REPORT OF THE MISSION STUDY TASK FORCE

Transcription

1 ! REPORT OF THE MISSION STUDY TASK FORCE OCTOBER 2017 David Mink Donald Brand Regina Bianucci Rus Sandra Peterson Presbyterian Church of Novato 710 Wilson Avenue Novato, CA 94947! 1

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3 REPORT OF THE MISSION STUDY TASK FORCE OCTOBER 2017 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW Page 3 HISTORIC SUMMARY Page 6 COMMUNITY AND MEMBERSHIP DATA Page 9 FINANCIAL HISTORY Page 11 FOCUS GROUPS Page 13 CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY Page 15 APPENDICES A. Statement of Financial Position at December 31, 2016 B. Statement of Income and Expense by year, 2004 through 2016 C. City of Novato Existing Conditions Report of Population and Housing from 2010 census information D. Pledging Unit Data E. Congregational Survey! 3

4 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW The Presbyterian Church of Novato (PCN) is a warm and welcoming church with a talented and involved congregation, located about thirty minutes north of San Francisco on the northern edge of Marin County. PCN is committed to reformed theology and Presbyterian polity, and our central beliefs are that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, through whom we receive salvation. The Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God. Our Congregational Purpose Statement was developed in 1998, and has driven our church s ministry over the past twenty years: Responding to God s love for us in Jesus Christ, PCN strives to Share in joyful worship Support one another in Christian love Study God s Word toward Christian maturity Serve people compassionately in Christ s name Spread the Good News of Christ WE SEE OURSELVES AS A WARM AND CARING COMMUNITY. We believe in providing a faithful and supportive church home for people seeking a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We emphasize teaching based on the authority of scripture, and seek continual spiritual guidance and growth through worship, Bible studies and classes, and relationships with other Christians. Our active Deacons and Stephen Ministers help to provide care and compassion for our congregation. Outside of worship services, our church members also enjoy fellowship and socializing, but there is an expressed desire to increase the availability of adult fellowship activities for our church family. WE ARE AN AGING CHURCH WHO WANTS TO ATTRACT YOUNGER MEMBERS... We are a predominantly older congregation seeking to bring younger members into our church family. We recognize that, in order to attract young families, we need to provide for children, and in response to this congregational value, PCN committed in 2013 to hiring a full time Youth Director and, in 2015, a part-time Director of Children s Ministry. Our children s ministry now includes a midweek children s program --Seekers (based on the LOGOS ministry); attendance at this program has been growing with more children participating and more church members involved in the staffing of the activities. (This fall, Seekers is hosting 50+ children and adult! 4

5 volunteers for dinners). Guided by our Youth Director and a core of dedicated adult volunteers, over 100 teens and 16 adults participated in middle school and high school youth groups in Students are involved in planning and leading weekly meetings and the Student Leadership Team prepares them to be PCN s teen faith community. As one way to attract younger members, PCN also offers two different worship service styles: a contemporary service at 9:00 and a traditional service at 10:30. Sunday School is offered during the Contemporary Service as well as a monthly Power Praise worship service for preschool to -5 th grade students. During the summer months PCN has one service, alternating contemporary and traditional styles. WE ARE STRIVING TO BECOME A MISSIONAL CHURCH.. For most of the past decade PCN has dedicated about 25% (currently 24%) of its annual budget to mission giving (causes outside our local church), and this is a source of great pride for our congregation. PCN has been recognized by PC(USA) as having designated more specific dollars for the support of named mission co-workers than any Presbyterian church west of the Rocky Mountains, and we have consistently led in budgeted mission giving within our Presbytery. In addition to providing money to mission organizations, many PCN members participate in local, national and international mission projects. PCN commissions three different adult mission trips each year. Internationally, PCN has sent teams to build houses near Juarez Mexico for the past 15 years. It has also sent mission teams to Middletown CA, New Mexico and New Jersey. PCN s high school youth plan and raise funds to go on yearly mission trips (Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Anchorage AK, Fresno, CA, Chiloquin, OR, and International Falls, MN to name a few). The congregation has enthusiastically joined in the Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now) Program, enlisting more than 400 people to pack more than 40,000 meals over the past four years. WE WANT TO SERVE OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY We are actively seeking ways to connect with the community; many members are active workers at Gilead House (a local women s shelter), support Homeward Bound (the local provider of homeless services) with both money and with hands-on work, and our Men s Group provides meals once a month for a group of homeless men (in cooperation with local churches). We also give money and active support to Novato Human Needs Center. For the past seven years the PCN/Lynwood School project has paired church members with students and teachers, in a reading program, at a low-income, mostly Hispanic school in Novato. While PCN s Mission Committee annually gives a large monetary donation to local agencies serving the Novato community, the congregation is anxious to serve in more direct hands on ways. Church members would like to participate in more local mission projects, including partnering with other churches in Novato. WE WANT TO INCREASE DIVERSITY AND REFLECT NOVATO S DEMOGRAPHY..! 5

