Sat Nav for Churches, a new resource
Sat Nav for Churches is a travel guide to help churches journey from vision to reality.
Its author, David Millen, (Evangelical Ministries' Director of Ministries) has a fairly unique role among churches. For the past twenty years he has coached well over one hundred of them as they have developed their vision and sought to bring it to reality.
David comments:
"I have always loved my work! What a thrill it is to see the power of God’s Spirit transforming churches as they learn to tune into His plans and follow His agenda. A few years ago, however, something began to change. I noticed a recurring negative trend and it disturbed me greatly. The problem manifested itself during the 'Implementation Stage’. While team after team of church leaders would jump with gusto into the implementing process, many would sadly ‘drop the ball’ well before reaching their previously declared goals. Instead of being blessed by their visioning endeavours, these leaders and their people were becoming discouraged and their visions were being shelved. I determined to do all I could to eliminate this tragic waste.
"The more I thought about this, the more I became convinced that the main problem was that the vision planners had not been prepared adequately for the role they were to perform. Faithful leaders would willingly throw themselves into the deep end of strategic church planning before ever being helped to understand the process in the first place. My response to correct this lack of preparation was to write
Sat Nav for Churches
which would help eliminate this problem by describing the process from beginning to end.
I still sensed, however that the book itself still wouldn’t be enough. ... and so the Sat Nav initiative was birthed."
This is a unique three phase training process:
1. Select your leaders: The churches select the leaders they would like to train as their in-house Vision Associates. (Perhaps the Minister/Pastor and a few strategically thinking Godly leaders)
2. Start a Sat Nav Book Club: Those selected form a Sat Nav for Churches Book Club. They begin to read the book and also to meet together occasionally to discuss the contents.
3. Attend the Leaders Forum: This is a two evening training experience set up by EM in their own area. Session 1 focuses on 'Developing Vision, and Session 2 on Implementation.
Sat Nav for Churches is endorsed by among others, our own Bishop Harold Miller:
"David Millen is on to something very important indeed in 'Sat Nav for Churches'. By far the biggest single factor inhibiting growth in churches is the inability to follow through God's plans strategically. How many 'visions' lie waste in a file somewhere in a church office? How many people have been inspired by the possibility of what God can do in the local church, only to end up disheartened because nothing concrete has happened? If this book can enable theory to become practice and vision to become reality, it will be a real tool of the Holy Spirit for the blessing of the church."
EM is looking for churches which would be willing to consider participating in the Sat Nav regional training process. Maybe your church could be one of these?
To help you decide, EM are willing to send rectors a free copy (normal price £8 +P&P) of David’s new Sat Nav for Churches book (maximum 1 copy per church) as long as stocks last.
To order, call Rose at the EM office (028 90455400)