Written by Dan Proctor
My name is Dan Proctor and I became the Church Strengthening Director in the Southeast region of Converge MSC about 9 months ago. Before that, I pastored the same church in Daytona Beach, FL for 30 years.
When it comes to Church Strengthening there is so much in Converge’s toolbox, but I have come to realize that there is not a more valuable tool than our Together Groups. When you get a bunch of pastors and church leaders together in one room, great things happen!
In Florida, we have four regional Together Groups. The groups in Orlando and Jacksonville are well established with great leadership. The other two, in Tampa and Miami, are newer and still in their infancy, and yet we saw 46 leaders attend the Tampa group and 22 in a very new Miami group, in April.
At the April gatherings, we discussed having an effective system for turning first time guests into second time guests because it is 8 times more likely that a second time guest will permanently engage with your church. This was timely on the heels of Easter.
Pastors, there is much value to be gained in attending your regional Together Group. We understand that there is so much competition for your time and attention, and that you may simply feel too busy to attend something that you may view as possibly wasted time. Our hope and prayer though is that the topic of discussion will encourage you and you will make relational connections.
Together Groups are “soul care” for pastors. Many pastors neglect to carve out time for soul-care, yet it is so crucial if we are to pastor for the long haul. It is definitely not a sprint; it’s a marathon!
In this marathon, every pastor (whether he realizes it or not) is in need of three key relationships (for our own soul care):
- Peers – friends at the same stage of life that you can learn from and just share life with.
- Coach – nobody likes to feel alone as they try to navigate church and ministry issues. A coach will bring comfort, help, and guidance as you meet regularly at least once a month.
- Counselor – a trusted person with whom you can unpack what is happening beneath the surface in your heart and personal life.
Together Groups are a great place for the church leader to find these key relationships.
May God continue to bless each one of us as we seek to intentionally grow together in our Together Groups. Truly, we are better together! Our heartbeat is to relentlessly serve our pastors and churches. If we can serve you by helping you get plugged into a Together Group, please contact us.