Strategic Plan
The 2006 Strategic Plan
Foreside Community Church, United Church of Christ
April 2, 2006
Introduction
The Church Council voted early in 2005 to create a Strategic Planning Committee to aid the congregation in creating goals to govern the next five years. Having assessed the current state of the congregation, we are pleased to report that we believe that the Foreside Community Church (FCC) is in very good health, and is ready to take the next steps. Listed below are possible goals that the congregation might adopt. These goals emerged from information provided to us by an extensive survey of the membership as well as many conversations with members and church leaders.
The 2006 Strategic Plan is a dynamic, living document, intended to guide and inspire the congregation. It is intended to be a framework for future action plans. With the adoption of this report, responsibility for prioritizing and implementing these goals passes to the Ministries, committees and staff of the congregation, under the direction of the Church Council, who will report progress periodically to the congregation.
A rich gathering of information and input from the congregation has been assembled through this process and will be made available to the congregation and its leaders to further aid the implementation of the plan
An Emerging Theme: Becoming Ever More Faithful Disciples of Jesus
The theme of discipleship has been percolating in our church community for the past several years. A variety of programs and activities have been designed to help members become evermore faithful disciples of Jesus, and the Church Council and Ministries of the congregation remain committed to this goal. To be a congregation in which disciples are created, programs of worship, education and service must assist each of us in taking full responsibility for our relationship with one another, with God, and with the created world. We endeavor to be a community in which we seek to do for ourselves in our time what Jesus did for himself in his time, taking responsibility for discerning the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and courageously changing our lives in response to God. In everything, we look to Jesus as the pioneer of this process of faith and growth. Discipleship thus finds expression both within the church community as we become evermore faithful stewards of our talents and resources, and outside the church community as we find ways to share our faith in word and deed in a world in need.
It is the conviction of the 2006 Strategic Planning Committee that the church’s focus on the formation of disciples should remain the congregation’s most important goal for the next several years. Indeed any and all specific goals that might be set should be aimed at furthering this central purpose.
Recommendation: In planning every event, program and activity, both staff and lay leaders should ask the question “how will this work encourage and enhance the call to discipleship of each participant?”
Specific Areas of Challenge and Opportunity While the theme of forming disciples should permeate every facet of congregational life, five areas of challenge and opportunity were identified. I. Discipleship Through Spiritual Growth
Discipleship is rooted in a healthy and vibrant spiritual life, and the life of the spirit is both an individual and a congregational matter. Worship including vibrant music, Christian education, and fellowship all have roles to play.
Recommendations:
Continue to support and encourage our staff and volunteer leaders in the work that is currently being done well.
Continue to create opportunities for people to connect in meaningful ways: personal interaction, pastoral counseling, small group conversation, opportunities for learning and outreach.
Educate our members and develop opportunities for them to give financially to the church through various programs of planned giving.
Expand and strengthen our ministry to children and youth from nursery through adulthood, integrating them more fully into congregational life, and providing opportunities for them to grow as disciples of Jesus.
II. Discipleship Through Caring for our Members and Friends
Jesus clearly taught that his disciples were to love one another. The numerical growth of our congregation over the past decade has stretched the abilities of our staff and leaders to adequately provide care to our members and friends.
Recommendations:
Create systems of opportunity through which members and new friends can be made to feel welcome and assimilated into congregational life.
Strengthen our program offerings that make it possible for members who desire a deeper sense of community to get to know one another better through a variety of fellowship, worship, education and outreach opportunities.
Develop a plan to thoughtfully and continually reach out to members of the church who have not been recently active in church life, so that no one can slip away from our congregation without being noticed.
Strengthen the communication among the Ministries, and between the Ministries and the congregation, permitting better integration of the life of the whole church.
III. Discipleship Through Justice and Outreach
Jesus charged his disciples to engage in acts of mercy and justice on behalf of the poor and powerless, taking stands that were not always widely accepted. We have learned that discipleship is not possible without these actions and many in the church believe that our congregation must become more active in promoting justice for all. To this end, we believe that Foreside Community Church should consider carefully when it will speak with one voice, while continuing to encourage and support our members as they make individual and family decisions on issues of justice.
Recommendations:
Support our members in their decision-making and acting on issues of justice and outreach by providing educational opportunities and other resources.
Expand opportunities for members and friends to speak openly, honestly and respectfully about matters of justice and outreach, keeping in mind that learning often occurs best in conversation with others of differing perspectives.
Continue and expand opportunities for our members to become directly involved in acts of justice and outreach through our congregation, in addition to supporting members in their individual paths of service.
Continue toward the congregation’s stated goal of devoting 10% of annual pledged income to mission activities serving the needs of the world.
IV. Discipleship Through Staff and Leadership Development
The Foreside Community Church will likely require additional staffing to continue to grow. It is clear that if we are to engage in the additional programming that this plan contemplates, an expansion of staff and lay leadership will be necessary. We recognize that our current staff is working at capacity already, and is held in high regard. While it may be time to call a second ordained person, we are also mindful that such a step is financially challenging at this time. We recommend that the church discuss staffing configurations with an open mind, and with all possibilities on the table, including: reconfiguring current positions; calling additional professional staff, whether clergy or lay; seeking increased commitment from volunteer leaders; sharing staff positions with other local churches; and establishing long range financing plans for expansion of staff.
Recommendations:
Carefully monitor the needs and hopes of our current staff and encourage them to enhance and share their gifts with us, focusing on fair compensation, training and support.
Develop and implement a clear framework for prioritizing, evaluating and employing our human resources, so that the full needs of the church, both short-term and long-term are addressed by staff configuration decisions.
Continue to monitor the health of the pastor-congregational relationship, accepting the stability of leadership we have enjoyed, while recognizing that none of us can predict the call of God to Paul or to the church.
Continue to strengthen our lay leaders’ discipleship through education, training and support.
V. Discipleship Through Stewardship of our Physical and Financial Resources
Jesus taught more about wealth to his disciples than he did about any other single topic, thus the relationship of money and discipleship is essential. During the past decade the congregation has shown remarkable support for two major capital campaigns. Our building and grounds are in wonderful condition. However, our research discovered a few areas of concern that must be monitored.
Continue to plan for the care of our physical facilities, attending especially to issues of safety, access and space needs of the staff.
Devote time and attention to the relationship between money and discipleship, both as individuals and as a church community, drawing on the resources of our faith.
Continue to be responsible stewards, growing our endowment to fund future needs.
Conclusions
The Foreside Community Church has significant opportunities to deepen the faith experience of its members. We believe that the theme of discipleship is timely, and appropriate to guide the future life of the church. Important challenges lie ahead, and we are blessed with wonderful leaders both professional and volunteer, with a clear sense of God’s calling to us. We believe that these recommended goals will continue the spiritual growth of our members.