Emmanuel 2020: Conversations to Discern Our Approach to the Future

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Emmanuel 2020Conversations to DiscernOur
Approach to the Future

• Emmanuel Episcopal Church
• Middleburg, Virginia
• February, 2012

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Why Do a Plan Now?

• Emmanuels last long-range planning was in 2000
• The world has changed
• Emmanuel has changed our people and our leaders
• The future is no longer what it used to be.

If you dont know where youre going, any road
will get you there. The Cheshire Cat, Alice in
Wonderland
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What Do We Mean by a Plan?

• A series of conversations about the future and
  how we relate to it
• Structured conversations, with a focus, over a
  period of time
• True dialogue talking and listening
• Address the concerns of the congregation while
  building on our strengths
• Resulting in a commitment to actually do something

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What Benefit Should we Expect?

• Get people thinking and talking about our
  aspirations
• Explore how we connect with our faith
• Gain perspective on our strengths and what is
  working and not working
• Enhance the shared understanding of our mission
• Offer people with diverse positions a way to
  negotiate their differences

Opportunity for discerning what is God calling
us to do?
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What Type of Plan? from the spectrum of
possibilities
Less complex

• Situation/Context
• There is a specific
• problem how
• does it get fixed?
• We are basically doing our
• ministry right whats next?
• Developmental.
• What is being done is not
• working and needs major
• re-invention. Radical
• Change required.

• Approach
• Problem solving identify solutions specific to
  the problem and choose one
• Identify and build on our strengths identify our
  opportunities select initiatives to pursue
• Radical restructuring of who we are and what we
  do. Back to the drawing board.

Emmanue l
More Complex
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The Generic Process for Planning Four Distinct
Structured Conversations in Sequence
Deliver How do we want to accomplish it?
Dream What do we aspire to?
Design What do we want to accomplish?
Discovery What is our situation?
External Trends
Mission
Objectives
Internal Situation
Vision
Goals
Finances

• Initiatives and Programs
• Action Steps
• Resources
• Timeline
• Accountability

Purpose
Recommendation
Key Issues
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Discovery Conversation What is our Situation?

• National/Episcopal/Diocese trends
• How is the Spiritual Awakening and Religious
  Decline affecting us?
• How do broader Episcopal issues affect Emmanuel?
• Community demographics
• What Middleburg demographics affect Emmanuel?
• Emmanuel
• What are our trends in attendance and baptisms?
  Why?
• What are the needs of our parishioners and how
  satisfied are we?
• What are our strengths? what do we build on?
• What is our financial situation?
• What are the issues at Emmanuel?

Our planning should be Informed by data not
driven by data
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Dream Conversation What do we aspire to? What
is God calling us to do?

• Two components
• Axiomatic what we believe in unity with all
  Episcopalians
• Unique whats important to our particular
  congregation

• Purpose why do we exist as a congregation?
• Mission of our congregation
• what defines our ministry?
• who are the people we are called to serve?
• what gifts do we bring and strengths do we build
  on?
• Vision a word picture that describes our
  congregations future as we are fulfilling our
  mission

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Design Conversation What does God want us to
accomplish?

• Objectives and Goals, both quantitative and
  qualitative, stating definitively what we would
  accomplish in fulfilling our mission
• Stated by area of ministry
• worship,
• education,
• outreach,
• parish life,
• Also the building, finance, and other resources
  to accomplish above.

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Deliver Conversation How do we accomplish it?

• What are the initiatives and programs that
  comprise the strategies for each area
• Of all the possibilities, what are the
  priorities?
• Implementation plan action steps,
  accountability, time line

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Process a Proposed Roadmap
What and When Who Topic
Scope March 24 -- 2 hours Vestry What questions? What issues? Who will participate?
Situation Analysis (Discovery Conversation) April 14 half day Planning team Data, trends, needs, Refine the issues
Mission, goals (Dream and Design) May 26 full day Planning team Mission and vision Objectives and goals
Strategies and programs (Deliver Conversation) June 2 half day Planning team plus others Programs and initiatives Priorities
Congregation buy-in Small groups in homes? All congre- gation Discussion of programs in small groups by area