05.19.08
Report on family Forum from May 15, 2008
The material below is what we captured live and projected to the screen in the family forum on the above date. If you did not participate, you may still respond to these questions here on the blog or by emailing them to gcornett@sbc-va.org
We were divided into eight groups. Each group brainstormed answers to the questions at their table. Then a spokesperson from each table reported to the entire group. In this way, everyone at the forum had an opportunity to hear and be heard. The answers below were captured as the spokespersons reported to the whole group.
We discussed the following questions:
• Think of some people who have been active at Seaford for a long time. What has kept them active and involved?
• What is one positive thing you could say about people who hold an opinion opposite yours? What is one positive thing they could say about you?
• What are the positive reasons for going to one service? For staying with two services?
Family Forum
May 15, 2008
Gene opened with prayer and challenged us to be the church body we all dream of – committed to God, to one another, to reaching out to all with whom we interact.
Question One:
Think of some people who have been active at Seaford for a long time. What has kept them active and involved?
• Fellowship & relationships
• Caring people
• Responsive to needs
• Activities
• Pastors who care
• First interaction with someone – Wallace Tucker
• Warm loving church
• Love for the church in all times
• Feeling for one another
• Sense of community
• Individuals who inspire service – Wallace
• History – been with church and have invested in church
• Close/programs
• Love for people
• Mentoring – quality teaching
• Desire to be part of a group who encourages people in the faith and to grow
• Who would we hurt by leaving?
• Love of people
• Accept lots of different kinds of people
• Holy Spirit
• Strong praying people
• Family
• Strong friendships
• Involved in a ministry
• Long serving
• Drama/Christmas musical
• Sense of ownership-stake driving ceremony
• People you make connections with
• Variety of ministries
• Bible believing
• Intensity of faith
• Kids Praise/Children’s Musicals
• Availability of small groups
• Love of God
• Fellowship
• Relationships
• Strong Youth/Kids programs
• People
• Sense of family/community
• Friends that really care
• Dedication to Christ
• Investment in church
• Love for the church
• People who deeply believe in their ministry
• Commitment
• Family prayer support
• Sense of family
• Those who move away and come back
• Programs that meet family needs
• Love of people
• Called to ministry
• Committed to church
Question Two:
Leaving personalities out!!!
What is one positive thing you could say about people who hold an opinion opposite of yours? What is one positive thing they could say about you?
• Respect them
• Respect their opinion – even if it was wrong
• Even if we differ in our opinions, we love one another
• Respect their commitment to their opinion
• We don’t want to be the one to cause disunity
• Bless their heart
• Okay to have different opinion
• Gives me the opportunity to evaluate my opinion
• Helps me to appreciate that God has made us unique
• Hopefully others will respect my opinion
• When things are decided that everyone is still friends – no offense taken
• They will say I treated them with respect and kindness
• We are all seeking the same thing – the long-term health of church
• Disagreement encourages discussion
• Commitment and conviction
• We are all children of God
• Differences of opinion causes you to rethink your own thoughts
• We can make a decision to deal with someone in a Christian manner
• Room for growth
• You value their judgment and they value yours
• Care enough to have an opinion even though they are wrong
• We should work to love and restore fellowship after a disagreement
• We are both God’s children
• Opposites attract
• Help see one another viewpoints
• Learn from others
• Speaking on God’s behalf
• Appreciate their faithfulness to their beliefs
• They took time to listen
• Stood on the Word of God
• Relationships are more important than issues
• Relationships are more important than issues
• Agree to disagree
• Give honor and respect
• Celebrate the 90% we agree on
• Forgive as Christ forgives us
• Don’t have to be best friends
• Be positive
• Good listener
• Gave respect
• Always willing to express their opinion in order to help out the church
Question Three:
Brainstorm positive reasons for going to one service on Sunday mornings.