6 Although Novato is becoming an increasingly diverse community, PCN has not drawn this diversity into its congregation. According to the 2017 mission survey, PCN members want to work to embrace the demographic of Novato into our church family. WE WANT TO IMPROVE OUR CHURCH CAMPUS AND MAKE IT MORE WELCOMING PCN s sanctuary is truly beautiful, and we are proud of the long history of our church in Novato. However, our Wilson Avenue campus needs some sprucing up to make it more comfortable and welcoming. Twice yearly church workdays have made great improvements to the outside of our church campus, but there is a need to invest in property improvements to the buildings, landscaping and parking lots. There is also a growing need for a new church kitchen to update or replace the one built in the 1960 s. LOOKING AHEAD The Presbyterian Church of Novato has thrived over the past twenty years under the leadership of our pastor, Kent Webber. We wish him Godspeed and a well-deserved retirement, and we look forward to what God has in store for our church in the years to come. We trust and pray that God will lead us to a relationship with a new pastor who will join us in ministry and who will build on our strengths and encourage us to become a community which shares the good news of Jesus. We want to be effective witnesses for Him and to spread the Gospel in our community and in the wider world, and we seek a pastor who will accompany us in that mission.! 6

7 HISTORIC SUMMARY Organized in 1896, PCN has a rich heritage in the history of Novato. The original church building and its distinctive steeple form the central image for the City of Novato s insignia. PCN has been an active participant in the community for over one hundred years, serving a community breakfast on the 4th of July, providing financial support to the Novato Human Needs Center, and providing leadership and assistance in the construction of senior housing and feeding homeless people both at the church and more recently at a nearby shelter. Several members of the congregation have been named Novato Citizen of the Year in the annual recognition celebration. In 1960, after construction of the present Christian Education building on Wilson Avenue, PCN moved to its present site and the old downtown church building became the Novato City Hall. Council meetings and other civic activities are still held in the complex. Throughout the 1960 s and into the 1970 s PCN worshiped in the Education Building in Trevitt Hall. By the early 1970 s planning had begun for a Sanctuary building and by 1978, aided by a loan from PC(USA), the Sanctuary was completed and dedicated. Shortly thereafter, Kaleidoscope School (a non-profit organization) began operation in the Education building and was a popular pre-school for children of PCN members and an important income source for PCN. Another major source of income during this period was a flea market which was enthusiastically attended by the Novato community. Music has always been an important part of PCN s worship. During the 1980 s the church shifted from a volunteer choir director to a part time music director, who was a noted San Francisco organist. PCN members also underwrote the purchase of a top-of-the-line electronic organ in order to have an instrument which would be worthy of the music director s skill. The Followers of Christ gospel choir was founded during this period, which led to the employment of an additional part time music director specializing in gospel music. The Followers performed at PCN and a number of other churches and venues during the 15+ years this group was active. In 1989, two long-time members left sizeable bequests to PCN. These were sufficient to start a Support and Endowment Fund with the objective of underwriting activities that could not be accommodated in the PCN General Budget. Funding for the Meditation Garden and a set of handbells for the Bell Choir are examples of how this fund was originally used. In time, this fund grew large enough to underwrite the start-up of the present contemporary service and provided a shared equity loan to an Associate Pastor, making it possible for him and his family to live in Novato. It also partially funded a Manse purchased in Aided by a special fund-raising campaign in the early 1990 s, PCN was able to retire its mortgage. Using the amounts previously paid for debt retirement, PCN was able to slowly build a financial reserve. This was in contrast to the 1980 s, when PCN was forced to operate within tight budgets, and giving to mission activity was regularly reduced to fund spending in other areas.! 7

