WOODLAWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
STRATEGIC PLAN 2009
Prayerfully completed by the participating teams in hopes to further God’s kingdom through Woodlawn United Methodist Church.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 4 ADULT DISCIPLESHIP LEAD TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN (revised 11-24-08).......... Error! Bookmark not defined.8 CELEBRATION TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 .................................................... 9 CHILDREN'S MINISTRY TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 .................................... 10 CONGREGATIONAL CARE TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008............................... 11 CONNECTING TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN (revised 8-25-09) ......................................... 13 FELLOWSHIP TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 .................................................... 15 LEADERSHIP TRAINING TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 ................................... 16 MARKETING LEAD TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008............................................ 17 MISSION TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008............................................................. 18 PRAYER TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 ............................................................. 20 STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 ...................................... 21 YOUTH MINISTRY STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 ........................................................ 23 I. ADULT GROUP LIFE MINISTRIES STRATEGIC PLAN (created 11-24-08) ............... 24
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I. INTRODUCTION Every day we pick up the newspaper or watch the local news on television, we are reminded of how broken our world is. We see hungry and neglected children, battered women, sex and drug addiction, violence, homelessness, job layoffs, people suffering with sickness and tragedy, families struggling to pay rent or utilities, and misery all around us. Yes, even in affluent Derby, people are experiencing great pain. So, what is Woodlawn UMC doing about it? Are we performing our mission well in this community and throughout the world where God is calling us? Where are we falling short, and how can we reach out and share God’s love to those who so desperately need it? If we truly want to be Christ’s disciples, we must work together to heal this broken world. It will take a unified effort to develop thoughtful strategies to meet the needs of the least, the last, and the lost in our community. It will take a strategic plan. A few months ago the Strategic Planning committee and church leaders embarked on a journey to develop a guide to help us carry out our mission. This guide is our Strategic Plan. It is intended to be a living document that will be updated regularly as our strategies to fulfill our mission evolve. We invite everyone’s participation in this process and welcome your strategies to help make Woodlawn UMC God’s servant church in a broken world. OUR PURPOSE Simply put, our purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. The reason we exist as a church is to lovingly introduce people to Christ and to teach them His ways. We do that by sharing His love and message of saving grace and forgiveness with those who don’t know Him and by loving each other. Jesus’ “great commission” calls every believer in our church to be actively engaged in this effort: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“ (Matt. 28:19-20) The primary ways we fulfill our purpose are summarized in our Purpose Statement: Woodlawn is united in worshipping God, making disciples for Christ, connecting and equipping people for ministry in the church and going forth in mission to the world.
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OUR VALUES The following are values we treasure and are seeking to develop as disciples of Jesus Christ: We surrender our lives to Christ each day: Jesus said, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me.” (Luke 9:23) We love and regularly worship God: “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.” (Matt. 22:37-38) We love and care for each other: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) We seek a deep personal friendship with God: The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. (Lamentations 3:25) We regularly spend time in prayer: “But if you stay in me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory to my Father.” (John 15: 7-8) We share Christ with those who don’t know Him: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand. And it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-16) We work together as a unified Body of Christ to fulfill His purposes: May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6) We give back to God a portion of the wealth He gives to us: “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24) We engage in ongoing Bible study: “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
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We serve the least, the last and the lost where and when God calls us: “Then the King will tell those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?' “The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'“ (Matt. 25:34-40)
OUR PLANNING PROCESS We’ve come a long way on this journey of planning. First, our leaders realized the need and committed to prepare a Strategic Plan for the next 3 to 5 years. It was decided that in order for the planning process to stay on track, we could use outside help from an experienced consultant. The Strategic Planning committee budgeted funds and acquired the help of Reverend Marshall Stanton, former President of Kansas Wesleyan College and father of one of our members, Eric Stanton. Next, we started with a review of the Bandy Report, a document that assessed the WUMC culture about 3 years ago. We reviewed the assessments and suggestions made by the Bandy Report to determine what changes had occurred. In addition, we re-evaluated our WUMC Mission and Purpose Statements and determined them to be current. A SWOT exercise was conducted next with several members of the congregation to assess our “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.” We published the results and asked small groups, Sunday School classes and other groups to provide their feedback on the SWOT assessment. From their input, we summarized the SWOT results into 3 critical areas needing focus in the next 3 to 5 years. They are: Strengthening Commitment One of the primary areas of focus is to strengthen the commitment of each member to fulfill the purpose of our church. We all took a vow to support the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, and service, yet less than 45% of our members attend worship regularly, far fewer tithe and serve on mission or ministry teams. Committee leaders and team members are developing strategies in their areas of responsibility to help strengthen commitment.
