Vitality Improvement Program 2.0 – A New Beginning

by Steve Matthews
Senior Missional Consultant, FaithX

“Seeds are proof that God sometimes packages miracles in small things.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

It’s still cold in the mountains of North Carolina, but soon the crocus will begin to peek through the slowly warming earth – a harbinger of spring for me.  Another sure sign that winter’s grip is lessening is the arrival of seed catalogs.  We like growing as many of our own vegetables and flowers as possible, and now that we have a greenhouse, growing plants from seeds, though a bit more challenging, is much more exciting and the diversity so much greater than the plants we get from the big box hardware stores.

For the past three years, FaithX has been nurturing a new program called the VIP (Vitality Improvement Program).  This initiative was funded in part through a grant from Trinity Wall Street, and we have developed the program in partnership with five dioceses and over 20 churches.  Growth is happening… and we are learning a lot about the conditions that nurture vitality on this three-year journey.

One of the things that we have learned is that a three-year program is not for everyone.  While people appreciate the components of the VIP, shifts in church leadership, unexpected crises, or simply a change of focus can cause churches to lose energy for a long-term trajectory.

We are listening, and FaithX is introducing a new VIP 2.0 initiative.  VIP 2.0 combines all the best of our pilot program while reducing the time commitment to 18 months.  As in the pilot, there are cohorts of congregational teams that partner together in a learning community to complete this work.  These cohorts may be within a judicatory or formed from churches across the country.  These key components of the pilot are also included in VIP 2.0:

  • Completing the Congregational Vitality Assessment (CVA), a 65-question, research-based, diagnostic inventory that helps the congregation identify their vitality and sustainability strengths and weaknesses.
  • Exploring Neighborhood Insights Reports, interactive infographic reports that enable congregations to identify missional opportunities in the neighborhoods they serve.
  • Engaging in neighborhood explorations to confirm what they have learned about their neighborhoods and identify specific areas and issues to engage.
  • Developing Neighborhood Assessments identifying how they might leverage their vitality strengths to engage missional opportunities in specific neighborhoods.
  • Developing and implementing successive 90-day micro-strategies that focus on achievable results over the 18-month program timeframe.
  • Gathering for monthly Zoom-based cohort meetings to address questions and share learnings.

So what does growth and vitality look in your congregations contexts?  How are you planning for vitality?  What seeds will you plant to nurture and color your communities with God’s love?   Perhaps VIP 2.0 is an option for your congregation and/or judicatory.  To request a conversation or more information contact us at info@faithX.net.  You may also explore our website.