• Financially cheaper
• Worship center more full
• See more people
• Have the opportunity to meet people
• Builds unity
• Excitement will grow when church is full
• Easier to gave health of church visible
• Lessens work burden on volunteers
• Lessens work burden and stress on paid staff
• Lower operating costs
• Possibly more children in Wee praise
• Helps parking (multiple cars from one family)
• Builds family unity
• Stops arguments
• Re-establish unity & community
• Less work for everyone
• Less work for staff
• Build fellowship
• More economical
• More environmentally friendly
• Pastors can speak longer
• Unity of congregation
• Full choir
• Less taxing for all service leaders
• Easier to note if someone is missing
• Cost savings
• Continuity of service
• Spiritually uplifting to see everyone
• More excitement with more people
• Meet more members
• Less work for leaders
• Recognize more people
• Lessen utility costs
• More space for small groups
• Not burn out pastors
• Everyone hears the same message
• One church to build unity
• One church to build unity
• Lessens burden on staff and volunteers
• Makes for more energy in service
• Quality of volunteering would go up – not stretched so thin
• More energy
• More HR
• Resources would be more directed – band, pastors, sound, choir
• Might have a choir
• More sense of family
• Crowd draws a crowd
• Closer contact – fewer seats
• Cuts costs
• May improve scheduling on Sunday morning – time is often cramped… Service can bleed into SS time
• Could be adjustment to schedule – change start times
• No assumption that the 8:30 AM service would be cut
Brainstorm positive reasons for staying with 2 services on Sunday mornings.
• Bigger window of opportunity for people to come
• What people are used to
• Too many changes make people feel unstable - need stability
• Fits the needs of certain people
• Gives more options
• No more changes
• Sunday morning service for those who are in Children’s ministry
• Donuts during band during 1st service
• Schedule works for some people – gives them more family time in the afternoon
• Provides a worship opportunity for other workers
• Flexibility to accommodate schedules
• Better seat selection
• Keeps doors open longer
• Provides for nursery workers to attend service
• No one sitting in “your” seat
• Shift workers have a service
• Minimal energy savings
• Provides choices
• More family in afternoon
• People like to get to lunch early
• Dress rehearsal for 11AM service (Gene’s skeleton)
• Provides opportunity for 2 different types of service
• People have choices
• Kids Praise workers have a service
• More room to grow
• Correct mistakes from early service
• People’s schedules
• Workers to get to a service, SS teachers like to ramp up for SS
• Family time in afternoon
• 2 different types of services
• accommodates family schedule on Sunday (like early)
• ensures that you get your seat
• some people can’t attend due to work
• Workers can attend a service
• Appeals to more people
• Less change – especially now
• Opportunity to grow
• You can choose – convenience
• Workers can attend a service
• More parking
Other comments:
• See lots of volunteers at 8:30AM service, how would they be able to worship if we changed?
• Consider other options besides just cutting current services
• If going to 1 service was wildly successful, we would have to start thinking about 2 again
• We would lose families due to change, can’t afford to lose them
• Are the workloads a correct assumptions/ways of doing things?
• Is 1 hour of electricity savings worth it?
• Is the savings worth the potential alienation?
• Is the 1 hour of rest staff would get worth the alienation?
• Run a pilot to prove/disprove assumptions
• Staff and volunteers are actually here longer than 1 hour before
• Pluses and minuses are on both sides of issue
• Disruptions to people’s schedule are not necessarily bad
• Change is bad & good
• Previous experience of similar change was not good
• Wrong question – why are we hemorrhaging members? Underlying problem?
• Not everyone thinks we are hemorrhaging
• What are we here for? To serve families and community, bring them to God, to worship
• Let’s not lose focus
• First service is dull – people are so spread out they do not seem to feel connected
• 2nd service – more people, closer together,
• conduct 1st service in Red Room to increase togetherness
• Could start services at other times than 11 & 8:30AM
• Excitement changed in services when we moved from FLC to Worship Center
• Disagree with previous statement. Honor various ways of worship – intimacy in 1st service, seconded
• Is it 6 or half a dozen? The key is… how is God going to use us to effectively reach out to the community and to one another?
• What will it take to build excitement?
• Applaud Gene for encouraging us to talk. This is how we are/can be a family.
Homework:
What are the stories that you would be hesitant to tell a new member? Why not? (addresses skeletons in the closet that might trip up a new member/visitor or pastor)
Next Forum – June 11th
Next Questions – Where does God want to take us?
Gene closed us in prayer.