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Building Participation God has blessed our church with many gifted members. Some are just beginning their faith journey with Christ, while others have a more mature friendship with Him. Another primary area of focus is to build participation of all members in the mission of the church through discipleship. Strategies for inviting more people to participate in small group bible studies, teaching people how to share Christ with others, and encouraging people to use their gifts for God’s purposes are being developed. Developing Effective Leaders Creating strategies for developing our leadership to help church members carry out our purpose is our third focus area. Some people have great passion, but lack specific knowledge or leadership skills to be a successful leader. Committee leaders and team members are thoughtfully considering intentional leadership development strategies for their specific area of responsibility to help strengthen future leaders. During the next step, each of our 19 ministry teams and committees were asked to prepare a written plan that outlined their strategies for how the 3 critical focus areas would be addressed in their area of responsibility. The following pages include each of the plans that were developed. Each plan was prayerfully and earnestly prepared to share with you strategies for helping the WUMC “body of Christ” lovingly fulfill our God-given purpose and mission. We hope it will inspire you to seek our Lord’s purposes for your life and to give your gifts and talents to serve Him. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
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II.
ADULT DISCIPLESHIP TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN (revised 11-24-08)
Team Purpose: Provide church-wide discipleship offerings, holiday events, educational opportunities, retreats, etc. by, with, and for adults; including young adults, middle adults, older adults, single adults and intergenerational programs involving adults. Team Vision: Make disciples for Christ and equip people for ministry and mission. Provide opportunities for adults to draw nearer to Christ and create authentic relationships within the church. Create an atmosphere where church members and visitors learn to know, love, and serve God. Team Values: We recognize that God made all creation and saw that it was good. We recognize that the church is made of a diverse people who bring special gifts and evidences of God’s grace to the unity of the Church and to society, and that we are called to be faithful to the example of Jesus’ ministry to all persons. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Provide offerings for biblical foundation and study, developmental stages and tasks of adults, faith development, and spiritual formation. Objective 1.2: Manage & promote educational programs such as Disciple, Walk to Emmaus, etc. Objective 1.3: Help to renew congregant’s passion to serve Christ and discern God’s plan for their lives. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Encourage participation in Sunday School classes, seminars, special events, and worship celebrations. Objective 2.2: Work with the Connecting Team (and others) to create and implement learning path that includes introduction to Woodlawn (Exploring Membership), Spiritual Assessment, Spiritual Gifts (Discovering Your Personal Ministry), and Evangelism. Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1: Explore and review curriculum publications to remain up to date on curriculum. Objective 3.2: Work with leaders to provide studies and resources. Objective 3.3: Utilize and promote the use of co-leaders and apprentice leaders.
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III. CELEBRATION TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: To maintain a warm and welcoming atmosphere before, during, and after worship services. Team Vision: Through our atmosphere and other teams, church members will feel nurtured. Prospective members and guests will find Christ’s love and will return. Team Values: We are all members of the body of Christ and will share the love of Christ with everyone we come in contact with.
Ushers & Greeters
Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Encourage coordinators to recruit people who have not served in assisting Woodlawn’s worship services. Do not use the old lists, but actively pursue members to participate in creating a meaningful worship experience. Objective 1.2: Train members of the team to step-in and carry-on in case of an absence. Being able to work with each other is the big plus in our team.
Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Have our hearts afire for God to bring others to Christ. Objective 2.2: Give visitors a sense of familiarity and make them feel more welcome through purposeful greeting and connecting during ushering. Objective 2.3: Create a welcoming and inclusive team on which all members can easily find a place to serve.
