New Haven United Methodist Church

New Haven United Methodist Church

Mission Statement: New Haven will be the largest Methodist Church in Arkansas, by providing the best overall service, genuine care, and biblical teachings through relationships with both members and the community alike.

Biblical Rationale: According to the book of Romans, Gods purpose is for humans to grow and mature into him. The scripture reads, "And the church knows that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Therefore, the church's rationale for gathering potential members is for them to grow and become great Christians. Through this method, the church will further its presence and influence across the word in hopes of saving troubled souls. Further, the book of Ephesians proclaims, "Till the church all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: Maturity will be marked by the right kind of fruit, love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, kindness, faith, and inner strength that comes from God." This scripture forms the basis of the church's rationale. The church will use love, peace, joy and other emotions to showcase the church's maturity in the Lord. Through this love, the church's aim will be to foster a continued and renewed relationship with Christ.

Measurable Goals

Increase membership 10% per year for the next 36 months

Increase non-African-American membership by 5% in the next 36 months

Host at least 3 annual sports tournaments. This event will be deemed successful if more that 20 teenagers that are not members of a church attend

Every Sunday- one member should bring one person to church. If that person fails to do so, that person should provide an idea in which to encourage visitors to come

At least one event every two weeks for the community at large. This event will be deemed successful if more than 10 individuals that are not members of a church attend

Comprehensive Plan

(Read the Rationale Section for a more complete overview)

1. How will you increase the number of first time worship guest?

a. Building relationships

b. Building a community

i. Focus on the youth

ii. Focus on a diversified range of clients

2. What is your hospitality plan toward these guests on their first visit? ( Read the Rationale Section for a more complete overview)

a. Utilize a no pressure environment for first time visitors

i. Learn about the person first, before applying pressure for membership

ii. Provide information without being pushy iii. Provide a "no pressure" environment through the use of various activities such as sports and movies

b. Start to cultivate a relationship

i. Stay in constant communication

ii. Be available if needed

1. 24/7 service for visitors

2. Committee specified for visitor contact

c. Get the entire church involved through a genuine concern for saving individual souls

3. What are the "three wows" you hope they experience on their first Sunday? ( Read the Rationale Section for a more complete overview)

a. Love through the genuine caring of the congregation

b. Fun, through the varied and multiple events the church will conduct

i. Sports

1. Basketball (3/3) tournaments, flag football

ii. Movies iii. Gaming 1. Use gaming that attracts a wide variety of individuals

a. Madden, Street Fighter, Cards, etc.

c. The lords prescience- which the church will use to change the lives of those in the Arkansas Community

4. How will you follow up with these guests during the weeks and months after their first visit? ( Read the Rationale Section for a more complete overview)

a. Community Events

i. Community Service

1. Road Cleanups, YMCA events, Youth Center clean ups

b. Calls

c. Social Media

i. Facebook

ii. Twitter iii. Skype d. A specialize committee

5. Through the year, how will you invite these guests to move from "onlookers" to "inquirers" to a commitment to join the journey toward becoming a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ? ( Read the Rationale Section for a more complete overview)

a. The church will gradually cultivate a relationship with the individual. Through this relationship the church will teach the bible and its subsequent revelations. More is elaborated in the rationale section of the document

RATIONALE

The plan for New Haven United Methodist Church would be one focused primarily on relationships. The church believes relationships rather than statistical numbers regarding attendance are more important. As a congregation, the church will aspire to have substantial and committed relationships will all members involved instead of the superficially relationship the church commonly see. For example, if the congregation had a membership of 20 individuals, and every the week a new set of 20 individuals visited the church, by statistical standards that would be 100%. However, by retention standards, that would be 0%. As such, the church's plan will focus primarily on retention of individuals over the long-term rather than having a revolving window of visitors each week. This strategy is both prudent and rational on multiple fronts. First, by having a consistent membership base, the congregation is more committed to the overall goals and objectives of the organization. With a revolving door of visitors, there is absolutely no sense of ownership to the ideals of the organization, as individuals simply come and go as they please. These individual may or may not have any regard to our mention and subsequently have little obligation. By growing New Haven's committed membership base however, the church has a solid foundation in which to attract new visitors. Further, committed individuals can provide better ideas in which to attract individuals within the community. Undoubtedly, the congregation will not be a homogenous mixture of individuals (and the congregation wouldn't want it that way). The church currently has a diverse congregation of predominately African-American decent. Many have different interests which accompany different networks. By focusing on the membership base to generate visits, the church can attract differing individuals, to further expand its reach and networks. New Haven is not in the visitor business, but instead, the church is in the relationship business.

As such, the congregations plan will have three components in which relationships are the focus. First, the church will attract the youth, second the church will attract culturally diverse individuals (non African-American), and third the church will cultivate relationships with these individuals to retain them for the long-term.

To begin, it is important to stress three factors that contribute to youth actions. By understanding these actions, the church will know exactly what to avoid, and potential shortfalls of our strategy. These three factors are social proof, and authority. All three play an equal role in the ways in which youth accept or reject certain activities. Let's begin with social proof. Social proof pertains mainly to the notion that, "if many people are doing it, it must be right." This concept is as ubiquitous in our nation as it is irrational. The church can view this concept at work in many aspects of our culture from the financial markets to our current battle with teenage smoking. For example, let's take teenage smoking. This problem has been a thorn in the nation's side since smoking's inception back in the early 1900's. The nation has done everything to contain is spread from banning certain advertisements, to exorbitantly increasing taxes on nicotine products, to even providing graphic material of its side effects to children. How is it then, according to the CDC, those 6000 children under the age of 18 START smoking EVERY DAY! (1) Youth say to them "I all the cool kids are smoking, then it must be right." With all of these efforts, why are children still smoking and developing these habits? The answer is the concept of social proof. Children and teenagers want to be cool. They admire the high school senior with the car, the star athlete with the college scholarship, or the cool kid that smokes. The children do not however admire the nerd, the guy who studies, or the guy who goes to church. Many children figure, if 6000 people are smoking and they are cool, then it must be the right thing to do. The principle of social proof is at work.