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MINISTRY ACTION PLAN

2016-17

D R A F T 10 July 2016

Ministry Action Plan

Sydenstricker United Methodist Church

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Summary: Ministry Action Plan 2016-17 Purpose. This Ministry Action Plan was developed to help guide our church’s ministries, staffing, programs, budget, and other decisions. It sets forth our mission, vision, most important goals, and a solid set of concrete actions aimed at achieving them. Sydenstricker’s Mission: “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Source: The Book of Discipline, 2012, paragraph 120, page 91. Sydenstricker’s Vision: Christ’s Love in Action: Bringing God to People and People to God. Source: Church Council annual planning sessions. [See the Sydenstricker’s Vision on page 3 for suggested revisions.]

Our Action Plan Goals With God’s help we will…

1. Ensure church-wide understanding of our mission and vision and a strong shared commitment to the “Sydenstricker Spirit” of devotion to God, loving service, and mutual caring that has characterized our fellowship since 1909. Goal Champion: The Lay Leaders

2. Attract more first-time visitors to Sydenstricker to learn about Christ’s love, grace, power, and blessings. Goal Champion: Evangelism Team

3. Consistently welcome all with radical hospitality, connecting with our guests and establishing authentic

friendships / relationships. Goal Champion: Director of Hospitality (Greeter Coordinator) and the Greeters, and the Usher Coordinator and the Ushers

4. Encourage a culture of invitation and outreach in our members and equip them to share their faith with confidence. Goal Champion: Evangelism Team

5. Clarify and deepen our understanding and practice of discipleship and intentional faith development to help us grow and mature spiritually. Goal Champion: The Pastor and the Lay Leaders

6. Support and develop clergy, paid staff, lay leadership, and volunteers so that all feel appreciated and their effectiveness, morale, and mutual trust are high. Goal Champion: SPRC and the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee

7. Strengthen and grow children, youth, and family ministries. Goal Champion: Children and Youth Ministers with the Children’s and Youth Councils



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8. Offer inspiring worship and music to honor God and experience and celebrate His love, power, and peace. Goal Champion: Pastor, Music Director, and the Worship and Worship Arts Committees

9. Nurture and grow relationships and connections for all through current and new small groups for disciple-formation, mutual encouragement, celebration, and caring Christian fellowship. Goal Champion: Stephen Ministers, the Pastor, Shepherd Coordinator

10. Serve our church, community, and the world in fruitful service / mission ministries to help the hurting and spread Christ’s gospel of reconciliation, love, peace, and justice. Goal Champion: Missions Committee and others

11. Nurture good stewardship—generous living—in every aspect of our congregation’s life as individuals and together as we gratefully pour out our gifts to bless others out of our love for God. Goal Champion: Stewardship Chairman

Purpose. This Ministry Action Plan was developed to help guide our church’s ministries, staffing, programs, budget, and other decisions. This is a ministry (not a facility) plan. Of course, there are important and necessary property maintenance, administrative, financial, and policy activities that must go on to support and enable ministry. We are not trying to document all our activities in this plan; instead, we hope to articulate our most important goals and a solid set of concrete actions aimed at achieving them. Our mission and vision are the why of what we are and do. The goals are what and where we want to go, the actions are the route and means we will use to move closer to the goals. The goals are actually the easy part—developing and carrying out the actions are the key to success. As Melinda Gates has said, “Goals are only wishes unless you have a plan.” Our Church Council and clergy, lay leadership, and congregation put this plan together because we strongly believe that a healthy, fruitful, effective, and growing church will have a clear mission and vision and a set of goals to help it learn, change, grow, and improve. It is our belief that unity on these matters will focus our efforts and bring God’s blessing.

“All the believers were united in heart and mind…and God’s great blessing was upon them all.” Acts 4: 32-3 (NLT)

Sydenstricker’s Mission. A mission explains an organization’s purpose—what it does and why. Like all Christian churches, our mission was given to us by Jesus. One scripture that does so clearly is Matthew 28:18-20: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’” Another mission scripture is in Matthew 22: 37-39: “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Our 1996 United Methodist General Conference first adopted a mission statement for the church and included it in our Book of Discipline in 2000; that statement was revised into its current form in 2008: “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” (The Book of Discipline, 2012, paragraph 120, page 91). The very next paragraph expands on the mission: “Rationale for Our Mission — The mission of the Church is to make



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disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and by exemplifying Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor, thus seeking the fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world. The fulfillment of God’s reign and realm in the world is the vision Scripture holds before us.” (The Book of Discipline, 2012, paragraph 121, page 91). Of course, we have an opportunity to change this mission statement every four years at General Conference. [Note: the 2016 General Conference did not make any changes to this mission statement.] Sydenstricker’s Vision. While our mission has been given to us, our vision is unique to our local circumstances and gifts. Visions are usually short, easy to remember, inspirational statements that give a picture of what an organization would look like and be doing if it were successfully carrying out its mission. Ideally, a vision is a "north star" helping to guide day-to-day decisions and activities. All of our activities and spending should align with our vision. Our current vision was developed, reviewed, and approved at multiple Church Council annual planning sessions: “Christ’s Love in Action: Bringing God to People and People to God.” This vision is clear in its call for work, outreach to others, and spiritual growth.

Suggested revisions: - Christ’s Love in Action. (Short, easy to remember, prompts a healthy search for loving actions of

one’s own and the church’s.) - Christ’s Love in Action: Bringing People to God and God’s People Together. (Adds a helpful

emphasis on outreach and unity.) - Christ’s Love in Action: Bringing People to God and God’s People Together to Experience and

Celebrate God’s Life-Changing Love, Power, Wisdom, and Peace. (More to remember but an attractive list of benefits to appeal to those considering Christian faith.)

Our Story: Inspiring Legacy and the Birth of the “Sydenstricker Spirit.”

Billy Graham Knows Our Name. In April 1909, the Rev. Christopher Sydenstricker came to the Springfield area looking for a place to hold a series of outdoor “camp meeting” church services. Christopher and four of his brothers had all become ministers like their father, but only Christopher was a Methodist. One of Christopher’s younger brothers, Absalom, founded the Presbyterian Love and Hope Missionary Hospital in China in 1887. Absalom was the father of the famous author, Pearl S. (Sydenstricker) Buck. Ruth Bell, daughter of Presbyterian missionary L. Nelson Bell and future wife of Billy Graham, was born in 1920 at the hospital Absalom Sydenstricker founded. Humble Beginning. The Rev. Christopher Sydenstricker’s search for a place for his outdoor services ended after he approached a local general storekeeper—John Quincy Hall—and Mr. Hall agreed to allow the use of his picnic grove. The Rev. Sydenstricker conducted services in the grove for several weeks. From among those first worshipers, 44 became charter members of Sydenstricker Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The Rev. Sydenstricker served as the new church’s first pastor. The young church first met at a local dance pavilion on Gambrill Road and then in a school until the 1911 completion of the Chapel, next to the school, on land donated by Caleb Hall. Pearl S. Buck attended Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg from 1911-14, so she may have visited her uncle and the church bearing her family’s name during those years.



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Although a small rural church in a community with unpaved roads and no electricity, Sydenstricker quickly became the area’s leading religious and social institution, and Sydenstricker Road was named for the church.

