Strategic Planning for MNYS Congregations In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. James 2:17 - 18 Purpose To develop priority strategies for the next three to five years to ensure our congregation fulfills our mission: marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world. Priorities Claimed: by God’s grace for the sake of the world, we are a new creation thought God’s living Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. Gathered: by God’s grace for the sake of the world, we will live among God’s faithful people, hear God’s Word and share Christ’s supper. Sent: by God’s grace for the sake of the world, we will proclaim the good news of God in Christ though word and deed, serve all people following the example of our Lord Jesus and strive for justice and peace in the world. Principles Faith-based: The planning process will be inspired by wisdom from God’s Word and prayerful reflection. Alignment: The congregational strategic plan will be in alignment with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Metropolitan New York Synod strategic plans. Engagement: The congregational strategic plan will invite input from everyone involved in the congregation and community. Leadership: A planning team of four to eight lay leaders and the pastor will lead the planning process and present the strategic plan to the church council for approval. Transparency: The planning process will be open and well communicated to all involved in the congregation.
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Process Data: Reviewing information from four sources: • • • •
Historical Information Church Member/Participant Insights Community Information Case Studies
Discussion: Having conversations to: • • • •
Share ideas Explore possible areas of focus Consider the pros and cons of potential strategies Discover passions and inspiration
Decision: Making decisions on priority strategies based on the data and discussions. Development: Developing the best path to achieve success in the priority strategies. Time Line: Activity Announce planning process to the congregation Select the Planning Team Send Team names & email address to
[email protected] Planning Team orientation session Gather Data Congregation input session Planning Team retreat Draft of strategies to the Church Council for discussion Planning Team finalizes the strategic plan Church Council approval process Send approved strategic plan to
[email protected] Congregation and public announcement of the strategic plan Technology Support Options 1. Churchwide resources
elca.org
2. Synod resources
mnys.org
3. Tapestry explanation
daxko.com/t2tapestry
Date
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Data History: Membership, Attendance, Participation, Finances, and Volunteerism 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2011
2012
2013
2014
Defining Moments: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 2010
Defining Moments:
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Insights Circle all that apply: Member
How Long? ______________
Attend Services
How Long? ______________
Participate in a Ministry
Which one? ___________________________________
Leadership Role
What Role? ___________________________________
1. The top strength of our congregation over the last three to five years is:
2. The top issue facing our congregation right now is:
3. My top priority for our congregation over the next three to five years is:
4. Comments: I think we should do more of, less of, or differently:
Name (optional): _______________________________________________________________
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Community 1. What are the communities our congregation serves? 2. What are the demographics of our community? 3. What are the psychographics of our community? 4. Does my membership reflect our community? 5. Do my regular attenders reflect our community? 6. Do our ministries’ participants reflect our community? 7. What other communities would we want to reach? 8. Are there other insights into our communities? 9. Create a resource map (churches, schools, organizations, etc.). 10. Secure a community needs study (government, United Way, business development, chamber of commerce, etc.) Case Studies Learning from others:
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Discussions 1. Discovering personal passion: What is the problem or situation that, when you see it in another person, community, or society, it just breaks your heart? You cannot stand this and wish it could be remedied. 2. Claimed: The objective of the Claimed Strategy is to help people grow in their faith through interaction and engagement with the Lutheran tradition. Which of the three strategy areas below should be our top priority at this point in the life of our church? a. Communication – share a clear, concise, compelling message of the Lutheran identity through a variety of methods and medias. b. Connection – provide a variety of opportunities for individuals and families to participate in the network of Lutheran ministries. c. Commitment – challenge people to grow deeper in their faith through the development of new and renewed resources. 3. Gathered: The objective of the Gathered Strategy is to ensure that Word and Sacrament ministry is provided in the metropolitan New York area. Which of the three strategy areas below should be our top priority at this point in the life of our church? a. Locations – determine congregations and church facilities needed to meet the objectives of this strategy. b. Leadership – recruit, equip and support pastors and lay leaders to execute this strategy. c. Ministries – develop new and renewed ministries to enhance this strategy. 4. Sent: The objective of the Sent Strategy is to network congregations, ministries, and leaders to proclaim the Gospel while responding to specific societal needs and issues. Which of the three strategy areas below should be our top priority at this point in the life of our church? a. Services – develop and deliver programs in our communities that help people in words and deeds. b. Partnerships – determine organizations and ministries to support. c. Advocacy – speak on specific justice and peace issues.
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Our top priorities from the previous page are: Claimed
Gathered
Sent
For questions #5 - #12 below, consider the top priorities above and the next three to five years. 5. Which age group should be our primary focus? a. b. c. d. e. f.
