2010 Annual Report

Below is my 2010 Annual Report delivered earlier today:

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Members and Friends:

            God is moving among us...

            As we obediently aim for the unmoving target of making disciples, our focus is undeterred, and God’s power and anointing have become palpable among us.

            ...and we are being moved.

            By moving toward Jesus, we’re becoming stronger in spiritual maturity.  We’re moving toward other Christ-followers as we journey the road of discipleship together.  We’re moving to touch lost and broken people in our community with the love of Jesus as we step outside of our comfort zones.

            At DCN, healthy, active disciples are constantly moving through a clear and simple process where they KNOW God, GROW Together, and GO to Serve.

KNOW God >

            Helping people to know God is the purpose of our celebration services, which act as the first step of our discipleship process.  Week after week, the tangible Spirit of God reveals Himself to each of us, drawing us into His transforming presence even more.  Under Rebekah Milette’s direction, our worship band has added more vocalists and musicians, filling out our distinctive style and sound while enhancing our overall worship experience.  Over the past year, sermon series have targeted inner transformation (Waging the War Within, Praying on Purpose, Close Encounter: Making Contact with the Creator); church health (Created for Community, Get in SHAPE:  Becoming a Healthy Body, Giving for Growth); and for community impact (One Month to Live, All I Need for Christmas, The Prodigal God).

• ATTENDANCE GROWTH 

            Since people want to be where God is, it’s no surprise that these past couple of years have brought about the fastest rate of growth since the church began keeping records nearly 33 years ago!  In the past twelve months, celebration service attendance grew 46% (92% in the past two years).  Our Christmas Eve service this past winter saw an increase of 57% over 2008, while last week’s Easter service had 80 more people in worship than a year ago.  At 180 people, it was the best attended single service DCN has seen in more than a dozen years!

            To accommodate the continued growth we’re expecting on Sunday mornings, we plan to add multiple identical celebration service options, initially on the days that tend to be more highly attended (the first Sunday after Labor Day, Christmas Eve and Easter), and eventually every week.

            In just over two years, 39 new people have joined us in membership, 16 of whom having done so in the past five months!  The Discover Membership class provides an opportunity for attendees to learn about our unique structure and strategy while providing a way for them to become active participants at DCN by first becoming members.

            Church demographics got younger again this past year with 70% of our attendees now under the age of 40 (up from 64% last year and barely one-quarter in 2007), however a healthy representation of all age groups continues to be the case.

            Recently, we discovered that more than one-third of our newest attendees and members found us on the internet.  While they found the content of our web site helpful, the design and ease of navigation was not.  In response, we completely overhauled our web site with an innovative new design that offers scalable features which can be activated as the church grows and the needs demand.  A special thank you to Michael Cooper for the countless hours he’s spent designing, coding and tweaking our new site!  I’m confident that many more families will discover what God is doing at DCN through our highly improved internet presence.

            With the growth comes an increase in workload, and believe me, I am really feeling it!  In response, I plan to recruit a team of people who can help me with administrative tasks so I can be free to invest more time in developing and equipping new leaders.

GROW Together >

            To stay healthy, Christ-followers need to be committed to spiritual growth and to other Christ-followers.  Since our celebration services are designed for large groups of people, they’re not typically where you’ll find spiritual intimacy with others.  It’s when small groups of people gather together weekly to open up both the Word of God and their lives to each other that we can grow together as disciples of Jesus.  Small groups are how we fulfill the second step in our discipleship process.

            Last year, I pointed out that we were stumbling at this step since only about a third of our people were participating in one of these groups.  I’m pleased to report that involvement in our current spring semester is at 56% with eight small group options available (including one for students).  We still have room for improvement, however.  By adding additional options, including one for our children, we hope to see small group participation increase to at least 80% by this time next year.  Thank you to those who have served this past year as small group leaders:  Michael Cooper, Carol Ann Ferris, Richie Jache, Sharon Janus, Steve Janus, Matt Marchant and Brad Stoll.

• SPIRITUAL GROWTH

            It’s so exciting to hear stories from our people about how God is changing them as they yield to His influence and power at work within them.  And there are many stories indeed!  Baptisms:  Last summer, we celebrated with five of our own who were baptized in my family’s swimming pool.  We’re planning another baptism celebration this summer.  Prayer:  “The Gathering” continues to meet every fifth Sunday, our prayer chain is alive and well, and more people are sensing God move as we continue to emphasize ongoing prayer.

            While God is the One who brings spiritual growth through the working of His Spirit, we need to develop spiritual disciplines that enable that growth to take root.  To that end, our Discover Maturity class provides our members with important spiritual growth tools while focusing on four basic habits every Christ-follower needs to grow to spiritual maturity.

