Spiritual Strategic Journey Fulfillment Map Phase 1: 2016-2019 -- Beginning Pentecost 2016 As White Plains begins living into our Future Story, here is our map. This map will serve as a guide for our journey as we become a Disciple-Making Church on Mission for Christ. Over the course of the last year, through prayer and conversation we have felt God calling us to be that disciple-making church: deepening our own individual discipleship at all age levels, empowering us boldly through the Holy Spirit to make new disciples, to build holy community, and to spread the transformative love of Jesus. If we live fully into our calling, we will all be engaged in a cycle of worship, study, prayer, and service-- and we will draw others into that cycle of discipleship alongside us. Identifying and using each person s God-given gifts, talents, and interests will be critical to fulfilling our vision. The MapMaking Team has laid out a plan to help guide the church, but, as always, White Plains will seek to follow God s lead as plans unfold. The intent is not to prescribe everything that will happen over the next three years, but to simply provide a starting point. This map is a living document that will evolve as we each discover our gifts and passions and as we discern how we can best serve God, each other, and the greater community. The map details an intentional shift to being a laity-led church in which laity will move these initiatives forward-- guided, coached, and supported by our staff. The plan depends upon the formation of a number of new teams -- and that is where you come in! The SSJ Lead Team has suggested a few people with gifts and passions for each area. But, we don t know everyone s gifts-- so, please sign up to be part of one of these new teams! Where is God calling YOU to make a difference at White Plains? Mapmaking Team members will meet with each of the new teams to share additional ideas and to answer any questions they may have. This will enable the teams to hit the ground running. Over time, as more members of the White Plains community identify their gifts, talents, and interests, the teams will grow and change as we all become more aware of where we can each best serve. Our success depends on our church family living our calling to be a Disciple-Making Church on Mission for Christ. What s important is that we each begin somewhere. So, come! Join us! The journey begins now!
2 Discipleship Being disciples on mission for Christ IS our Future Story and so the Discipleship Actions are umbrella actions which provide a structure for all other actions. (Future Story p. 3 1, 3 and p. 5 3) Form a Discipleship Team to create a Discipleship Road Map for the nature, actions, and life of a disciple at White Plains UMC. This team will: o Identify key areas of the life of a disciple o List practical examples of various stages or checkpoints for each area o Utilize existing discipleship models such as The Walk to Emmaus, Academy for Spiritual Formation, Church of the Resurrection, Ginghamsburg, etc. Create a Discipleship Self-Assessment tool to help people determine where they are on the Road Map. Develop Discipleship Profiles showing the ways that people at different maturity or knowledge levels will find an on ramp. Link the Discipleship Road Map into the actions from other teams. Begin establishing Discipleship Small Groups for accountability in the process. Pilot several invitational and hospitality-driven initiatives to increase opportunities for disciplemaking, helping members know that they are called to actively make disciples. Expand Discipleship Small Groups Determine if there is a long-term need for this team or if maintenance and future adaptation can be entrusted to another person or group. Costs of purchasing Models for Road Map, Self- Assessments, and Curriculum, and for printing communications and displays Discipleship Team Discipleship Subject Matter Resource Person (SMRP*) Senior Pastor Communications SMRP* Administrative Support
3 Worship Ensure everyone has multiple opportunities to experience God through meaningful worship, drawing us closer to God and sending us out, recharged to live and serve as disciples. (FS p. 3 5) No initial changes. Form a Worship Team to: o Help coordinate worship logistics and creative needs o Evaluate current worship services and provide recommendations for new possibilities that would engage our current congregation and that would draw in new people to our community Implement Worship Team recommendations, beginning with those inside the walls and then expanding to include how we go beyond the walls with our worship life. Worship Items as determined by team Worship Team Senior Pastor Worship SMRP* Music SMRP*
4 Equipping Loving is not always easy, nor is going. Sometimes we need help training for our callings. (FS p. 4 5 and p. 6 8) Establish an Equipping Team to facilitate trainings as needed for members to excel in their various ministries. Assess training needs coming from the other teams. Prioritize general skills trainings. In coordination with team areas, lead orientation and training programs to equip volunteers for their positions. Skill training would include areas such as listening skills, speaking the truth in love, being a Fellowship Friend, mentoring, how to tell your story, how to pray, conflict resolution, leadership, and so on. Training for volunteers is ongoing through the Equipping Team and is evaluated and updated as needed. Develop a progression of leadership so that taking on new responsibilities in the church is less daunting. Needed curricula and manuals Equipping Team Lay Leadership Communications Team All Teams needing training Teaching/Training SME