Challenges Overcome. During its early years, Sydenstricker overcame many challenges, including muddy roads, a small congregation, a leaky roof, and termites! Hooes Road was un-paved until the late 1940s, and Springfield’s population was only 300 people in 1950. In 1955, Henry S. Amidon, a full-time civilian mechanical engineer at Quantico Marine Base and a part-time pastor, was sent to Sydenstricker by the District Superintendent (DS) with orders to close the church due to low attendance and formidable building upkeep problems. During his first Sunday at Sydenstricker, only 16 people were in church—including him, his wife, and the departing pastor! But the Rev. Amidon was impressed by the “Sydenstricker Spirit” present in his small congregation, and he also saw signs of growth in the surrounding community, so he persuaded the DS to postpone the closing. Under Amidon’s guidance and with the support of a faithful core membership, the church grew. An education wing and fellowship hall were added to the Chapel in 1957, and membership grew to 145 by 1959. The Rev. Amidon was appointed full-time pastor in 1961, and Sydenstricker continued to flourish along with the growing Springfield community. As Springfield grew dramatically in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, many were drawn to the vibrant spirituality and friendliness of Sydenstricker. To meet the growing congregation’s needs, a new church across the street from the original Chapel was opened in 1981. From the very first, Sydenstricker has emphasized spiritual education for all ages and supportive fellowship, so in 1991 a larger education / fellowship hall was added. Our church has also always helped to encourage and nurture new churches, including Christ United Methodist Church in Fairfax Station and, in 1996, Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church on Route 1 in Alexandria. Throughout our long history, our congregation has continued to be empowered by faith to work together to overcome all obstacles and challenges while joyfully meeting needs and serving Christ. Today. Sydenstricker UMC is the oldest Methodist church in the Springfield area still in existence. We started as a small church and grew along with our community to be a large church by 1990. We have had a drop in membership since our peak of almost 1,200 members in 1995, but we remain a strong medium size church with a very dedicated, supportive, and welcoming congregation. Here are our numbers over time:

Sydenstricker United Methodist Church Year Total Full

Members Average Attendance at Principal Weekly Worship Services

1980 469 245

1985 836 473

1989 994

1990 1050 500

1993 1061

1994 1102 518

1995 1156 (peak) 541



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2000 1070 430

2005 1000 300 (283?)

2010 831 272

2011 688 293

2012 673 289

2013 607 233

2014 584 220

2015 562 207

(Source: Recent SUMC Charge Conference reports and the 2008 Planning and Visioning Committee Report. NOTE: these numbers must be revised to reflect the more complete church’s annual end of year reports to the Virginia Annual Conference as listed in the

Virginia Conference Annual Journal each year.)

Our congregation is relatively affluent and includes numerous well-educated members, many of whom are or have served our country in various military and government leadership positions. Like our community, our congregation has always included many members assigned to the area for only a few years, and others who relocate following retirement. Within this transient environment, we have a superbly maintained facility that is centrally located and highly visible. The “Sydenstricker Spirit.” We have an inspiring history of faithful service, adapting to change, and overcoming challenges. Sometimes, we at Sydenstricker ask ourselves, “Who are we?” and “What are we called to do?” The short answers are given in our mission and vision. Deeper answers are given in our long history and the now well-established “Sydenstricker Spirit” that we have inherited from our predecessors and continue to value so highly. Each of us might choose slightly different words to define the “Sydenstricker Spirit,” but we can agree that any definition would include these ideas: We are a loving, fruitful, vital, and effective neighborhood church where all are welcome and lives are being changed. We share commitments to genuine hospitality, devotion to God, mutual caring and nurture, overcoming challenges, a willingness to change and grow to meet new needs, forgiving and grateful attitudes, and an impressive commitment to support our church, our community, and the world in mission and service. That’s who we have been for over 100 years, who we are now, and, God willing, who we will be. With such a strong and resilient foundation, we can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow with confidence in the God who has guided us along our path so well so far. Our Community: Rich Opportunities for Growth and Service. The size of the population surrounding Sydenstricker by 2020 is expected to remain about what it was in 2010. Within a 1-mile radius of the church in 2020, there will be 13,781 people; within 3-miles, 101,870 people. Those around us are ethnically diverse, so we will need to discover some new invitation approaches:

Community Ethnic Diversity by Percent, 2015 1-miles radius 3-mile radius

White 66.5 59.2



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Black 7.4 8.3

Hispanic 8.6 11.9

Asian 13.8 16.7

Pacific Islander 3.7 3.9 (Data source: MissionInsite.com)

The average household incomes of our neighbors ($130K-140K) put most in the affluent category. Though the total population will be stable, the average age will increase slightly from about 38 years in 2015 to about 40 in 2020. The percentage of school-age children in the population around Sydenstricker will decline slightly from the 17 percent in 2015 to about 13-14 percent in 2020. Despite this small decline, we know that family ministries and choices will be important to our neighbors in the future as they are now. Studies have shown a lessened commitment to traditional Christian denominations in the general U.S. population, especially among younger people, a trend true for our area, too. But this just means that we must explore fresh ways of reaching out and connecting with our neighbors. For many, the “entry point” into our church might be a small group or a service opportunity rather than a worship service. Or it might be a home Bible study or a craft group or a book club. Service projects can be a strong outreach: we’ve seen great impact among our non-church going neighbors by our Martha’s Table sandwich making activities and our earlier Stop Hunger Now sessions. As mentioned, ours is a community with a high level of transience due to a reassignments and retirement relocations. So even though our population is fairly stable, one or two hundred new people are arriving each month! In addition to transience, the Northern Virginia environment also includes many stresses including long commutes, an often hectic pace of life, arduous employment responsibilities, high housing costs, and others. But these characteristics of our area also are an opportunity. We are well-positioned to continue to be a beacon of hope for our neighbors—especially those arriving here from elsewhere each month—as they deal with the pressures of this environment. Remember: we have what they need to find the joy and strength and fellowship so missing in the lives of those who don’t know Jesus! Bright Future with God’s Help. In summary, we have a wonderful opportunity to serve the transient and diverse Springfield area community. With God’s help, we can reach out to our neighbors, old and new, and welcome them into our supportive, loving neighborhood church family. After all, welcoming strangers, connecting with them with authentic offers of friendship, offering them strength and hope and purpose through God’s love and grace—these are the things we have been doing for over a century. Of course, we will need to develop fresh approaches and try new things, but the basics we have to offer endure: inspiring worship and music, a welcoming fellowship, spiritual growth and education, and mission / service opportunities that give deep meaning and purpose to life. So what do we want for our neighbors? That’s easy! We want to make more of them into disciples of Jesus Christ to fill their lives with peace and joy as we work together to transform our community and the world!

