First Reformed Church of Zeeland
STUDY TEAM
STUDY TEAM
On Sunday, July 30, the study team met for an intensive four-and-a-half hour session. The in-depth discussion revolved around three major categories of questions delineated below, that our team has spent the last month working through individually. Through a process of individual discernment, partner dialogue, and whole group discussion yesterday, the following ideas came to the forefront to inform our situation and future staffing needs.
Category 1: Local Predicament This category can be described as an ‘Intimate grasp on the soil.’ The goal of this set of questions is to discover the distinct features of the Zeeland community that can inform how we connect with those in our area. The aspects of our local predicament that were most prominent after a time of discussion and discernment were:
Category 2: Collective Potential The collective potential category focuses on what we as a congregation do well, where our collective strength lies. The major ideas that arose from this discussion were:
Category 3: Apostolic Esprit The Apostolic Esprit is described as more than a passion, it’s the hot place in a man’s or church’s conscience and action. The ‘hot-spots’ that the group determined were passions within our church body that energize our faith were:
Next Meeting: Wednesday August 2 As our team works to meet the timeframe goal set by the Administrative Consistory, we have elected to meet again this Wednesday evening, August 3. The purpose of this meeting will be to use the ideas from the above three categories and, under the directions of our consultant, discover the overlap between them to determine our church’s “Kingdom Concept.” This will then help inform us as to the type of leadership structure that would be most beneficial to our unique church community towards our vision. Church Studies Over the next few weeks, the Study Team plans to visit selected thriving local churches and meet with members of their leadership. Our consultant is in the process of setting up these meetings. Please be in prayer that these visits are productive and that helpful data and insightful ideas are collected towards our staffing goals. Additionally, please pray for the logistics of these meetings, as summertime proves a challenging time for schedules.
1 Comment
Betty Wallace
8/3/2017 08:59:02 am
Thank you so much for the work you are doing and for keeping us updated! God bless you all as you continue. Betty Wallace
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AuthorAndrea Haveman, member of the FRCZ Study Team Archives
January 2018
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