8 With business institutions and schools prohibiting non-profit organizations from meeting on their premises, PCN ceased looking at its facilities as a way to raise funds, and instead viewed its facilities as a community asset, and a way to attract new members. Accordingly, it instituted a policy allowing non-profit human services organizations to hold meetings in PCN facilities at no charge. It also became a sponsor for 3 Boy Scouts of America troops, providing them with a regular meeting place. In 2004, a 4 bedroom residence adjacent to PCN became available and PCN purchased the property to use either as a manse or, longer term, as additional space should PCN wish to expand its campus. Thus far, it has been used as a manse, first for an Associate Pastor, and more recently, two interns. The mortgage on the manse has been fully paid in record time. This is due to PCN leasing several of its educational classrooms to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Middle School during the school year. (PCN uses this space on weekends). We have had this lease arrangement for 10 years, and it has worked well for both parties. Pastoral leadership over the years has generally been stable with tenures usually exceeding 20 years. During the early 1990 s, however, PCN experienced significant pastoral instability and its vitality and membership suffered accordingly. With the arrival of the present pastor in 1995, and the adoption of the present Purpose Statement in 1998, the remaining years have been characterized by an enthusiastic and faithful congregation but a declining membership, with new members somewhat offsetting death and relocation. In September 1999, in an effort to attract new members, PCN instituted a contemporary worship service. This program has been well received and is financially successful. It has attracted younger members to PCN, but it also attracted retired people who were members of other Novato congregations, The result has been an increase in the number attending the Sunday services and some additional new members; however, the contemporary service format has not arrested the increasing age of the congregation. Recently, the Presbytery of the Redwoods commissioned a Lay Pastor (Commissioned Pastor) to serve at PCN. She will serve a 3- year term, then be considered for additional terms. She specifically serves PCN and has all rights and privileges of an ordained pastor. She supervises PCN s fulltime youth director and part-time children s ministry director, and also serves as support staff for the Christian Education, Program and Fellowship, and Membership and Outreach committees. This year PCN initiated a study of the need for improvements to its entire campus with the exception of its Sanctuary. A similar study was started in the 2007, but was suspended after the stock market dip occurred in Today is a different time and the church is financially poised to make changes. A committee has been reviewing needs and has asked all standing church committees for input. Additionally, a congregational survey was conducted as part of the new pastor mission study effort. Included in that survey were several questions regarding facility improvements that might be considered. The results of this survey are now being reviewed and recommendations will be made. Such improvements might include expansion of the Christian Education building to handle larger groups, an expanded kitchen, improved parking and landscaping, etc.! 8

9 Today in Novato, there are numerous activities that compete with Sunday worship. The high cost of housing in the Bay Area necessitates two wage earner families. With time a premium, it is little wonder that youth athletic activities occur on Sunday mornings. This is reflected in the PCN Christian Education program. Both worship attendance and Sunday School attendance is declining. Therefore, our middle and high school programs meet on Sunday nights and are thriving. Our SEEkers program for preschool-5 th grade meets Tuesdays and is growing. Our Vacation Bible School program in the summer is outstanding, with over 100 children attending. All these youth programs are enthusiastically supported by church volunteers and parents.! 9

10 COMMUNITY AND MEMBERSHIP DATA Novato is a growing, family-oriented community. The City of Novato published a Population and Housing Report based primarily on the 2010 census. It has been useful in this report to compare Novato to the surrounding Marin County area, and a number of the exhibits can be found in Appendix C. Contrary to the impressions of people who live outside of Marin County, not everyone is financially stable or even comfortable. While Novato households are slightly more affluent than their counterparts in the San Francisco Bay Area (a 9 county region surrounding the San Francisco Bay), they are less affluent than countywide households. (Table 3-7 Household Income Distribution 2010). The percent of households in Novato with household income under $150,000 exceeds that of Marin County. The median household income in Novato in 2010 was $77,554, which was slightly higher than the Bay Area median of $76,256, but is 16% lower than the Marin County median of $89,948. Marin County is recognized across the country for its affluence, but not everyone here is rich. Although most incomes are high, people in Marin County and Novato face high housing prices. As of September 2017, the median selling price in Novato was $802,000 (Marin County $1,090,000) and the average selling price was $883,000 in Novato (Marin County $1,446,000). Rental prices are also high. This is why families tend to be double income and many children don t return from college to live in Novato and Marin County. Novato is more diverse in ethnicity than the rest of Marin County, but not so of the Bay Area. In 2010, 76.0% stated ethnicity as white in Novato while in Marin County it was 80.0% and in the Bay Area 52.5%. The second largest ethnic group in Novato is Latinos which comprise 21% of the population. This is higher than the county wide share of 16%. Latinos represent the City s fastest growing ethnic group; between 2000 and 2010, Novato s Latino population rose from 6,229 to 11,046 residents, a 77% increase. PCN has not seen a share of this population because most worship in the two Catholic churches in Novato. In 2010, the median age in Novato was 42.6 (44.5 in Marin County; 37.8 in Bay Area). The highest percentage of residents in Novato was in the under age 15 bracket at 18.8% (Marin County had less at 17.3% and Bay Area 18.5%). The next largest bracket was the 45 to 54 age bracket (15.9%; even higher in Marin County 16.7%; Bay Area 15.0%). The percentage of Novato residents over age 65 in 2010 was 15.6% (Marin County 16.7%; Bay Area 12.2%). The population trends by age group show a dramatic increase in the numbers of seniors age 65+ and a sharp decline in the number of people under 25 years. The Novato senior population is increasing at a rate that far surpasses the national rate for this population. The Department of Finance predicts significant increases in Marin s elderly population as the baby boom generation ages. By the year 2030, approximately 26% of the Marin population will be aged 65 or more. Comparing Novato to PCN in terms of age and race (2016): Novato Under %! 10

