Resources for Vital Change: Incorporate Shared Values

In the face of declining church membership, declining attendance, and declining religious participation, the people in the Baltimore-Washington Conference decided to focus on moving closer to Christ, to focus on transformational, outward-facing, community-driven ministry and to do so in a collaborative manner consistent with our shared values. Vital Change involves refocusing on being the hands and feet of Christ in the community, reconnecting to our values, and restructuring to support our ministries and values. The goal of Vital Change is vitality – that 100% of our faith communities become 100% focused on deepening discipleship, seeing and valuing all the people, living and loving like Jesus, and multiplying the impact of missions.

In the first wave of resources, we asked you to reflect on our shared values, to think about how those values are expressed in your personal life, in your church life, and in your work life. In this resource packet, we ask you to assess how the shared values are expressed in your church life and how they might be strengthened in ministry and mission.

Resources for Congregations and Members

Communications Action Art and Media 

  1. Communication elements (announcements and an article) to share in your church newsletter or bulletin.
  2. An action for individuals, teams and small groups to take.
  3. Art and media provided for your congregation to use in worship and/or social media to keep our values front and center.

In this season of intentional spiritual growth and preparation, our shared values provide a compass for the journey ahead. When people in your congregation begin to understand the shared values, explore them more deeply with activities for individuals and small groups that encourage reflection and action.

Communications:
AnnouncementS 
  • Our values define us. As we continue engaging in Vital Change, please take a moment to read and reflect on how are our shared values of love in action, strength through connection, unity in diversity, partnering with purpose, and the freedom to try being expressed in our lives and ministry. We encourage everyone to read, share and engage as a part of our shared journey toward vital change. Learn more.
  • Vital churches face outward; toward the community outside the walls of the church. And if a church does so in a way that embodies our shared values, it transforms lives and communities. A case study for using values to guide vital change provides an illustration of this and provides an opportunity for us to reflect, assess and act. Learn more.
Article

The following article provides a brief look into restructuring for Vital Change and Our Shared Values. It is designed to be shared in church newsletters, websites, in bulletins, or in any way that's helpful. Download a PDF of the article.

Our Values Define Us

A church’s values define it, but sometimes unintentional values speak louder than the things we say we value. How are church leaders or visitors treated? What is money spent on? How do members spend their time outside the sanctuary? How much risk is taken in ministry? How well do you know your neighbors and what do they think of you? Where do you see God’s presence in the church? Our real or unintended values are demonstrated in the answers to these types of questions.

Vital Change encompasses refocusing on being the hands and feet of Christ in the community, reconnecting to our values, and restructuring to support our ministries and values. The goal of Vital Change is vitality – that 100% of our faith communities become 100% focused on deepening discipleship, seeing and valuing all the people, living and loving like Jesus, and multiplying the impact of missions. 

Our shared values are:
     • Love in Action
     • Strength through Connection
     • Unity within Diversity
     • Partnering with Purpose
     • Freedom to Try 

As we embark on Vital Change we need to assess how the values are expressed in our church life and how they might be strengthened in our ministries and missions.  

You are invited to think about our ministries and missions:

  • How outward-facing are our ministries and missions?
  • To what extent are the values embodied in our ministries and missions?
  • Are there ways to increase the impact of our ministries and missions by ensuring that all our values are strongly reflected in our ministries and missions? 

Our values strengthen, inspire, and define us as we seek to grow vitality and live in the fullness of God. In this season, you are invited to explore our shared values and how they shape your life and ministry.

Action:
Case Study

Our values create a pathway for Vital Change. Like many other churches, St. Matthew’s New Life UMC in Baltimore is embracing our shared values to extend Christ’s ministry in meaningful ways. While these stories are inspirational and informational, they are designed to also be case studies for reflection and action.

We invite you to share, reflect and discuss these stories with friends or members of a small group in your congregation.  

  1. What can we learn from these stories? 
  2. Vital churches face outward; toward the community outside the walls of the church. In what ways did this church see and reach beyond its walls? How outward-facing is our church? How might our congregation become more outward-facing, more love in action (incarnational)?
  3. With the stories and value assessments in mind, do the same type of value assessment with your strongest 2-5 outward-facing ministries.
Applying the Lessons to Your Church

While every expression of faith honors and glorifies God, many churches are pursuing a different way of being in ministry that lifts up deepening relationships, justice, and partnership as we engage in acts of compassion. 

Some churches that once handed out food periodically are working with other churches and community organizations to address food needs in more sensitive, respectful, continuous, and impactful ways. In other congregations, United Methodists are learning more about poverty, hunger, violence, addiction, and other ills facing their communities and are becoming advocates of social change. And still other congregations are creating partnerships to bring transformative change to people’s lives and their communities. 

More than 70 percent of BWC churches are involved in hunger ministries. If you are involved in a food ministry, now is a good time to assess how aligned that ministry is with each value. How might the mission be improved by increasing alignment with the values? What can be done to ensure that the mission is aligned with all of the values? This is the work of Vital Change – focusing on incarnational ministry and vitality.

Consider your congregation’s most outward-facing ministry.
  • How are the shared values of love in action, strength through connection, unity in diversity, partnering with purpose, and the freedom to try being expressed via this ministry? 
    • Are some values more strongly expressed?
    • Are some values weakly or not at all expressed?
  • How might you ensure that each value is strongly expressed in this ministry?
    • How would this increase the reach and impact of the mission?
    • How would it make the ministry more “up close and personal”?
    • How would it help the ministry serve more people in need?
    • How would it make the ministry more like the “hands and feet of Jesus” in the community?
Art and Media

Select and open the artwork below to view it at its full file size. Then, right-click to save.

Flyers

 

 

Video

At the beginning of 2025, Bishop Easterling provided a reminder of why we are pursuing Vital Change to reclaim the movement of methodism and what that means for us today and in the coming months.

Artwork

Download these pull quotes about embracing change to use in your newsletter, social media, website, or anywhere else you're sharing the story of vital change.

See Wave 1 resources on Introducing Our Shared Values.
Share Your Story, Progress and Feedback

How are the shared values being lived out in your congregation? What ministry are you interested in working with to increase the presence of these values? How does your church live out the values in your community and beyond? Stories are the church’s lifeblood and we’d love to hear and learn from yours. Share stories with  .

We want to ensure you are getting the support needed for engaging in Vital Change. Provide updates on your progress and provide feedback here.