Preschool (up to 5) School Age (6 – 12) Teens (13 – 18) Young Adults (19 – 29) Adults (30 – 60) Seniors (60 and older)
6. Where should we focus our outreach? a. b. c. d. e.
Geographically Ethnically Specific Population (GLBT, single parent, under resourced, etc.) Ministry or Issue (see list in #7 below) Other
7. What should be our primary focus in areas of ministry? a. b. c. d. e. f.
Basic needs (food, clothing, housing, etc.) Education Employment Health Immigration Other (addressing issues like anti-racism, poverty)
8. What should be our focus in terms of resources? a. b. c. d. e. f.
Increased giving from members Fund raising beyond the membership Grants Asset reallocation Partnerships (see list in #9 below) Other
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9. With whom should we consider a partnership? a. b. c. d. e. f.
Another MNYS congregation Another church Lutheran Social Services Another Lutheran Entity (school, hospital, etc.) Cause Group (local, national, international) Other
10. What are the most critical property or facilities needs? 11. What support do we need most to be successful? a. b. c. d. e. f.
Communications Lay Leadership Development Pastoral Leadership Development Purchasing Technology Other
12. What other specific priority for our congregation should be considered? Notes:
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Decisions Name: ________________________________________________________________________ •
Circle the top 3 priorities for our congregation over the next 3 to 5 years
•
Please be specific in the line provided
Age Group 1. Preschool (up to 5) 2. School Age (6 – 12) 3. Teens (13 – 18) 4. Young Adults (19 – 29) 5. Adults (30 – 60) 6. Seniors (60 and older) Outreach 7. Geographically: ___________________________________________________________ 8. Ethnically: _______________________________________________________________ 9. Specific Population: ________________________________________________________ 10. Other Outreach: __________________________________________________________ Ministry 11. Basic Needs: _____________________________________________________________ 12. Education: _______________________________________________________________ 13. Employment: ____________________________________________________________ 14. Heath: __________________________________________________________________ 15. Immigration: _____________________________________________________________ 16. Other Ministry: ___________________________________________________________ Resource 17. Increased giving from members 18. Fund raising beyond the membership
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19. Grants: _________________________________________________________________ 20. Asset reallocation: _________________________________________________________ 21. Other Resource: __________________________________________________________ Partnership 22. Another MNYS congregation: _______________________________________________ 23. Another church: __________________________________________________________ 24. Lutheran Social Services: ___________________________________________________ 25. Another Lutheran Entity: __________________________________________________ 26. Cause Group: ___________________________________________________________ 27. Other Partnership: _______________________________________________________ Support 28. Communications: _________________________________________________________ 29. Lay Leadership Development: ________________________________________________ 30. Pastoral Leadership Development: ____________________________________________ 31. Purchasing: ______________________________________________________________ 32. Technology: _____________________________________________________________ 33. Other Support: ___________________________________________________________ Property & Facility 34. Need: __________________________________________________________________ Other 35. ________________________________________________________________________
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Determining Priorities to Develop as Strategies 1. Criteria to apply to potential priorities: a. More: will this directly help us serve more people and communities? b. Capacity: will this help us build capacity to do more? c. Unique: is this a strategy that is unique to our congregation? d. Significance: is this a strategy that will lead to significant impact? 2. Rate each potential priority on the following scale: a. Excellent match =4 b. Good match =3 c. Fair match =2 d. Poor match =1 Priority
More
Capacity
Unique
Significance
TOTAL
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Development Strategy: Leader: People/Groups Involved: 1. General Description: [strategy if perfectly implemented] 2. Key Objectives: a. [Fist key objective and measurable result] b. [Second key objective and measurable result] c. [Third and fourth objective if needed] 3. Resources: [General description of financial, people, partnership, and capital needs and how they may be secured, or current resources redirected] 4. Integration: [Describe ways this strategy integrates with other priority areas or existing congregation activities] 5. Communications: [Internal & External] 6. Key Action Steps, Person/Group Responsible, Completion Date: a. [Key action #1] b. [Key action #2] c. [Key action #3] Include/attach any data relevant to this strategy: • • •
Baseline data of past congregation activity Relevant community data Successful models from other congregations or organizations
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Final Steps 1. When each strategy is developed, look for common themes and connections between strategies. Putting the individual strategies into an integrated strategic plan is the desired result. Naming a plan can be a good idea. 2. Good strategic plans are: a. b. c. d.
Clear – try not to include too much jargon Concise – brief is better Compelling – it should stir people’s hearts Courageous – there should be some “stretch” in the plan
Note: strategic plans do not have to be comprehensive. The plan is not everything your congregation will do – just the most important things. 3. Communicate and celebrate your strategic plan. Tell everyone: congregation, community, media, and the synod office:
[email protected]. 4. Move into strategic plan implementation: a. Assign a “champion” to lead the implementation each strategy. There can also be a committee with the “champion” as chair. b. Budget to allocate resources to the strategies first. This may cause you to do less in some existing areas. It may even require you to say “no” to some good ministries and activities so you can say “yes” to some high priority efforts. 5. Communicate key action steps and measurable results often to the congregation. 6. Be prepared to make adjustments to strategies as needed. Many times parts of a strategy need to be adjusted after just a few months. Sometimes entire strategies need to be ended. 7. Have annual plan review sessions to discuss how the strategies are working and make necessary adjustments.
