This Sunday at Northbridge the findings from the previous’ weeks criteria survey were presented for review and discussion.

Joyce, Alicia, and Shane presented these findings as well as certain implications that arose from the surveys results.

Some of the basics about the survey were presented first including the following information:

1. Responses came in either through the survey taken Sunday, June 14th at church or via email.
2. Individuals were asked to respond to 9 criteria questions with multiple choice answers.
3. Responses were received from 75% of current NB households.
4. Responses were received from 70% of current NB individuals.
5. Response points were given a value of 1, 0.5, or 0.3 depending on if respondents gave one or more responses for each questions.

Here were the results of the survey that were shared and the basic implications from each finding below:

1. What level of commitment do you have in Northbridge continuing as a faith community with:
A: an activistic, outreach oriented primary focus?   

• High (46%), Medium (33%), or Low (21%)
  

B: a dialogue, support group primary focus?               

• High (23%), Medium (35%), or Low (23%), No Preference (19%)

-Implication: being both a missional and support community is important to the majority of Northbridge individuals.

2. How far are you willing to drive to Northbridge?

• 10 minutes (0%), 20 minutes (64%), over 30 minutes (36%)

-Implication: driving distance is not as important of a factor as others.

3. How often are you willing to come to the main gathering (Sundays mornings right now) per month?

• Weekly (81%), Every Other Week (19%), Occasionally (0%)

-Implication: meeting weekly for the main gatherings is still preferred.

4. How often are you willing to come outside of Sunday morning gatherings (study group, outings, service activities, etc.)?

• Weekly (10%), Every Other Week (60%), Occasionally (27%), No Preference (3%)

-Implication: attending every other week or occasionally is preferred outside the main gatherings.

5. What times of the day and week would you be open to meeting for the main gathering (mark all that apply for you)?

• Saturday Evening (19%), Sunday Morning (57%), Sunday Evening (21%)

-Implication: meeting on Sunday mornings is still the preferred option for the main gathering.

6. What type of locations would you:

• oppose meeting in: No Preference (58%), Houses (42%)
• like to meet in: No Preference (46%), Church (21%), Community Center (25%), Houses (8%)

-Implication: meeting in house isn’t preferred by many people but meeting in a community center or a church is.

7. What percentage of time of the main gathering time (Sunday morning right now) would you like devoted to:

• teaching/education (receiving):                          30% (50%), 60% (39%)
• spiritual practices/dialogue (participation):  30% (31%), 60% (62%)

-Implication: NB would like to become more participatory on Sunday mornings while still keeping some aspect of receiving in place.

8. What level of commitment do you have in addressing children’s spiritual development:

• High (69%), Medium (27%), or Low (4%)

-Implication: children’s spiritual development continues to be a primary concern for the individuals of Northbridge.

9. What level of leadership involvement are you willing to accept:

• Leader Led (90% leader directed, 10% community directed)-(11%)
• Leader Facilitated (50% leader directed, 50% community  directed)-(70%)
• Communally Led (10 leader directed, 90% community directed)-(19%)

-Implication: a ‘half and half’ model of leadership in which staff and the community both take responsibility for the church is preferred.

Some final important implications that came out of the criteria survey’s results, combined with the community’s discussions from previous weeks and other situational factors led to these implications that were presented:

1. House churches are no longer a preferred option for NB’s future.
2. Meeting in the Shoreview Community Center is no longer a desirable option for NB’s future.
3. Merging with another church is no longer a preferred option for NB’s future.
4. Finding a church, community center, or similar organization that we could share space/partner with is the best option for NB’s next steps.
5. Rent will increase back to it’s normal higher rate at the Shoreview Community Center in September which NB currently can’t afford financially.
6. A two month notice is required by the Shoreview Community Center in advance of our moving out.
7. We will need to begin looking for new locations/partner spaces immediately.
8. We will also need to alert the Shoreview Community Center in early July of our intent to move out to meet their two month notice.
   

Time for questions, comments, and sharing was given at the end of the presentation with the staff sharing that the next stage of beginning to look for a space/partner that Northbridge could join with will now begin.  Communal discussions will continue to take place as this process begins and individuals from the community are still invited here on out to share their ideas, questions, or comments in the coming weeks.

Shane

This past Sunday Northbridge continued its discussion process with the staff presenting a set of 9 criteria defining questions for the individuals of the community to respond to during the gathering.

After presenting each criteria question, the staff discussed with the community any clarifying comments or thoughts that came with each question.