11 % % % % OVER % PCN 25 and under 9.9% % % % OVER % Novato PCN White 76.0% 92.9% Hispanic 21.3% 2.0% Asian 6.6% 4.8% Black 2.7% < 1.0% The PCN membership in 2016 was 351, of which 62% are female and 38% male. The membership is nearing 50% of over age 65. The percentage of youth at PCN represents half the same demographic of the Novato residents. It has been a focus of past Mission Study Reports to be concerned with this dramatic difference in our church community. Changing the demographics to reflect our community in age and race is an important value for our congregation.!11

12 FINANCIAL HISTORY The PCN members have been very generous in their giving to support the church and community, reserve funds for improvements, invest in a manse for pastoral housing and commit to mission giving at the largest percent in the regional assembly area (all of Northern California). The vast majority of church revenue is pledged income from members at 86% of total income from the 2004 to 2016 time period. From 2004 to 2007 (the highest amount of pledged in church history at $703,000), pledged income grew each year but in 2008 when the Great Recession hit, income fell 8%. In 2016, the pledged income almost hit the 2007 level, at $696,351. PCN had 210 actual giving units in 2016 (out of 302 potential giving units). This number has been stable since Prior to the recession, when active membership was over 400 (now it is at 351), the giving units were at 251. The percentage of actual giving units has held steady at 70% for the past 4 years, but in years past it was over 90% Other revenue sources include loose offerings at 7%, some facility income revenue at less than 3% and other mission based giving. Starting in 2008, PCN has rented the second floor of the main building to Good Shepherd Lutheran Middle School, and this additional revenue source was used primarily to pay down church debt from the purchase of the manse. Spending annually has been grouped into categories reflecting the PCN Purpose Statement: Share in Joyful Worship 26.9% Support of the Congregation 18.0% Service to Others 26.5% Christian Education 18.8% Spreading the Good News 9.8% A large part of the worship cost supported enthusiastically by the church is the two services music programs. The church employs two music directors, one for the traditional service and one for the contemporary service. All other musicians except for guests and a pianist are volunteers and most are members of the church. PCN lost its Associate Pastor when she moved out of Novato to care for relatives, and the church has commissioned a lay pastor to assist with some of the pastoral duties of the senior pastor. The mission giving commitment of 24% or more of total spending of PCN has been met for all but one year in the past 15 years. PCN has transitioned from a church that simply donated its excess funds to one that plans for giving outside of itself. Each year the Mission Committee allocates this large part of the budget to causes it vets with considerable research in a way to spread the resource around the local community, the region and internationally. The congregation participates in the PC(USA) giving annually (Pentecost, Peacemaking, Christmas Joy, and One Great Hour of Sharing). Those contributions are included as Special Offerings to Others, and the disbursement is included in Service to Others.! 12

13 Locally and regionally PCN supports local nonprofit organizations providing care to financially challenged or unhoused people and families. There are multiple meal programs partly subsidized by the church but most are run by volunteers. Internationally, PCN has supported the house building program in Juarez, Mexico through another faith based organization called Missions Ministries. The church has funded the housebuilding and mission works while the members pay their own travel. PCN also supports nine PC(USA) Mission Coworkers around the world, and annually supports the General Assembly, Synod and Presbytery of the Redwoods. This emphasis on mission giving has not been accomplished at the expense of other needs of the congregation. PCN Deacons have spent almost $13,000 per year in support of needy members of the congregation and community. Most importantly, PCN took advantage of an adjacent house for sale and purchased it in Although it required much improvement to make habitable and desirable to live in, it was an investment accomplished without a capital campaign. The $500,000 bank debt at purchase was partly paid down with a $100,000 contribution and $200,000 loan from the Support and Endowment Fund, and then over time from the general budget each year and the rental income from the school. The loan was fully paid off in Overall, the church paid nearly $1.1 million on this house and its property fully intended to house a future pastor. In the meantime, two interns to the church are currently living in this house. All this spending, giving and investing has not depleted PCN funds. Reserves stand at nearly 80% of one year s spending (the average spending from ). The Support and Endowment Fund was built over time from memorial gifts and reports assets of $766,000. These assets are not available for annual budget spending, but can be used to support new programs or even loan funds to the church for capital investment. In 2017, PCN received a large estate gift from a member which will be allowed to fund organ maintenance/repairs and the infrastructure updates currently being planned. FOCUS GROUPS METHODOLOGY! 13

