Mission Consultancy
At the beginning of the year, the Kirk Session agreed to the appointment of Rev David Currie as a Mission Consultant. David was invited to "journey" with the congregation for a while as an external "observer/facilitator" with a view to helping us review our mission. His "journey" is now drawing to a close, and David has produced a report, which will be discussed by the Kirk Session at its Conference in Biggar on November 12. The following is a summary of this report. A report from the Conference will follow.
David Currie was asked to look at all aspects of St John's and produce some kind of template to help to lead us towards a challenging and clear vision for the future. He focused on the following five areas: Welcome
David was struck by the warm welcome he received, however he notes that newcomers may have difficulty identifying the church due to the small sign. He points out that welcome is not just about greeting folk at the door, but also about how we encourage newcomers to stay within our fellowship.
Worship
The warm and friendly atmosphere at worship was noted. The minister has a good rapport with the congregation and communicates well with all ages. Mention is made of our excellent organist and that young people participate in the music. He would encourage us to use different styles of music. The Thursday service is a very positive development as it attracts a variety of people and uses the gifts of church members.
Leadership
The Kirk Session is well served by our competent Session Clerk. Meetings are very formal and may benefit from a more informal structure at times. The present team structure may benefit from being completely re-shaped.
The Healthy Church Survey
- Strengths - The highest scores were for operates as a community makes room for all, does a few things - well.
- Weaknesses - The lowest scores were for faces the cost of change and growth. seeks to find out what God wants, energised by faith.
We may not welcome change and development. A more challenging vision for the life of the church and for discipleship may be the right next step for us. We may also need to focus on spirituality by looking at how we encourage members to pray and explore their faith. We should also look at our spiritual life and find out what God might be calling the church to do.
Community
While many areas of the life of St John's are working well some projects require continued support or decisions to develop as new initiatives eg
- Street Level - requires renewed support and prayer
- Christian Counselling Service - proposed new initiative for 2006
- Town centre position - examine ways to exploit this
- Parish Grouping - ongoing discussions with Presbytery
- Community audit - to identify the real needs of the community
