Will Your Congregation Still Exist Ten Years From Now?

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More Likely to Exist

Marginal/Uncertain

Less Likely to Exist

1

Empowering vision.

Programmatically flavored and captivated.

Controlled by Management.

2

Shared Vision.

Pastor’s vision.

No vision.

3

Empowering and shared leadership.

Controlling leadership.

Matriarchal and/or patriarchal leadership.

4

Clear core values.

Fuzzy core values.

No apparent clarity on values.

5

Obviously Christ-centered.

Christ/culture conflict.

Obviously culture-centered.

6

In Childhood to Early Retirement stages of life cycle.

In Retirement, Birth, or Infancy stages of life cycle.

In the Old Age stage of the life cycle.

7

Intentional

Unintentional

Accidental

8

Kingdom-focused

Self-focused

Survival focused

9

High expectations of members.

Low expectations of members.

Few or no expectations of members.

10

50+ percent have all four involvement factors true of them.

25 to 50 percent have all four involvement factors true of them.

Less than 25 percent have all four involvement factors true of them.

11

Average tenure of active congregation is less than 15 years.

Average tenure of active congregation is 15 to 25 years.

Average tenure of active congregation is more than 25 years.

12

Average age of active congregation is less than 50.

Average age of active congregation is 50 to 65.

Average age of active congregation is over 65.

13

Experiencing conversion, biological, and transfer growth.

Experiencing primarily biological and transfer growth.

Experiencing primarily transfer growth, if any.

14

Relationships are about true friendships.

Relationships are about meaningful fellowship.

Relationships are about face familiarity.

15

20+ percent of active adults are tithers.

Less than 20 percent of active adults are tithers.

Only a remnant of active adults are tithers.

16

Growing context, with contextual relevance.

Stagnant context with some contextual relevance.

Shifting context with contextual irrelevance.

17

Worship is true encounter with God.

Worship is primary weekly program.

Worship is a weekly cultural gathering.

18

136 or more in weekly worship attendance.

80-135 in weekly worship attendance.

Less than 80 in weekly worship attendance.

19

Attendance growing

Attendance plateaued

Attendance declining

20

Conflict capacity.

Close calls.

Repeated conflict.

21

Empowering management.

Controlling management.

Dysfunctional management.

22

More than 30 percent of budget goes to programs, ministries, activities, and missional efforts outside the congregation.

20 to 30 percent of budget goes to programs, ministries, activities, and missional efforts outside the congregation.

Less than 20 percent of budget goes to programs, ministries, activities, and missional efforts outside the congregation.

23

No significant debt for buildings and other areas.

Significant debt.

Overwhelming and burdening debt.

24

No dependence on endowment.

Some dependence on endowment.

A lot of dependence on endowment.

25

Facilities in good shape.

Facilities need regular repairs.

Facilities crumbling around congregation