Project 6:15

Project 6:15 serves churches in long-term plateau or decline, and calls them to a lasting commitment to the comprehensive process of systemic Church ReDevelopment that combines spiritual renewal with strategic initiative. It takes its name from Nehemiah 6:15, “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days” (NIV). The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem seen in the Book of Nehemiah is a metaphor for the redeveloped church in Project 6:15. Nehemiah provides much more than a metaphor, however. It provides the foundation for United Front’s ReDevelopment process.

Nehemiah begins with an assessment. Hanani and others report, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire” (1:3 NIV). Could this describe the state of many of today’s churches? Nehemiah responds with what might be called the beginning of spiritual renewal. Verse 4 states, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (1:4 NIV). The prayer is a prayer of confession and intercession, the foundation of renewal. Throughout the rest of the book the story unfolds of continued spiritual renewal and strategic initiative. When viewed with the Book of Ezra, the entire picture comes in view. The once troubled and disgraced people of God are renewed, the Word of the Lord is re-established, the strategic initiative taken by Nehemiah and his leaders bears fruit, and the reader is constantly reminded that the hand of the Lord was upon them. Isn’t this what we want to see in our churches today?

Project 6:15 is a vehicle that will take churches in long-term plateau or decline where they need to be. During the project pastors, leaders and congregations will be guided through spiritual renewal, getting back to the basics of what Scripture reveals about the purpose of the church, and dealing with spiritual issues that might need to be addressed. Strategically, the church lifecycle and its implications will come to be understood, along with church health and growth principles that accompany this understanding. An overarching Vision for each church will be discerned and developed with its four major components of Foundations, Impact Group, Setting, and Strategy.

Vision ppppppppppppWhat will we see?
Foundations cccccccWho will we be?
Impact Groupcccccc Whom will we reach?
SettingccccccccccciiWhat environment will we create?
Strategy 1 bbbbbbbbiiHow will we reach our Impact Group?
Strategy 2 bbbbbbbbiiWhat will do once we reach our vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvImpact Group?

Vision will be driven by a prayerful key question: God, how do you want to express yourself through this church in this community at this time? Since godly vision is more about discernment than creativity, the focus will be on prayer and the study of God’s Word. Creativity will be called upon for design and development of that vision. Ultimately, Vision with all its components will be brought together into a Ministry Action Plan – the M.A.P. - that will guide the church forward.

 

The Intensive Track groups a minimum of ten churches together that will share a sixteen-month timeline of training, coaching and assessing. These ten or more churches can be located in any geography as long as they are willing to travel to a two-day training intensive at month three or four and a one-day wrap up at month sixteen. Prior to the intensive, three packets are sent to participating churches. P3: the Pastor Preparation Packet prepares the pastor for the role of leading the process. An overview is presented, foundational information is covered, and the pastor is guided in the selection and assembling of a vision team of five additional leaders. The pastor then leads the vision team through P2: the Vision Team Preparation Packet. Like P3, P2 provides both overview and information, but more importantly establishes the pastor as leader of the team and places vision team meetings into the routine. This is followed by P1: the Assessment Packet that contains a four-part assessment to be completed prior to the intensive. The two-day intensive, at month three or four in the process, is eighteen hours of action packed training that covers the A-Z of church redevelopment. Following the intensive, vision teams are guided by COACHWORKS!, a comprehensive implementation manual that takes the guesswork out of application. A one-day wrap-up closes the project at month sixteen. Throughout, pastors have unlimited access to their Project 6:15 coaches via phone and email. Your participation includes the four-part assessment, the two-day intensive and one-day wrap-up, all materials, COACHWORKS!, coaching, and United Front personnel expenses.