Faithful Innovations (Churches)
Discerners become starters, and starters create faithful innovations (churches). These faithful innovations, as time passes, and as God blesses, move into moments of sustainability and generativity.
On the journey of the life cycle of any church, the people that make up the church have a choice to make: they can choose to start new initiatives or choose to refrain from this opportunity. New initiatives can look one of two ways for a church. The first opportunity is to start a new church, sometimes known as a new worshipping community. If this is the case, we’d be honored to join your church in helping you to realize God’s plan. The second opportunity is to begin new initiatives for a particular church. If you or someone in your church has a prompting from God to begin a new initiative, we’d be equally as honored in helping you realize that dream.
For either opportunity, the starting point is the same. Cyclical LA moves at the speed of relationship and we will need to identify a potential point person to lead the faithful innovation. Once that leader is identified, they will have the opportunity to join the discerners community to begin to identify the potential opportunities that lie ahead.
Three-Phase Process for Identifying Discerning Faithful Innovators
1.) Widen Your Imagination for Who Can Do the Work of Faithful Innovation
All too often for who can do the work of faithful innovation is too thin. Cyclical LA has innumerable tools to help you widen your imagination for who can lead the next new ministry of your church or of your presbytery.
2.) Send the Discerner to Cyclical LA
The San Fernando Presbytery has the necessary infrastructure for helping your discerner walk through a thoughtful process of discernment. They will be welcomed into a weekly meeting with a coach, therapist, or spiritual director, and will have access to other value added assets provided by the presbytery.
3.) Partner to Support the Discernment Process
While Cyclical LA, a ministry of the San Fernando Presbytery, has the infrastructure to bring your discerner through a discernment process, you will be needed as well. The faithful innovation (church) provides the essential faith community to support a meaningful discernment process.
“Moving from being a starter to a sustainable church is a process that involves key relationships. Cyclical was that key relationship connecting us to coaching, training, and financial support. If it takes a tribe to raise a child, then it takes a network to raise a church.”