MCCI

Originally developed by the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2011, the Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI) provides churches and their pastors with an intensive consultation and clergy training/coaching/resourcing model. 

It is designed to assist congregations that are currently plateaued, are in decline, or are on the way “up” but not sure what should come next — and have the pastoral leadership and potential resources to jumpstart a new life cycle of ministry fruitfulness. MCCI honors the past, celebrates the present, and equips us to partner with God for the future.

Explore resources at the MCCI Table in the Commons area on campus or tap/click the list of resources and our fall 2021 timeline below.

Fall 2022 Information:

Prescription Teams are at work. Team chairs are:

  • Facilities Repurpose/Utilization Team – Wayne Johnson
  • Signature Ministry – Nick Dewey
  • Campus Revitalization Strategy – Jerry Schilling
  • Flames – Ann Johnson
  • CFC Connections – Rev. Nate Melcher
  • Guest Connections – Gail Johnson

FALL 2021 TIMELINE (COMPLETED):

COMPLETED:
Sept. 19: Resource Refocus Sunday – 10:30am-12:00pm, Fellowship Hall
MCCI founder and director Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey will meet with the entire church as we name our current ministry activities, organization, partnerships, and resource areas that make up who we are and how we operate as a church today. Let us celebrate the resources God has given our church!

COMPLETED:
Oct. 14: MCCI Express Day – 9:00am-9:00pm, Fellowship Hall and Online
The MCCI consultant team will tour campus and interview clergy, paid staff, and some elected leaders during the day. That night, the entire church is invited to participate in a session with that team to talk about our identity, mission, and what we’ve heard through our Breakthrough Prayer Initiative about what we sense God has for us next. You will want to be a part of this opportunity together.

COMPLETED:
Oct. 17:
MCCI Report Day – 9:30am-10:30am, Sanctuary during Worship
Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey will deliver a report of unique prescriptions we can carry out to intentionally jumpstart new fruitfulness. The report is the result of all that we named and shared on MCCI Express Day, and you are asked to be part of the process leading up to receiving the report. All members are expected to read the report before voting. It will be made available on campus and online. 

COMPLETED:
Oct. 24: Town Hall Meeting #1 – 10:35am-11:15am, Fellowship Hall

Nov. 7: Town Hall Meeting #2 – 10:35am-11:15am, Sanctuary
Nov. 18: Town Hall Meeting #3 – 7:00pm-8:00pm, Zoom
Everyone is invited to participate in facilitated town hall meetings to discuss the contents of the MCCI Report together. The church conference is a simple yes/no vote without discussion; please use the town hall opportunities for discussion, thank you. Please read the report before you arrive at the town hall meeting, thank you.

COMPLETED:
Nov. 21: MCCI Vote Day – 10:30am, Sanctuary and Online
District Superintendent Rev. Dan Johnson will lead us in a church conference and all official church members whose names are on the church roll are asked to be present in real time in-person or online to vote (“yes” or “no” ballot) on the MCCI Report. Everyone is expected to read the report before they vote. If those present vote by a margin of 75% or greater to accept the recommended prescriptions, we will have decided as a church to step forward into our next life cycle together with MCCI coaching and resourcing underwritten by the Minnesota Annual Conference.

Frequently Asked Questions

I. These frequently asked questions are based on questions and information raised at the MCCI Town Hall gatherings:

1. Where did the strengths, concerns, and prescriptions come from?
The MCCI Team reviewed all of the documentation and paperwork on this website and available to any member of the church. They took in data they received from “mystery shoppers” who had fresh eyes and perspective of how they experienced our church. They interviewed elected leaders of the church and listened to members of the church who were both in-person and online at MCCI Express Day. The strengths, concerns, and prescriptions in the report are the themes they heard lifted over and over. These are, then, our ideas, our interests, and our collective passions.

2. How was the church informed about MCCI?
Please see the timeline at the bottom of this webpage for our church’s MCCI journey. 

3. Does “Dreaming Forward: New Signature Ministry” mean current ministries will all come to an end?
No. Richfield UMC is proud to have many ministries that are based in faith formation and education, community relationships, mission and outreach, pastoral care, and music. While all churches have ministries that come and go, seeking a signature ministry does not necessarily automatically eliminate other ministries. The “Signature Ministry” prescription gives us the opportunity to gather feedback from church members about their passions and vision for the variety of ministry opportunities that move our hearts.

