Bias Opinion / Blog
June 15, 2012Strategic PlanningOver the past two weeks we have been reviewing our “strategic planning process,” commonly called our TAG process. The first week we looked at our Core Values. Last week we looked at our Mission and Areas of Focus. This week we want to look at our first steps of implementation. For a more detailed report please go our website www.hydeparkchurch.com or to the church office for a copy.A little over a year ago, we needed to get a clear picture of “where we were” and “where we wanted to be” in regard to our mission and ministry. We realized we could not get a clear picture until all of us (pastors, staff, lay leadership, and congregation), were aligned with a common mission in relationship to our core values, our desires for the future, and a plan for getting there.
At that point, we engaged The Armstrong Group (TAG) to help us answer the questions that would assist us in getting a clear picture of our future. Hundreds of you participated as TAG took us through a survey, focus groups, retreats, and stacks of reports. We have completed the process of “where we are” and are now looking at “where do we want to be?”
Some of us are frustrated with the pace of planning. We have asked the questions: “Is this just another exercise that goes no place?” “Haven’t we done enough analysis?” Isn’t it time to do something”? David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, writes that there are four parts to strategic decision making: Assess the situation, Identify your options, Make the decision, and Implement the decision. When a plan turns out poorly, we tend to say it was either a bad decision or that it was a good decision implemented poorly. Brooks says that a careful review shows that most poor results come from a poor assessment of the situation.
We tend to want to skip quickly over the assessment step because we “already know what the situation is”. The closer we are to the situation, the more likely we are to think we know the situation and our options, so we can get right to making decisions and doing something. The assessment is the most critical phase. If we get it wrong, then the rest of the process does not stand a chance. So we have spent a lot of time on the assessment piece. For the most part it is not exciting. It leaves us hungering for some action. But it must be done, and it must be done well.
Experience shows us that the benefits of strategic planning come as much from people being involved in the process as in the end result. Getting all of us engaged in what we want our church to be is a very positive thing. I am grateful for the ways you have been involved up to this point.
Now it is time to get involved a little deeper. We are in the process of two strategic actions at this time. The first is putting together four teams to focus upon our four areas of focus: Maximize Our Facilities for Ministry, Develop Multi-site Ministries, Equip Leaders for ministry in fulfilling our mission, and Connect people to care, grow, and serve. (We reviewed these four areas last week). Please notice that the persons who are serving on our four teams are listed at the end of this article.
The second is to participate in a series of Congregational gatherings for the purpose of seeking information on where each of us fits in. The first will be this Thursday evening, June 21, at 7:00 in the Welcome Center. The second gathering will be next Sunday afternoon June 24 at 12:30 in the Welcome Center. It is my hope that all of us will be involved in one of the congregational gatherings so we can move forward in faith with courage and confidence.
Let us continue to pray for our church and look forward to the future with hope and joy. When you have questions, please contact Bill Baker at [email protected].
Our Strategic Planning Project Management Teams are:
Overall Team Leader - Bill Baker
Assistance Team Leader – Bettye Beaumont
Leader Development Team
Al Harmann - Team Leader
Gretchen Lisi
Bill Fee
Jan Seymour
Kathy Thornton-Keith
Carolyn Mosley
Tim Bias - Staff
Connecting Team
Laura Warren - Team Leader
Ed Lux
Pat Jenkins
Chuck Brandt
Karen Bruner
Matt Mauller
Laura Mauller
Amy Reed
Cindy Ware - Staff
Multi-Site Team
Barbara Fillion - Team Leader
Elliott Blodgett
Nikita Blodgett
David Holmes
Brandon Richards
Sara Thomas - Staff
Facilities Team
Paul Bolster – Team Leader
Eric Fenner
Paul Lisi
Earl Crossland
Amanda Baker
Tim Bias - Staff
June 9, 2012Strategic PlanningThis Sunday, June 10, Bill Baker, our Team Leader for our strategic planning process, is sharing with us where we are in our strategic planning process and how each of us can be involved in moving the ministries of our Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church into the future.
Last week we began our review of our “strategic planning process” by reviewing our Core Values. Today we will look at our Mission and Areas of Focus. Just as last week, this will not be an exhaustive review. Click here for a more detailed report or copies are available in the church office.
After much dialogue and conversation, our strategic planning team settled upon two things that are extremely important in moving forward. The first was our target audience. When we look at our core values and who we have been and who we are presently as a congregation, we decided our target audience is “urban professionals.” Our audience is not who we serve, but who we best represent in the community. Whether they be “urban professionals” in Hyde Park or in Over The Rhine, the people who we best represent as a congregation are urban professionals.
