Consult Team
Our church council has appointed a consult team to better understand who we are and how we might grow in our effectiveness as a church. Our world is rapidly changing. We as a church are changing. We face challenges as a church now and anticipate more to come. We want to be as prepared and equipped as we can be to accomplish the mission and vision God has given us as a church.
Background
In 2022 our church council sent a small group of leaders to the Mosaix Multiethnic Church Conference in Texas. Our group was encouraged by great speakers, powerful worship and informative workshops all centered on the work of churches like ours. Our group found the conference encouraging and enlightening. It affirmed the work of Butler while also inspiring us to even more effective ministry. From this group came a recommendation to our council, which was affirmed, to form a team which would engage the services of a consultant to help us better understand who we are and how we might grow in our effectiveness as a church.
Process
This team will work with our consultant to better understand our current condition through surveys, conversations, and gathering relevant data. From there they will explore possibilities and strategies which would benefit Butler most. They will work in partnership with our council and other leaders to gather input and to test ideas, and ultimately make a recommendation for action steps moving forward.
This stage process is intended to be no more than 6-9 months (up to spring 2025).
- For our consult team and the leadership as they process and discern together.
- For God to inspire and to lead by way of his Spirit
- Inviting God’s “Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as in heaven”!
Input:
- Part of the work will be asking the church to fill out surveys or give other feedback.
- Please respond honestly and prayerfully
- Feel free to ask questions, offer input and have conversations with our team members!
- Contact a team member below, the Church Office or Pastor Scott
Team Members
Scott Holman - Lead Pastor & Common Ground congregati onal pastor
Elbio Carballo - Pastor, Amor y Fe congregation
Sahn Saelee - Church Council member & congregational leader for Asian Grace congregation
Chris Bennett - Church member & worship leader for Common Ground congregation
Christina Lumeya - Church Council member & Faith Community and Common Ground congregations
Shelly Spencer - Staff member & Common Ground congregation
Consultant: Brian Ross (Fresno Pacific University faculty member)
Contact the Vision Team
You can talk with Pastor Scott about any questions you have for the team, or email the church office to get a message to the group.
Consult Team Updates
Summer 2024
Formation and Inital work
June 2024
- Church Information Meeting; update shared with follow-up discussion (meeting info here)
- Focus established: Maximizing resources to have capacity to be an effective and healthy church
- Church Survey provided (closed on June 23)
- Survey responses compiled. A good number of responses were received, and these were helpful in bringing added insight to the process. (See focus above)
July
- Vision / Consult Team meeting frequently; brainstorming & discernment phase
- Update from Pastor Scott "Healthy Things Grow" (text below)
August
- Vision Team continues to meet frequently to narrow down possible future scenarios
- Updates profied to Council & options narrowed further
Fall 2024
Working through scenarios
Presentation of 'the Experiment'
September
- Congregational meetings with general updates on the vision process; call to continued prayer
- Vision Team meeting frequently; planning for "an experiment" of a possible future structure
October
- Vision Update meeting planned: Sunday, October 6 at 3pm in the Family Center (open invitation to Butler)
- Additional congregational meetings being planned for this fall
November
- At the update meeting, an "Experiment" was presented which was proposed to take place in early January
- The "experiment" was to have one main multiethnic worship service (in English) with other Bible studies or language specific gatherings that could also take place on Sundays or different times during the week. This would free up more opportunities to invest in discipleship.
- Feedback at the meeting helped the team to see that this was very undesirable for those in Amor y Fe and Asian Grace who would prefer to continue having a full worship service. Others emphasized the desire for a vision for reaching our community.
Winter 2024/2025
December/January/February
- The team continued to meet with our consultant, Brian, though less frequently given the holidays
Spring 2025
March
- There was consensus to continue working toward a multiethnic congregation, but propose a new approach where one congregation would spearhead that effort.
- Pastor Scott and the consultant, Brian, would outline a possible proposal for the vision team to review and take to Council.
- Pastor Scott announced his resignation to Council
April
- Brian presented the proposal he had drafted, which Scott supported.
- The Council would be meeting soon; Brian would prepare a consultant's report and the team would be present for the Council disucssion
updated 4/30/2025
Key Points:
- Church Information Meeting in June with follow-up discussion (meeting info here)
- Focus established: Maximizing resources to have capacity to be an effective and healthy church
- Church Survey provided (closed on June 23)
- Reflection: "Healthy Things Grow" (text below)
- The team spent several weeks considering the survey feedback, the consultant input and various possible futures for Butler. Over 20 scenarios were considered, which were narrowed down to 7.
- Vision Update meeting in October to present "the Experiment" as a possible future which could free up more time and resources for discipleship. The "experiment" was to prepare 2 Sundays one main multiethnic worship service (in English) with other Bible studies or language specific gatherings that could also take place on Sundays or different times during the week. Feedback at the meeting helped the team to see that this was very undesirable for those in Amor y Fe and Asian Grace who would prefer to continue having a full worship service. Others emphasized the desire for a vision for reaching our community.
- Through the Team's process there was consensus to continue working toward a multiethnic congregation, but propose a new approach where one congregation would spearhead that effort.
- Pastor Scott decided to make room for new voices to lead at Butler & Pastor Scott announced his resignation on March 23 which comes out a longer discernment process. (See more on our Council Updates page.)
- The Vision consultant's report was presented to Council. Before establishing a search committee, the Council is setting a series of additional meetings to process next steps with the pastoral transition and how to integrate that with the outcomes of the vision team process...beginning with a Butler leadership mtng April 27.
Healthy Things Grow
I recently heard someone say, “Healthy things grow. And growing things change.” As a parent this statement absolutely rings true. Every time I turn around my son’s pants are too short (again?), and somehow my little girl is now a licensed driver (you’ve been warned) looking at colleges to attend. What happened to the littles that I used to scoop up in my arms and wrestle with on the floor? Ah, but healthy things grow. And whether we like it or not, growing things change.
Over the last several months our Butler Vision team has been hard at work considering what might help Butler continue to be a healthy and growing church. As our recent survey revealed (thank you to all that participated!), we have a special community of believers who are caring and welcoming. We deeply value our fellowship. We also have a yearning for more! We desire to see deeper spiritual growth and to see more of our friends and neighbors joining the faith. We also see parts of this body are getting tired, serving faithfully, but at their limits. Growth has been slow; finances are getting tighter. We want to be a healthy church, a growing church, and that means...gulp…change.
Our vision team is prayerfully working with the guidance of a consultant, Brian Ross, to discern a number of possible changes that could be made to improve the health and growth of Butler. We have brainstormed everything from big and audacious to subtle and slight changes. We are hard at work to whittle them down to a handful of thoughtfully and prayerfully discerned possibilities, which will come to our church council and ultimately the church body to consider.
As our team works, we ask that the church works with us. Please keep this team and this process in prayer daily.
Pray for discernment and wisdom. Pray that we would be attuned to the Spirit as we meet, and obedient to his leading at every step. Let’s pray also for God to stir each of our hearts, to desire and to welcome greater health and growth in Christ Jesus!
- Pastor Scott