Goal 3: Developing Leaders Objective 3.1: After evaluating and defining each of our ministries, compile a folder of all necessary information to be shared within the team. Objective 3.2: Ask each member of the team to mentor a new member, not just the chair. .
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IV. CHILDREN’S MINISTRY TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: Connect children with Christ. Everything we say or plan will reinforce our efforts to tell children about Jesus. Team Vision: Build participation in, and strengthen the commitment to the Children’s Ministry by the whole church. Recognize that each person (adult and child) is on their own unique faith journey with God, and support them on that journey. Team Values: To accept and embrace each child as beloved by God and in need of a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Provide children with opportunities to be creative, enjoy the church, and learn the faith with other children and adults in a safe, secure, and clean environment. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Provide a fun and welcoming atmosphere for all children. Objective 1.2: Help children to belong and have memorable experiences. Objective 1.3: Increase attendance by developing meaningful relationships among children, parents, and volunteers. Objective 1.4: Minister to the whole family and work to strengthen the family commitment to grow in faith by providing resources to be used in the home. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Encourage family worship and participation with special events. Objective 2.2: Develop special events for grade level groups outside of Sunday School, to encourage children not regularly involved to participate in a church sponsored activity. Objective 2.3: Educate children about local and global mission responsibilities, and inspire them to action. Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1: Recruit leaders with vision and passion. Objective 3.2: Train and equip our volunteers so that they feel confident, fulfilled, and supported in what they are doing.
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V. CONGREGATIONAL CARE TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 Team Purpose: To support and nurture our church members with Christian Love through life’s journey. Team Vision: Every member of the congregation will be touched by a caring ministry. Team Values: Motivated by a heart willing to serve with love and sacrifice, we will continue to evaluate and assess the needs of our congregation and adjust our caring ministries to meet those ever changing needs. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Provide care through visiting, telephoning, listening, resourcing, and meeting everyday and crisis needs, thereby encouraging those cared for to care for others in return by joining in existing care ministries themselves. Objective 1.2: Make ourselves aware of groups whose needs are not being met, and develop responsive ministries to meet those needs. Invite members of the congregation to serve, by making our caring roles visible. Objective 1.3: Create relationships within the congregation by giving our members opportunities to practice their caring and nurturing skills, through our media resources, describing what we do. Objective 1.4: Continue to hold regular team meetings, which will develop the “team spirit.” Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Use the Ministry maps, and hold a “Caring Sunday” to target members who might desire to participate in our ministries. Objective 2.2: Create a welcoming and inclusive team on which all members can easily find a place to serve in a caring ministry; provide an “open chair,” helping new committee members find a place to serve; brainstorm how the rest of the team can provide support for each of the ministries represented. Objective 2.3: Provide caring ministries that touch people at their point of need, and invite and welcome them into our church. Create caring relationships that make God’s love real seven days a week.
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Goal 3: Developing Leaders Objective 3.1: After evaluating and defining each of our ministries, compile a folder for each ministry that contains all of the necessary information that should be passed on to the next leader. Objective 3.2: Identify and train at least one additional person to be familiar with the job of each of our ministry leaders.
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VI. CONNECTING TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN (revised 8-25-/09)
Team Purpose: To effectively connect people through meaningful spiritual discipleship, service and support opportunities, allowing them to grow in faith, with gifted service in the Body of Christ. Team Vision: Connect people into the life of the church and help them find their place within the Body of Christ in order to fulfill the WUMC mission. Team Values: Speaking the truth in love, joining and working together, promoting the growth of the church, building up others in love.
Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Emphasize the vows of membership: prayers, presence, gifts, service, and evangelism at the Exploring Membership classes. Emphasize spiritual growth and small groups. Offer Exploring Membership classes on a quarterly basis. Honor new members/recognize them/celebrate them! Objective 1.2: Provide Discovering Your Personal Ministry classes on a quarterly basis. Link people to their areas of passion and giftedness. Use Mission and Ministry Maps to determine areas of passion and giftedness. Objective 1.3: Provide a mentor to all new members to help them make a meaningful connection in the church. Mentors will make regular contact with new members. Objective 1.4: Welcome all new visitors to the church. Reach-out-visitor baskets delivered after first visit. Phone call after second visit. Assignment to Connecting Team member (Mentor) after third visit. Exploring Membership invites after third visit. Objective 1.5: Evaluate on a continual basis the effectiveness of the church/congregation in the area of welcoming. Provide ideas and suggestions to various ministry areas. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Help connect people to small groups. Connection to small groups offers accountability and support, as well as spiritual growth. Objective 2.2: Emphasize participation in worship, mission, ministry and small groups by providing follow-up. Connecting Team Members (Mentors) contact visitors who have attended more than three times to help connect and follow-up. Connecting Team monitors attendance of new members and visitors and provides the data to Team Members for follow-up contact.
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Goal 3: Developing Leaders Objective 3.1: Provide Lay Leadership Team with the names of people who express interest in areas of leadership. Names determined through contact of new members by the Connecting Team (Mentors). Objective 3.2: Emphasize involvement of leaders in various ministry areas. Objective 3.3: Establish process for Connecting Team so that new leaders can easily step into leadership role. Update spreadsheet of contacts on a regular basis. Provide folders to team members with all contact information for each new member or visitor. Team members to log any contact made as well as any follow-up required.
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VII. FELLOWSHIP TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: Promote Christian Fellowship opportunities in our church and the surrounding community by providing moral and wholesome activities via open invitation. Team Vision: Sharing God's love thru various Christian fellowship activities by improving interactions and involvement within the church and community. Team Values: Uphold highest Christian values while helping others further discover Christ's message through fellowship. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Involve new people in planning and promoting events that they are interested in. Resource needs will be decided as per event. Objective 1.2: After event has concluded, will encourage them to remain as a viable member of our team. Objective 1.3: Utilize the survey from Skills/Interest to recruit new members. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Provide an avenue for discipleship while enjoying fellowship events; opening the door for small group formation. Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1: Involve new people in planning and promoting events that they are interested in. Objective 3.2: Continue to include the new people in meetings after their event is done. Objective 3.3: Utilize Skills/Interest survey results to recruit new leaders and form new activities.
Fellowship with each other
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VIII. LEADERSHIP TRAINING TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: To make disciples for Christ by training leaders to lead with love and skill. Team Vision: To create leaders that will serve as examples of Christian leadership. Team Values: Develop leaders with the necessary heart and skills to support the mission of the church. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Lead a spiritual gifts class, and use that information to work with lay leadership to put the right people in the right places. Objective 1.2: Provide resources to send leaders (at least 10) to Church of the Resurrection Leadership Training seminar annually.
Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Create small leadership groups that will encourage accountability. Objective 2.2: Develop a leadership program to train leaders of all small groups in the church. Objective 2.3: Develop a program to recognize (annually, monthly, quarterly) people in leadership positions. Objective 2.4: Train leaders to reflect a feeling of invitationality to future leaders. Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1: Establish a covenant for all people in leadership positions. Objective 3.2: Develop a mentor program to support and help new leaders. Objective 3.3: Develop an email program that provides training, tips, and issues for all leaders.
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IX. MARKETING LEAD TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: To increase the awareness of the Good News of Jesus Christ to the community through education and empowerment of all members and through the use of community and media relations and special events. Team Vision: To use all means possible to extend an invitation to all people to experience God’s love. Team Values: willingness, openness, passion, commitment Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Develop strategies to promote WUMC to the community. Objective 2.1: Reaffirm, that through God’s Holy Grace, each member has the power to influence and invite. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Encourage individuals and small groups to participate in community activities as ambassadors for Christ. Goal 3: Developing Leaders Objective 3.1: Recruit, train, and encourage team members to become future leaders. Objective 3.2: Identify, through the Ministry Maps, persons with marketing experience and/or creative gifts.
