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How do you start a CDF in your country - The 10 Step Plan
- STEP 1. Contact ICDF and become an ICDF Friend/Supporter in your country.
Before we can start discussing any process for starting a CDF, we need to establish contact with you so you can get to know who we are and we can get to know who you are. (see Section 3 above for contacting ICDF) - STEP 2. Acknowledge God as the owner of the vision.
We believe that the vision of the Christian Dance Fellowship movement has been God ordained and God appointed and therefore happens in God's way, with God's provision and God's timing. Even though ICDF sets down specific guidelines and requirements for starting a CDF, we believe that it is important for us all to continue to pray and seek God about any move to set up a CDF. It is important for us to be responsive to God and each other throughout the entire process. - STEP 3. Understand that communication is the most important thing you can do in starting a CDF.
It is important to establish and maintain communication on two levels to start a CDF. Firstly, it is important that you can communicate the vision of starting a CDF to others in your country. If this is really God's timing, others will identify with the same vision. For the fellowship to grow you need to successfully share and communicate the vision with others. Secondly it is important that you keep in regular contact with ICDF throughout the process. ICDF has people with experience in starting and running CDFs who can help give guidance and support at every stage. It is vital for ICDF to oversee and approve the various stages of becoming a CDF. We need to be informed of the latest developments so that we can responsibly and effectively do that. - STEP 4. Understand that CDF is an organisation and that it will take time and effort to set it up.
CDFs are established as properly constituted organisations which have a legal structure, operational procedures to follow, people to administer, necessary tasks to be accomplished, meetings to arrange and membership to consider. This means that the people starting a CDF must make the time and provide the dedication and effort necessary to set all this up.
You need to understand how CDFs work and how ICDF works. Read the ICDF constitution and the model constitution for CDFs. You need to understand any legal requirements that your country, state or province might have in setting up an association or organisation like a CDF. This includes any processes for setting up bank accounts, auditing accounts and any taxation implications. While there is no official time for how long all this takes, based on experience we advise that the process should generally take not less than 2 years but could take up to 5 years. - STEP 5. Acknowledge what this is a task is more than.
It is important that God inspired individuals can move beyond the vision to action. This means that leaders who encourage and inspire others need more than vision. You need passion, energy and support. You will need the passion that will enable you to communicate the vision to others and help order priorities for your own life including how you devote your resources – time, energy, money. You will need the energy to keep going for the long haul and the times when you think you are the only one doing it all. You need support from your spouse and family if applicable. You need support from your wider Christian family – especially pastor and church, and you will need support from others to carry the vision forward and help in all the essential small tasks. You will also need to rely on more than your own strength and abilities. Remember to pray, trust in God's provision and strength, and also very importantly, continue to communicate. - STEP 6. Start talking with others about the vision of CDF
Assuming that you have the support from your family and church, it is important to start talking with others both inside and outside your immediate group to find out who else God is calling to be involved. Remember that you may need to talk to and/or ask many people before you find the few who recognise and respond to God's call. - STEP 7. Contact ICDF to discuss becoming a Country Representative.
ICDF appoints people to be Country Representatives when it is clear that they have a vision for and an understanding of what it takes to start a CDF in your country and/or they have networks within the Christian Dance community in your country which would be important in the establishment of a CDF. Country Representatives are expected to help encourage the formation of a CDF but they don't necessarily have to be the one who eventually becomes the founding National Co-ordinator. They may take an important role in the formation process but they are not expected to do everything themselves to start a CDF. It is important for a Country Representative to keep in regular contact with ICDF. We want to work together with those who God appoints to be forerunners and establishers as well as those who are appointed to be consolidators and encouragers. See Section 5 – Country Representative/National Co-ordinator for more on this role. - STEP 8. Continue to share the vision and grow the network your country.
By now you (and/or others who work with you and share your vision) should be able to travel and meet others in your country both inside and outside your local region or city to share the vision of starting a CDF. You should also be able to organise events such as prayer meetings or gatherings of dancers to share together and to talk about the vision. You should also look to using existing networks of churches, Christian artists, conferences, seminars etc to help promote the vision of CDF. Collect names and contact details (including email) of all interested people who you meet. - STEP 9. Gather together a core group to work on the formation of the organisation.
In addition to establishing a list of potential members, you need to work at getting a core group of people together who can commit to working towards the formation of a CDF. This group should include representatives from more than one Christian denomination. Once you have reached this stage in consultation with ICDF, you can be classified as officially being in the formation or Pre-Charter process. Someone then should apply to ICDF to be the Pre-Charter Co-ordinator (see Section 5). From this point on it is even more important to work closely with ICDF. It is important to keep moving forward and to show progress by the holding of regular meetings and producing a record of these meetings (minutes) which should be sent to your colleagues in the Pre-Charter process and to ICDF.
During this time you will need to work on the following activities:
- (a)Establish and maintain a membership database
- (b)Work on writing a constitution. This can be based on the model constitution and include things legally necessary in your circumstances. ICDF can help with the basic needs of the constitution but you need to find out any other requirements.
- (c)Produce a logo for your CDF
- (d)Establish record keeping (including financial), set a membership fee, design a membership form and process membership applications
- (e)Have some method of communication with members, such as a newsletter
- (f)Organise any other activities as you are able or want to do such as workshops, sharing days, concerts, teaching and conferences.
- STEP 10. Work with ICDF to finalise the process of becoming a CDF
The final things necessary for becoming an official Chartered CDF are:
- (a)The sign off by ICDF on the proposed constitution and logo.
- (b)The organisation of a special meeting to elect the National Co-ordinator and National Committee, ratify the constitution and logo and receive the charter from the official ICDF representative who will attend.
