George Bullard
JUDICATORIES WORKING HARD VS. WORKING SMART
Reinventing Congregational Services in Middle Judicatories
by George Bullard of Hickory Learning Communities and
the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
Numerous middle judicatories are engaging in efforts to reinvent congregational services for the purpose of increasing the effectiveness or relevance of their judicatory in an emerging post-denominational era. Whether they are reclaiming the Great Commission or seeking to empower kingdom growth, these middle judicatories are embracing various approaches to pursue vital ministry based on their image of a great judicatory.
Some middle judicatories work really smart and some work really hard at reinventing their congregational services. Really smart working judicatories are illuminating the future for denominational organizations in a postdenominational era. Really hard working judicatories are trying to continue the trends of North American denominational life present during the generation following World War II.
Really smart working middle judicatories seem to be getting it in terms of effectiveness and relevance. Really hard working middle judicatories are doing some great things, but they may not be getting it terms of effectiveness and relevance. In fact, they may not get it, regardless of how hard they work.
Really smart middle judicatories that desire to have an effective and relevant ministry during the twenty-first century focus on creating a series of congregational movements that empower congregations to reach their full kingdom potential. They realize this is the era of the congregation, and that middle judicatories must exist to serve congregations and their leadership.
They turn their understanding of denominations on its head and acknowledge that the Christian movement, in various congregational forms, created the Church, and later the denominational form of the Church. Therefore, denominations exist to empower the Christian movement. Spiritual strategic journeys are the theme of their relationship experiences. When these judicatories talk about church health, they primarily refer to a congregation that is on a positive, intentional spiritual strategic journey seeking to be transformed to reach its full kingdom potential. The measurement of success for the judicatory is the collective transformation of its congregations.
Really hard working middle judicatories that desire to have a faithful and traditional ministry during the twenty-first century focus on the past to present the ethos of their denomination. They suggest that congregations exist to serve the denomination, and that the global unity of the Church is greater than the effectiveness of congregations. They value political and theological correctness over congregational innovation, although some strive to achieve both. The efforts they make to assist congregations primarily focus on the problems being experienced by congregations and clergypersons.
Conflict mediation is the theme of their programmatic emphases. When these judicatories talk about church health, they primarily refer to congregations and clergy that are dealing with individual and collective emotional health issues, and applying various family systems approaches. The measurement of success for the judicatory is the collective emotional health of its congregations and clergy.
The congregational movements on which really smart judicatories focus are four:
- Congregational multiplication movements
- Faithful, effective, and innovative congregational movements
- Congregational transformation movements
- Congregational support movements
Congregational Multiplication Movements
Really smart judicatories are seeking to develop the capacity to begin a number of new congregations each year equal to or greater than three percent of the current number of congregations in their judicatory. They are doing so by focusing on building grassroots partnerships among existing congregations that provide spiritual, leadership, and financial sponsorship for new congregations.
They are seeking to hardwire into new congregations the concept of the continual reproduction of new congregations. The focus of new congregations is on preChristian, unchurched, underchurched, and dechurched persons, rather than transplanted members of churches of their denomination who need to be reclaimed.
Really smart judicatories are focusing 25 percent of their congregational services time, personnel, and money on these efforts. Really hard working judicatories focus less than ten percent of their congregational services time, personnel, and money on these efforts.
Faithful, Effective, and Innovative Congregational Movements
Really smart judicatories are seeking to help the top twenty percent of their congregations, who are already pursuing a spiritual strategic journey, to recognize sustainable habits that empower them to continue to soar as congregations. These faithful, effective, and innovative congregations are the leading edge congregations of their judicatory. Typically they are not the focus of judicatory services because they appear to be self-sufficient. In reality they long for connections that will empower them to take the next steps in their ministry.
They are generally faithful to the denomination’s core ethos while also challenging certain points of that ethos. They see effectiveness of mission fulfillment as more important than excellence or efficiency and are willing to use various innovative methods to connect with the people they are reaching and nurturing along a Christ-centric, faith-based journey.
Really smart judicatories are focusing 25 percent of their congregational services time, personnel, and money on these congregations. Really hard working judicatories focus less than ten percent of their time, personnel, and money on these congregations.
Congregational Transformation Movements
Really smart judicatories are seeking to help their congregations who are ready to engage in transition and change activities leading to a spiritual strategic journey that transforms them. They do not see every congregation that is plateaued, declining, or aging as a prospect for this type of effort, but only those who express passionate, spiritual leadership and strategic readiness.
They are finding a lot of the conceptual and process material they need to assist these congregations at www.congregationalresources.org/bullard.asp
Congregational Support Movements
Really smart judicatories are seeking to contain the amount of time, personnel, and money they spend on supporting the majority of their congregations who are preaching stations, chaplaincy outposts, or faithful family parishes. These are congregations who are Christ-centric, faith-based communities of great worth that have been the backbone of the judicatory for many years.
However, short of the direct, dramatic, and divine intervention of God, they are unlikely to make both qualitative and quantitative progress as congregations. Yet, they are among the first to request services from their judicatory. Out of their faithful heritage, they may represent the primary financial support for their middle judicatory.
Really smart judicatories are focusing no more than 25 percent of their congregational services time, personnel, and money on these congregations. Really hard working judicatories focus up to 60 percent of their congregational services time, personnel, and money on these congregations. They are working increasingly harder and are unable to turnaround, keep healthy, or satisfy these congregations.
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