A Church GPS?
I love my GPS. It has changed my life. I was initially reluctant to trust the device. My first stand-alone unit often deserted me in times of need as I slipped out of the coverage zones. It would also lead me astray on occasion. So I always double checked the route before starting out. But the new app on my phone is completely trustworthy. It not only tells me where to go, but also now the condition of the traffic before I get there. Amazing!
I wish there was a GPS for the church. Unfortunately, no one seems to know the roads or conditions of what is ahead for congregations these days. We do know that we are in new times in which religious organizations are losing their status as an important activity in one's weekend. Church attendance and memberships are now declining across the board–Catholic, Protestant (and even the evangelical megachurches). More importantly, our mission of building God's beloved community seems increasingly out of step with the secular, individualistic and balkanized culture. How to minister to this world is an increasingly challenging proposition? A few churches seem to have effective ministries, but not many.
That is why we have created a Strategic Planning Team. We hope they will develop a plan to lead us for the next 3-5 years. They have been meeting to develop key questions to research, have asked all our church boards and committees for input and now they want to know what you think. Can you complete our church survey? It takes less than five minutes and is completely confidential. You can find it at All-Church Survey. We trust everyone to only do it once. If you prefer a paper version you can pick one up at church.
The planning team will use the information gathered to help them chart a course for our future. If you have any questions or suggestions please contact a team member: Catherine Carpentieri, Nick Carpentieri, Suzanne Deffree, Glen Grayson, Michael Grosso, Beth Katzmaier, Pete Pedersen, Sandy Piccolo, Dot Schmitt and myself. Call them our church GPS.
See you in church,
Pastor Mark