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Project Plan – All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church

August 2010

Growing Into Our Mission as a Program Church

 

Background: In early 2010, an assessment was performed of All God’s Children (AGC) by the Metropolitan Community Church denomination and elder staff, in preparation for participation in a “Size Summit,” held in Kansas City in late April, 2010.   A number of members of the AGC Board attended that Summit and participated in discussions about how appropriately to implement systems, processes and organizational design for consistency with our given church size, or the size to which it aspires in its next level of growth.   As a follow up to that assessment, a “mini” Size Summit was held on July 31 by Rev, Elder Lillie Brock at AGC to set the context for church size theory, discuss how that theory applies to AGC and its historical evolution, and to review the findings and recommendations of the denominational assessment.

To fully understand our Proposal, a brief explanation of "Church Size Theory" as a model may be helpful.  The “size theory” framework was developed by scholars from the Alban Institute, in order for churches to understand how to be healthy, to grow, and to be of continuing and more effective service. This model has been developed across denominations and over many years. It provides a way in which to evaluate and assess many aspects of church life (including pastoral roles, staffing and leadership needs, worship, finances, facilities, planning, programming and communications). The size categories of the churches are based on average weekly attendance (as contrasted with Membership) and are as follows:

50 or fewer                      Family Church

50-150                               Pastor-Centered Church

150-350                           Program Church

350-plus                           Corporate Church

AGC, under this model, with between 250 and 275 average weekly attendance over the past year, falls into the Program Church category. However, when compared to a number of aspects of our church life, and when placed alongside various facets of how we operate, AGC is still behaving in either a "Pastor Centered" or "Family" church model.  As we learned in the Assessment, and from Rev. Elder Brock, this dichotomy helps explain in large part both our inability to grow, the high turnover among members and attendees, and our historical pattern of growth followed by decline.   We have not adopted appropriate systems or processes to accommodate our growth as it occurred so we have fallen victim to the “fault line” between sizes.

Currently, AGC is suffering from a severe budget shortfall, a drop in attendance, and a variety of other disappointments which have led some congregants to withhold either their attendance or giving, or both, and which have led some to become discouraged about the future of AGC.   The recent loss of a pastor for budgetary reasons has only exacerbated this dissonance.

Prompt and strong remedial action is needed, and it is the purpose of this Project Plan to put us back on course, and lead us to becoming the Program focused church that we not only know that we can be, but which we also know that our community desperately needs.    There is much work to be done, and a strong, vibrant and mission-driven AGC can be a reality if we approach corrective action in a systematic and faithful way.

The Project Plan is presented in three separate Phases, for reasons of both affordability and the organization’s ability to adopt change.   Each Phase is structured so as to build upon the former, and to be consistent with what we believe out resource capabilities will be at the time.

Phase I.  Creating Outreach Programs.   

Scope:

  • Add program staff and resources to create Outreach Programs
  • Candidate need not be clergy but must have proven experience in delivering effective outreach programs in other church settings
  • Assess our facility and consider alternatives
  • Leverage our assets putting our equity to work to invest in our mission
  • Put our budget back on track, including restoring staff cuts
  • Enhance our stewardship efforts to support income growth and stability

Purpose:

  • Overcome our repeated backsliding of the past and become sustainable
  • Save the church by using what we own to a better purpose
  • Take the first step in fulfilling our potential as a Program Church
  • Move our culture from one of worship to one of discipleship

Resources required:

  • Restore salary cuts - $4,000
  • Restore other budget reductions to ministry teams - $16000
  • Hire a Director of Outreach - $45,000
  • Provide Outreach Budget: program funding resources - $10,000
  • Total required for Phase I - $75,000

Timetable/first steps:

  • Create job description (should be available from denomination)
  • Advertise job throughout denomination
  • Develop screening process for hire (form interview panel to assist Pastor in hiring decision)
  • Make hiring decision for on-board by October 1, 2010
  • Use existing line of credit ($50,000) to fund shortfalls in cash flow required for this Phase
  • Initiate facility assessment (with no cost outlay)
    • Task Property Team to form assessment team
    • Evaluate current building:
      • Market value and marketability
      • Deferred maintenance and five year spending plan
      • Include cost of facility modifications required for Programs (accessibility, outreach program delivery)
      • Examine alternative facility choices
      • Make recommendation to Board for go-forward plan in 2011
      • No additional major investments will be made in the building (except emergency and life/safety) until this decision is made
  • Set staff expectations:
    • Develop program plans
    • Include projected income stream from programs to offset costs
    • Focus on:
      • Benevolence – charitable works
      • Programs for congregants and prospective congregants, creating new points of entry
      • Justice work including marriage equality
  • Provide tangible examples of outreach success to the Stewardship committee for their marketing efforts
    • Recruit and manage qualified volunteers to deliver programs
  • Expected outcomes:
    • Increased attendance at sponsored events
    • Increased attendance in worship of 20% (an additional 50 people by end of year 2011)
    • Increased congregant involvement in all activities
    • $10,000 in net revenue each annually

