TO ANN HARRIS

 
(Due Saturday, Week #4 – 100 points)

Select  a leadership-needy ministry or church.  The church or ministry may be  one that you participate in, or one in your community.  Evaluate the  ministry for the following strengths and weaknesses:

Describe the major paradigms  in operation at the church, which seem to govern the shape and form of  the ministry – what makes it “tick?”  What are the origins of these  paradigms?  Are they shaped by the people, the local culture, a  denominational culture, or other internal or external factors?  Are they  associated with church forms for ministry that produce an associated  strength or weakness for the church or ministry?
Note the formal core directives  that are in place for the ministry or church – does the church have a  written vision, purpose or mission statement?  Does the church have  written core values?  Are these core directives written out?  Do they  seem to exist on paper only, or are they actively being worked out in  the ministry, guiding its form and direction?
Describe to communication  of core directives within the church or ministry – does the leadership  communicate them to the people in the ministry?  Do the people know what  the core directives are?  How do they communicate the church or  ministries core directives?
How does the church or ministry mobilize  people to serve in fulfilling its core directives?  Does the church or  ministry have sufficient human resources and sufficient financial  resources to carry out its core directives?  What percentage of the  people associated with the ministry are actually participating in the  work of that ministry?  What is the attitude of the people working  within the ministry – are they tired, inspired, worn out, or on fire to  serve?
Does the ministry or church have a strategic planning  mechanism which guides and focuses the human and financial resources it  has toward the fulfillment of its core directives?  Are the goals and  associated strategies written down and/or communicated to those working  within the ministry?  How are they communicated?  How are they updated?   How efficiently are they directing the focus of church or ministry  resources?

In a reflective paper of 7 – 10 pages,  evaluate the church or ministry you have chosen by answering as many of  the questions listed above as possible.  If the church or ministry is  one where you have major responsibilities in leadership, interview  others in the ministry (other leaders and members/participants) to  collect data to answer these questions objectively.  If the church or  ministry is one in the community, for which you have no direct  leadership responsibility, your answers should be based on interviews  with key leaders and participants in that ministry.
You  may decide to use the ministry or church chosen to be the subject of  your post-session assignment, acting in the role of a ministry  consultant.  If the ministry or church is not one where you have major  leadership responsibility, you must secure written permission from a key  leader to use the church or ministry as the subject of this consulting  work.  You may also choose to change  the name of the church or ministry, as well as its leadership and  participants, for the purposes of this assignment, to protect their  privacy
Turn in your written reflection paper for this assignment by email on Saturday, OCTOBER 24, 2014, through  the “Assignment Tool” in Blackboard.  Bring a copy of the paper to  class with you, as it will be used in group discussion within the class,  and as a backdrop for class lecture and discussion.
Be ready to comment and discuss the particulars of your ministry or church focus in class during the lecture and discussion time