14 Prior to administering the congregational survey, 5 focus groups were held to allow congregants the opportunity to share their feelings about a new pastor and about the church as a whole. Three of these focus groups were held on Sunday 8/20/17 (two in the morning and one in the evening), one was held on Thursday evening 8/24, and the final one on Monday evening, 8/28. Each was well attended with 8-12 participants. A mission study report committee member acted as the focus group moderator while another committee member acted as the scribe recording responses on the white board. The same list of questions were discussed at each of the focus groups. Due to time constraints, not all focus groups discussed the last few questions: 1. Go around the room-- please state your name and how long you ve been attending this church. 2. What is the most important quality our new pastor should have? 3. What is great about this church? 4. If there was one thing you wish would stay the same about this church what would it be? 5. What is the one thing you wish you could change about this church? 6. What words would you use to describe what our church can be in 5 years? 7. [Read the purpose statement] What do you think the church does best on this list? Why? 8. What in a church would be compelling to someone who currently does not attend? Those participants who were quiet were encouraged to speak their minds and participants with a lot to say were invited to allow others to contribute. Participants were able to synergistically bounce ideas off of one another resulting in a list of thorough responses for each question. RESULTS Focus group participants felt the most important qualities our new pastor should have were that he/she be Bible based, compassionate, experienced, family centric, humble, playful/have a good sense of humor, and be a good preacher. Participants also indicated an ideal age range of There were a wide variety of specific things mentioned that are great about our church. The items that came up consistently from session to session were our mission program, our community involvement, and our youth ministry. The most popular things that focus group participants indicated they would like to stay the same about this church were missions, youth, and keeping both services. There was quite a bit of consensus from one focus group to the next on what needs to change about this church. In different ways, every group said we need to become more contemporary. We need better publicity and better use of social media to get our message out. We can also benefit from better internal communication. We need better facilities-- specifically a better kitchen. Last, but not least, participants think our church needs to get younger and have more younger families.! 14

15 Not all focus groups had time to address the last three questions, but those that did described several ways that our church could be different in 5 years: more diversity and more open, more community service, better facilities, growing, and maintaining our mission and youth focus. The two focus groups that were asked about our purpose statement ranked how well we are doing in each area in a way that mirrored the scores from the congregational survey. Four statements were ranked high compared to Spreading the Good News of Christ. CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY METHODOLOGY! 15

16 A 78-question survey was administered to the congregation in September of Church members and regular attendees were given the opportunity to complete the survey online or an identical paper survey handed out during Sunday worship on September 10 th. Surveys were available and collected through Thursday September 21 st. Congregants completed 136 paper surveys which were divided up between the 4 committee members who entered the data into a computer spreadsheet. 99 congregants initiated the online survey, but 3 did not answer any questions. These 3 were removed resulting in =232 completed surveys merged together into a single analyzable dataset. Question 61 required some specific cleaning. Congregants were asked to rank 10 pastor attributes in order to force a comparison of desirable attributes. Those who assigned the same rank to multiple attributes or those who did not rank all 10 items were not considered in the question 61 analysis. Some confusion was created in terms of rating the attributes 1 to 10 or 10 to 1. Verbal instructions were given for the paper surveys and the wording of question online was updated to make it clear that 1 was the best and 10 the worst. Some respondents indicated in margin notes their high/low coding. Even still, based on response patterns, it was determined that 10 congregants reversed their rankings. 132 congregants answered Q61 completely, with 10 of those having their rankings flipped to match the remaining results. The demographics from the survey were compared to the demographics of the membership rolls with no major discrepancies. Since the completed surveys are representative of the congregation, no weighting was applied. Percentages were computed for categorical questions and mean scores were reported for 5- point scale questions. Where possible, results from the 2004 survey were reported alongside the current results. RESULTS Reviewing our Purpose Statement Similar to 2004, PCN is doing well with scores at or near 4.5 in the broad purpose statement categories of Sharing in Joyful Worship, Supporting one another in Christian Love, Studying God s Word Toward Christian Maturity, and Serving People Compassionately in Christ s Name. PCN continues to do less well with the Spread the Good News of Christ purpose statement with a score of 3.93 in 2004 and a score of 3.83 in Share in Joyful Worship 90.5% of the congregation feels that PCN provides worship that deepens their experience of God in the Christian tradition. This is still high, but down from a score of 99.0% in As expected, those who attend the traditional service score the importance of having a traditional service at Similarly, those who attend the contemporary service score the importance of having a contemporary service at However, when asked about the opposite service, traditional service congregants rate the importance of the contemporary service at Contemporary congregants think even less of the importance of the traditional service rating it a 3.13.! 16

