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provide a more adaptive framework:

relationships, includes elements like networks, civic engagement, trust, and norms of reciprocity, and has gained prominence in academic and policy debates since the 1990s. It is a complex, multidimensional asset that facilitates cooperation and collective action for mutual benefit, with types such as bonding, bridging, and linking. Though it can be measured at various levels, the concept remains elusive, with challenges in defining, quantifying, and empirically testing its effects. Thus, congregations that have “social capital” in their communities can have a transfiguring effect. Conversely, congregations can function as closed systems, which can be completely disconnected from the larger social ecosystem, for a time. But with no output, and no influx of new people, energy, and resources, closed systems eventually stagnate and die. Social capital—comprised of networks, trust, and relationships—offers a more holistic measure of church vitality than the inward-focused metrics of membership and attendance. In the blended ecology, church vitality should be measured by the social capital it generates through its outreach and engagement with the broader community, rather than by passive metrics that reflect only what is collected. As church leaders, it is time to shift our focus from inward metrics to outward engagement—tracking relationships and missional impact in the broader community. The case for new metrics The true vitality of a church lies in its outward-facing mission—how it engages and transforms its community. Drawing inspiration from Bourdieu’s theory of social capital, churches must track how they build relationships and foster community engagement. Instead of focusing on what is “inside” the church, we should measure how the church is creating connections and networks that extend beyond the walls of the building. To assess the social capital a church generates, we can track: • The number of new relationships formed with unchurched or de-churched individuals. • The degree to which church members are integrated into community-based social networks. • The tangible social impact of the church’s service, mission, and outreach initiatives. Examples of technical vs. adaptive metrics Using insights from Junius Dotson’s distinctions between counting and measuring, we recognize the need to shift focus from numbers alone to trends, movement, and transformation: Counting Metrics • How many dollars were pledged this year? • How many members are active in church? • How many attendees are present on Sunday? Measuring metrics • Are worship participants showing consistent and deep engagement with the life of the church? • Is financial giving increasing over time as a sign of spiritual growth? • How many professions of faith have been made over time? Adaptive metrics must address deeper spiritual questions, such as: • How far has a person come on their spiritual journey? • How deep is their faith rooted, and how is it being lived out? • How wide is our communal impact? This shift allows churches to measure movement, not just attendance. New missional metrics for a blended ecology To ensure alignment with the mission of the UMC in a blended ecology, new metrics are needed that capture the dynamic nature of both inherited and Fresh Expression congregations. These metrics should reflect the outward focus of the mission—moving beyond traditional, inward- looking measures to those that assess the “going” aspect of disciple-making, as stated in the UMC mission statement. The Fresh Expressions movement and blended ecclesial models introduce both opportunities and challenges for how we assess mission and discipleship. Metrics should reflect both inherited expressions of church and new, decentralized Fresh Expressions models. The following proposed metrics

Aledo man spreads holiday cheer with his Christmas village collection

Winter Wonderland” sign for the collection. “It’s a fun thing we do together,” Linda said. “I don’t need to buy him anything. I go with him to Goodwill, or a lot of friends have given him a lot of them too. When they hear he has a big collection, they say, ‘Oh, I’ve got houses. Can I give them to you?’” Hal used to box up all the figurines, but decided it took way too long. His daughter suggested he keep them on the garage shelves year round and just pull a curtain over them. Soon he'll have to add more shelves. He likes to invite family, friends and neighbors over to explore the villages. “I had one gal came over here last year, the year before, and was going through a rough time in her life, and after going through here, she said it just changed her life. And that makes it all worth it,” Hal said. “That’s why we do it. Joy, joy, joy. Everybody that comes in here, you don’t come out of here without a little joy in your heart.” (Reprinted from the Dec. 18 broadcast of WQAD-TV, the ABC affiliate in Moline)

BY JENNA WEBSTER WQAD-TV Moline

ALEDO — An Aledo man is taking the Christmas spirit to the next level. His entire garage is filled with Christmas villages, part of his way of spreading joy to his community. About two decades ago, Hal Earl and his family put out their first miniature village. His collection has only grown from there, stacked full on shelves in his garage. “I haven’t counted them,” Hal said. “I tried one time, and I lost count because some of the little ones, do you count that? Do you not count that?” His collection includes just about anything you can imagine, from a ski resort to a bridal shop to elves carrying beer steins at a brewery. There’s also an entire corner dedicated to Santa. The carnival rides are one of the most popular, including a favorite of his wife Linda’s, although she jokes it’d be nice to instead keep her car in the garage away from the snow during the winter. She picked out many of the Santa's and even made a “Hal’s