• FINANCIAL GROWTH

            Increased giving can be an indicator of spiritual growth as we yield more of ourselves to God and invest ourselves more heavily in God’s work.  While the rate of growth in our regular giving leveled off in the past six months, I believe we’re about to turn an important corner as we see our people begin to give more consistently and/or increase their present level of giving.  Faithful, consistent giving allows us to pay the bills while enabling us to impact our community, fund existing and new ministries and make improvements and repairs to our property.

• Facility improvements

            Thanks to some unexpected large donations we received in the past year, we embarked upon several significant building improvement projects (once again thanks to Matt Marchant’s hard work and oversight) to enhance our celebration services and better accommodate our growth.  In the Ministry Center, we purchased, built and/or installed the following new items:  a larger stage, more sound absorbing panels, a drum shield, drum microphones, video projector, powered projector screen and carpeting.  We also added a fresh coat of paint on the walls.  In addition, we expanded the toddler nursery, relocated the infant nursery, installed a new check-in center, and moved one of the nursery doors to the small hallway to create a more efficient and secure nursery “wing” of the church.  In the church-owned home, we installed new garage doors, flooring in both the kitchen and dining room, recessed lights, counters and a breakfast island.

            There are still a number of things that need our attention.  Priorities include:  new ministry center lighting and seating; wood rot repair; new windows, siding and gutters; a new church sign; and parking lot lines, among other items.

            Again, I’m thankful that Bob Walker serves as our Treasurer.  He has kept us on track financially, and has overseen the development of accounting tools this year that make giving and income reporting easier.

GO to Serve >

            Christ-followers share with others what God is doing in their lives.  They get involved and put their God-given gifts and skills to use in serving others.  At DCN, serving others is the third step of discipleship.

            With the influx of people, opportunities abound for us to serve one another in love.  Due partly to the sheer number of entry-level serving opportunities we offer as well as the short, manageable time commitments, nearly two-thirds of our regular attendees and over 80% of our active members participate in ongoing volunteer service!  While this is good news, many of our people are only serving in “secondary” ministry roles rather than a primary area of ministry we believe God has for every Christ-follower.  Our Discover Ministry class helps to identify and synergize the spiritual gifts, loves, abilities, personality and experiences within each of our active church members.  This allows us to equip them for effective service and ministry at DCN and in their community based on their unique “ministry fingerprint”.  I challenge every member to complete this class.  Not only will you personally benefit spiritually, your church will as well!

            Ultimately, we could not do what we do if it weren’t for our people who give of themselves the way they do.  Thank you all for your selfless investment in eternity!

• MINISTRY GROWTH

            Sharon Janus continues to lead our women’s ministry.  Through the annual Mother’s Day Brunch and fall retreat, monthly CONNECT nights, or weekly small groups, Sharon skillfully merges a sense of class with her passionate call to shepherd our women.

            Our SonShine Street nursery has seen growth in numbers of children and in square footage.  For more than a year, Brenda DiRusso has led this essential ministry of DCN.  With her recent decision to step down at the end of the current quarter, we are prayerfully seeking the right person to lead starting June 1.

             Last Fall, Brad Stoll took on the leadership of our Wednesday night SURGE ministry.  There is enormous potential for a significant ministry to teenagers in our community.  Please pray for Brad as he continues to invest in the lives of our teens, challenging them to discipleship, and for God to raise up more adults to work with him.

            The growing numbers of children at DCN are enjoying KIDSquest each week.  Rebekah Milette has done an excellent job overseeing our children’s ministries while building a strong team around her.

            When the time is right, we’ll add new ministries to meet needs in our community and within our local body of believers.  We’re looking forward to starting ministries to men and for Christ-centered addiction recovery.

• COMMUNITY IMPACT

            Whether we are raking leaves in the fall, giving away popcorn at Danvers Family Festival, or hosting big-scale events like EGGstravaganza or KIDSfest, we must stay in front of our community, intentionally and deliberately touching people so they will remember us when they’re ready to look for God.  Richie Jache did a great job taking charge of EGGstravaganza this year, leading over 40 volunteers while welcoming over 350 guests to our property.  Brenda DiRusso really appreciated the much needed break!

            In closing, I’m so blessed to have my wife Rebekah by my side in this exciting and challenging endeavor.  You’re the best ministry partner I could ever have!  I love you and appreciate all you do for our family and our church.  Jake, Kyle, Adam and Aaron—thanks for just being you.  I’m excited to see what God has in store for each of you!  Even with the difficulties and challenges that come with growing up, don’t ever forget that your mom and I will always love you no matter what.  Jesus, you already know what I’m thinking.  I am not my own.  I am Yours.  Thank you for the honor of leading this great church!  I love You.

Forever His,

Dan Milette

Lead Pastor