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Good Shepherd Community Church

 Associate Pastor of Local Outreach, Dan Vorm 

Question #1.  What principles and practices used by these churches have been most successful in attracting and evangelizing unchurched people? 

Good Shepherd Community Church’s identity as a local body of believers started as a weeknight Bible study in the basement of a nearby home.  Those attending enjoyed that time together so much they began inviting friends to join and soon they outgrew the host home.  In response to the obvious question “What now?” they were excited at the thought of forming their own church with the Bible as the foundation and the Lord Jesus Christ as the Head.  The first worship service was held on May 1, 1977 in a small grange hall.  The congregation continued to grow as they moved to a local high school and later onto their present campus.  Today they have over 3000 people attending one of the six weekend services and hundreds of participants meeting in small groups throughout the eastern part of the Portland metro area. 

People are attracted to the weekend worship services at Good Shepherd Community Church because of the good preaching and contemporary worship style.  As the senior pastor of Good Shepherd, Stu Weber has set up a team leadership model and this is reflected in his approach to preaching as well.  He and two other teaching elders form a preaching team that share weekend preaching responsibilities.  Stu usually preaches two weekends a month and shares the remaining weekends with the other members of the speaking team.  Members of Good Shepherd enjoy the variety while anticipating good solid Bible teaching and expository preaching.  In recent years, some newcomers have been attracted to Good Shepherd because of reading one of Stu Weber’s popular books.  The congregation meets in a multipurpose facility, which gives the weekend services a relaxed atmosphere.  The worship, which is lead by a praise band, is contemporary though it would not be described as a “seeker-service.”  They use a blend of worship songs and hymns, therefore it is not purely liturgical nor does it reflect any denominational style.

Good Shepherd offers two ways for people to indicate their interest in hearing a clear presentation of the gospel.  First, there is a special “Next Step” room located just off of the sanctuary, which is staffed by Next Step counselors at the end of each service.  It is a small room with sofas that provides a comfortable environment.  In a typical weekend there might be as many as five people who come to the “Next Step” room for general prayer or for salvation.  The second way is through the communication card found in the weekly bulletin.  It has a box to mark indicating an interest in salvation and Pastor Dan Vorm follows-up with a personal phone call.

In the past Good Shepherd hasn’t been as intentionally outreach-oriented as it would like.  However, the church is now seeking to create more avenues of aggressive focused evangelism by planting of new “Satellite Churches,” partnering with other local churches and mobilizing their own congregation.  Good Shepherd regularly provides outreach opportunities for the members to invite unchurched friends.  “Rather than going out into the streets, we are trying to encourage our people to take advantage of the relationships and circle or sphere of influence that God has given them,” states Dan Vorm, Associate Pastor of Local Outreach.  The church seeks to offer 10-15 “invitational events” per year including such things as a Veterans breakfast, a sportsman’s dinner, a harvest moon bizarre, Christmas and Easter services, and men’s and women’s retreats.  One good example is the “Relational Joy Marriage Seminar” held at the Persimmon Golf Club.  It is a dessert evening with a special speaker where members invite unchurched people with whom they have been establishing relationships. “We are very relationally oriented when it comes to outreach,” explains Vorm.

Good Shepherd has also joined The Lighthouse Movement.  This is a strategy that is sweeping the nation, involving thousands of churches and individuals that are interested in reaching their friends and neighbors for Christ.  It has the backing of many major Christian organizations, including Campus Crusade for Christ, Promise Keepers and Mission America.  The strategy is very simple: PRAY for those in your circle of influence who do not know Christ; CARE for them in little or big ways, showing the love of Christ; then SHARE the message of the Gospel as God gives opportunity.  These are the only guidelines—the rest is up to the individual and the leading of the Holy Spirit!  Participants are encouraged to start by thinking primarily of non-Christians who are in their circle of influence—primarily, where they live, work or play.  They are asked to choose a few people from this group and begin to pray for them on a regular basis.  As they pray for them, they are to ask God to show them ways to build a friendship with these non-Christians.  Then, as the relationship is building, look for natural ways in which to raise spiritual issues, making sure not to push too hard if the non-Christian friends seem resistant.