17 In terms of music, scores have gone up for the chancel choir since 2004: 4.05 versus Scores have gone down for the praise band since 2004: 4.31 versus This can be attributed to the transition from a long-term Praise Band leader to a brand new leader whom we are still getting to know. The bell choir is rated at Support One Another in Christian Love Congregants feel that the Deacons and the Stephen Ministers are doing very well with scores of 4.56 and 4.50 respectively. Scores on adult fellowship opportunities have slipped since Small groups went from 4.08 to 3.85, supper clubs went from 4.45 to 4.03, and Adult fellowship groups like Explorers and Mingling Singles went from 4.08 to The youth programs represented what congregants thought was one of the biggest problems in The 2017 survey data shows that this issue has been positively addressed. Middle School Youth s score went from 2.89 to 4.17 and High School Youth s score went from 2.52 to We have also added the Seekers program which was rated a strong No clear mandate exists in terms of PCN allowing marriages of same sex couples. 29.6% strongly agree that PCN should allow these marriages, while 27.4% strongly disagree, and 23.3% neither agree nor disagree. Study God s Word Toward Christian Maturity Congregants rate highly the educational opportunities at PCN. Kent s Adult Bible study got the highest score on the survey with a rating of Sunday school, Men s group, and Vacation Bible School also scored well. Serve People Compassionately in Christ s Name In terms of mission giving, 76.9% of the congregants think that contributing 24% of the operating budget to missions is just right. 93.6% support giving monies to foreign missionaries. There is an appetite for more local hands-on mission/service projects with 84.6% of congregants saying they would participate. Spread the Good News of Christ Congregants strongly agreed that we should increase our outreach efforts to those not currently attending PCN with a score of This includes agreeing that we should start a program for millennials with a score of In terms of attracting new members, the two items congregants thought were least likely to work were local TV advertising and expanded newspaper advertising with scores of 2.80 and The two items thought most likely to be the most effective were an expanded youth program and an expanded adult education program at 4.22 and 3.93 respectively. Facilities! 17

18 Facilities improvements were only somewhat important ranging from the highest scoring New Kitchen at 3.92 to the lowest scoring Parking Lot Improvements at % were willing to support these improvements with a one-time pledge of $1000. If 58.4% of our membership of 350 contributed $1000, it would provide approximately $200,000 for these facilities improvement endeavors. New Pastor Attributes The gender of the new pastor is not important with 71.1% of congregants saying it doesn t matter. The remaining 28.9% said they would prefer the new pastor be male. 132 congregants successfully ranked the new pastor attributes. The top 3 were Be an Effective Preacher, Has a Deep Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ, and Able to Make the Bible Relevant to Daily Lives of Members with average ranks respectively of 2.9, 3.3, and 3.6. The bottom 3 were Encourages Evangelism, Works Closely with Other Churches in the Community, and Visit Church Members Regularly with average ranks respectively of 8.5, 8.5, and 7.2. Communication Scores on communication items dropped from 2004 to Being well informed about PCN mission dollars went from 3.88 down to Being informed about various subcommittees in the congregation dropped from 3.62 down to The Pres. Press keeping congregants informed dropped from 4.41 to How important church decisions are communicated to PCN members went from 3.81 in 2004 down to 3.36 in Church Community Builders(our church database vehicle) got one of the lowest scores on the survey with a score of Demographics 66.3% of the survey respondents were female and 43.9% were over 70 years old. 20.7% have an annual income of over $151k. 34.9% of respondents attend the traditional service and 51.4% attend the contemporary service. 53.7% of respondents said they attend Sunday morning worship 4-5 times per month and average a total of 3.7 hours on the PCN campus per week. If You Could Change One Thing The final open-ended question was recorded verbatim and then coded into categories. By far the largest category was More Younger Families with 21 respondents mentioning this as a thing PCN needs to change. 3 congregants responses were categorized to Kids Participate More in Worship and 3 more were More Opportunities for Young Members. A quote that sums this up, The only way we can grow our church is through young families. Need a pastor who has a family and relates to young families. Our current members are not leaving, they are dying.! 18

