Annual On - Purpose Review Process:

Seeking Gods Direction for the Coming Year

Church: _______________________________________ Date: __________________________

Pastor: _______________________ Participating Delegate(s): ____________________________

Participating Staff & Leaders: _______________________________________________________

PREPARATION FOR MEETING 1

Gather Factual Statistics: What Has Been (comparing last year to this year)

Someone fills in this chart in preparation for meeting and distributes copies to everyone at Mtg 1:

	Last Year Jan - Dec	This Year to Present
Average Weekly Worship Attendance:
Total Number of Conversions: Youth Adult
Total Number of Baptisms: Youth Adult
Total Offerings:
Total Fair Share Giving:
Total Missions & Other Special Giving

MEETING 1: FOCUS REVIEWING THIS PAST YEAR

A. Congregational Heart: passion, perceptions and problems

1. 3 adjectives that best convey the congregations perception of itself . . .

2. 3 adjectives that best convey the local communitys perception of our church . . .

3. Based upon our churchs current attitudes and actions, what are the 3 most important things to our congregation?

4. What would you identify as the congregations 3 greatest obstacles / concerns?

B. Internal Ministries Assessment:

1. Assimilation: How do we welcome new attendees & follow them up? How do we integrate new attendees into the life of our church? What is our membership process?

2. Discipleship: How do we follow up a new believer? How do existing believers experience mutual encouragement and challenge small groups? classes?

3. Stewardship: How do we train our congregation in financial giving?

4. Equipping: How do we help believers focus their interests and talents into meaningful places of service?

5. Leadership: How are we developing present and future leaders in our congregation?

C. Outreach Ministries Assessment:

During the past year, in what ways has our congregation . . .

1. been involved in special ministries to or by children:

2. been involved in special ministries to or by teens:

3. impacted our local neighborhood / city:

4. impacted our world regionally or globally:

D. Support Systems Assessment:

1. Prayer Support: How do we emphasize prayer? How are we a praying people?

2. Financial Systems: Do we have an annual budgeting process? Do we have an accurate accounting system? How do we keep the congregation informed of their giving and our needs?

3. Do we have a means to discuss major facility improvements and other capital expenses?

CONCLUSION of MEETING 1: Humble Yourselves Before God

Once the churchs leadership has completed the assessment process, conclude the meeting with a time of celebration & prayer:

Identify and celebrate the progress made this past year

Name and repent of attitudes / actions that inhibited the Spirits work this past year

Between now and the second meeting of the Annual On Purpose Process, challenge each one to submit their personal preferences to Gods will, and ask the Spirit to begin giving them new dreams and visions for the future of the congregation and its ministries.

SECOND MEETING: PREPARING FOR THE COMING YEAR

A. SHARE YOUR INDIVIDUAL DREAMS about God wants you to be and do:

Re-gather and begin by sharing the dreams God has been giving you individually as you have released your preferences to Gods will, and asked to be guided by His Spirit:

1. Individually share your hopes and dreams regarding the churchs attitudes, relationships, specific ministries, needed facilities, etc.

2. Take time to celebrate together what God has been revealing to you..

3. Pray, asking for Godly discernment to come to unity of vision for the coming year.

B. AGREE UPON ONE - THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW YEAR

Having faced your current reality and humbled yourselves before God (Meeting 1), and then asked God to fill you with His dreams of possibility (between Meetings 1 & 2), begin narrowing the focus and identifying a few specific things that God is confirming as priorities for your congregation. The following questions may be helpful in the process of coming to unity / agenda harmony:

1. If someone from the community came to your church for the first time 3 years from now:

a. What 2 things do we want that person to experience?

b. What 2 things do we hope would be different from what is true today?

2. In order for this vision of our church to be realized in 3 years:

a. What do we need to either start doing or do better than we currently are?

b. What do we need to stop doing that we currently are doing?

3. What 1 3 priorities or goals do we need to focus upon in the coming year?

The senior pastor sees that the results of the On Purpose Annual Report are recorded and

presented at the Annual (Society) Meeting where the coming years budget and ministry priorities are set.

Copies of the Annual Report are also given to your District Leader & Superintendent by January.