Questions from Chapter 1 of Raising the Roof

First I would ask: "what is your first take on the idea of a strategic plan to increase our membership base, attendance, and programming to a "program-sized" parish (Avg. Sun. attendance >225)? At left is a graph showing attendance, membership (accuracy?)and giving over the last 10 years (click on it for more detail). As you can see we seemed to have peaked out in attendanceat at around 200 in 2001, then drifted back to a steady state of about 100-125. I think, for a number of reasons, that it is possible for Emmanuel to be program-sized, but is that what we discern that we are called by God to be? And can the membership be prepared to make the transition when we approach a size transition?

Here are some of my notes, observations and questions from Chapters 1 and 2:

• What current external realities do we need to respond to in order to (re)align faith and context?
• What kinds of "passive barriers" (generally unacknowledged) are we currently allowing?
• how can we clarify our focus?
• what about our building/gatherings/communications, etc. limits our capacity and indicates "no vacancy" to guests?

At the Raising the Roof seminar, we identified new member welcoming and incorporation as a first barrier to address. What do you think?

Continuing After a Long Pause

After a long period of dormancy, I have decided to resuscitate this blog and continue the discussion already begun here in a slightly different way. About a month ago, I attended a "Raising the Roof" seminar along with two other parishioners. The seminar certainly provided some good essentials for strategic planning. I have now given this book to several parishioners who I would like to join with me in forming "Learning Team." Hopefully, this blog can serve as a place for virtual discussion and planning, limited not just to the Learning Team, but to all who are interested and concerned with discerning the future course of Emmanuel Church.

Session 4: Putting it Together

Now comes the process of finding and naming the convergence of Local Context, Collective Potential, and Apostolic Esprit. Somewhere in that convergence is our unique Kingdom Concept. In our session on October 5, 2008 participants were given summaries of our findings so far, which were essentially printed transcripts of this blog content. Here is where the discussion led us:

* We offer an alternative to prevailing forms of Christianity and Church in Bristol

* We offer [Episcopal] hospitality

* We seek our own growth and that of the Kingdom of God

* Warm, generous, compassionate

* Emmanuel is recognizable in the community and accessible

* We have lots of programs, offerings, and outreach activities

* We emphasize Christian Formation/Education

Seems like the essentials are growth, welcome, and service...

Session 3: Apostolic Esprit

In the third segment of defining the "Kingdom Concept" of Emmanuel Church, we discussed our "Apostolic Esprit." Here we are looking for what energizes us, what sorts of service leave us invigorated rather than worn out? Where have we sensed the movement of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way? These questions were used to get at the concept:

Q: What kinds of activity energize us most in a positive way?
A:
* Cooking in our kitchen
* Delivering Meals on Wheels
* Christmas Dinner
* Cooking/planning for Social Club
* Participation in Liturgy
* Catechesis program
* Hosting Supper Club
* Offering events that run counter to and being an alternative to the prvalent Bible Belt culture
* Bristol Faith in Action
* Pastoral Care (Lay Eucharistic Visitors)

Q: What do we tend to pray for the most?
A:
* Individual situations, problems (e.g. healing, thanksgiving, dicernment, guidance) * Peace
* wise leadership
* Material needs (food, clothing, shelter)
* Openness (as a family) to others
* The state of the Episcopal Church
* Reconciliation

Q: What success of the past was unexpected?
A:
* Catechesis program
* Rector Search
* Compassion of church family toward individual members
* Christmas Dinner

Q: How would you like non-members to speak of Emmanuel?
A:
* Friendly, welcoming, generous, non-judgmental
* Solid
* Beautiful building "looks like a church ought to look"
* Committed to Children/Youth
* Community-minded
* "I wish I was a member there"
* "Oh, that's the one on Cumberland street!" (recognizable)
* Preach the Gospel without needing words.