19 The next largest category was Facilities with 11 congregants mentioning this broadly. Also mentioned specifically six people said kitchen, 5 people said Fellowship Hall, 5 congregants said Landscaping, 4 said Signage, 2 said Parking Lot, and 2 said Trevitt Hall. One person summed it up nicely, Revamp facilities-spend the money to bring it up to date - If this were your home would you agree that it is time for a facelift? Many congregants answered this question by simply saying that they were Happy As Is (6) or that they Loved the Church (10). We should not lose perspective that there is a large group of congregants who are satisfied with PCN. One person said, Am happy as it is - don't really want any changes. 9 congregants said that More Community Outreach would be the one thing they would change with another 3 indicating More Minority Outreach. Quote: I believe local service projects should be much more frequent and a high priority. Better Communication came up 4 times with concerns both internally and externally. 2 more said they would like to see More Social Media. One person said, Increase communication between staff and congregation while another said, Inform the community at large about our wonderful programs in a better way. Four congregants expressed a desire for our church to be more open to the LGBT community with one requesting we become a Full [More] Light church. More Relevant Sermons Came up 4 times with an additional 2 congregants wishing our church was More Dynamic and Inspirational. One said, I would like to see sermons that are relevant to what is happening around us... The remaining comments and categories were very specific items of concern for that one person or just a couple people including Church Community Builders(CCB), The Praise band, All Church Camp, etc. APPENDICES APPENDIX A Statement of Financial Position at December 31, 2016 APPENDIX B Statement of Income and Expense by year, 2004 through 2016 This statement includes the general operating financial results and operating and property reserve spending; the statement also includes memorial gifting to Support and Endowment and use of funds to the best of the committee s ability to consolidate the reporting into this! 19

20 statement. Transfer account income and expense was too difficult to consolidate except for the rental income from Good Shepherd that has been recorded as Facility income. The spending was consolidated into our Purpose Statement as follows: >> Ministry spending was split ⅓ each into Joyful Worship, Support and Christian Education >> Administrative spending was split ¼ each into those same groups plus Spreading the Word >> Property spending was split the same as Administrative >> Worship (Joyful worship), Program (Support), Education (Christian Education), Mission (Serve Others) and Membership (Spreading the Good News) were included 100% in these categories APPENDIX C City of Novato Existing Conditions Report of Population and Housing from 2010 census information >> Table 3-7 Household Income Distribution >> Table 3-5 Race and Ethnicity >> Table 3-4 Age Composition APPENDIX D Pledging Unit Data APPENDIX E Congregational Survey! 20

21 APPENDIX A Presbyterian Church of Novato Statement of Financial Position 12/31/16 Morgan Stanley 202,004 Bank of Marin Checking 123,989 Synod of the Pacific FH Fund 105,550 Synod of the Pacific Cash Fund 34,209 Bank of Marin CD 104, ,592 Capital Improvements to Campus 93,102 Manse 1,115,356 1,208,458 S&E Funds 766,847 2,545,897 Restricted Fund Operating 96,393 Restricted Fund Property 194,364 Transfer Accounts (restricted) 232,139 General Operating Fund 46,819 Endowment Fund Balance 766,847 Unrestricted Net Assets 1,209,335 2,545,897! 21

22 APPENDIX B! 1

23 APPENDIX C! 2

24 !! 3

25 ! 4

26 ! APPENDIX D! 5

27 Year Potential giving units Pledging units, actual % of actual units to total membership 53.9% 57.7% 61.5% 58.9% 56.6% 50.6% 52.4% 54.7% 56.4% 54.7% 55.8% 56.7% 59.8% Active Membership Pledging Units Active Membership Potential giving units Pledging units, actual !! 6

28 APPENDIX E 2017 PCN Congregational Survey Summary This survey is completely anonymous. We ask that you only fill it out once. Please circle the best answer. (N/A = Not Applicable) Reviewing our Purpose Statement Very Well Adequately Inadequately How well does the Presbyterian Church of Novato (PCN): Share in Joyful Worship Support One Another in Christian Love Study God s Word Towards Christian Maturity Serve People Compassionately in Christ s Name Spread the Good News of Christ Share in Joyful Worship 6. Do you feel we provide worship that deepens your experience of God in the Christian tradition? Yes -99.0%, 90.5% How important are the following elements Very Somewhat Not at All for you in a good sermon? Important Important Important 7. Scripturally based Relevant today Intellectually stimulating Emotionally satisfying Inspirational How important is it to you that PCN offers a traditional service? How important is it to you that PCN offers a contemporary service? 4.27 Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor 14. Please rate the music in worship overall ! 1

29 15. Please rate the chancel choir Please rate the praise band Please rate the bell choir Please rate the dramas Please rate the children s sermons Should the overhead video system be used:more- 23.5%, 27.1% Same-68.2%, 72.0% Less-8.3%, 0.9% Support One Another in Christian Love 21. To what degree is the church currently meeting your needs for Christian Very Well Adequately Inadequately friendship, support and care? How well do Supper Clubs allow you the Very Well Adequately Inadequately opportunity to get to know other church members? How well do Adult Fellowship Groups (For Example: Explorers and Mingling Singles) allow you the opportunity to get to know other church members? How well do the Deacons respond to the needs of the congregation? How well do the Stephen Ministers provide care to church members in need? How well do the PCN Youth programs overall meet the needs of our youth (both in our congregation and in the community)? Seekers (K-5 th )? Middle School Youth Group? ! 2