4. How do we discuss the report and can we change it?
Discussion is at the three Town Hall gatherings, in direct conversation between members and/or Pastor Nate, and in our prayer lives. As explained during the MCCI Express Day, discussion is only prior to the church conference and because the report is a reflection of all of the documentation, paperwork, interviews, and Express Day conversations that lift up the collective passions expressed by the members of the church, the report will come before the church conference without amendment.

5. If we don’t affirm the report, what happens?
The report is a potential road map to what intentional steps we can take in faith together, all built upon what we articulated that God has put on our hearts for the future of this church. If we do not affirm the report, we still have it as a resource to us in case we want to do anything with it, but we would do so without resourcing financed by the Minnesota Annual Conference including MCCI coaches. Out of 200+ United Methodist churches in Minnesota and other annual conferences across the nation in the MCCI process, we would become the 3rd church to not affirm their MCCI report. We would then need to develop and implement a new plan on our own if we have interest in journeying into vitality. 

II. This sections is specifically about the church conference for the MCCI vote:

A. What is a church conference?
A church conference is an all-church meeting that can include voting matters that impacts the life of the church. All current members are eligible to vote and must be present in real-time to vote. There is no early or proxy voting, in alignment with the UM Book of Discipline. Immediately following worship in the Sanctuary, our District Superintendent will preside over a church conference. Our last in-person church conference was January 31, 2020 to approve the 2020 budget. Since then, our church conferences have all been online only. the church conference on November 21, 2021 will be our first hybrid church conference. 

B. What are we voting on?
The vote is whether to affirm the MCCI Report. This includes affirming our strengths, acknowledging our concerns, and confirming our God is leading our church into these next intentional steps as a plan forward through the listed prescriptions – all done with the guidance of MCCI coaches who are compensated by the Minnesota Annual Conference. 

C. Am I required to read the report before I vote on it?
Yes. Members are expected to be responsible and read the report before voting on it. Members are encouraged to contact Rev. Nate Melcher directly with any questions. The report will have been available online and in print for over five weeks before the vote.

D. How will voting work at the church conference?
Because, as announced in worship and invitation letter, the discussion on the MCCI Report is at the three Town Hall meeting prior to the church conference. All in-person attendees will vote by paper ballot (“Yes” or “No”). People who attend the church conference online by Zoom will use a voting feature on the Zoom platform. Zoom voting may include more than one round of voting if, for example, a member couple attend the church conference using the same device. The Zoom link will be published in the Heartline newsletter and the bulletin. We are glad to offer this online option for members who can be present in real-time but not physically present. Like any church conference, all members who attend in real-time will have the opportunity to vote. 

MCCI IN OTHER MINNESOTA UNITED METHODIST CHURCHES

The MCCI experience is one of three church revitalization opportunities in the Minnesota Annual Conference: “Choosing the Faithful Path” for smaller-sized churches, “Healthy Church Initiative” for medium-sized churches, and “Missional Church Consultation Initiative” for large-size churches. More than 25 United Methodist Churches in Minnesota have participated in MCCI cohorts since 2015.

Our cohort of MCCI churches began in 2019. These churches include Brooklyn UMC in Brooklyn Park, Camphor Memorial UMC in St. Paul, Coon Rapids UMC, First UMC in Austin, First UMC in Windom, Richfield UMC in Minneapolis, Southern Hills UMC in Sioux Falls, SD. Richfield UMC is proud to be the first of this cohort to take the next steps of MCCI Resource Day, MCCI Express Day, and beyond. 

This is a sampling of news stories, reports, and clergy reflections from Minnesota-based MCCI churches over the years. The link on the left is directly to the church, while the link to the right is a story of what the church’s MCCI process has been like, what some of the breakthroughs have been, and how some of their prescriptions have been implemented and brought new life to the church:

“MCCI is providing Messiah UMC with an opportunity to look forward to a future filled with hope. Much is already going well. That often keeps us from anticipating what must change to ready for the next great thing that God could do. MCCI gets us ahead of the curve to jump-start a new trajectory in ministry. The monthly coaching sessions are among the best learning opportunities that I have experienced in ministry. They are a place to ask for guidance, to admit what I don’t know, to hear best practices for effective large churches, and to receive support from colleagues who are experiencing the same steps toward change and new beginnings.”
– Rev. Steve Richards, Senior Pastor, Messiah UMC, Plymouth

Hilltop UMC in Mankato experienced MCCI momentum.