Good Shepherd does not have a particular target group, instead, those who attend reflect the types of people who live in east county.  The church has the gamut of socio-economic diversity.  However, most of the congregation is white.  The Boring area has very few African-Americans but it does have a growing number of Hispanics.  Presently, several Good Shepherd people are seeking to build relationships with members of the Hispanic community by teaching English at a local apartment complex.

There are two additional ministries that provide service to the community and a point of entry into the church.  First, Good Shepherd School is an integral part of the church’s ministry, not a separate entity. They provide a quality Biblically-based education for families who want a Christian school environment for their children.  Presently, there are more than 220 students, grades K through 8.  Secondly, Good Shepherd Counseling Ministry offers support, encouragement and enrichment through classes and private counseling.  Premarital Training, Recovery from Loss and DivorceCare are just a few of the classes offered.

Question #2.  How do these churches welcome and follow-up unchurched visitors and new converts? 

Good Shepherd knows that “you only have one chance to make a first impression,” therefore, they have created a ministry called “First Touch.”  The goal of this ministry is to help people feel as welcomed and cared for as possible.  The key ministry positions are greeters, traffic safety, ushers and the information center.  Except for traffic safety, each of these positions is on a rotating schedule where they serve every other month.  Traffic safety personnel serve one set of services, either on Saturday or Sunday, one weekend a month.

First time visitors to Good Shepherd receive a personal phone call within that week from Dan Vorm, Pastor of Local Outreach.  If they have checked boxes on the communication card, Dan will touch base with them on those ministry interests.  The church will send an introductory letter only if the first time visitors cannot be reached by phone.

Good Shepherd provides two levels of follow-up for new and growing Christians.  First, “Spiritual Beginnings” offers 4-6 sessions where an individual or a couple meets with a Spiritual Beginnings counselor or counselor-couple to explore the meaning and significance of the gospel.  This serves as a natural bridge to the “Fresh Start” ministry.  Fresh Start Growth Groups are designed for seekers, new believers and Christians who need the basics.  These groups used to meet in homes but now meet at the church on Thursday evenings with about 50-70 people involved.  Childcare is also provided in order to encourage attendance.  From 6:45 – 7:15 PM everyone meets together for a Fresh Start Celebration before breaking into small groups.  This opening session helps participants build relationships beyond their small group, moves them toward beginning to attend weekend worship and allows for large group teaching.  From 7:15 – 8:30 PM everyone meets in small groups of 10-15 people with a leader.  These groups are designed to be fun and informal and to focus on learning and applying biblical truth to life.  The church uses three books to help create a pathway of spiritual growth: Misconceptions: Tough Questions Answered From God’s Point of View; Foundations: A Blueprint for Building a Relationship with God; and Traversing the High Points of Scripture: A Moderated Read-Through of the Bible (Misconceptions and Traversing are created and published by Good Shepherd).

Question #3.  How do these churches provide an opportunity for new people to gain a sense of belonging?

One of the more visible and convenient ways that people connect with one another at Good Shepherd is through mini-churches.  Each weekend people have the opportunity to attend both a worship service and a mini-church either on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.  Each of the eight mini-churches, which range in size from 50 –200 in attendance, have a primary target group based on season of life.  The purpose of each mini-church is to build relationships, study topics of common interest for that life-stage and mature together spiritually and chronologically.  They are churches within a church. 

Growth Groups are at the heart of Good Shepherd Community Church and are the primary means of building strong relationships at the church.  Growth Groups are midweek home Bible study and fellowship groups that provide an opportunity to practice the “one another’s” of scripture.  Each week, hundreds of people meet in groups of 12-18 throughout Multnomah and Clackamas counties to study the Bible together, to build close, lasting relationships, and to pray and share their lives with one another.  There are four stated purposes for Growth Groups at Good Shepherd:

Living God’s Word—Studying together and applying the Bible to everyday life. 

  Caring for God’s people—An opportunity for consistent fellowship and mutual discipleship. Real fellowship meets needs, and therefore takes time, effort and sacrifice. 

   Conducting God’s mission—Exercising our gifts in ministry, meeting physical and spiritual needs both inside and outside of the church. 

  Building God’s church—By doing all of the above, we will achieve unity and maturity.