30 29. High School Youth Group? Please indicate your level of agreement: Strongly Neither Agree Strongly 30. The Presbyterian Church of Novato Agree nor Disagree Disagree is a warm caring congregation PCN should allow marriages of same sex couples % % % 2-7.2% % Study God s Word Toward Christian Maturity Please rate the following: Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor 32. Sunday school for nursery to middle school children Adult Bible study programs 33. Pastor Led Classes Adult Sunday School Men s Group Vacation Bible School Small groups Serve People Compassionately in Christ s Name 38. Currently, our church contributes 24% of our operating budget to missions. Is that amount Too High-20.4% Just Right-76.9% Too Low-2.7% 39. Would you participate in hands-on mission projects based locally in Marin County? Yes -84.6% 40. Do you support giving monies to missionaries serving in international locations? Yes -93.6% 41. Would you attend a Mission Committee sponsored event in which local, nation, or! 3

31 world-wide issues -- related to mission are discussed? Yes -75.2% 42. How well informed are you regarding Very Well Adequately Inadequately where PCN mission dollars are spent? Spread the Good News of Christ 43. I think we should increase our outreach Strongly Neither Agree Strongly efforts to reach people for Christ who are Agree nor Disagree Disagree not presently attending any church We should start a program that reaches out to millennials [ages 20-35] Which of the following do you think would be effective in attracting new people into our congregation? 45. An expanded adult education program Offering ALPHA courses Expanding features of PCN s Website Local television advertising Expanded newspaper advertising Church flyer mailed to all Novato residents Expanded Youth Programs Social Media Campaign(Facebook etc.) 3.91 Facilities Very Somewhat Not at All 53. How important is it to re-engage members Important Important Important who are not currently active? 4.21! 4

32 As money and coding regulations allow, how important to our mission are the following Very Somewhat Not at All facilities improvements? Important Important Important 54. (54)New kitchen (57)Trevitt Hall expansion (56)More welcoming landscaping and signage at the entrance (58)CE Building 2 nd floor elevator, Sprinklers, etc (59)New fellowship hall (55)Parking lot improvements Would you support with a one-time donation of $1000 or more(without reducing your current pledge) a capital campaign to fund these improvements? Yes 58.4% New Pastor Attributes Please rank order from 1 to 10 the following new pastor attributes. (only 1 number per item, please) 2.89_Be an effective preacher 3.31_Has a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ 3.64_Able to make the Bible relevant to daily lives of members 4.61_Be able to relate to all ages 4.82_Encourages people to develop a deep, personal relationship with Jesus Christ 5.48_Encourages personal spiritual growth at this church 5.89_Has a good working relationship with the lay leadership 7.20_Visit church members regularly 8.49_Works closely with other churches in the community 8.50_Encourages evangelism 62. Would you rather the new pastor be: male -28.9% female -0.0% does not matter -71.1% Communication 63. How well are members informed about what the various committees and sub Very Well Adequately Inadequately! 5

33 groups in the congregation are doing? How well are important decisions about the life of the church communicated to PCN members? How well does the monthly newsletter/ Pres. Press keep you informed? How well does Church Community Builders (CCB) meet your needs? 2.71 Demographics 67. What is your sex? Male % Female 66.3% 68. Indicate age:<18yrs-2.3% % %, 17.8% %,29.4% %, 43.9% 69. Annual income:0-50k-17.3%,19.2% k-34.3%,36.3% k-19.4%,23.8% 151k+-11.3%,20.7% 70. Are you a PCN church member? Yes 83.9% 71. Which service do you normally attend? Traditional -34.9% Contemporary-51.4% Both-13.8% Please indicate the number of children that are CURRENTLY living in your home: 72. that are age 0-5? _Total that are age 6-10? _Total-15! 6

34 74. that are age 11-15?_Total that are age 16-20? _Total In an average month, how many Sundays do you attend worship? 1 time-6.9% 2 times-12.5% 3 times-26.9% 4-5 times-53.7% 77. Considering all of your various church- related activities, including Sunday worship, how many hours a week are you present at PCN? Avg: 3.7 hours Overall 78. If you could change one thing at the Presbyterian Church of Novato what would it be? Codes Count More young members 21 Facilities 11 Love the church 10 More community outreach 9 Happy as is 6 Kitchen 6 Fellowship Hall 5 Landscaping 5 Better communication 4 More open to LGBT community 4 Signage 4 More relevant sermons 4 Kids participate more in worship 3 More minority outreach 3 More opportunities for younger members 3 Kent not leave 3 Bring back camp 2! 7

35 Drop CCB 2 Encourage socializing outside of church 2 Increase membership 2 More Dynamic and Inspirational 2 More social media 2 Parking Lot 2 Trevitt Hall 2! 8