5 Bible Study Staying in the Word is critical to abiding in Christ and living like a disciple. The goal is heart change more than head knowledge. (FS p. 3 6 and p. 5 5) Form a Bible Study Team. Promote church-wide participation for the Get Their Name study offered in May 2016 by the Witness Work Area to lay the foundation for discipleship. Also encourage Sunday Schools to adopt this material. Target Fall 2016 & Spring 2017 studies to match up with several different discipleship profiles and stages. Focus all curriculum on only three key topics (such as Bible basics, being a disciple, and prayer). Begin assessing different ways of learning and provide offerings for those who want to engage outside of traditional book studies. Ensure that in-home studies continue to be offered, inviting neighbors and friends not already connected. Launch a campaign to encourage the congregation to take the discipleship self-assessment to determine which studies would be appropriate for them individually in the spring 2017 offering. Plan for a 2017 Church-wide discipleship study including worship and Sunday School integration. Develop course feedback surveys to adjust courses as needed. Pilot community study initiatives, held in public locations, to engage those outside of our walls. Share testimonies of the impact Bible Study is making in the lives of the participants. Continue development of Bible Study on-ramps for various discipleship profiles and plug in new studies and topics for upcoming years into the Discipleship Road Map. Monitor what is and is not working with our studies through feedback surveys and participation numbers. Use evaluations and testimonies to lift up when there is heart change rather than just head knowledge gained. Studies available in both English and Spanish. Demographics of surrounding area LAITY: Bible Study Team Discipleship Team Volunteer Team Communication Team Witness Work Area Bible Study SMRP* Communications SMRP* Senior Pastor
6 Prayer Ignite a passion for prayer by expanding on the prayer triplets and intentionally blanketing the church in prayer. (FS p. 4 2 and p. 6 2) Establish a Prayer Ministry Leadership Team. Set up prayer groups with 3-5 members each to blanket the church with prayer. Streamline and promote the communications process for prayer requests and updates. Provide intentional prayer opportunities as well as training and resources on ways to pray to empower others and increase confidence. Incorporate more people into prayer ministries by adding them to existing prayer groups or establishing new prayer groups. Using the Spiritual Gifts Inventory, involve people who are gifted in the area of prayer. Share testimonies of the impact of prayer in the lives of the congregation. Establish a dedicated prayer chapel to: o Be an always-open space for anyone to pray anytime o Provide constant prayer during worship and events o Host 24-hour prayer vigils The goal is that this ministry would become self-sustaining in an organic fashion--it will always be growing and the entire church is ultimately on the Prayer Team. Utilize existing prayer models from the UMC Conference and others. Prayer Ministry Leadership Team Communications Team Volunteer Team Equipping Team Prayer SMRP*
7 Children and Youth Disciple the children and youth from cradle through graduation to know, love, and follow the teachings of Jesus. (FS p. 4 2 and p. 5 4) Form a Youth Ministry Team and re-vision the Children s Council into a Children s Ministry Team to ensure that both are diverse and energized for laity-led, discipleship ministry in each age group. Develop an adapted Discipleship Road Map Progression for Children and Youth, including resources for parents to reinforce discipleship in the home. Coordinate efforts throughout the age ranges to ensure connection as transitions occur through the years. Assess current programs in children and youth ministries, as well as plans in place or in the future, to ensure they are focused on discipleship. Implement new initiatives or revamp existing programs, such as children's worship, with a focus on discipleship progression. Evaluate and select curriculum to support the Discipleship Map Progression for children and youth, connecting Sunday School and all other children and youth activities. Create on ramps in the Discipleship Map Progression for all ages, stages, and learning styles as well as for those who enter at different points in the progression. Develop tracking tools for the education and stage participation through the discipleship progression. Fully implement the children and youth discipleship progression process with tracking tools for the education and stage participation. Curriculum Purchases Youth Ministry Team Children s Ministry Team Discipleship Team Equipping Team Children s Ministry SMRP* Youth Ministry SMRP*