Goals and Actions



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Note: The following goals are not listed in priority order because all of them are important and, therefore, we affirm our intention to work on all of them. Improving our performance in each will help move our church closer to fulfilling our mission and vision. However, while all are important, we want to give priority, special attention and emphasis, and full resources to Goals 5, Y, and Z because we believe that they will have the extraordinary impact. Finally, we recognize that some of the actions listed below may need to wait until leadership and resources can be made available, but we believe keeping them listed will help us remember to focus on them at a later date. 1. Ensure church-wide understanding of our mission and vision and a strong shared commitment to the “Sydenstricker Spirit” of devotion to God, loving service, and mutual caring that has characterized our fellowship since 1909. Assessment: One of the characteristics of a great church is members who know who they are and what their purpose is. Our mission and vision have evolved over time, so we need to make sure that they are clear to our church family and easy for guests to see. In addition to taking pride in our mission and vision, we at Sydenstricker have long been inspired by the “Sydenstricker Spirit” we have inherited from those saints who built our church and led it so well for over a century. Each of us has an idea about what comprises the “Sydenstricker Spirit,” so it would be helpful in fostering it and extending it to define it a little more clearly. If we make our understanding of our mission, vision, and “Sydenstricker Spirit” more clear and familiar, it will be easier to live and practice them and consider them in our plans and activities. The idea is not to “live in the past” but, instead, to draw upon the inspiration of the past as we build for the future. Goal Champion: The Lay Leaders Measure of Success: We will be successful when the typical member of the congregation can quote our mission and vision and when there is widespread general agreement on the meaning of the “Sydenstricker Spirit.” Knowing these key elements are the first step in living and doing them.

Action 1.1: Put our mission and vision in various church materials—bulletins, The Steeple, posters, the web site, and elsewhere. Leadership: Communications Associate When: Immediately. Status: Underway. Action 1.2: Define the “Sydenstricker Spirit” and put the result in The Steeple, the web site and elsewhere. We at Sydenstricker will be the face of Christ for many, and we want to ensure that we all try to embody friendliness and openness to those with whom we come in contact. Once we share a common understanding, it will be a step forward in continuing to live and display the “Sydenstricker Spirit.” Leadership: Dave Nefzger to develop the first draft, then share it with the adult Sunday Schools, the Church Council, and the entire congregation for review, input, and comment. When: September 2016 Status: Draft under development. Action 1.3: Develop a set of short videos on our mission, vision, activities, and the “Sydenstricker Spirit” for inspiration; put them on the web site and Facebook—perhaps on a



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rotating basis—and show them to all periodically, perhaps give DVD copies to new members. Show the videos to Sunday School and Bible classes and follow with a discussion on how improve and deepen our commitments to these elements and to our fellowship and mutual support. Leadership: Rex Grigg, interested youth, Steve Schwartz, the IT Committee When: Status:

Action 1.4: Leadership: When: Status:

2. Attract more first-time visitors to Sydenstricker to learn about Christ’s love, grace, power, and blessings. Assessment: Our church’s total membership has fallen since our 1995 peak, and so, too, has our average weekly attendance. We need to attract more visitors to Sydenstricker and lead them to faith and membership. The overriding reason for attracting visitors is to share Christ’s love and grace with them, whether they join our fellowship or another. As we lead people to Christ and add to God’s family, we will—as a byproduct—also add to our membership. As we work to attract more visitors, we want to put high priority on attracting younger members and those with families. A recent survey of adults 18-49 years old done for the UMC by the Barna Group (www.umc.org/ news-and-media/what-draws-people-to-church-poll-has-insights) showed that this group is looking for and motivated by “opportunities for spiritual growth” and “authentic community.” Well, that’s good news! We offer both, but perhaps we need to be more deliberate and clear about it. Given our changing membership and increasingly diverse community, we know that we must make some changes to remain a vital, thriving church successfully living out our vision. We have already taken some great strides in the right direction. We have created an attractive and distinctive church logo and are now using it widely. We have an up-to-date web site that we manage in-house, and we have established a Facebook presence. Our facilities are used frequently by AA, Boy Scouts, and others, and we have been successful in making SUMC a local voting site to help our neighbors know our location. We are continuing to send invitation postcards to “new movers” in the 3-mile radius around the church and, periodically, special event invitation postcards to all homes within a 1-mile radius. Currently we average about 5 first-time visitors each month, of whom typically 3 provide contact information. [Note: This goal focuses on attracting first-time visitors. Goal #3 focuses on welcoming them when they visit. Goal #4 is aimed at encouraging a “culture of invitation” in our members; the best way to get people to visit a church is by personal invitation. These three goals work together.] Goal Champion: Evangelism Team Measure of Success: A minimal level of success would be to double our first-time visitors each month to 10—of course, more would be even better. One expert suggests an appropriate goal for a church is about 5 first-time visitors each week for every 100 regular worshippers. As of late 2015, our average weekly worship attendance was just over 200, so that would suggest seeking about 10 visitors each week rather than each month. Another expert estimates that about six first-time



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visitors are required to add a single new member. Using that formula, adding 25 new members in a year would require 150 first-time visitors over the course of a year, about 12-13 each month.

Action 2.1: Consider developing a short set of key metrics (“vital signs”) to help us track our progress in important areas. In the past, some church members have been reluctant to clearly report these metrics because they might indicate worrisome trends. Another view is that clearly understanding these measures might stimulate us to actions aimed at needed improvements. Useful measures might include some or all of the following: • Worship Attendance. Track by service and the total each week. When tracking worship

attendance, it is helpful to compare any given week with either a running 52-week average of attendance or the average for last year so that trends can be noted. [Offering counters are probably continuing to receive and record worship attendance by service.]

• Visitors. Track by service and total each week. A key metric for gauging the success of your visitor follow up is tracking the percent of first-time guests who return for a second time and how that percentage compares to last year.

• Web site visitors. Number and, if possible, first-time visitors. • Membership. In addition to the total number, it can be helpful to determine if gains are

coming from professions of faith, transfers from other United Methodist churches, or transfers from other denominations. Similarly, it is useful to track losses—are they coming from people moving out of the area, changing churches, dying, or drifting away? One approach would be to track how many new members have been received so far this year compared to the same time last year.

• Giving. One sound approach to tracking giving is to calculate the three-year running average of money received through each Sunday of the year and then use those figures to determine how much you “need so far” to be up to date on the budget. A key metric is where your year-to-date income stands in comparison to the portion of income that normally comes in by that same time of year.

Leadership: Recruit a “Dashboard” Team to assemble this data weekly and monthly. When: Status: Action 2.2: Regularly celebrate SUMC’s accomplishments during worship services, at meetings, in The Steeple, on the website, and in press releases. Every day, SUMC has a positive influence on the lives of our members, community, and world—answered prayers, ministry successes, thank you letters, goals achieved, people helped, members helping each other. We all—the whole congregation, staff, and leadership—need to remember our many past and current successes as we actively broadcast positive, encouraging messages. We need to continue making sure that these successes are well known within the church and outside of it. The more we are aware of these things, the better able we are to tell others about them. Leadership: When: Status:

Action 2.3: Improve print media coverage in local papers. Review our newspaper activities (especially with the Connection family of local papers) to consider weekly paid ads and regular



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press releases. In addition to paid advertising, we need to develop a procedure for church groups to make use of community reporting and train leaders in the procedure. Currently our mission work and other activities are often not well-reported. A monthly statistic on the number of press releases issued—even if they are not all picked up for publication—would help us monitor our attention to this matter. Leadership: Perhaps we need a Press Coordinator to work with our Communications Associate on this task. When: Status: Action 2.4: Explore paid Facebook Link Ads to get our name and message to “seekers” and “new movers” in our area. (See the Connect with Social Media section at UM Communications web site.) Leadership: When: Status: Action 2.5: Review how we notice and invite inactive members to return. First we need to notice that they are missing or marginal, then we need to reach out to them to see if we can help bring them back. It is often easier to spot the missing from small groups than from worship services, so a thriving discipleship program (see Goal # 5) will help with this action. Leadership: Perhaps we need to form a “Membership Care Team” to review each week’s attendance and spot members who’ve missed 3 Sundays. Follow up with a contact from someone other than the Pastor. When: Status: Action 2.6: Conduct exit interviews with those who leave to determine if any changes may be appropriate. Leadership: Lay Leaders? SPR? When: Status:

Action 2.7: Develop and produce a “welcome video” to distribute to post on our website. Leadership: Steve Schwartz and Rex Grigg When: Status: Action 2.8: Conduct two (or more) annual special sermon series “fishing expeditions” to appeal to the public and attract visitors. These well-advertised series would focus on topics aimed at meeting people’s needs for encouragement, hope, and God’s love, and offering practical advice on obtaining spiritual help for living in victory. In addition, we might promote a few “special focus Sundays” to which we invite visitors; examples could include Back to School, All Saints Day, Scout Sunday, Confirmation Sunday, and others. Leadership: The Pastor in consultation with the Worship Committee and Music Director When:



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Status: Action 2.9: Determine if offering English as a second language classes would fill an unmet need in our area. To start, we might partner with another local church or offer times and days not now covered by others. Leadership: When: Status:

Action 2.10: We now send postcards to “new movers” around the church each month. We also get a list of their names and addresses. There are too many to visit them all, but perhaps we could recruit one or two volunteers per zip code to make brief doorstep calls on a few of the names that appear to be close to them. The church members would leave the basic church flyer and perhaps add a specialized one if they learn of a special need or interest. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status: Action 2.11: Neighborhood visits and “Prayer on the Porch.” Non-threatening neighborhood canvass by 2-person teams on a Saturday going door-to-door and saying something like this: “Hello, my name is Dave Nefzger, and I’m a member of Sydenstricker United Methodist Church. We’re trying to get acquainted with our neighbors and see if there is any way we might be of service to you or your family or if there’s a special need we might pray for?” The teams would write down the needs, if any are given, and then pray either on the spot or later. Then they would add: “If you don’t have a church home at present, we’d love to have you visit us. Our services are at…” and give them a church business card. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status:

Action 2.12: Free coffee at the Huntsman Giant shopping center along with a 3-panel display about Sydenstricker, especially our mission activities and opportunities—like Martha’s Table. We could start on Saturdays once a month and see how the response is. Leadership: Evangelism Team and others When: Status:

Action 2.13: Put a sign to the church on the parkway or on Old Keene Mill. This could be the standard church sign or perhaps we could participate in VDOT’s “adopt-a-highway” program and clean up a stretch of the parkway in exchange for one of the signs identifying us as those keeping that part of the road clean. Leadership: TBD (church youth?) When: Status:



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Action 2.14: Recruit a team to select and implement one of the “Kindness Evangelism” (aka “Servant Evangelism”) projects when the team is ready. These projects are acts of service that are low risk but high impact. Examples include grocery cart returns at the supermarket, cold water on hot days, free coffee or hot chocolate on cold days—perhaps at the VDOT Park & Ride lot next to the chapel—and others. Leadership: Church youth? When: Status:

Action 2.15: Review our contacts with both T.O.T. and VBS parents who are not members to be sure we are periodically inviting them to visit a worship service. Leadership: T.O.T. Board When: Status: Action 2.16: Host Christian or secular music concerts or other performances in our facility and advertise them to the community. Leadership: Music Director When: Status:

Action 2.17: Obtain some yard signs and bumper stickers for church members to display highlighting the church. Possible messages might include “A Place to Call Home” or “Wisdom, Strength, and Hope for Your Journey” and the web site. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status:

Action 2.18: Offer our yoga classes and our periodic “Family Movie Nights” to the public. Leadership: Marianne Crooch When: Status:

Action 2.19: Explore running ads on grocery receipts at the Huntsman Giant and Burke Safeway stores. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status:

Action 2.20: Review our social media (main web site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs like those at WordPress, other) presence and use; consider the value outsourcing some activities to professional developers and managers. Perhaps active Tweets on a church account and Instagram posts by our SUMC youth would help draw others to their activities. Leadership: When: Status:



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3. Consistently welcome all with radical hospitality, connecting with our guests and establishing authentic friendships / relationships. Assessment: We have taken several positive steps toward being welcoming. We have an attractive, well-maintained facility with new signs to guide visitors. After years of work, in April 2014 we opened our remodeled nursery, something that families with young children value. But it is easy for current members of the congregation to get too comfortable and complacent about being welcoming to strangers. Our welcoming is a central part of who we are as Christians, not a technique for recruiting new members. Churches often think they’re being welcoming when, in fact, they are not. Visitors are often looking for different things in a church, but most are not looking for friendly churches—they are looking for friends (relationships). In our area, making real connections can be hard, and many are hungry for a sense of belonging. Authentic, genuine hospitality beyond the norm—radical hospitality— transforms strangers into friends and visitors into members. The whole congregation must take this on as a weekly priority! Goal Champion: Director of Hospitality (Greeter Coordinator) and the Greeters, and the Usher Coordinator and the Ushers Measure of Success: When we’re doing it right, guests leave having experienced a “knock-your-socks off” hospitality that was beyond the norm, and they have the feeling that “they really care about me here!” In addition, here are two simple measures. First, if someone attends a worship service once and returns the following week, will they be greeted again by name? If “yes,” we’re on the way to doing hospitality right. Second, if a stranger or a not well-known person visits our social / coffee time, will some of those present go out of their way to greet that person and make him or her feel welcome? If “yes,” we’ve got at least some minimal awareness of how to be hospitable.

Action 3.1: Recruit a few younger Greeters who might more readily connect with younger visiting families. Leadership: Director of Hospitality (formerly Greeter Coordinator) When: Status: Action 3.2: Periodic hospitality training class for Ushers and Greeters. Greeters and Ushers need to work together as a team to spot first-time guests and seat them near someone who will welcome them and go the extra mile to connect with them. Leadership: Usher Coordinator and Director of Hospitality (formerly Greeter Coordinator). When: Status:

Action 3.3: Hospitality training class for those Sunday Schools that would like to schedule one. Leadership: Director of Hospitality (formerly Greeter Coordinator)



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When: Status:

Action 3.4: Review the possibility of setting-up a small but first-class Welcome Center in the narthex. Here’s a possible solution to the lack of space: hang a large, well-done sign above the office door (“Welcome Center: Questions? Ask Us!”) and use the office desk as the welcome focal point. A full time host (Greeter?) would remain at the desk on the door side to help visitors. We might also include there on the desk all the sign-up sheets on clip boards in a “clip board / sign-up alley.” As an alternative, we could consider using the small front office by the front door since the Youth and Children's directors will be using the former associate pastor’s office. Leadership: Director of Hospitality When: Status:

Action 3.5: Consider restoring the “Welcome—We’re Glad You’re Here” sign on the Bishop’s Walk. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status:

Action 3.6: Host a meeting to discuss our current hospitality practices with first-time visitors. Attendees should include our Usher and Greeter coordinators, Visitation Chairman, and others interested in this topic. Leadership: Several When: Status:

Action 3.7: Host a meeting to discuss our current practices with those who return after their first visit and appear to be moving toward or considering membership. In the past we have had a “Shepherd Coordinator” who matched prospective members with established members to help guide them along the path toward membership. This discussion would cover how we assimilate new members, both those new to the UMC and long-time Methodists. We want to ensure new members get connected to the church through membership in a Sunday School class or other small group and into a ministry / service opportunity. When new members make friends, get involved in a group, and find a place to serve, they will be more likely to remain in the church. We want to provide new members with mentoring and teaching to help establish them as disciples. Leadership: Several When: Status:

Action 3.8: Continue to encourage the “Circle of 10 / Rule of 3” practice at all of our worship services. The idea is to greet those within 10 feet of you—especially those you don’t already know—and to spend the first 3 minutes after the service talking to visitors or those members



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you don’t yet know before doing any church business or visiting with friends. See someone you don’t know? Introduce yourself! Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status:

Action 3.9: Replace Sunday morning adult Sunday School classes once each quarter with a "meet & gab" session for all to talk, discuss what is going on in the different classes, and provide updates on upcoming activities. Leadership: When: Status:

4. Encourage a culture of invitation and outreach in our members and equip them to share their faith with confidence. Assessment: We need to broaden our definition of evangelism and re-emphasize its importance and relevance. We need to continue and build an active and church-wide culture of invitation and outreach that includes a variety of deliberate inviting activities. We must reach out to our community through advertising (see Goal #2), mission / service work (see Goal #10), personal witness, and other means to share Christ’s love and offer an invitation to learn more by visiting SUMC. In a successful and effective church, a high percentage of members share their faith with others. We want our neighbors and friends to know what we’re like as a church, what we offer, and how they can benefit from what we offer. When we’re doing this right, the whole SUMC membership is participating in a variety of invitations to others to learn more about Jesus and the life He offers. The best way to get people to visit a church is by personal invitation; most people come to a church because of a relationship they have with a member. By the same token, when a church isn’t growing, its members are not inviting. It has been reported that 80-90 percent of those who join a church do so as the result of a personal invitation by a member! This goal focuses on evangelism / invitation, but it is closely linked to what comes next for those who commit their lives to Christ: guiding and equipping them to live as disciples (see Goal #5). Goal Champion: Evangelism Team Measure of Success: The classic measure of success in this area is a growing number of professions of faith, but a supporting metric would also be a growing church.

Action 4.1: Perhaps the single highest payoff activity in this area is a congregation-wide personal one-on-one invitation, that is, an ongoing “come and see my church” word of mouth campaign. We need to encourage our members to invite friends, relatives, work associates, neighbors—and the occasional stranger!—to worship, a Bible study, Sunday School class, picnics, music event, children’s program, or mission / service activity. We need to explain the invitation program, train and equip or members for it, model it, and remind all of the value and effectiveness of this approach. At some point, perhaps we could set a goal for “everyone invite one” in a given week or month and share the results with one another. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Now Status: Underway



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Action 4.2: Ensure the availability of SUMC business-card sized “invitation cards” to help members offer invitations; remind the congregation of their purpose and availability. Leadership: Communications Associate and the Lay Leaders When: Reprinted in April 2016 Status: Ongoing Action 4.3: Develop and offer faith-sharing materials and classes to equip members to share their faith with others. A one-session faith sharing class could be offered to existing Sunday School classes or as a separate event or both. For example, Dave Nefzger could offer to review his You Can Do This! Personal Faith Sharing booklet with Sunday School classes. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status: Action 4.4: Invite the pastor to preach a sermon on faith-sharing and the value of personal invitation. Leadership: The Pastor When: Status: Action 4.5: Plan an evangelism-related weekend event such as a guest speaker or a short class. Leadership: Evangelism Team When: 2016 Status: Action 4.6: Include occasional (once a month in non-communion services) faith-sharing testimonies in worship to encourage others. These would be a one minute story of your faith journey: how you came to Christ or how God has helped you in some experience and the difference He has made in your life. Many in our congregations have powerful faith stories but have never been asked to share them. Speakers would include church members, staff members, youth—maybe even T.O.T. parents and children and Scouts on what the church means to them. These testimonies will help others develop their own stories and encourage more faith sharing. Members who model their personal spiritual satisfaction and the value of their faith encourage others. (Note: best to write out these testimonies ahead of time so that they don’t exceed about one minute in length.) Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status:

Action 4.7: Pray for those without a church home during worship services, in Bible studies, in Sunday school classes, and during personal prayer. Leadership: The Pastor, Sunday School teachers, Evangelism Team, and the Lay Leaders When: Immediately! Status: Underway?



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Action 4.8: Offer an apologetics class that has appeal to both church members and members of the public with faith questions. [Note: Jud Wilhite’s “Why? Pursuing Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions,” the 10-session Wesley Ministry Network “Serious Answers to Hard Questions,” and Lee Strobel’s “The Case for Faith” DVD with a discussion to follow are options.] Leadership: Evangelism Team When: Status:


5. Clarify and deepen our understanding and practice of discipleship and intentional faith development to help us grow and mature spiritually. Assessment: Clarity about what a disciple is and does and about what intentional faith development means will help us in two ways. First, improved understanding of these matters will help each of us church members deepen our faith. All must understand how discipleship goes beyond weekly worship attendance. Second, better clarity in this area will help our guests move along the path to become regular attenders and then members and mature believers. A new church member is more likely to stay and be active if he or she is clear about what it really means to be a disciple—so much more than mere worship attendance! Once we are on firm footing about what a disciple is and does, we can work to ensure that we are encouraging disciple making and have in place opportunities for growth in each of its components, disciplines, and practices. Discipleship practices are what follow our invitation efforts (see Goal #4). The whole church will be stronger as a result of having confident, inspired, fruitful, and empowered disciples! Goal Champion: The Pastor and the Lay Leaders Measure of Success: We will have taken a big step forward in achieving this goal when the definition of disciple and a list of discipleship practices is developed and agreed upon, published, and widely known.

Action 5.1: Develop a draft discipleship definition / statement for review and comment. Once completed, we will continue to encourage members and guests to review the definition and practice its components. Leadership: The Pastor and Dave Nefzger When: August 2016 Status: First draft completed and under review.

Action 5.2: Begin teaching classes and practices based on Phil Maynard’s Membership to Discipleship: Growing Mature Disciples Who Make Disciples. Leadership: The Pastor and others When: Status:



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6. Support and develop clergy, paid staff, lay leadership, and volunteers so that all feel appreciated and their effectiveness, morale, and mutual trust are high. Assessment: Good leadership at all levels is one of the keys to any church’s success. An effective church leader is one who is called by God to lead, who possesses the character of a person of God, and who has a set of leadership competencies. These competencies consist of the abilities to motivate, mobilize, resource, and direct people toward a jointly shared vision from God. New lay leaders and volunteers need to be spotted, recruited, trained, developed, encouraged, and given responsibility. And the congregation needs to support the efforts of its leaders, encouraging them, forgiving their mistakes, helping them improve, and appreciating their efforts. Success in this area requires a system and effort—not wishful thinking. Goal Champion: SPRC and the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee. Perhaps we should consider establishing positions for a Volunteer Coordinator and a Staff Development Coordinator. Measure of Success: We will be successful in this goal when we have recruited and trained a full complement of leaders, all of whom report feeling appreciated and empowered.