The second was our mission. We decided that we are at our best when we seek “To share the Love of Jesus to transform Lives, Cincinnati, and the World.” This mission grows out of our core values and tells us what we do within our values. The idea is that everything we do at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church should help us share the love of Jesus to transform lives, Cincinnati, and the world. Just as all ministries, including new ministries, need to fit within our core values, all our ministries, including new ministries, should assist us in living out our mission.
After a year of input from literally hundreds of you (our members) and further refinement, four strategic areas of focus have been identified. The strategic focus areas are an important step toward developing and implementing our strategic plan. There will be a team assigned to each focus area to assist us in developing strategic objectives. Our four strategic areas of focus are:
To Maximize Our Facilities for Ministry – We are working to optimize the configuration of our buildings to be effective in fulfilling our ministry. How do we best use our facilities to meet our ministry needs?
To Develop Multi-site Ministries (off- shoot of Maximize Facilities) – We are working to develop and enhance our ministries by assessing how best we reach out into our community and our city.
To Equip Leaders (for ministry in fulfilling our mission) – We are working to develop and to equip leaders to lead our congregation towards fulfilling our mission in and through our ministries. We want to get the right people in the right places for ministry.
To Connect people to care, grow, and serve – We are working to assist all persons who are a part of our congregation to excel in three specific areas: 1. In Spiritual Formation and Transformation, 2. In Developing Significant Relationships, and 3. In Engaging people in ministry both within our congregation and in the community, city, and world.
These are exciting days at Hyde Park Community Church. Some days are filled with anxiety, but everyday is overflowing with hope. Many of us are cautiously waiting for the next steps while others of us are stepping into a new day of mission and ministry with confidence. Let me remind you of our two congregation-wide informational meetings. The first will be Thursday evening, June 21, at 7:00 pm in the Welcome Center. The second gathering will be Sunday, June 24 at 12:30 pm in the Welcome Center. When you have questions, please contact Bill Baker.
God is doing a new thing in our midst. Let us pray that we do not miss it.
Next week we will look at the first steps of implementation.
May 31, 2012Strategic PlanningNext Sunday morning, June 10, Bill Baker, our Team Leader for our strategic planning process, will be sharing with us where we are in the process and how each of us can be involved in moving the ministries of our Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church into the future.
In addition to Bill leading us next Sunday, the Strategic Planning Team will host two informational meetings for our congregation. The first will be Thursday evening, June 21 and the second will be Sunday afternoon, June 24. At both of those informational gatherings, Bill and the Strategic Planning Team will help us see where we have been and where we are going in the process. Both meetings are open to the congregation. You are encouraged to attend and to participate.
In preparation for next Sunday and our two informational meetings, I want to highlight Core Values, our Mission and Focus Areas, and the next steps in regard to implementation. This will not be an exhaustive review. For a more detailed report please go to our website www.hydeparkchurch.com or to the church office for a copy.
Today, let’s look at our Core Values. Core Values are the commitments that drive a church day to day. They are not our core beliefs. Core beliefs are described in our theological documents. Core Values are not the same as "aspired" values - values that we believe we should be cultivating, but are not yet rooted in our culture.
Core Values are present within our culture, and describe our personality as a church. They are like our genetic code, or DNA. While values don't necessarily tell us what we do (that's the place for a mission statement), they define the manner in which we operate. They define our posture. They are like the walls of a canyon where everything within those walls is fair game, but we dare not go outside those walls. In other words, as we look at new ministries, those ministries need to fit within our core values.
After a year of input from literally hundreds of you (our members) and further refinement, four core values have been identified. The Team, through prayer, dialogue, and discernment present the following:
Our core values flow from the Great Commandment: …Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…[and] love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). They are “our DNA”, “who we are”, “what makes us different from other churches”. They allow us to develop strategies for action.
1. We are a Caring and Welcoming Congregation
In the spirit of Christian love, we:
A. Nurture and care for each other.
B. Welcome ALL persons into our congregation – whether they have walked with Christ for decades
or are seeking to encounter Christ for the first time.
C. Are willing to serve God’s children anywhere, regardless of age, skin color, social standing, or
other differences.
2. We work for Spiritual Transformation
We provide many opportunities for growth and sharing, so that through the Holy Spirit, we can:
A. Be transformed into disciples in the image of Christ.
B. Bring others into discipleship.
3. We expect an Excellence in Worship
Because God is worthy of our highest praise, we create worship experiences that:
A. Inspire us to be in awe of God.
B. Bring us into intimacy with God.
4. We provide Resources to Local and World Communities
So that others may experience God’s love and we may practice our own spirit-led walk of faith, we:
A. Connect the resources of our church — time, facilities and money — to the needs of the
community and the world.
B. Engage and energize our community for Kingdom impact.
Next week we will review our mission and the four focus areas. When you have questions, please contact Bill Baker.
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