About Our Pastor -Rev. Karen Seavey

Each month we will include Encouraging Word... A message from Pastor Karen to lift up and encourage all those who walk in faith. Scroll down on this page to view. . .

Encouraging Word

A few weeks ago, the members of the Kasson Church Council and Staff Parish Relations Committee participated in assessment tool that seeks to identify the dominant value in our church culture. It asks questions in the areas of church identity, church leadership, church personality, church unity, church focus and church success.  Church Culture Orientation is described as: Community, Flexibility, Structure, or Impact. The descriptions of 4 cultures are as follows:

Community: This church is characterized by a warm, close-knit fellowship. Unity and community are dominant values. The focus is inward and people-oriented. This congregation sees themselves as the “household of faith” (Gal 6:10) and the family of God. 

Flexibility: This church is characterized by creativity, innovation and edginess. Finding new way to tell the old, old story is the dominant value. The focus in on people, but people who are outside of the church. This congregation sees themselves as the “new wineskins” foretold by Jesus. (Lk 5:37-39)

Structure: This church is characterized by a well-functioning and frugal organization. Order and efficiency are the dominant values. The focus is inward and on the task. The congregation sees itself as fulfilling Paul’s command to do all things “decently and in order.” (1 Cor 14:40)

Impact: This church is characterized by results and impact. Mission is the dominant value. The focus is outward and task-oriented. This congregation sees themselves as the Church Triumphant, storming the gates of hell. (Matt 16:18)

COMMUNITY: is the strongest descriptor of church culture at KUMC.  The trapezoidal shaped object in the center of the grid is a picture derived from how the assessment questions were answered. Almost all those who took the assessment came up with a picture close to looking like this object. Most of the time, the other three areas were very similar in size, with the primary area of community being very dominant.

The fact that community is of the highest value is probably not a surprise to most of  you.  People in the Kasson church enjoy working and “playing” together. The church is open to newer people taking leadership and invites participation. We are often told that we are friendly and welcoming to those who attend. We have many ways of caring for those who are connected to our congregation. Some ways are formal, but many are informal. We work hard to communicate well. We share blessings and concerns and pray for those, both within and without our church who have special needs. Pastor and people have many opportunities to get to know one another.   Christian community is something important we have to share with others.  We know that community, in general,  is one of the highest priorities of people in our neighborhoods and work places today.  Many people are feeling lonely and isolated. People who are seeking a faith experience are also looking for a place they can find Christian friendships. We are able to provide a caring Christian environment where people can develop significant relationships and grow in their faith. It is something we can do better than a mega-church who may reach thousands of people on Sunday morning, but has to work very hard to develop small groups or volunteer opportunities where people can connect. Christian community is a unique strength of a church our size and we need to capitalize on it so that we can fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.. However, because Community tends to be inwardly focused, it is imperative for us to strengthen our outward focus. If we truly have a passion for Christ and want others to have the opportunity to share in fellowship with God and his church, we need to consider the attributes of the areas of Flexibility and Impact and how they relate to us. Outreach is the work of the entire church community and it requires that we make some effort to move outside our comfort zones. It comes in all kinds of ways–from special events in which we invite and come with our unchurched neighbors to embracing new technology to creativity in worship. Its strongest aspect is personal evangelism, where we develop friendships with people where there is an opportunity to share our faith with them I hope you will give this assessment on Church Culture some thought and will share your thoughts with me. You may have some wonderful ideas regarding the ways that we as congregations and as individuals can be more effective in bringing the benefits of Christian Community to others. Please feel free to email me at kmseavey@kmtel.com. I also hope that you will actively participate in our summer ministry outreach events by attending and bringing friends or volunteering: Vacation Bible School, Worship in the Park, Festival in the Park Parade and Breakfast, or the Baby Changing Table during Marigold Days. I look forward to seeing you in worship on these beautiful summer Sundays.  I also look forward to the special celebration at Pleasant Corners on July 11. Love,  Pastor Karen

The Assessment of Church Culture was adapted from “Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture by Kim Cameron and Robert E. Quinn, Addison Wesley Publishing, Inc.1999