Action 6.1: Consider establishing a Volunteer Coordinator position to help identify, recruit, train, and monitor lay volunteers. This person would report to the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee. Possible resource: Scott Thumma and Warren Bird’s The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church’s Spectators into Active Participants (Jossey-Bass). Leadership: Nominations and Leadership Development Committee When: Status:

Action 6.2: Consider establishing a Staff Development Coordinator position to help our paid staff have a clear two-way communications channel to the SPRC. This person would be part of the SPRC and keep in frequent contact with the paid staff to help identify and solve problems, express appreciation, and encourage their development and work. Leadership: SPRC When: Status:

Action 6.3: Offer ongoing spiritual gifts identification opportunities to help point individuals to ministry and service opportunities. These could include short classes, watching the 3-minute video on spiritual gifts at UMC.org and then taking the on-line Spiritual Gifts Assessment. Another approach is to use Buckingham and Clifton’s “StrengthsFinder” assessment to help SUMC leaders identify and build on their strengths to improve effectiveness and satisfaction. Leadership: Pastor When: Status: Action 6.4: Consider establishing a periodic Leadership Development Seminar in which the pastor, Lay Leaders, and others as desired meet to discuss principles of leadership and problems. The purpose of these sessions would be to learn, grow, and encourage one another’s



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leadership, not to do church business. This element might be added to the monthly Lay Leadership meetings. Discussions might include materials such as these:

- Carolyn Cartmill’s Leading From the Heart, a curriculum developed for Adam Hamilton’s congregation at The Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City.

- Bill Hybels’ Courageous Leadership (Zondervan, Expanded Edition, 2009) - Any of John C Maxwell’s books on leadership, e.g., The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

or Leadership Gold, or Developing the Leader Within You - Articles from www.churchleaders.com - James Merritt’s How To Impact and Influence Others: 9 Keys to Successful Leadership - Gordon MacDonald’s Building Below the Waterline: Shoring Up the Foundation of

Leadership - Warren W. Wiersbe’s On Being a Leader for God - Bishop William H. Wuillimeon’s A Will To Lead and the Grace to Follow: Letters on

Leadership from a Peculiar Prophet - We could consider a self-administered diagnostic tool like “Ministry Leader Profile” and

studying “Developing Leaders for Ministry,” both available from the Barna Research Group to help identify new leaders from among the laity.

- Invite guest speakers to meet with us. Examples of possible guests include the chair of the Virginia Conference’s Mid-size Church Leadership Team; a member of the faculty from the Lay Leadership Department of Wesley Seminary; the Director of Leadership and Inclusivity at the Center for Leadership Excellence; the Director of Congregational Excellence in Center for Congregational Excellence, and others.

Leadership: Lay Leadership team When: Status:

Action 6.5: Invite the adult Sunday School classes to study one of the leadership books listed above; at the conclusion, one or more of the students might be willing to teach a “spin-off” leadership class for other members of the congregation. Leadership: Adult Sunday School classes When: Status: Action 6.6: Make each staff member, committee chair, and committee member more visible. First, we need to publish the full list of church officers in The Steeple and on the web site so that the whole church knows who they are. Second, we should print brief biographies about many of them in The Steeple from time-to-time. Leadership: SPRC, the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee, and the Communications Associate When: Status: Action 6.7: Publically recognize and thank all volunteers at least once a year. In addition, invite the congregation to send volunteers and staff members notes of thanks and commendation to help each feel recognized and appreciated. Leadership: SPRC and Nominations and Leadership Development Committee



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When: Status: Action 6.8: Develop a Task Analysis Checklist for each committee. This list will give each major activity, project, and task for that committee and the key steps involved in completing them. Once this is done, we can use it and determine what type of spiritual gifts are needed and then use that understanding to help both paid staff and volunteers. Leadership: SPR (the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee is developing a book of job descriptions for each committee and non-staff leadership positon; see 6.10 below). When: Status:

Action 6.9: Nominations and Leadership Development Committee sponsor the “Ministry Leadership Profile” for all in the congregation willing to take it; after its completion, the results will help guide filling leadership positions. While the profile is underway, the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee members will read and study Barna’s Developing Leaders for Ministry book. Leadership: Nominations and Leadership Development Committee When: Status: Action 6.10: Nominations and Leadership Development Committee prepare written position descriptions for each volunteer position. Add inputs from incumbent leaders to tailor the descriptions for SUMC. Leadership: Nominations and Leadership Development Committee When: Status: Action 6.11: Review the participation in the monthly Lay Leadership meetings to determine if additions might be beneficial. Currently, those who attend are the three Lay Leaders, the Pastor, and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Church Council. Suggested additions would include the Chair of the SPRC and the Chair of the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee. Leadership: Senior Lay Leader and the current Lay Leadership Team When: By September 2016 Status:

7. Strengthen and grow children, youth, and family ministries. Assessment: The Vital Congregations Research Report noted that great programs for children and youth are part of all “vital” United Methodist congregations. Neil Caldwell, former editor of the Virginia Conference’s Advocate, said that “the growth of a church is typically based on how good a job it has done at providing family-based programming.” Families are searching for a church that does family ministry well—let’s be one! We have done several good things in this area, and we are blessed with several dedicated, talented volunteers. We are including a “Children and Family



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Events” section in our monthly Steeple, and each month, the T.O.T. Preschool forwards a copy to T.O.T. parents electronically. Goal Champion: Children and Youth Ministers with the Children’s and Youth Councils Measure of Success: We will be successful when have strong and growing children, youth, and family ministries with the right mix of paid and volunteer leadership. One simple measure: is there someone (or more than one person) who knows who our children and youth are by name and what activities they are participating in each week?

Action 7.1: Recruit a Director of Children’s Ministries. Leadership: SPRC When: Status:

Action 7.2: Determine if we should establish a volunteer or paid Christian Education Director position to help ensure vital and growing adult, children, and youth education / Sunday School programs. This position would help identify materials and recruit and train volunteer teachers. Leadership: SPR, Children’s and Youth Councils When: Status: Action 7.3: Track the names and the average number of children and youth participating in church activities like Children’s Sunday School, Children’s Church, youth activities, game nights, etc. [Perhaps the offering counters are still receiving Sunday School attendance counts from both adult and children’s classes along with worship attendance numbers? Are we reporting these numbers in our end of year reports?] Beyond the numbers, we need to know who is participating in what. This information is needed to manage and evaluate our programs effectively. Leadership: When: Status:

Action 7.4: Develop a gift for first-time guests to our children’s Sunday School—bookmark, coloring book, other? Leadership: When: Status:

Action 7.5: Improve church-preschool cooperation. T.O.T. Preschool is both a church ministry and a business. It is an outreach to our community that helps bring Jesus into the lives of children and familiarizes their parents with what our church has to offer. Working together with patience and mutual understanding, SUMC and T.O.T. will both benefit. To help ensure communication, trust, and mutual understanding between the T.O.T. Board and our Trustees Committee, each should include a member of the other group. Leadership: T.O.T. Board and Trustees When: Status:



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Action 7.6: Establish a Mothers of Preschoolers (M.O.P.S.) group at SUMC. There is a great need for this ministry here—the waiting list to join one of the groups at South Run Baptist Church is currently one year! Groups usually meet once or twice a month; to start, only 2 or 3 leaders are needed. It is likely that some T.O.T. moms would be very interested. Leadership: T.O.T Board take the lead? When: Status: Action 7.7: Start a babysitting coop where those in the coop exchange babysitting hour-for-hour. Mothers would sign up, then meet once a month to discuss any issues and when a babysitter is needed. Members notify the group and whoever is free, sits. The next time the family needs a sitter, that sitter takes the job if possible. There are several online guidelines to look at. Leadership: Children's Ministry Director and Nursery Committee When: Status: Action 7.8: Involve more of our youth in worship as Communion servers, readers, and worship leaders. Leadership: Lay Leaders and the Pastor When: Status:

Action 7.9: Perhaps the single most important activity a Director of Children’s Ministries or a Director of Youth Ministries can do is to spot, recruit, train, equip, and support volunteers. Leadership: Directors of Children’s and Youth Ministries. When: Status: Action 7.10: Leadership: When: Status:

8. Offer inspiring worship and music to honor God and experience and celebrate His love, power, and peace. Assessment: Worship is the inspiration for the congregation and sparkplug and fuel for everything in the church. As goes worship, so goes everything else. Great worship results in a strong experience of God’s presence and is done to honor God. Great worship must be crisp, clean, focused, spiritual, and transformational. Done right, it fills people’s hearts with God’s spirit in a life-enhancing way. The responsibility for successful worship is not only that of worship leaders—it is also shared with the worshipper. Worshippers should not be passive spectators but engaged participants. People are eager to attend worship that is authentic, fresh, excellent, and engaging because in such worship they experience God’s presence, forgiveness, hope, power, and direction.



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We need to evaluate our worship services from time-to-time to be sure that they are meeting the needs of our community and our congregation. If we are to grow, we must ensure that the worship experience our guests receive is meaningful to them, even if that might mean some changes to and experiments with our current way of doing things. Our Worship Arts Committee has already successfully enhanced our services with moving visual and occasional dramatic elements. Goal Champion: Pastor, Music Director, and the Worship and Worship Arts Committees Measure of Success: When our members report positive worship experiences and when a solid percentage of first-time guests visit a service and then return, we will know we are on the right track. Another measure of success will be a growing average weekly worship attendance. Harder to measure but most important of all is a feeling of the presence of the Spirit of God in our worship.

Action 8.1: Evaluate the needs of our members and especially those in our community not attending a church to determine whether or not to establish a new type or style of worship service. The question to answer is “what will appeal to our unchurched neighbors?” If innovation and creativity will attract new members to Christ and to worship, we must be willing to undertake such changes, even if some current members would prefer no changes. Of course, we will retain practices and traditions that nurture our spirits and make us what we are, but we must also be like Paul, who said “…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Cor. 9:22-3) Leadership: The Pastor and the Worship and Worship Arts Committees When: Status: Action 8.2: We must continually evaluate our current worship services to make sure we are meeting needs and maintain quality. This could be the job of the Worship Committee or a new subcommittee called something like the “Worship Planning Team” or the “Worship Evaluation Team.” The planners / evaluators would need to include members from each service to look at needs and performance for improvement areas. A simple beginning might be to invite emails on “what worked well” and “what needs improvement.” Those evaluating worship would also need to ask themselves such questions as these: Did we feel the presence of God? Why or why not? What was surprising about our worship? What was especially moving? Leadership: Worship Committee and / or a possible planning / evaluation team When: Status: Action 8.3: Increase attendance at the Saturday 5:30 pm through advertising. Also consider giving that service a special name (“Chapel Connection,” “Saturday Refresh,” other) to give it an identity and improved recognition. Leadership: When: Status: Action 8.4: Use more media in our Sunday morning worship; for example, we could show announcements on the screen, that day’s scripture, graphics with the sermon, etc.



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Leadership: Pastor, Music Director, and the IT Committee When: Status: Action 8.5: Leadership: When: Status:

9. Nurture and grow relationships and connections for all through current and new small groups for disciple-formation, mutual encouragement, celebration, and caring Christian fellowship. Assessment: Small groups (“classes,” “bands,” and “select societies”) have always been an essential part of what it means to be a United Methodist. Real fellowship connections are forged outside of regular worship services, and great churches are intentional about creating opportunities for such fellowship. Small groups are the best place for members to develop significant long-term relationships with other members. We should be a church of small groups, not a church with small groups. Perhaps the single most helpful activity toward “closing the back door” of our church and for involving new members is having a vibrant small group program. One study found that when a new member makes two or fewer friends over the course of a year, he or she is likely to drop out. Those who had seven or more friends were likely to stay. Relationships are the glue. People outside of the church are looking for a place to belong and for authentic relationships and friendships. Meaningful relationships and meaningful service: these are the keys to gaining and keeping members. The kinds of activities that lead to faith development are varied. They include Sunday school classes, Bible studies, short-term topical studies, support groups that apply faith to particular life challenges (addictions, grief, divorce, job search, cancer challenges, financial planning, etc.), children’s church, Vacation Bible School, The Walk to Emmaus, marriage enrichment seminars, UMM and UMW activities, camps, retreats, and youth fellowship meetings. Other groups in the church—like choirs, praise bands, cooking crews, knitting groups, book clubs, yoga classes, and mission project teams—may focus on an activity other than spiritual growth, but such growth still happens indirectly as a result of the shared activities with fellow believers. If our goal is to make visitors feel like guests, we must also make our members feel like family by ensuring that they are incorporated into our congregation and small groups. Goal Champion: Stephen Ministers, the Pastor, Shepherd Coordinator (if we have one). Perhaps we could establish a Small Group Coordinator / Champion. Measure of Success: A reasonable goal would be to have (at least) 70 percent of our church members participating in a small group or service activity.

Action 9.1 Group leader training to help equip current and future leaders. Currently we don’t have any formal training for our small group leaders. A number of inexpensive online training courses are available for both small groups and Sunday School classes. Candace Means is familiar with several of these opportunities. Here are some examples:

- www.beadisciple.com/online-christian-courses/ifd340-called-to-teach-a-practical-resources-for-churches-course/ - www.beadisciple.com/online-christian-courses/ifd166-teach-adults/



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- www.beadisciple.com/online-christian-courses/ifd185-teaching-and-leading-small-groups/ - www.beadisciple.com/online-christian-courses/ifd188-creating-sunday-school-for-those-who-hate-sunday-school/ - www.beadisciple.com/online-christian-courses/ifd255-companions-in-christ-small-group-leader-training/

Leadership: When: Status:

Action 9.2: Annual review of small groups to determine (1) if existing ones are still effective and meeting the needs of the group and the church and (2) what new groups to consider adding. Possible new small groups might include classes teaching life balance, spiritual answers to challenges, and help through life transitions (divorce, single & single again, grief, job loss, cancer recovery, domestic abuse, addiction recovery, retirement, and others). Some of these problems are more prevalent in our affluent neighborhood than we realize. Hosting classes on these subjects in the homes of church members might be less intimidating for those currently not attending a church. Stephen Ministers might be willing to share some of their training modules within the congregation. Leadership: When: Status:

Action 9.3: Ensure that visitors and new members have easy and clear access to a list of all the weekly study group opportunities. Produce an annual brochure explaining what’s available and who is leading each group. Leadership: When: Status: Action 9.4: Consider creating a Small Group Coordinator position. We could consider a small stipend for this position—say $100 a week or month. Leadership: Nominations and Leadership Development Committee (SPR if paid) When: Status:

Action 9.5: Reach out to our young adults to better meet their needs. Those might include a periodic fellowship group meeting, recreational outings, mission activities, Bible study, etc. By asking them, we might find new approaches that they and their peers would be interested in. Leadership: When: Status:

Action 9.6: Arrange and advertise occasional guest speakers on matters of concern to parents. Speaker resources would include UM Family Services and Fairfax County subject matter experts.



