Discovery Church Journey
MBWA (Ministry By Walking Around)
From Session VIII of The Discovery Church Journey
MBWA: Ministry By Walking Around is about connecting with the community in which the church is located. In teams of two or three walk around the neighborhood and town center. In rural areas this may the local convenience store or post office where people gather. Talk to people about their perceptions of your church and their perceptions of the needs of the community. People to talk to include real estate agents, law enforcement officers, social workers, merchants, and customers. Ask people on the street if they are willing to respond to several questions on a questionnaire. Questions to ask include:
a. How long have you lived in this community?
b. Where does one go for spiritual help in this community?
c. Is there anything about _________ UMC that makes a difference for the people of this community? What is it known for?
d. What are the most pressing needs of this community?
e. What are the deepest spiritual yearnings of this community? Are they being met? By whom?
f. What assets already exist in the community (skills, library)? And how can we in the church help to pull together these assets for the benefit of the community?
SET A TIME TO RETURN TO THE CHURCH TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES.
Debriefing from MBWA.
1. What did you learn about your community through the conversations you held with people this afternoon?
2. What were some of the needs of the community that were articulated?
3. How well is your church serving as an instrument to meet those needs?
4. What were some of the assets or resources that the community has?
5. Where are people going for spiritual help and what are some of their spiritual and emotional needs?
6. How do people see our church? What do they know about us and think of us?
The Discovery Church Journey: An Invitation to Congregational Transformation
by Rev. Douglas Ruffle, Ph.D.
There is no magic formula for transforming a congregation. There is, however, a process that churches can engage in to understand and reach their full potential for mission and ministry.
That process, outlined in a book called The Discovery Church Journey: An Invitation to Congregational Transformation, is designed to help congregations look beyond the walls of the sanctuary and reach into their communities.
Author Douglas Ruffle, a former General Board of Global Ministries staff executive for training and leadership development, and current Coordinator for Congregational Development in New Jersey, emphasizes the importance of churches learning to develop strategies for "becoming better servants to the world in which they live."
The book, Ruffle said, is about "change"; about transformation to "robust ,active ministries" that serve communities. Emphasizing that the process is not a "quick fix," Ruffle said churches that undertake the process with "prayer, patience, and persistence" would become "revitalized and renewed."
The workbook includes exercises to help congregations discover their strengths and weaknesses and what God has sent their church to do, and to redesign ministries to respond to the changing needs of their communities.
The resource complements the "Natural Church Development" process when churches address the minimum factor of "Need-Oriented Evangelism."
Copies of The Discovery Church Journey: An Invitation to Congregational Transformation, priced at $8 each, can be ordered from Evangelization and Church Growth Program Area, Board of Global Ministries, 475 Riverside Dr., 15th Flr., New York, NY 10115. Checks should be made payable to GBGM-UMC. For more information, call the Evangelization and Church Growth office at (212) 870-3865 or send a fax to (212) 870-3895.
$8.00 plus shipping and handling