*Adapted from the Diocese of Leicester

1. Relational Engagement: Assess the depth and quality of relationships formed through ministry and mission. Example: How many new meaningful relationships have been formed through acts of service? 2. Discipleship Movement Indicators: Evaluate not just attendance but spiritual growth trends. Examples: Increased frequency of personal prayer or new participation in small groups over time. 3. Indicators of Social and Community Impact: How well is the local church responding to visible human need in its immediate context? Example: Relationships built through community engagement initiatives. 4. Contextual Innovation and Experimentation: How well is the congregation adapting to new models of mission? Example: How many new Fresh Expressions communities were launched in the past year? How successful are they in drawing new participants into shared faith experiences? 5. Gateway Participation Metrics: Move beyond traditional metrics of worship attendance to track spiritual pathways. Examples: Participation through life stage events, mission opportunities, or small group attendance. Drawing inspiration from the Church of England’s approach to living into a mixed ecology, I propose a narrative-based framework centered around the Loving First Journey, a missional framework that tracks key phases of engagement and growth. Listening The first phase in a church's missional journey is listening to the community. Metrics here could include: • Number of prayer walks conducted. • Frequency of conversations with non-church members. • Time spent in key locations (e.g., first, second, third places) for community engagement. • What new insights have been learned from listening? These questions help evaluate how well a congregation is engaging with the broader community and discerning its needs. Loving/Serving The next step is to actively love and serve the community, identifying organic needs and responding to them. Relevant metrics could include: • How well does the congregation understand and serve the passions, dreams, and needs of its neighbors? • Number of partnerships with other organizations already meeting similar needs. • Names of individuals or groups served and how relationships are deepened through serving. Tracking authentic needs versus imposed ones. These metrics demonstrate how a congregation is moving beyond service to developing authentic, relational connections. Building community As relationships develop, a church must foster a sense of community and belonging. Metrics in this phase could ask: • Frequency of gatherings and facilitation of those gatherings. • Whether “digging deeper” conversations are taking place and trust is being built. • How many regular attendees are showing vulnerability and connection. These metrics measure the formation of community beyond transactional relationships. Exploring discipleship At this stage, new disciples begin to show a hunger

for deeper engagement with the faith. Key questions for measurement could include: • How many individuals express a desire for more spiritual depth or discipleship? • Opportunities for discipleship and the forms they take (e.g., prayer, Scripture study, service). • How many people in the congregation are equipped to share a Jesus Story? These questions gauge the church’s ability to invite people into the journey of spiritual growth and deepen their commitment to the mission. Church taking shape In the final phase, the church begins to take shape as a missional community with a clear outward focus. Metrics could include: • How many baptisms, professions of faith, or celebrations of Holy Communion occur. • Examples of the “Up/In/Out/Of” model in practice (worship, community, outreach, connection to the larger body). • The level of engagement with both Fresh Expressions and inherited church, including “bridge backs” where individuals return to the life of the traditional church. This phase reflects the church’s maturation into a full expression of its mission, including ongoing outreach and engagement with the larger body of Christ. Additional Metrics for a Blended Ecology: • Preaching and Lay Leadership: o Number of people involved in the preaching team and their level of engagement. o Percentage of lay-led small groups and care teams. o Active participation of lay leaders in key ministry areas, such as discipleship and pastoral care. • Space Utilization and Financial Sustainability: o How often and how well space is being used for both ministry and community engagement. o Diversification of income streams to ensure sustainability beyond traditional tithes and offerings. These metrics help assess the practical aspects of church vitality and sustainability in a blended ecology, where the church engages both inherited and emerging models of ministry. By using these metrics, congregations can better assess their missional health in a blended ecology. These questions not only track traditional measures like attendance and membership but also capture holistic, relational, and outward-focused aspects of ministry. Conclusion: Moving beyond maintenance metrics Fresh Expressions and other creative experiments potentially provide a hopeful way forward. The focus of fresh expressions is to cultivate communal life in Jesus with people currently not connected to the inherited church. It is not merely about revitalizing dying churches or ensuring the survival of denominations. Instead, fresh expressions embody the self-donation of the church—reaching the unchurched, marginalized, and excluded by cultivating contextual, missional expressions of the gospel. Thus, the movement provides a framework to shift away from the institutional default-mode of self-preservation , toward the Jesus way of self-donation (John 12:24). By focusing outward, adjusting key metrics, and

Photos by David Schultz

Photos courtesy of Harrisburg First UMC

Harrisburg First UMC enjoyed a wonderful Children's Christmas program and March to the Manger Dec. 15. The church offering for the March to the Manger for Coats for Kids totaled $3749, when including the funds raised from a recent Chili Cook Off. The funds supplied all the needed coats and hoodies for students in the Harrisburg and Carrier Mills school districts.

Photo courtesy of Harrisburg: First UMC

Harrisburg First’s United Women in Faith held its 88th Annual Christmas Bazaar Dec. 5. Becky Barnhill is our 94-year "young" UWF President and is the main Bazaar organizer. The bazaar included coffee and donuts, a silent auction, baked goods, candy, attic treasures and dinner. The event raised $4,646 for United Women in Faith. applicants for the position will exhibit the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality, the desire to work collaboratively with a variety of team members toward ongoing improvement, attentiveness to detail, appreciation for complex processes/procedures, proficiency with technology, and software that assists with communications. Works under the direction of the District Superintendent to administer all functions for the Central District Office (in Springfield) of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church. Read more at: https://www.igrc.org/classifiedsdetail/ administrative-assistant-central-district-18802911 ANNOUNCEMENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Members of East St. Louis Trinity UMC collected its annual special offering during the four Sunday of Advent as a way of saying “Happy Birthday to Jesus.” Over the last four years, the church has provided resources to women’s and men’s shelters in the community. They have provided resources to senior homes in the community. This year’s offering invested in the community and church’s future by providing mid-year school supplies to the students at East St. Louis Lincoln Middle School. Trinty wanted to help those in need to finish the school year well.

Photo courtesy of East St. Louis Trinity UMC

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