Greetings from Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey, founder of MCCI. Sue sent this video to the church at the beginning of pandemic when she had been slated to travel from Ohio to preach in worship. Her enthusiasm for this church and our future is palpable to this day!

The Primary Leadership Component Assessment is a tool designed by Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey to help church members identify their gifts and prayerful discern how they can best put those gifts to work in the life of the church. Take the assessment today!

Our MCCI Timeline

This is the culmination of years of preparation and Breakthrough Prayer to discern God’s next steps together. Here is a timeline of how MCCI came to Richfield UMC and its fruitfulness:

  • Fall 2017: Pastor Pam and some servant volunteers of the church were approached by Bishop Ough and the Cabinet to begin the MCCI process and bring the opportunity to the church on a journey to vitality. Momentum was put on pause as we transitioned to new appointed clergy leadership in the summer of 2019.
  • Summer 2019: Members, paid staff, and Pastor Nate attended a workshop about Breakthrough Prayer, a prayer that asks God to do something new that we cannot do ourselves on our own.
  • August 4, 2019: The church was given an MCCI brochure in worship and in the Commons area, and the process was lifted up in four sermons. 
  • Fall 2019: Our MCCI cohort churches were listed in the prayer list on a rotating basis so we could pray for their process by name for two years. Workshop participants started crafting our Breakthrough Prayer, servant volunteers did a communications audit, and Pastor Nate joined the MCCI church cohort for coaching clergy.
  • November 10, 2019: A letter went out to the church about MCCI. Over 100 church members took the Primary Leadership Components assessment in worship, online, or on their own to discern how they bless the church in their leadership role as a Spiritual Shepherd, Systems/Task Organizer, or Vision Crier.
  • January 2020: A sermon series took us through the assessment results detailing the above roles.
  • January 26, 2020: The Breakthrough Prayer Initiative debuted in worship; everyone was asked to pray for their church at 8:35 daily. This day also debuted lighting candles in worship to celebrate “conflux moments” when our life’s journey meets God’s heart. 100+ candles were lit in worship over the next six weeks before the pandemic prevented in-person worship.
  • 2020-2021: In distanced times, MCCI continued to be mentioned in worship announcements and sermons, The Heartline newsletter, MCCI cohort churches were listed in the prayer list for two years, and we celebrated our conflux moments in worship.
  • Summer 2021: Servant volunteers met with Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey about next steps and set key fall dates. Servant volunteers and paid staff created a Self-Study about the history and current picture of the church. “Mystery worshippers” worshipped in-person and/or online and offered feedback (received at the MCCI Express Day) about their church experience from the perspective of someone with fresh eyes.
  • August 24, 2021: MCCI Invitation Letter mailed to all members 
  • September 19, 2021: Resource Refocus Sunday workshop – MCCI founder and director Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey met with the entire church as we name our current ministry activities, organization, partnerships, and resource areas that make up who we are and how we operate as a church today.
  • October 14, 2021: MCCI Express Day – The MCCI consultant team toured campus and interviewed clergy, paid staff, and some elected leaders during the day. That night, the entire church was invited to participate in a session with the team to talk about our identity, mission, and what we’ve heard through our Breakthrough Prayer Initiative about what we sense God has for us next. 
  • October 17, 2021: MCCI Report Day
  • October 24, 2021: Town Hall Meeting #1, 10:35am-11:15am Fellowship Hall
  • November 7, 2021: Town Hall Meeting #2, 10:35am-11:15am Sanctuary
  • November 18, 2021: Town Hall Meeting #3, 7:00pm-8:00pm Zoom
  • November 21, 2021: MCCI Vote Day, Church Conference immediately after worship in-person and by Zoom
  • January 30, 2022: Call for everyone to sign up for MCCI Breakthrough Teams before February 13.