First Presbyterian Church

As a result of extensive interviews with the congregation and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, nine Strategic Initiatives have been put forward to be undertaken by the church over the next three to five years.

Overarching Initiatives
Three of the initiatives apply to all aspects of the church and are intended to be addressed by all ministry areas. When implemented, First Pres will be a more “missional church” in its personality.

1. Increase Our External Focus Through Outreach and Service

Request each ministry identify and implement a way to increase their external focus through either outreach or service, or place emphasis on a way in which they are already doing one of these during the next year (2004-2005) and continue to build on this the next three years.

2. Deepen and Broaden the Feeling of Community within the Church

Request each ministry identify and implement a way to increase the feeling of community within their ministry or within the church during the next year (2004-2005).

Over the next two years, task Community Life Ministry with developing and implementing a strategy for broadening the small group ministry of the church (2004-2006).

3. Increase Passion and Grow Resources

Request each ministry identify and implement a way to increase passion within and/or for their ministry during the next year (2004-2005) and continue to build on this the next three years.

Task the Stewardship Committee with investigating new models of budgeting, stewardship and designated giving. (2004-2005).

Over the next three years, task Spiritual Formation and Discipleship with considering ways to increase the effectiveness of Lay Ministry in increasing congregational involvement (2004-2007).

Targeted Initiatives
Three of the initiatives are targeted at specific area within the church for special attention.

4. Create an Emergent Worship Service

Session establish a task force to develop a recommendation for implementation of an Emergent Worship Service with the goal of having services begin in early 2005.

The implementation of an Emergent Worship Service should clearly reflect other Strategic Initiatives: Increasing our external focus through outreach; deepen and broaden the feeling of community; increase passion and grow resources; minister to 20’s and 30’s age group; be singles sensitive; try new ways of communicating; establish and track measures of success.

5. Revitalize Our Ministry to the 20’s-30’s Age Group

As a follow-on to the Emergent Worship Service initiative, Session establish a task force to develop a recommendation for revitalizing our ministry to the 20’s and 30’s (2005-2006). The Emergent Worship Service would lay the groundwork for this.

6. Increase Our Awareness of and Sensitivity to Singles of All Ages

Identify three ministry areas willing to identify and implement a way to increase their sensitivity to singles during the next year (2004-2005).

Identify three additional ministry areas the following year (2005-2006).

Enabling Initiatives
Three initiatives are intended to enable many or all ministry areas to be more effective in their ministry.

7. Enable Thriving Ministries to Keep Growing with Expanded Facilities

Move forward with the planning and implementation of the Phase 2 development plan (2004-2007).

In support of the first initiative (Increasing our External Focus through Outreach and Service), Phase 2 should include the redevelopment of the Annex as an outreach center to those in need.

Phase 2 development should clearly reflect other Strategic Initiatives: deepen and broaden the feeling of community; increase passion and grow resources; use effective communications.

8. Improve the Effectiveness of Our Communications

Identify three ministry areas that will take on a task of improving communications about their ministry area during the next year (2004-2005).

For 2005-2006, Session establish a permanent communications committee to look at ways to improve overall church communications.

9. Establish and Track Measures of Success

Session establish a resource group willing to assist ministry areas in establishing and tracking measures of success (2004-2005).

Identify three ministry areas to work with the resource group to establish and track measures of success (2004-2005).

In each of the following two years, identify three additional ministry areas each year to work with the resource group (2005-2007).

Definition of a Missional Church
The mission of the church is to be found in the mission of God. God, who is always doing "a new thing" (Isaiah 43:19), calls the church to discern, celebrate, and participate in God's mission in the world.

The church in every age is called to bring the good news of the kingdom into engagement with the deep yearnings and challenges of its context in the world.

To engage today's world with the good news requires the formation of a disciple community - the faithful body of Jesus Christ - to be an outpost, embassy, and vanguard of the kingdom of God.
Where Christianity is a minority voice in the culture, the church adopts a missiological approach to ministry and puts into practice lessons learned from the mission field.
A missional church pays attention to the changes in culture, the leadings of the Spirit, and the needs of the world as it attempts to be incarnational as the body of Christ.
A missional church is focused outward, on making a spiritual and societal impact outside its four walls by meeting felt needs and sharing the hope we have in Jesus Christ with gentleness and respect.