In addition to Growth Groups, many adults find a place of connection through Good Shepherd’s Ministry to Men and Ministry to Women.  Ladies can choose from Bible studies that meet at the church on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Mom to Mom that meets once a month on Thursdays, Women of Action that meets on Fridays, Moms of Teens that meets monthly, Single Women Over 50 that meets monthly or the Heart to Heart women’s mentoring ministry.  The men primarily connect through the weekly High Ground early morning meetings on Tuesdays and Sundays.  Through these weekly meetings and special events Good Shepherd seeks to help men discover God's role for them in their homes, church, and society—all in an environment of encouragement, accountability, and mutual assistance.      

Good Shepherd also offers a Pastor’s Reception for newcomers held 4-6 times yearly from 4-6:30 PM on Sunday evenings.  All the pastors attend and a light meal is served.  During the evening guests are informed about the history, organization, vision and philosophy of ministry of Good Shepherd, as well as the ministries that are available.  There is a real emphasis placed on the need to become connected and involved.

Good Shepherd does not maintain an official church membership roll.  However, there are some general expectations that would be true of those whose hearts are in tune with Good Shepherd.  Healthy members of the body that are growing and maturing would be attending worship on a regular basis, connecting in Bible teaching opportunities, giving and serving. “We do regard the tithe as a biblical standard and feel that Christians should do at least that well,” states Vorm.  “Those in leadership should be at least tithing.  We believe that it is part of worship, it is a part of Christian maturity.”

Question #4.  How do these churches see that people are discipled into fully devoted followers of Christ?

All the ministries of Good Shepherd are intended to point people toward spiritual maturity and growth in their faith.  Worship services are the main platform for biblical teaching and are complimented by the mini-churches.  The small group ministry, however, is the premier discipling ministry of Good Shepherd.  There are several different groups for different needs. 

Foundational Growth Groups are the tried and true groups upon which Good Shepherd has built a good portion of their reputation.  Important elements of these groups are growing friendships—built on a foundation of regular sharing, prayer, social activities, encouragement and accountability—and practical ministry—the group, as a part of Christ’s body, reaching out to meet needs in the group, in the church and in the community.  In the past, Foundational Growth Groups studied lessons that paralleled the sermon series.  Now, through a process called “CrossTraining” the studies for the year are uniquely tailored to each group’s growth goals.  After the group forms, members are asked to clarify personal growth goals in several areas, then the group leader guides the group in choosing appropriate curricula for the year’s study, based on common themes among members' growth goals.  The name CrossTraining was selected for at least two reasons.  First, the name reflects the truth of 1 Timothy 4:7-8, ...train yourself to be godly.  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  Secondly, cross-training in modern athletics implies equipping and preparation in a variety of skills and disciplines, to develop a well-rounded, complete athlete.  As each individual develops spiritually, Good Shepherd wants to help him or her thoughtfully and prayerfully target the skills and disciplines for life that will develop them into a more complete man or woman in Christ.  The Purpose Statement for CrossTraining includes four critical concepts.  CrossTraining is...A Lifelong Commitment to Intentional Growth toward becoming an Authentic Christian in the context of Caring Relationships.  It is a heart attitude that says, "Lord, tell me what’s next, and help me get there"...a mindset that will guide each person more faithfully and effectively into the rest of a lifetime of growth.

Fresh Start Growth Groups are designed to lay the foundation of basics in the Bible’s teaching and in Christian living for new and growing Christians.  These groups plan to stay together for two years, and the curriculum is devoted to the most important "first things" of Christian faith and living.

Bible Read-Thru Groups are designed for Christians who want to know better the heart of God and the plan of God by reading the whole Bible in a year or less.  Every member of these groups commits to at least 3-4 hours per week simply reading the Bible.  Most of the time the group meeting is devoted to sharing outstanding passages from the week's scripture reading with other group members.

HomeBuilders Groups involve six to eight couples—whether married for many years, newlyweds or even engaged—who interact together each week over the biblical basics for a fulfilling marriage. The materials provide not only weekly study and discussion questions for the group meeting, but also weekly projects to be completed as a couple outside of the meeting time.

