Progress Report
Following is a progress report on activities related to the Vision for Transformation. Facilitating the Credentialing Process
A new, more relevant application for ministerial credentials was approved by the General Presbytery and is now available from district offices, the general secretary's office, or online at www.gensec.ag.org. A new revised application for the upgrade of credentials has also been approved and is available from the same sources.
New District Governance Models
A number of districts are in the process of studying new governance models. Charles Crank has transitioned from superintendent of the Indiana District to full-time director of Ministry Group Development to assist districts that request assistance.
Mandatory Screening of Ministerial Applicants
A standardized online, Web-based screening process is being established for all ministerial applicants and credential upgrades. The new screening service is slated to be operative in January 2004.
National Placement Service
The Executive Presbytery has asked the Vision for Transformation Committee to develop a proposal for an online national placement service which would include a cooperative strategy with district offices desiring to participate in ministerial placement and services.
Cooperative Church Status
Temporary guidelines have been issued by the Executive Presbytery to charter cooperative assemblies within each district.
The Vision for Transformation Committee has been asked by the Executive Presbytery to review the temporary guidelines and propose permanent guidelines that will encourage new non-Assemblies of God congregations or existing independent congregations to consider a cooperative status with the Assemblies of God.
The Executive Presbytery also reconfirmed that existing Assemblies of God churches who have had a cooperative church status under previous General Council or district guidelines would not be affected by the new resolution or guidelines.
Assistance to Language Credential Holders
The Executive Presbytery has requested that the Vision for Transformation Committee survey districts that are providing symposiums or other programs to facilitate "non-English credentialed applicants" in the credentialing process. These "best practices" will then be documented and made available to individual districts.
Local Church Credential
The Executive Presbytery has developed recommended guidelines for the new local church credential. These will be submitted to the General Presbytery for approval in August 2004.
Credentialing Reciprocity in the United States
The Executive Presbytery has approved policy regarding credentialing reciprocity requirements with other denominations or fellowships within the United States . The policy essentially involves an applicant following the bylaws provision for recognition of previous ordination.
Requirement of A/G History and Polity Course by All Credentialed Applicants
The Executive Presbytery has recommended to the Commission on Christian Higher Education that a course on Assemblies of God history and polity be required as part of the curriculum of ministerial majors in their four-year course of study at any endorsed Assemblies of God college.
Global University and Berean Courses
As a follow-up to the actions of the General Presbytery to redevelop the Berean course requirements, which included reducing the number of courses and combining others, a mentoring-type experiential requirement will be developed and added incrementally over the next few years. The requirements will be fully redeveloped for certified ministers by January 1, 2005 ; licensed ministers by January 1, 2006 ; and ordained ministers by January 1, 2007 . There will be a 6-month lag in each credential level for translation of all courses into Spanish.
Church Planting
Church planting in the Assemblies of God continues to gain momentum, with 308 new church openings in 2003 through November. Assemblies of God churches and districts have committed to planting 960 churches in the next two years as part of the Every Church a Parent or a Partner Campaign instituted in 2003. Churches, districts, and individuals have promised $1.8 million to purchase property, conduct church-planting boot camps, and more.
Resolution 17: Internal Structure of General Council
In response to the Vision for Transformation process and Resolution 17, the national Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, has been engaged in an in-depth self-study.
Beginning in January 2003, 42 divisional and departmental leaders, members of the Board of Administration, and organizational consultant Dean Meyer conducted a systemic analysis of the organizational systems of Headquarters. This Design Team has developed a vision statement for transformation. Three guiding spiritual principles have influenced this process: (a) the principle of the value of people and relationships with each other, (b) the principle of individuals functioning as a unified body of Christ, and (c) the principle of servant leadership and its impact on our ministries.
Adopting a 19-page vision statement as to how to define a world-class ministry organization was merely the first step in what will be a multiyear process of change. The process will address changes in the following five foundational systems of the organization:
Culture
Culture is defined as the values, attitudes, rituals, and behavior patterns that people share in an organization. Reorganization of this system will address issues like teamwork, communication, empowerment, and customer focus. Supervisory training for changes to the current culture began in December 2003, and training for the entire organization will begin in April 2004.
Structure
The passage of Resolution 17 at the 2003 General Council in Washington, D.C., requested a review of the current prescriptive bylaws structure. A review of the current structure is already underway with a set of recommendations being developed to guide any structural alignment. These principles will be approved by the Board of Administration and the Executive Presbytery and presented to the General Presbytery in August 2004. These principles will lay the foundation for a new structural framework for the General Council Constitution and Bylaws (referred to as Tier I Structure), which will be submitted at the 2005 General Council in Denver , Colorado . Once a new structure has been developed, the various ministry groups within the General Council will be aligned in such a way to avoid duplication and proliferation between divisions, departments, commissions, and committees serving the Fellowship.
Internal Economy (Budget by Deliverables)
Consultant Dean Meyer will be leading an internal process called Budget by Deliverables. A new budget director has been named, and training for a new budgeting process began with Gospel Publishing House in the last quarter of 2003. It will be followed by training for church ministries beginning in the third quarter of 2004. The remaining departments will begin their training during the second quarter of 2005. The goal is to have all 2006 budgets prepared under the new budgeting process, which mandates that budgets focus on what product or service is delivered and how cost effective that is to a ministry, both internal and external. This will allow every ministry within the General Council family to properly assess its effectiveness in serving ministers, ministries, and churches in our Fellowship.
Training Systems (Methods and Tools)
Through the internal Vision for Transformation RoadMap process, it has become clear that many skills, procedures, and tools are needed within the Headquarters family to help individuals be able to do their jobs more effectively. An annual training budget has been established to ensure ongoing training for all employees in critical areas.
Metrics and Rewards
The final component of the internal transformation process for Headquarters is to make sure every ministry service and product have an adequate feedback loop that tells people how they are doing and then rewards them for performance that is truly designed to serve our church. Implementation of new performance measurement tools and incentives will be reviewed during this entire process.
VFT Committee Reappointed
The Executive Presbytery has reappointed the Vision for Transformation Committee to continue to provide oversight and direction for the Fellowship-wide transformation process for the next two years. Executive Committee members include: Thomas E. Trask, Randall K. Barton, H. Robert Rhoden, L. Alton Garrison, Hal Donaldson, Ron McManus, and Harold Sallee.
At the 50th General Council in Washington , D.C. , the Assemblies of God Fellowship adopted three major themes that emerged through the Vision for Transformation process:
Theme #1-The Assemblies of God should be a network of fully empowered Pentecostal churches that multiply themselves through church planting.
Theme #2-The Fellowship should give emphasis and priority to the call of God and effective ministry in the credentialing process.
Theme #3-The Fellowship's organizational structure should be aligned around mission and ministry to serve our ministers and empower local churches.
The resolutions that were passed are clearly aimed to position the Fellowship for the future. We must recognize, however, that change is ongoing. Every need cannot be anticipated in the beginning. As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can have an assurance that our venture of faith will be rewarded with divine blessings and a church that is reaching more people for Christ. |
