Hello SCC Family,
Back in November we had 94 people participate in the PH Check survey. This survey is
part of the support system for congregations that our denomination provides through our
Missional Vitality department. Through this program we get access to the survey, a
follow-up consultation with the primary facilitator of the survey (which the board had on
December 11), an executive summary of the results, and ongoing coaching with a
trained PH Check coach. They provide all of these services to us free of charge as a
member congregation in the denomination! What a gift!
With the holidays and busy schedules the board and staff finally had the opportunity to
meet together to process the results and the executive summary. Our two primary goals
were to determine a few areas of growth to highlight and celebrate, as well as
prayerfully discerning a few areas with lower scores to focus on over the next 6 months.
We accomplished those goals and wanted to share them with you so that we can all
work together to continue the good work we're doing in our strength areas and work to
improve in our growth areas. Here they are, with a little explanation for each.
(Remember, this is how the 94 of us who filled out the survey described our church in
our surveys)
3 Strengths:
1. Christocentric focus – We believe that our church is truly compelled by the good
news of Jesus Christ to bear witness to Christ in the world. We believe that we are
committed to worshiping the triune God. We see ourselves as a community called
together by Jesus.
2. Outward Focus & Local Community Engagement – Most of us see our church
committed to actively loving and serving people who are not a part of the congregation.
Our Little Free Pantry and partnerships with local ministries are great outlets for this,
although we could do better at listening to community members who we are wanting to
serve. Our Wednesday Night meal has been an amazing place to see this on a weekly
basis!
3. Generosity – We see SCC regularly sharing with those around us in need, through
formal and informal channels. We see one another as generous and willing to share
sacrificially both with those in need and with the church through our strong giving.
Great job, church! Let's keep spurring one another on in these areas!
2 Growth Areas:
1. Openness to change – We scored ourselves low on willingness to try new things in
reaching people with the good news of Jesus, embracing new ways of doing ministry,
and taking bold steps of faith to be on-mission with Jesus. In our discussion as a staff
and board we agreed that if we don't address our resistance to change then we will
struggle to grow in any of our growth areas.
2. Multiplying Disciples and Making Disciples – While we learned in our consultation
that multiplying disciples is a consistently low score across our denomination, we
acknowledged that our congregation needs to grow in sharing the good news of Jesus
with people around us. While we have a lot of "discipleship programs" here at SCC, we
scored ourselves lower in Making Disciples as well. I (Pastor Ben) believe that having
our "Why Statement" from the recent workshop will help us utilize our discipleship
programs in ways that help us be better disciple makers.
3. Transformative Relationships – This was initially the most surprising of our low
scores. Our general perception is strong relational connectedness and togetherness.
None the less, we collectively scored ourselves low in this area. We are already working
on some new groups and ways to connect in transformative relationships. One thing I
(Pastor Ben) will name is that having some good friendships here at church is not
necessarily the same as have relationships that help transform us to look more like
Jesus. So let's lean into our relationships with one another, both through programs and
through informal connections!
Special Mention:
Ministry to Children and Youth – The survey facilitators feel that the accuracy of
scores in this area are inappropriately low for churches in general. Churches with strong
ministry in these areas are still getting low scores. They are reevaluating their questions
and scoring process to see if they can achieve more accurate results. We scored low in
this area and our staff will continue evaluating what we need to learn and how we can
grow in these areas, even though the low score may not adequately reflect how we feel
as a church about these programs.
Vision & Healthy Evaluation Processes – While both of these scores were low, the
simple fact that we are working through the PH Check and Finding Your Why processes
should lead to some growth and are already some "wins" in light of this survey.
WHEW! That was a lot! Great job doing the hard work of engaging with these results!
Now, what can you do?
Please pray for the board and staff as we continue to discern ways to lead us in
growth areas.
Please pray that the Holy Spirit will show you how you are being called to be a
part of the growth that God longs to see in us!
In it together!
Pastor Ben, along with the SCC Board and Staff