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X. MISSION TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: To manage and facilitate the Mission Outreach for Woodlawn United Methodist Church with a commitment to service, spiritual growth and tangible results. Team Vision: Every WUMC member in Missions. Team Values: Sharing resources and opportunities Listening and communication Confidentiality with those being served Passion for Mission Supporting the Call for Mission Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Put the congregation in personal contact with Mission Team members by developing mission packets of information on each Outreach mission, offering programs by team members describing current Mission opportunities, by 12/07. Objective 1.2: Personal testimonies of individual’s Mission experiences during worship once a quarter. Objective 1.3: Educate and raise the awareness of all groups through short-term mission projects and weekend/evening opportunities. Objective 1.4: Work with youth and Sunday school leaders/teachers on teaching the important of missions; involve Youth in Mission Trips, and Children in Vacation Bible School Mission Projects. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Encourage small groups to have a mission project where members participate. Objective 2.2: Help everyone to identify their mission niche through Mission Fair, and workshops with small groups to link personal interests with existing missions. Objective 2.3: On-site tours of mission sites and facilities, and demonstrations of processes involved in those missions.
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Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1: Intentionally mentor replacement leaders, utilizing apprenticeships. Objective 3.2: Communicate and involve potential and current leaders in conference and other training opportunities. Objective 3.3: Identify skill needs of leaders to become more effective, such as organization, time management and conflict resolution, and provide training opportunities to strengthen their leadership skills.
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XI. PRAYER TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: To help others be formed into the image of Christ through constant daily prayer and the practice of the many prayer disciplines. Team Vision: The congregation of WUMC practicing the presence of God. Team Values: Personal spiritual formation through prayer discipline. Ministry practiced through prayer for others. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Continue support of the Sunday morning prayer for the pastors. Provide oversight of this program via representation from that group on the committee. Objective 1.2: Continue to support the Garden Room as a place of prayer and reflection for overseas soldiers. Provide support, oversight and guidance for those who are the care-takers of this room. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Provide support for weekly evening prayer service. Support the Associate Pastor and the weekly service team as needed. Objective 2.2: Start a prayer vigil at WUMC. Prayer team will develop a plan for a vigil to be run two days a week, primarily during church working hours. Congregation promotions will include printed articles, testimonials, signup sheets, etc. Goal is to start the prayer vigil in September of 2006. Objective 2.3: Secure a permanent location for prayer vigil and expansion of hours. Continue to support and grow the prayer vigil we have, with an eye towards planning for a permanent separate location in WUMC for a prayer room. Eventual objective would be to cover a large number of hours per week with the vigil. A small capital campaign or private asking for funds will be necessary to support an additional prayer room. Objective 2.4: Consider promoting yearly topical prayer vigils at key times in the Christian calendar (such as the Lenten vigils in the past). Objective 2.5: Continue to pursue of the 50 Weeks of prayer initiative. Weekly prayers will be printed in bulletin and Circuit Rider.
Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1: Offer semi-annual prayer classes through the church. Work with Associate Pastor to develop a teaching ministry about prayer in daily life.
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XII. STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008 Team Purpose: To develop the discipleship of Woodlawn’s Congregation through biblical teachings related to the stewardship of resources and to provide pragmatic reasons for Woodlawn’s Congregation to support the financial aspects of the missions and ministries of the church. Team Vision: Dissemination of information through the yearly campaign will educate and motivate Woodlawn’s Congregation to increase the commitment of their resources. Team Values: First, design scripture-based materials that encourage Woodlawn’s Congregation to surrender to Christ with their prayers, presence, service, and gifts. Second, effectively communicate the knowledge that general budget increases allow implementation of programs and services that support spiritual growth and outreach to those in our community that do not attend a church. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Solicit the help of Woodlawn’s Prayer Team to encourage our congregation to pray for God’s guidance in deciding what commitments they will make to Woodlawn in the coming year. Objective 1.2: Distribute spiritually-based materials and create spiritually-based presentations that encourage a tithe of 10% or movement in that direction. Objective 1.3 Distribute materials and create presentations that clearly communicate mission and ministry needs specifically related to Woodlawn’s general budget. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Research biblical teaching materials related to stewardship. The committee will provide a bibliography of those materials to Sunday school and small group leaders and encourage their use the church calendar’s stewardship focus. Objective 2.2 Pursue the possibility of all congregational small groups studying the same stewardship lessons during the four weeks of stewardship focus, with implementation taking place during 2007’s church calendar’s stewardship focus. Objective 2.3 Each November, ask committee and team leaders to help with a PHONEFEST. The purpose of the PHONEFEST is to provide a place and time for the leaders of Woodlawn to come together and to invite the members of our congregation to participate in the support of our church. Objective 2.4 On Consecration Sunday, encourage the committee and team leaders to bring their pledges to the altar kneel and pray for the blessings of these commitment cards and for guidance as to how they will be used in the next year’s budget.