Q: Do we share common heroes?
A:
* Jesus! (and the Holy Trinity)
* Jack Trayer (Christmas Dinner)
* George Bunn (beloved former rector)
* Barbara Bunn (acolyte leader, professor)
* Tom Rogers (Search Committee Chair)
* Ed Hitt (current Senior Warden in time of transition)
* Worker bees (who say "we will," and do)
* Bill King (recently deceased member)
* Mary Landrum (retired music director)
* Linda Riley (retired Christian Education Director)
* Margaret Kearfott (current Music Director)

Session 2: Our Collective Potential

Now, we try to get at discovering the unique resources and capabilities that God brings together in us--our "Collective Potential." To facilitate the naming of this facet of our "Kingdom Concept," we asked the following questions:

Q: What do visitors say they like the most about Emmanuel?
A:
* multiple personal welcomes
* extremely warm
* "looks like a church should look"
* liturgy: appealing to many though different
* we at least seem to be open to people's different walks of life.
* spirituality of "holy spaces"
* preaching what we practice--not fire and brimstone fundamentalism
* free Christmas dinner--wonderful to share meal, generosity; no pre-requisites

Q: If you were to invite someone to Emmanuel, what would you be able to promise them about the visit?
A:
* warmth and welcome
* "pew aerobics, formality of worship
* wonderful children's program
* nice rector and family
* lots of participation by laity (but not necessary)

Q: If we were to suddenly just disappear, what would the community be missing?
A:
* Bristol would be missing an architectural landmark
* Christmas dinner, Bristol Faith in Action, Social Club
* A distinct theological perspective: the "via media," a bridge between catholic and protestant traditions.

Q: What is the most significant thing Emmanuel has done for this community? What is our most significant ministry?
A:
* Literacy Academy
* Christmas Dinner
* AA/AlAnon
* provide community leadership (perhaps due to personal faith)
* Social Club
* Meals-on-Wheels
* childrens programs and ministries

Q: What capabilities, talents, and gifts tend to cluster at Emmanuel?
A:
* Leaders
* well educated/value education
* warm/welcoming/hospitable/generous
* great cooks/kitchen
* teachers of all types
* philanthropists: charitable to community (e.g. soup kitchen)
* sense of humor, don't take ourselves too seriously, not stuffy
* good integration of all generations
* effective, we get things done, work hard, participate
* well-connected with/to community
* loyalty, sense of responsibility to Emmanuel Church

Session 1: Our Local Context

"Vocation is where your greatest joy meets the world's greatest need" --Frederick Buechner

Over the next several weeks we are going to be drawing a good deal from Will Mancini's recent book, Church Unique. Mancini develops the idea of "Kingdom Concept" and defines it as the place where Local Predicament, Collective Potential, and Apostolic Esprit come together. Kingdom Concept is the simple clear “big idea” that defines how Emmanuel Church will glorify God, seek God’s kingdom, and proclaim the Gospel. I substituted "Local Context" for "Local Predicament" and used the following questions to spur discussion:

Q: What are the major needs of Bristol? Of this neighborhood?
A: [responses from group gathered]
* Economic growth/stimulus, job opportunities
* Need to change attitudes toward education (self-defeatism)
* Health Care for uninsured, working poor
* Regional availability of jobs (but need for skilled, qualified workers)
* Drug use
* Inequality in salaries according to gender
* "Old boy network" limits opportunity, creates glass ceiling

Q: How are these needs reflected/expressed socially, economically, ethnically, environmentally, religiously, politically?
A:
* Small ethnic community, including African-American, limited voice, perhaps resulting in resentment
* Unclear how this may play out in religion locally
* Two city governments lack coordination in spite of occasional cooperation

Q: What opportunities are found within our immediate sphere of influence? What advantage does our specific location give us?
A:
* Good location: parking
* Educational opportunities--library, vocational
* Position to welcome downtown workers and visitors
* Spiritual resources
* Predominant, if not only, Episcopal presence in town

Q: What issues are center stage in the public eye and get media attention?
A:
* Domestic violence
* Environmental concerns: "green" energy, practices
* Coal industry: jobs vs. environment, proposed energy plant, mountain top removal

Q: What is the most significant change in our community in the last decade and what need does it create?
A:
* Revitalization of downtown, bringing back warmth
* More cars produces need for parking
* Development of outlying areas (e.g. exit 7)
* Surge of lower paying, service sector jobs
* Decline in the number of antique stores, which used to be a major draw for people to downtown
* Change in communication (especially between the workforce and employers)

What can you add to the discussion?

Launch!

Greetings Emmanuelites and interested others!
I hope this blog will be a place where we can sum up and archive a lot of the learning that we accomplish in our "Plotting the Course" discussion. We can use the comments feature of this blog to allow participation by those who were not able to be with us in person. In the next day or so, I will post up the work we did on September 14 exploring our Local Context in Bristol. It was a very lively exchange, and I learned a lot about the way we see ourselves in the place God has planted us. Stay tuned.
Father Mark