8 Care (Outward) Create intentional ministry areas through which visitors to White Plains are welcomed as Christ welcomed us, so that they may be drawn into the life of the congregation and into deepening discipleship. (FS p. 3 2, 4 and p. 6 3-4) Develop a CARE (Christ's Actions Reach Everyone) Team, responsible for establishing a CARE vision for WPUMC. They will inventory the variety of current congregational care ministries and assess their continued fit within the SSJ vision and as we grow into a more multicultural church. Easy and quick adjustments to hospitality, including: improving identification of volunteers, efforts to welcome late arrivals to worship, gathering information from visitors, and to be more intentional helping visitors to their desired locations. Create a Worship Host Team to enlist members to host a seating area in each worship service, tasking them to welcome visitors and to notice the absence of regular attendees who may need to be checked on. Establish a Hospitality Team to develop a plan for hospitality following the vision outlined by the CARE Team. Establish a hospitality room to better serve members and guests. Evaluate demographics of the surrounding community so that we may better reach out and welcome our neighbors. Reevaluate the programs annually and expands or makes changes as necessary to be faithful to the CARE vision. Supplies for Hospitality Teams CARE Team Hospitality Team Greeter Coordinator Communications Team Trustees Volunteer Team Caring-Giving SMRP* Communications SMRP*
9 Care (Inward) Develop intentional ministry areas that nurture both congregation and guests spiritually, emotionally and relationally in order to grow into healthy, loving disciples of Christ, who then naturally make other disciples. (FS p. 3 2-3 & p. 6 3-7) Create a Fellowship Team who will develop a yearly calendar of fellowship events. Create regularly occurring events to bridge fellowship and community across Sunday School lines such as Mixer Days or Fellowship Times during the Sunday School hour, beginning over the summer. Continue to support current care-giving initiatives already in place and evaluate opportunities for growth and evolution. Establish a Fellowship Friends program that pairs new members with a trained Fellowship Friend who will help them build relationships within the church and find places to plug into the fullness of Christian life at WPUMC. Offer church-wide training opportunities to increase congregational ability to engage others in fellowship, prayer, hospitality, and other areas. Revamp the new members process to fit the Discipleship Road Map and include information about Methodism, expectations of membership at WPUMC, completing the Spiritual Gifts Inventory, and ways to link into the church community. Reevaluate the programs annually and expands or makes changes as necessary to be faithful to the CARE vision. Be open to the Holy Spirit as we are led in new ways to care for one another in the White Plains Community. CARE Team Fellowship Team Sunday School Mixer Coordinator Fellowship Hour Coordinator New Membership Coordinator Discipleship Team Equipping Team Volunteer Team Nurture Work Area Methodism SMRP* Care-Giving SMRP* Senior Pastor
10 Communications Focus on communication as a vital foundation for church health, relationships, and disciple-making by improving means of identifying critical volunteer roles; enhancing signage and other physical environment needs; and optimizing voice, digital, and print communications. (FS p. 5 2) Form a Communications Team and task them with performing a communications audit and congregational survey. Quick and easy adjustments to answer concerns such as: shortening communications deadlines, expanding member information available on the website, streamlining congregational ability to identify and contact church leadership, and expand the Access ACS calendar system to display all activities happening in the building at all times. Use feedback from the audit to make necessary changes that arise. Optimize the guest-friendliness of the website to appeal to visitors and create guidelines for a more unified voice for all communication. Purchase a church-wide phone call and text message system for increased communication. Sponsor a church-wide communications and hospitality training Establish a transparent feedback process in which members can share observations, suggestions, or concerns and be assured that their voices are heard. Continuously evaluate and make changes as necessary to ensure communications continue to fit the needs of the church as defined through the SSJ vision, member feedback, and changing tools and technology. Survey Monkey Subscription Call/Text service Speaker Fee Communications Team CARE Team Hospitality Team Trustees Communications SMRP* Access ACS SMRP*
11 Volunteers God-sized vision requires people and passion. (FS p. 5 1) Form a Volunteer Team tasked with : o Assessing specific needs for volunteers in all committee, ministry, and program areas (both number of volunteers and time commitment needed by volunteers) o Documenting roles and responsibilities with each volunteer position (job descriptions) Choose and administer Spiritual Gifts and Personal Talents Inventory that will be completed by each member of the congregation. Results from the inventory survey are stored in a database accessible by Volunteer Team members. After assessing needs for volunteers, the Volunteer Team will contact individuals personally so their gifts and talents can be matched with the needs of the church. In coordination with committee, ministry, and program areas, establish orientation and training programs, led by the Equipping Team, to communicate roles, responsibilities and expectations for volunteer positions so that volunteers have clear direction. New areas for volunteers are identified through mission projects and new church programs. Individuals are encouraged to update their Spiritual Gifts and Personal Talents inventory so they are continually connected to areas for which they have the most passion. Volunteer supplies Spiritual Gifts and Personal Talents Inventory and studies Database to store information from Spiritual Gifts Inventory Volunteer Team Lay Leadership Communications Team Volunteers SMRP*
