Help us Chart the Course for our Ministries with Children, Family, and Youth!
Participate in Listening Sessions with Ministry Architects July 18 and 19!
As part of our Forward in Faith Strategic Plan and with Livvy Steffens’ announcement about her upcoming retirement, we have begun the process of charting the future course of UDLC’s family ministries. Our goal is to create a ministry that has well-defined goals, structure, systems, metrics, and a process of assessment to ensure goals are being met. We would like our next Director of Family Ministries to execute our long-range ministry plan that meets our goals and needs, while bringing their own unique gifts to the position. To that end, with funding support from the UDLC Living Waters Endowment, we have hired Ministry Architects to help with the renovation of the program.
On Site-Assessment July 18 and 19
Monica Lewis and Hayley O’Connor from Ministry Architects
Ministry Architects will spend the majority of their time with us listening to a variety of groups within the church through focused listening groups. These will be hosted by consultants Monica Lewis and Hayley O’Connor. We hope to see participation in those groups from a broad spectrum of parents, volunteers, staff, and people who just love our young people. We want your insights, your frustrations, and your dreams to be heard.
After spending two days in these listening groups (and taking copious notes), the Ministry Architects team will hunker down to write a report, sharing with us what they’ve heard about the family ministry – including assets, challenges, and how we compare to family ministries around the country – and where it seems that God might be taking us next. The report will be presented to the congregation via Zoom, laying out specific recommendations and a blueprint for how to move forward.
Listening Sessions Schedule
If you would like to be part of this process and have your voice heard, please RSVP for a listening group time below. All sessions will be in the Son Room unless otherwise noted. Please click the session below to RSVP. If you fall into one of these categories, but can’t make the time, that’s fine! Just sign up for an Open Group.
Monday, July 18
5:00-6:00 PM Parents of Young Children (Birth-Preschool) (Child care provided) (Son Room)
5:00-6:00 PM Parents of Elementary Aged Children (Child care provided) (Chapel)
6:00-7:00 PM Parents of Youth (Son Room)
6:00-7:00 PM Youth (Chapel)
7:00-8:00 PM Open Group (Son Room)
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
10:00 AM Open Group (Son Room)
11:00 AM Open Group (Son Room)
For more information, contact the church office at 215-646-7999 or info@udlc.org.
Listening, Clarity, Focus, and Hope
At these listening sessions, Ministry Architects will spend the majority of our time listening to you, with these goals in mind:
Listening: People who care about the youth and family ministry will have a chance to vent, dream, identify pressure points, and talk about what they really want.
A Clear Plan: Ministry Architects will provide an overview picture of where the church is now relative to where it would like to go, and then give a detailed proposal and timeline for how to move forward in building a sustainable youth ministry.
Focus: This process is designed to build unity around the desire for change and the belief that you can change and create the openness to embrace an intentional, deliberate game plan for making those changes.
Hope: Ministry Architects is saying, “You CAN have the kind of family ministry God wants to lavish on your church. It’s going to take some work, but you CAN do it.”
Frequently Asked Questions about our Family Ministry Renovation
Why Ministry Architects?
Ministry Architects believes there is a better way, a better way than one-size-fits-all training events and quick-fix searches for superstar staff people. It all starts with building intentionally. So like architects, they don't tell churches what they want to build. They start by listening and then show them a blueprint of exactly how they can move from where they are to where they want to be. And then they walk alongside them to make sure that they build the kind of infrastructure they will need to create the ministries they dream of having. Ministry Architects has made it their mission to help churches create healthy systems and innovative change for the future of the church.
What is going to happen when Ministry Architects is here?
Ministry Architects will spend the majority of their time listening to a variety of groups within the church through focused listening groups. After spending 2 days in these listening groups (and taking copious notes), the Ministry Architects team will hunker down to write a report, sharing with the church what they’ve heard about the youth ministry and where they hear that the church wants to go. The report will be presented to the congregation laying out a blueprint for how to move forward.
As a parent, why should I attend?
As a parent, you have the strongest influence on your child’s spiritual development, and you are the center of faith formation in your family. Ministry Architects wants to hear your hopes, dreams, and concerns about the family ministry. Parents of older children can give feedback on how the children’s ministry has or has not engaged their child, what kind of impact the children and youth community has had on their child, and how they’d like the ministry to support them as parents. They can give feedback on how the youth ministry is helping their child to grow into the person that God created them to be. Parents are a vital piece to the Christian nurture of their children, and Ministry Architects wants them to be invested in the process of building a strong foundation.
As a volunteer, why should I attend?
Volunteers obviously care about family ministry through their commitment of time, energy, and love. You can give perspective to how you see the youth ministry affecting the lives of the young people because you are on the “front lines” with the students. You can see what the strengths & challenges are and can bring about change and improvement to the ministry in which they are serving. Your feedback is invaluable.
As a church member who is not a part of the children, family, and youth ministry, why should I attend?
Faith formation is a community effort – it takes many folks to model the Christian life to young people. Members of the church set the example to youth on how to worship, how to follow Jesus, and how to serve Christ in others. As a member of the church, your feedback is significant in moving the youth ministry forward in a sustainable model. As Christians, we are called to nurture faith in our young people. Investing your time in a listening group shows the care that members of the church have for its kids and youth. Ministry Architects values the “outside” view that you can give.
What will the report look like?
The Assessment Report will start by reflecting back to the church what the Ministry Architects team heard people saying about the youth ministry. They will compare our church to youth ministry norms across the country. They will point out the assets of the youth ministry– the things to protect and keep. They will also share the challenges that they see – the things that are roadblocks to the youth ministry moving strategically forward. They then lay out a blueprint for how to strategically move the youth ministry from where it is now to where you want it to be. These recommendations include a detailed timeline laying out the process month by month.