"Our Church 2030": Introduction
I have been asked to lead an effort on behalf of the Vestry to define a future vision of Calvary that will engage and be embraced by the parishioners and community at large. I call this initiative “Our Church – 2030”.
Simply stated the environment for Calvary is complex. While there is some good momentum in many areas there are undercurrents of disengaged parishioners. Perhaps this is reflected in lower attendance (we are not alone there), significant financial needs, questions on our rector, a yearning for the “good old days”, and a feeling of being lost amidst a pandemic. We have survived for over 175 years with many different rectors supporting us. My core belief in taking on this assignment is that Calvary is Our Church. We must take responsibility to create an environment that not only engages our parishioners, but also the community at large. Leading a church requires more strategy and intentionality than ever before to provide experiences that embrace the hearts of community members of all ages.
We can’t define success or vibrancy of Calvary simply by the attendance on Sundays. Attendance does not drive engagement; it is engagement that drives attendance. For Calvary to be truly vibrant, successful, and sustainable, we need to create an engagement model where parishioners follow their passions 7 days a week - not just Sundays.
Objectives of Our Church 2030 Initiative
To engage and energize the parish and community at large in defining the vision for Calvary in 2030.
Start from a “clean sheet of paper” approach to engage and get as many ideas on the table as possible.
Key elements of this vision (4 S’s):
Stronger: Vibrant parish evidenced by growth, parishioner engagement and satisfaction
Sustainability: Infrastructure, financial, cultural
Succession: Strengthen leadership pipeline
Spirituality: Enhancing the Parish’s exploration of faith and spiritual vision
As we work through this initiative we will remain true to Calvary’s mission: “To proclaim our Christian faith with all our actions.”
Process
We will create a Task Force of 6 to 8 parishioners (non-Vestry members) and at least 4 community members to spearhead the process. Having an external perspective will help the Task Force identify ways for Calvary to become a more vital leader in the community at large.
The idea gathering process will necessarily start at a very high (50,000 foot) level to be as broad and encompassing as possible. We will work collectively to bring the ideas down to a level with a plan that can be implemented on short-, medium- and long-term basis.
Initially we will create an online survey to assess where we are today and our parishioners’ assessment of the vitality of Calvary.
The next step is the key to parishioner engagement. How can we focus more on creating experiences that engage more than just the “head” on Sunday…. but also engage the “heart” and relationships every day? We should be prepared in the future that Calvary will have to go to the people rather than expect them to come to us.
We will organize small group discussions with parishioners around themes aimed at driving Calvary forward. Topics might include:
Calvary’s role in creating a sustainable learning community around faith within the parish and outside.
The emerging role of lay preaching as a way to address worshipers’ search for uplifting messages of love, hope and health, to find meaning in today’s crazy world that may be different from parishioner to parishioner. This also ties into pastoral care and understanding how that might evolve in the future.
Discuss how the size of the church impacts all aspects of daily life. What is the optimal size of Calvary?
Explore partnerships (churches, NPOs other organizations) that are value added to both concerns. Role of the “virtual church” and other technology to keep parishioners engaged.
By focusing on small groups we can build momentum to ultimately create and connect into larger groups to unify the parish. We will also include the staff in the idea generation process. Their perspectives will be very important to understand.
The end product will be a series of recommendations to present to the Vestry by year-end.
Rules of the Road
We will undertake a clean sheet of paper approach where our conversations are positive and optimistic about the bright future we can create together. We must not fixate on a current problem and getting bogged down looking backwards. We will not discuss strengths – weakness of our Rector. Once recommendations begin to emerge especially on what the parish wants/needs, we need to see how the strengths of our Rector support them.
In starting such an initiative, we cannot forecast the end product with 100% certainty. In my opinion the journey may be equally as important as the ultimate outcome in realizing the goal of a more vibrant and engaged parish with the community.
I look forward to working with you all on this important and very exciting project.
Respectfully submitted,
Spike Lobdell