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Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1 Create a flow chart of the yearly activities and responsibilities of the Stewardship Committee. Every January, the outgoing Stewardship chairperson will revise and update the flowchart and meet with incoming the Stewardship chairperson to review yearly activities and responsibilities. Objective 3.2 Each summer, provide the new Nominations Committee with the stewardship flowchart. This specific overview will aid in the recruitment of no less than six active committee members needed for the Stewardship Committee. Objective 3.3 Each summer, provide the new Nominations Committee with Stewardship flowchart. This specific overview will aid in the recruitment of a chain of command, so that the mentoring and transitioning of Stewardship chairperson’s responsibilities can be pre-arranged each year. Objective 3.4 The Stewardship Chairman will schedule quarterly meetings. The agenda will include utilization of all members of Stewardship Committee through the delegation of specific tasks.
XIII.
Luke 6:38
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YOUTH MINISTRY STRATEGIC PLAN 2006-2008
Team Purpose: To worship God and make disciples by developing authentic relationships and creating community for insiders and influence with outsiders. Team Vision: To become disciples of Christ for a lifetime, and to present the fullness of God to all. Team Values: Create an environment of: authenticity, grace, passion, inclusiveness, joy, and love. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Establish a small group for youth workers (for fellowship, prayer, and study). Objective 1.2: Emphasize worship involvement with students throughout all youth ministries. Objective 1.3: Improve recognition of student guests and acknowledgement of students who are bringing guests.
Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Offer consistent opportunities for youth and leaders to give back to the community through service projects/mission trips. Objective 2.2: Increasing the expectation of parents to be involved in youth ministry on some level. Objective 2.3: Developing a process to integrate student guests into group and church membership.
Goal 3: Developing Leaders Objective 3.1: Prayerful recruitment by the team of passionate volunteer teammates. Objective 3.2: Provide consistent and relevant training opportunities for youth leaders. Objective 3.3: Empower student leadership team by increasing responsibilities within the youth ministry.
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II. ADULT GROUP LIFE MINISTRIES TEAM STRATEGIC PLAN (created 11-24-08) Team Purpose: Provide vision, direction and support to Woodlawn UMC groups. Team Vision: The vision of Group Life Ministries is to help people become deeply committed Christians by providing a safe and supportive environment, led by the Holy Spirit, where group members encourage and challenge each other to deepen their faith and live out their calling in the world. Team Values: We recognize that God made all creation and saw that it was good. We recognize that the church is made of a diverse people who bring special gifts and evidences of God’s grace to the unity of the Church and to society, and that we are called to be faithful to the example of Jesus’ ministry to all persons. Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Strengthening Commitment Objective 1.1: Offer curriculum to groups currently meeting. Objective 1.2: Provide open invitation training (related to group life) for entire church throughout the year. Objective 1.3: Help to renew congregant’s passion to serve Christ and discern God’s plan for their lives. Goal 2: Building Participation through Discipleship Objective 2.1: Encourage participation in Group Life. Objective 2.2: Develop mentoring relationship with coaches / leaders. Goal 3: Leadership Development Objective 3.1: Identify and recruit leaders and coaches. Objective 3.2: Work with leaders to provide studies and resources. Objective 3.3: Utilize and promote the use of co-leaders and apprentice leaders.
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Presented to Church Council on December 17, 2006.
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