12 Missions White Plains is a disciple making church on mission for Christ Outreach is part of our church s DNA and will continue to grow and expand as we seek to impact our local community and beyond. (FS p.6 last ) No initial changes. Form a Missions Visioning Team that partners with the Outreach/Missions Committee and is tasked with completing the following: o Assess and evaluate current missions supported by White Plains o Create a template for missions teams to complete as part of a debriefing, so projects can be assessed and evaluated to ensure they continue to fit the overall vision of the church. Evaluate demographics and needs of surrounding areas to better serve our community. Brainstorm and dream about new missional opportunities that align with the vision of the church (ex. Adopt a Grandparent, White Plains Café, Community Garden) Printing costs for promotions Discretionary funds to assist in missions fees for those wishing to participate but without the financial means. Missions Visioning Team Outreach Work Area Volunteer Ministry Team Missions SMRP*
13 Church Organization and Governance Adjust the leadership structure of the church to more readily support ministries and discipleship in action. (FS p. 5 2) Form Church Organization and Governance Team to: o Complete a church-wide perception survey of church organization and governance o Analyze survey feedback o Propose a new governance & organization model in compliance with the United Methodist Church Book Of Discipline o Create lay leadership job descriptions (with Volunteer Team) o Complete an analysis of action items to transition from the current to the future governance & organization model New governance model to be in place beginning in January 2017. Align the 2017 Budget to reflect the Future Story Fulfillment Map. Develop Leadership Study Model based on the Discipleship Road Map. Utilize the Equipping Team to assist with training. At least two-thirds of church leadership will have completed Leadership Study Model Evaluate effectiveness of the new governance and organization model and adjust as necessary. Church Organization and Governance Team Lay Leadership SPRC All Church Leadership Structures Equipping Team Volunteer Team Senior Pastor
14 Facilities A visionary facility plan providing inviting spaces, aligned with our planned journey. (FS p. 6 next to last ) A Building Vision Team is created with the task of assessing current usage and needs and to make recommendations on ways we can quickly make our facilities more inviting and efficient. The Building Vision Team continues to meet with church members and SSJ teams to understand and prioritize facility needs. Special attention is given to growing future needs for o older adults and people with disabilities, o audiovisual technology, o young families, o classrooms, and o open and inviting gathering spaces. This team works with the Trustees and Finance Committee to see what items can be accomplished within the existing 2016 budget and what items can be funded in the 2017 budget. Preliminary research and consideration is given to housing a Café. A new Long Range Planning Committee is commissioned to consider current long range needs of the church, particularly the replacement or renovation of the office and chapel wing of the building. The Building Vision Team works closely with the LRPC to create a plan that excites the entire church and with the Finance Committee on funding construction. Significant Financial : Consider providing a portion of proceeds of sale of Annex to build a Fund for the Future for impact studies required to assess new building or existing structure modification Building Vision Team Trustees Finance Facilities SMRP* Senior Pastor
15 Footnotes 1. Staff Organization -- SPRC will begin a full evaluation of staff organization and skills to support this map and reflective of the Subject Matter Resourcing needed in this map. 2. Funds to Support Initiatives A motion will go to Finance and then Church Council to amend the 2016 budget to include $100,000 to fund the SSJ initiatives. It is expected that for 2017 and beyond, all initiatives will be included in the budgeting process in advance. 3. Monitoring Progress is essential to knowing whether we are moving forward or backwards. Each team will track numbers (such as participation) and feedback (through surveys, evaluations, etc.), but they will also seek to track softer information such as testimonials, evidence of life/heart changes within members of the congregation. Will our lives be different will our discipleship be deeper 3 years from now? 10 years from now? 4. Celebrating Success is also essential to creating positive forward movement. Every 120 days we will celebrate what has been accomplished. A celebration could be as simple as a special handout enumerating key changes after the first 120 days or it could be a fellowship event at the end of the first year. The purpose will be to acknowledge formally each 120 days what God has done amongst White Plains and our community. 5. Updating the Future Story and Map The new SSJ Catalyst Team will update the Map and the Future Story as required and at least annually, reflecting not only on how far we have gone in achieving the actions of the map, but also discerning any new directions in which God may be calling us as a church.