Here are the 9 questions that were presented for the community to respond to for themselves and Northbridge in the future:

1. What level of commitment do you have in Northbridge continuing as a faith community with:
A: an activistic, outreach oriented primary focus?    High, Medium, or Low

B: a dialogue, support group primary focus?                High, Medium, or Low

2. How far are you willing to drive to Northbridge?

10 minutes, 20 minutes, over 30 minutes

3. How often are you willing to come to the main gathering (Sundays mornings right now) per month?
Weekly, Every Other Week, Occasionally

4. How often are you willing to come outside of Sunday morning gatherings (study group, outings, service activities, etc.)?
Weekly, Every Other Week, Occasionally

5. What times of the day and week would you be open to meeting for the main gathering (mark all that apply for you)?
Saturday Evening, Sunday Morning, Sunday Evening

6. What type of locations would you:
A: oppose meeting in:                 Church, Community Center, Houses
B: like to meet in: Church, Community Center, Houses

7. What percentage of time of the main gathering time (Sunday morning right now) would you like devoted to:
A: teaching/education (receiving):                          30%, 60%, 90%
B: spiritual practices/dialogue (participation):          30%, 60%, 90%

8. What level of commitment do you have in addressing children’s spiritual development:

High, Medium, or Low

9. What level of leadership involvement are you willing to accept:
Leader Led (90% leader directed, 10% community directed)
Leader Facilitated (50% leader directed, 50% community directed)
Communally Led (10 leader directed, 90% community directed)

The responses from individuals will be tallied (both from those who were present on Sunday and those who email their surveys in) and then calculated to give us a better feel for what criteria we will be using as we begin to look ahead into potential practical options for Northbridge’s future.

Feel free to continue to submit your comments on the blog here or email your survey to Shane if you haven’t done so yet.

Shane

After a two week break we returned to our communal discussions on the transition process of Northbridge and the future of our faith community.

In the weeks since our last Sunday discussion the staff and leadership team had reviewed some of the potential reasons behind the ’stuckness’ that Northbridge seems to have experienced over the last few years that came out of the obstacles the community identified in our most recent community discussion.  This Sunday the staff presented a ’systemic look’ at this ’stuckness’ to the community and potential reasons for it.

Here is a brief review of the presentation on NB’s systemic ’stuckness’:

1.  Significant change in mission statement from pre-2006 to post-2006 leads to a significant change in how Northbridge wants to understand itself.

2.  Community aspirations, goals, and desires have remained remarkably stable over the last three year’s community discussions, planning conversations meaning…

3.  It may be more important to begin to look at next steps rather than continue to process what NB wants meaning…

4.  Our current mission statement may already adequately capture what we desire as a community.

Final stuckness thoughts…

1.  Stuckness is a sign of a symptom struggling to adjust to changes within it that are necessary; money, attendance are symptoms of the stuckness but not the real underlying problem.

2.  Change is upon us as a faith community…no matter what.

3.  Lack of making a decision is a decision.

4.  What decision do we want to make?

(If you would like a more detailed PowerPoint presentation of this please email Shane)

The staff then presented some preliminary options for Northbridge’s next steps in light of the aspirations, obstacles to reaching those aspirations, and the systemic challenges that Northbridge faces shared this morning.   It was noted that this signals a move from the initial ‘community processing time’ that we’ve been involved in to a more intentional ‘decision making process time’ for Northbridge’s next steps.

The options presented included two more ‘conservative’ options including:

1. Moving to a ‘house church model’ in which the main gatherings would not be at a central meeting location but rather in individual homes taking a more ’small group’ feel for church (this would help with finances and minimize the responsibility of set-up on Sundays; this option may also have a possibility of a main monthly gathering to connect the small groups together).
2. Decreasing the size of the room we use at the Community Center from the full meeting space to just  half the meeting space and then moving from a team of staff to one pastor (this option would allow for minimal change to NB and potentially allow for NB to continue without immediate financial stress when rent goes back up to the normal rate in September).

Two more progressive options were also presented that included:

1. Looking for a church or community development corporation that has similar values that Northbridge could merge with (this would most likely entail a major change in the identity of Northbridge but would potentially allow for NB to try and meet some of its more progressive aspirations as well as potentially alleviating financial stress depending on the merger situation).
2. Looking for a church or community center/development corporation that has space which Northbridge could share (potentially allowing for a better financial situation for NB, help NB try and meet its more progressive aspirations, allow for an adjustment in NB identity while still maintaining it in some desired forms).

After the presentation, the community was given time to respond with their questions, reflections, and comments.

Please continue to share your thoughts and comments on this blog with us.  The Sunday conversations will continue next week.

Shane