Aspen Group Blog

By Lynn Noe, Customer Relations Coordinator

It seems we are in a time when many churches are asking themselves, “Would the community miss us if we weren’t here?”  Most church leaders would say they want to have relevant, meaningful ministries and a defined identity and purpose.  But how do you assess your church’s ability to be a transforming church?  Is it simply a matter of growing attendance or is it deeper than that?

Part of Aspen Group’s visioning process is the Transforming Church Index (TCI).  This is an online tool offered through TAG Consulting that surveys a church’s congregation on five key indicators:

• Consumerism/Community - Are we partners in ministry or are we consumers of the church’s products?
• Incongruence/Code - Do our members own the values and mission of the church?
• Autocracy/Shared Leadership - Is leadership a shared function?
• Cloister/Missional - Does our church have an inward or an outward focus?
• Inertia/Reinvention - What is our church’s capacity to embrace change?

The results of each church’s survey are then compared to national norms, backed by over 7,000 records in the TCI database.  The confidential survey asks 110 questions, each targeting one of the five key indicators plus 20 adjectives about the church.

Following are a couple sample questions. Participants answer on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being “Strongly Disagree” and 5 being “Strongly Agree”:

“My actions Influence the Church”

“My church is…friendly”

“The church cares as much about its members as it does about its programs”

“This church has a clearly defined vision of the future”

“Our leaders practice what they expect others to do”

After the surveys are complete, an assessment is made of that church’s results.  And that is where the transformation starts to happen.  One of Aspen’s Project Developers and a consultant from TAG then meet for an “unpack” with the church leaders.  This isn’t just reading the results back to the church.  This is a deep dive into each of the indicators and an open dialogue on the issues that will either hinder or support a church’s ability to grow and transform lives.

“Even if for some reason we never get around to building, the TCI and visioning process with Aspen has been life changing for our church,” said Pastor Mark Weston, from Dayspring Community Church. 

Whether you are facing some major strategic decision, trying to assess your congregation’s organizational health, dealing with conflict or unresolved issues, have transition in your leadership, or you want to develop a solid plan for growth, a TCI will provide you the assessment and the next steps for a solid, growing ministry.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like more information about the TCI and how it could help your church.

We are excited to feature the following guest blog post from our CKN partner Seth Andrews from Creative Animation Studios.  Recent Aspen clients who have used Creative Animation Studios for cutting-edge campaign materials include Eastern Star Church, Greenwood Christian Church, and College Park Church. 

“Our church members were able to see the vision for our new Northwest Campus come to life through our 3D animation. The DVD was a great tool to show the congregation the future projects," shared Anthony Murdock, of Eastern Star Church.

Creative Animations - Telling the Story

By Seth Andrews, President, Creative Animation Studios

Over the years, I've seen churches that have jumped into large-scale capital campaigns with big dreams.  Pastors and campaign directors would carefully map out their vision.  Expectations would be high.  Enthusiasm would be high. 

And then they'd communicate this rich, wonderful, exciting, full-color vision with...PowerPoint. 

It's a helpless feeling to watch poor communication sink a wonderful dream.  But it happens all the time.  A three-dimensional idea usually doesn't translate well into mere words, text slides or flattened photos.  We live in a cinematic culture where all of the senses are longing to be engaged.  People are hungry to be drawn out of a mere spectator position, and to become participants in the game.

Images courtesy of Creative Animation StudiosPeople often ask me about the technical nature of our 3D animations, and I'm happy to oblige.  But I always remind them that, no matter how slick our expensive toys get, every successful campaign is built around one simple concept: storytelling.

Our 3D animated tours tell the story of why new or updated facilities are needed and what they'll look like, but we make sure to use compelling music, narration and video testimonies to create an immersive, compelling picture that connects visually, audibly, and in the audience's hearts and minds.  We emphasize that each and every step the church takes is about "Life Change."  The building is merely the frame.  The portrait inside is made up of people whose lives have been impacted. 

If we don't tell those stories, if we don't communicate why we're dreaming big, if we don't transport our audience into a fully-realized vision of the future, we severely risk running headlong into the brick wall of mediocrity. 

Producing 3D virtual tours and campaign videos for over 16 years has been tremendously rewarding.  We've seen what works.  We've seen what doesn't.  And ultimately, I have become more and more convinced that great storytelling is an immersive experience where we transport the audience with professionalism and excellence into a future facility, future ministries and future opportunity.

And when the lights come up, and when the people have had a moment to catch their breath, they cannot wait to get involved.