Brown Deer’s Day with Member Mission
A six-hour workshop for a pastoral size multiracial congregation with a part-time priest in suburban Milwaukee, WI; laity and clergy with about 30 church members and about 15 members of nearby congregation; purpose: “discover your missions and the gifts to do them;” leader: A. Wayne Schwab.
A two-hour workshop offered at a conference of The North American Association for the Catechumenate; “aim: to explore ways the catechumenate can engage inquirers and catechumens in bearing witness to the coming reign of God in daily life;” based on parts of WTMATM; leader: Daniel T. Benedict, Jr., Worship Resources Director for the United Methodist Church.
Convention Workshop and EFM Group
An hour-long workshop at a convention of the Diocese of Chicago; presentation on member-mission and body-mission; two worksheets to “identify your formation as a missionary, your mission fields, and your member-missions;” for EFM use, see Member Mission Newsletter #11; leader: The Rev. William D. Roberts, Rector, St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, Deerfield, IL.
Cues for helping a group of people to use the worksheets for each mission field as found in WTMATM, pp. 191-194.
Introductory Session – 90 minutes
A theological presentation, interaction, and closing make up this introduction to member mission following a covered dish supper.
Living our Baptism Monday Through Saturday – a 20 minute introduction
This session was part of an hour devoted to “Discernment” at the Diocese of Maine’s third annual ministry fair. About 20 people participated. The following was the first of three pages of handouts. It was simply read through and produced questions and comments for brief discussion. Leader: The Rev. James Gill of Gardiner, ME; a retired priest working as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
Member Mission goes Door-to-door
A way for those doing door-to-door visiting to express a congregation’s commitment to the member mission vision as they seek to draw people into God’s mission.
Two hours with The School for Deacons at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, CA on “Discovering and Supporting the Daily Missions of the Members.”
Includes: introduction; removing some roadblocks; some theology; getting a feel for daily missions; ways to focus your work on mission, to help people to discern their missions, to help them find helpers, and put all this to work – with a special emphasis on the deacon’s job description.
Parish Weekend – St. Alban’s Church, Washington, DC
Two two-hour sessions: discovering our present missions and building a team for each of our missions.
Preparing for a Member Mission Day
In this pastoral size congregation, the planners had chosen as their theme: “Come . . . Wake the Sleeping Giant within YOU.” The consultant proposes two formats for its planning committee and its vestry for consideration.
Seminary Introduction – Berkeley Divinity School
An hour-long session for first-year students: introduction with four assumptions; a glimpse of our own daily missions; a theology of member missions; some practice in our own member missions; and reflections.
Seminary Introduction – Church Divinity School of the Pacific
Three hours that look at: theology; our daily arenas; daily arenas as mission fields; member-missions and body-missions; practice in a vision or mission statement as a first step; discovering my current missions and building a team for each; spirituality; decision-making; moving member mission further into congregational life; and leadership style.
Six 90-minute sessions with multiple options for each session and with hints for organization and leadership.
A 45-minute format for a brief presentation, interaction; and closing.
After a presentation, most of the time is given to learning to discern one’s present missions using the worksheets from Appendix A of WTMATM (or their revisions in Revised Appendix A Questions on this menu of Making the Vision Work); participants work individually, in subgroups, and in plenary; closing suggests some next steps.
Vestry / Official Board Retreat
A Friday evening through Saturday afternoon format with: sharing journeys to church leadership; practice in discerning present missions and team building to pursue them; repractice; decisions about possible implementation in the congregation.
A Vision Workshop for a Vestry / Official Board
A six-hour workshop to arrive at a vision for mission with: a theology; individual and group work to get the “feel” of member mission; steps to arrive at a shared vision for mission; and sharing an outline of specific features of the denomination and the clergy person’s hoped for goals that have informed the workshop.
Workshop on Ministry in Daily Life
Sharing our experiences of encounters with Jesus and connecting them with our ministries in daily life.