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Leadership: When: Status: Action 9.7: Leadership: When: Status:

10. Serve our church, community, and the world in fruitful service / mission ministries to help the hurting and spread Christ’s gospel of reconciliation, love, peace, and justice. Assessment: Strong congregations do not only focus inward on meeting the needs of their members; they also focus outward in community service helping disadvantaged and hurting people. A vital congregation will be known in the community for its work for those in need. These mission / service activities are themselves a powerful means of evangelism because many people today, especially younger and unchurched people, are attracted to work for love and justice more than they are to traditional church-based worship activities. Here at SUMC we are part of several mission outreach activities, perhaps most notably our monthly ecumenical leadership and support to Martha’s Table homeless ministry. Again, these activities are part of our discipleship practice. Helping others also enhances our own growth and vitality: as we change the lives of others for the better, we also change the lives of the volunteers involved. Key to vital community service outreach ministry is the recruitment, organization, training, and support of volunteers to make these ministries transformative in the lives of the volunteers. And we must support our mission and service activities with preaching, teaching, prayer, appreciation, and funding. Goal Champion: Missions Committee and others. Measure of Success: We will be successful in meeting this goal when we are engaged in a variety of mission / service activities that impact our community and the world and when these efforts are well known by our members and in our community.

Action 10.1: Increase the congregation’s understanding of our mission activities and service opportunities by articles in The Steeple and regular mission moments from the pulpit. We need to highlight both the activities and the people involved to honor the work and the workers, inspire others to join, and keep this good news “front and center” for our congregation. Leadership: Mission Committee When: Status:

Action 10.2: Produce more press releases on our mission activities. No SUMC mission activity should take place without a professional press release—not for our aggrandizement but to attract community members seeking to participate in such work. (See Action 2.3.) Leadership: Mission Committee (and Press Coordinator?) When:



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Status:

Action 10.3: Explore local school outreach opportunities. We already have a relationship with Crestwood Elementary School. Other nearby elementary schools include Newington Forest, Sangster, Orange Hunt, and Hunt Valley. We could explore tutoring programs, bringing refreshments to parents’ nights, helping with child care during parent-teacher conferences, weekly food packs, and other activities to let parents and children indirectly learn about SUMC’s nearby presence. We could also invite high schools to involve students in some of our mission work to help meet their community service requirements. Budget cutbacks at schools have made partnership programs in which churches provide art supplies, craft items, and other consumables a possibility. We might also explore food for single moms, school supplies and clothing for needy children, and the like, if the school will cooperate with us in this regard. Leadership: Mission Committee When: Status:

Action 10.4: Continue and expand our activities with and support for Crestwood Elementary School. Leadership: Mission Committee When: Status: Action 10.5: Publish an annual summary of our many mission / service activities. The summary should give the high points, name those who participated, and discuss future plans. ALSO we have folks who do a great deal that are not always attached to a specific mission of the church. Leadership: Mission Committee When: Status: Update needed for 2016

Action 10.6: Sponsor attendees at the annual Virginia Conference’s School of Christian Mission. Leadership: Mission Committee When: Status:

Action 10.7: Provide our UMYF members with a session on persecuted Christians to help them appreciate our religious freedom in this country and also encourage outreach efforts. Leadership: When: Status:

Action 10.8: Expand our local community healing and caring outreach. One approach would be a well-publicized program in which congregation members are asked to notify the Pastor and the Stephen Ministers about neighborhood needs—a death in the family, accident, illness, new birth, etc., to which we might offer ministry and care to those outside of our church.



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Leadership: The Stephen Ministers and Prayer Shawl Team When: Status: Action 10.9: Expand our regional community healing and caring outreach. One approach would be for Sydenstricker to function as a focal point for disaster relief supply collection in response to natural disasters like tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, etc. We would consolidate local donations of both goods and money, coordinate with on-site relief activities like UMCOF, and then deliver the donations to the disaster site. Leadership: Disaster Coordinator? When: Status: Action 10.10: Stephen Ministers offer a short-term Bible study to current Sunday School classes and to new classes on the book Christian Care Giving: A Way of Life by Kenneth C. Haugk Leadership: The Stephen Ministers When: Status:

11. Nurture good stewardship—generous living—in every aspect of our congregation’s life as individuals and together as we gratefully pour out our gifts to bless others out of our love for God. Assessment: Generous living is not just about giving money or even just about giving. It has to do with the whole of who we are and how we care for our neighbors. Good stewardship is shown in how we live and is a powerful nonverbal witness. Thoughtful consideration of tithing is part of good stewardship. To belong to Sydenstricker is to be a steward. As God’s stewards we have three important stewardship responsibilities:

• Receiving: We receive with gratitude the many gifts that God showers upon us. • Managing: We take good care of what we have received, managing these resources wisely

for our own good and the good of others. • Giving: Out of our gratitude for receiving so abundantly, we want to be good Christian

stewards as we share with others our time, our abilities, and our resources. Stewardship is our assignment from God and our opportunity to join with Him in His worldwide redemptive work. Stewardship is not God taking something from us—it is God giving us His richest gifts to manage for our benefit and to benefit others. When we are good stewards of our resources, we will move forward on all of our other goals. Goal Champion: Stewardship Chairman Measure of Success: We will be successful in meeting this goal when we have established a climate that fosters generous living and giving; in addition, we are being good stewards when we give careful, thoughtful consideration to saying “yes” when asked to serve.

Action 11.1: Increase the congregation’s understanding and practice of stewardship during the entire year through education for children, youth, and adults. The emphasis should be on the good work our stewardship accomplishes, not on the money amounts or income percent of the givers. Members and visitors are turned off by a “woe-is-us” message; instead, they want to see



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a church that is financially stable and responsible and that is seizing opportunities, achieving successes, and producing positive “good news” results. We are such a church, but we aren’t always good about saying so! Leadership: Stewardship Committee When: Status:

Action 11.2: Provide the congregation with a clear understanding of overall church finances, spending, and giving patterns throughout the year but in their full historical (5-year pattern?) context. Leadership: Stewardship Committee, Finance Committee, and Treasurer When: Status:

Action 11.3: Preach a sermon or two on the subject of stewardship. Leadership: Pastor When: Status:

Action 11.4: Conduct an annual stewardship campaign. Leadership: Stewardship Committee When: Status:

Documents

MINISTRY ACTION PLAN - Amazon S3s3.amazonaws.com/.../downloads/sumc_ministry_action_plan.pdf · Ministry Action Plan Sydenstricker United Methodist Church ! 2!! 8. ... “All the