Acts 16:5 Initiative
“The churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers” (Acts 16:5)
The session approved, at its March stated meeting, Park Lake’s participation in a program of church transformation and growth called “The Acts 16:5 Initiative”. This program is offered by The Vital Church Institute and developed by Dr. E. Stanley Ott, former pastor of the Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. More than 15 churches in Central Florida Presbytery will go through the program which includes a three year cycle of discerning God’s vision for your church and exploring new ways to live out that vision.
It’s all too easy, as a church, to begin to feel trapped in a rut, like you’re doing the same things over and over again without making any difference. It’s all too easy to begin to believe that what you hear about the declining membership and relevancy of the church is inevitable. The “Acts 16:5 Initiative” asserts that churches can and should be vital, vibrant, full of life and vigor. But churches have to be willing to seek the empowerment and leading of the Holy Spirit to pursue God’s vision for a church that is faithfully sharing the love of Christ with each other and the world.
As pastors we are excited about the opportunity to work with a leadership team from Park Lake, the session, and other congregations in this presbytery as we discern the vision, plans, and future God has for Park Lake and specific ways to answer God’s call in this congregation.
E. Stanley Ott, in his book “Twelve Dynamic Shifts for Transforming Your Church” gives us a glimpse of what will be involved as we undertake this journey together. In the months ahead we will be thinking and talking about what these shifts may mean for us.
1. Shift from your present hopes for your congregation’s future to the high expectation that God has a vital future for your church.
2. Shift from merely running programs to implementing a vision for ministry.
3. Shift from a maintenance mentality to a sustaining and advancing vision.
4. Shift from an emphasis on friendliness to a ministry of friendliness and hospitality.
5. Shift from assuming discipleship to developing discipleship.
6. Shift from a primary emphasis on the communal life of the church to a balanced emphasis on the communal and missional life of the church.
7. Shift from an unchanging worship format to a ministry of worship and music responsive to the variety of needs present in the congregation and in the community you want to reach.
8. Shift from a primarily audience-oriented programming (e.g., worship services, classes) to a balance of audience-oriented ministry and face-to-face ministry (e.g., small groups, one-on-one spiritual direction).
9. Shift from adding new people to established groups to adding new groups.
10. Shift from a “leader-deploying” ministry to a “leader-devloping” ministry, from committees to ministry teams.
11. Shift from a controlling leadership to a permission-giving “sending” leadership.
12. Shift from a pastor-centered/officer-centered ministry to shared ministry among pastor, officers, and congregation.
If you’re interested in learning a little more about Acts 16:5 visit the websites www.vitalchurchesinstitute.com and www.buildingoneanother.org.
Yours in Christ,
Dan DeBevoise |
Worship and Work 