Phase II. Add Program Staff for Congregational Life

  • Scope: 
    • Add a Pastor of Congregational Life.  Preferably this position will be clergy and report to the Senior Pastor.  The successful candidate will have a proven track record of delivering similar programs in another church setting.
    • Fulfill a second denominational recommendation to add a specialist on staff to assist with adding vitality to the internal life of the church.
  • Purpose: develop a vibrant church life for a diverse congregation that is compelling and sustainable
  • Resources required:
    • Salary - $45,000
    • Budget for programs - $10,000
    • Total requirement - $55,000
    • We will draw further on the line of credit or, if necessary additional borrowing against our equity
    • The addition of another $55,000 in debt gives us a 26% debt/equity ratio on the appraised value of the church and a 39% ratio on a greatly devalued worth of the facility (30% market value decline)
    • Effective work of the Stewardship will cover the additional debt service.
    • Rationale:  AGC congregants have contributed to (paid for) the equity in our church and it is time to put that investment to work rather than letting it sit untapped.
  • Timetable/first steps:
    • Create job description (or obtain one from denomination)
    • Advertise job in January-February 2011 timeframe
    • Create interview panel to assist Senior Pastor with hiring decision
    • Hire candidate April 1, 2011
  • Set staff expectations:
    • Responsibilities include:
      • Membership – obtain and retain an additional 75 new members in the first full year
      • Spiritual Formation – Perform an assessment of current congregant’s spiritual position and design programs to meet people where they are, and stretch them.  Consider the 5 stages of spiritual development: changing, connecting, preparing, serving and listening
      • Social – Design compelling social programs that are demographically diverse and focused.   Have fun.   Ensure that every congregant participates in at least one social activity during the year.
      • Education/Training – QUICK HIT: reduce now the cost of participation in CLM to a minimal charge that simply ensures commitment and attendance. 
        • Develop a training calendar, to ensure that training is systematic and predictable.
        • Develop leadership training for all church leaders, committee chairs and other ministry team leads.
        • Develop and provide volunteer training.
        • We will lean on expertise of the candidate for the position to assist us in what works.
      • Internal Service/Management of Volunteers – Manage, recognize, reward and provide direction to all except worship and Board-reporting teams and all office volunteers.  Recruit qualified volunteers to deliver Congregational Life programs.
    • Expected outcomes – as noted above, 75 additional new members in first full year.  Every congregant attends one social event in the first year.   Every congregant participates in at least one non-worship activity intended to progress his or her spiritual development.

Phase III – Preparing AGC for its next growth step – becoming a Corporate Church

  • Scope: Implement administrative excellence and position the church for its evolution from a Program Church to a Corporate Church (350-plus members).  Hire a fulltime Director of Administration.
  •  Purpose:  Relieve the pastoral and other program staff, as well as Board members, from administrative duties and burdens.  Raise the professionalism of our administrative functions.
  • Resources required:
    • Salary - $55,000 salary and benefits
    • Funded from (increased) operating income, not borrowed funds
  • Timetable/steps required:       
    • Create a job description for this non-pastoral position
    • Advertise locally
    • Form interview committee to assist Pastor with hiring decision
    • Put the position in place on January 1, 2012
  • Set Staff Expectations:
    • Accounting – managing (paying) accounts payable and receivable, making journal entries, performing preliminary period closing of the books—subject to the Treasurer’s final approval), oversight of the counting team, automated giving and payroll entry.  Managing congregant giving statements.  Oversight of Servant Keeper and data entry.
    • Human resources – overseeing outsourced payroll and benefits providers.  Maintain HR policies and procedures. Maintain personnel files.  Design and implement HR forms, including staff performance evaluation processes and forms.
    • Communications - Support communications needs of Board and ministry teams. Responsible for website content, e mail blasts, advertising and press contacts.  Prepare weekly bulletin and news.
    • Information Technology – Manage desktop maintenance, website maintenance and all other technology issues.   Manage Technology Ministry Team.
    • Oversee AGC reception and phone messaging.  Provide appropriate front desk customer service training.
    • Oversee building maintenance and custodial services
  • Expected Outcomes: a pastoral and outreach staff that can be dedicated exclusively to mission, and will be able to focus on their critical work rather than administrative matters.  Staff support will be professionalized, consistent, disciplined and well organized.

Conclusion: The Board recommends that we proceed immediately to implement this comprehensive Project Plan and to ensure lavish communication of each aspect of the Plan with the congregation at appropriate intervals.   The Plan will be presented in its entirety for information at the Congregational Meeting to be scheduled in September for the purpose of considering By-Law amendments.   The Board is strongly and uniformly committed to staying the course with this Plan, as each Phase builds upon its predecessor and all elements of the Plan are essential to “righting the ship” and putting AGC back on the track to health, vibrancy, effective and vital mission delivery, and fulfilling its promise as the religious focal point for the Twin Cities’ GLBT community.

There is much work to be done, and with God and a good solid plan at our back, we cannot fail.