessing from Him,” she said. “He brought them there.”
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The IMPACT series gathers smaller United Methodist congregations for conversations about "strategic, fruitful goal setting, team ministry, sharing and implementing new directions for your church," according to the state United Methodist website. The sessions take place every other month and work through nine topics.
Local churches participating in sessions meeting at Curry’s Chapel United Methodist Church are Curry’s Chapel, Philadelphia, Shirley-Wilkinson Community, Amity, Fortville, Eden, Fountaintown and Greenfield Faith. The most recent meeting was Jan. 11.
Facilitators are guiding another group of churches west of Indianapolis through the same series; that group will next meet Jan. 18.
The local churches’ journey through the series is scheduled to conclude in March.
Here are the topics for the sessions:
-The Important Role of the Small Membership Church
-The Value of Vision
-Simplified Leadership Structure for Accountable Ministry
-Controlling Maintenance, Capturing Mission
-Intentional Faith Development
-Moving from Encounters to Relationships
-Moving Outside the Walls: Reaching the Next Generation
-The Worship Experience
-Working Through Church Change
Information: inumc.org
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