The Greatest Expedition
Our vision is to journey alongside Church Expedition Teams to help them forge new, vital, and innovative ministry paths to reach new people for Christ who they have otherwise been struggling to reach.
STRENGTHENING DECISION-MAKING AND GOVERNANCE
The governing model for most mainline denominations was explicitly designed to slow down the decision-making processes. The legacy model of governance is for multiple governing committees to meet (always in person), work through questions, send them to a church council, perhaps have questions sent back to numerous other committees.
Today’s context for congregations couldn’t be more different. While the legacy structures we inherited are exquisitely designed to make sure nothing new ever happens, the leadership structures that we need today must be nimble, adaptive decision-making groups that are designed to hold us accountable to Jesus’ mission and unleash more disciples to be engaged in ministry, not just attend meetings about ministry.
What is The Greatest Expedition?
The Greatest Expedition is a congregational journey for churches, charges, or cooperative parishes led by a church Expedition Team of 8-12 brave pioneering leaders. The purpose of The Greatest Expedition is to provide an experience for Expedition Teams to explore their local context in new ways to develop new MAPS (ministry action plans) so you are more relevant and contextual to reach new people in your community. Updated tools and guides are provided for the church’s Expedition Team. Yet, it is a “choose your own adventure” type of journey. The tools and guides will be provided, but it is up to the church’s Expedition Team to decide which tools are needed, which tools just need sharpening, which tools can stay in their backpack to use at a later time, what pathways to explore, and what pathways to pass.
The Greatest Expedition provides a new lens and updated tools to help your Expedition Team explore and think about being the church in different ways. Will your Expedition Team need to clear the overgrown brush from a once known trail, but not recently traveled? Or will the Expedition Team need to cut a brand new trail with their new tools? Or perhaps, will the Team decide they need to move to a completely fresh terrain and begin breaking ground for something brand new in a foreign climate?
Why Would My Church Consider The Greatest Expedition?
As a church, do you ever feel like you are trying to exist in a once familiar but now seemingly foreign world? A world in which you are no longer comfortable or understand? A land with treacherous and alien feeling terrain? What was once easily understood and accomplished is now murky at best and confusing at times. Therefore, we find ourselves no longer knowing what to do or even understanding where to start. What was once a slam-dunk effective ministry is now a dreaded ministry of obligation resulting in disappointing results and volunteer burnout. The maps of the bygone days of ministry are dusty, torn, and weathered. We have not sought (let alone seen a need for) a new map in years or possibly decades. Additionally, those old maps no longer lead us to our desired destinations of building new relationships with new people in our community. And, we have often lost touch with the people in our community. Our neighbors have become strangers – people we have no idea who they are let alone how to build authentic relationships with them.
Does this sound at all familiar to you or your church? If so, you are not alone! As Barna stated in their recent State of the Church Report, “the church is facing a disruptive time.” More and more churches are finding themselves in a place where they certainly have a heart to reach new people, yet they feel ill-equipped to do so. They lack the effective contemporary tools, maps, guides, compasses, and conditioning to be the church of today or tomorrow let alone the church for next year. That’s why you are being invited on the journey to The Greatest Expedition!
We believe The Greatest Expedition of all times – ever was or ever will be – is the expedition of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ and leading other people to become disciples of Jesus Christ. As a disciple of Jesus yourself, I am sure you will agree. Yet, you may feel as though you need some assistance with your journey in The Greatest Expedition to reach new Disciples. If that’s you, you have come to the right place. We believe disciple-making occurs best in community.
The Essentials Pack
The Essentials Pack is designed for churches who might be feeling stuck or perhaps just not sure what to do next. The church might be in decline or stagnant in growth. The congregation may have a burst of energy, but unable to determine how to faithfully direct this energy. The church may have some ministry tools in place, but feeling like some of their ministry tools are outdated, in need of sharpening, or perhaps even a whole new ministry toolkit is needed. The Essentials Pack will likely best fit a small to mid-sized church ready to take their church to the next level. However, a larger church that was once even larger or now feels they need a restart could also benefit from the Essentials Pack.