Common Cause Growth Groups are formed around some specific ministry or cause.  These groups are usually also Foundational Growth Groups—that is, their studies are designed using the CrossTraining method—but members may spend time dealing with issues related to their cause, or deepening relationships established within a common ministry.  Common cause groups might include:

Good Shepherd Seminary is a unique ministry of advanced training offered by the church to empower people to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ by thinking biblically, feeding themselves spiritually, and vigorously serving Christ and His church.  It is designed to appeal to men and women seeking a deeper understanding of scripture and its application to the Christian life. Courses in theology, anthropology, soteriology, hermeneutics and Biblical studies are taught in three eight-week terms (Fall/Winter/Spring) by area professors from schools such as Western Seminary and Multnomah Biblical Seminary.  Tuition is only $50.00 per course plus textbook costs of around $25.00.  The motto is “Extraordinary teaching for ordinary people.”

Seminary Study Groups are designed  for those taking Good Shepherd Seminary classes and who also want the relational environment of Growth Groups.  These groups study along with the Seminary topics but they are also open to those who can’t attend the Seminary.

Question #5.  How do these churches help people take up the responsibility to serve in personal ministry?

“We see ourselves as a family, therefore, guests are treated as such,” states Vorm. “It would be like inviting someone over to our house.  When we have guests over we don’t ask them to do the dishes until they have been there several times and have moved in and consider themselves part of the family.  Then they start bearing the load of those who are family.  And hopefully they do it joyfully.  We serve together.  So, when a person has reached a level where they feel like they are no longer just a guest but this is a place that they are committed to and they do consider themselves part of the family, then we do expect them to get involved.” 

Newcomers are recruited for service through general announcements during public worship and through recruitment emphasis that occur two or three times each year.  However, the most effective recruitment takes place through relational connections made through a mini-church or another ministry like High Ground or a Growth Group.  They usually find initial involvement through the children’s ministry or the First Touch ministry.  After several visits when they feel committed to and part of the family newcomers are invited and expected to get involved.  However, Vorm affirms, “We don’t have a time table for when to get involved.”

Good Shepherd Community Church publishes a handbook that introduces the variety of ministry opportunities that are available at the church.  It lists every type of ministry from entry level service to advanced leadership positions—providing a brief description of each.  The church assists individuals in finding the ministry niche that matches their God-given personality and unique gifting ministry selection by providing assessment resources and an individual “guidance counselor.”

Generally, each ministry creates it’s own training.  Good Shepherd Seminary provides general training and enrichment but is not related to training in skills for particular ministries.  Growth Group leaders are provided with training once each month.  Lay Counselors are given special training designed to train those who have gifts of encouraging others.  Children’s ministry does most of their training on-the-job but also offers training opportunities such as the Safe Kids Class for Children’s Workers. 

Good Shepherd Community Church believes that serving God by serving others is a priority in the Christian life.  They recognize that God accomplishes His work of redeeming and restoring lost people to Himself through His faithful servants.
 

Map/ Photos: 

Assimilation Study - Participant Information (Fall 2000)

Church Name       Good Shepherd Community Church         Region       Gresham          

Street Address             28986 SE Haley Road                                                                     

City                  Gresham                                   State    OR      Zip Code         97009          

Phone               503-663-5050                         FAX               503-663-7760                       

Web site           www.goodshepherdcc.org   

1.   Denomination         non-denominational evangelical

2.   Date church was founded                May 1977                   

3.   Founding Senior Pastor         Stu Weber – 1^st pastor    Years in this church       23     

4.   Current Senior Pastor                     Stu Weber                 Years in this church       23     

5.   Average Weekend Worship attendance             3000-4000           

6.   Average number of visitors each Sunday     15-30              

7.   Current Membership                         

8.   Number of conversions during the past 12 months                           50-150            

9.   Number of new members received during the past 12 months no official membership

10.   Christian Education Classes

11.   Small Groups/Cells

12.   Large groups meeting midweek

13. Number of people with an identifiable ministry             Or approximate %      25%    

14. Number of core lay leaders   200  Number of paid pastoral/ministry staff     20-30    

15. Number of churches planted by the church             0         

16. Describe your congregation’s socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural distinctions:

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