FYI TO UABCers: Re-envisioning UABC

Throughout 2009 the Church Board set aside a portion of their meetings for "envisioning moments," which included a variety of activities designed to help us start thinking about our future together as a congregation. Healthy congregations are ones that continually do the work of envisioning at some level. How deep the process needs to go depends on where the church is in terms of its life cycle. One of the Board's early "envisioning moments" was a discussion about the congregational life cycle, which is illustrated below.
The unofficial consensus of the Board at that time was that UABC is somewhere between STABILITY and DECLINE (which is at least average for established American churches). The good news is that, like any other human organization, we can change our trajectory through the work of re-envisioning...which can be labeled a "rebirth loop" in terms of the life cycle. The even better news is that we are not just a human organization, but a community of Christ-followers who are gifted and empowered by the very Spirit of God.Rebirth (renewal, redevelopment, revival, revitalization--whatever you want to call it) is not a matter of surviving for another generation or another century; re-envisioning is a matter of thriving as the people of God...by seeking out the will of God for our church family.
The work of re-envisioning continues into 2010, and the Church Board will continue to lead us in this journey. However, it is not only the task of the the Board to re-envision--it's all of ours. If you'd like to chat more about the envisioning process, the life cycle of UABC, or our future together, I would love to sit down over lunch or a cup of coffee with you and hear your perspective.