b Report of the Vision Facilitation Team · 2016-10-19 · The Vision Facilitation Team felt that...

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Report of the Vision Facilitation Team A Ministry-Focused Vision for First Baptist Church of

Winchester

October 2016

“We are a Loving and Caring Church Transforming God’s Vision into Action”

Team Members:

Kimberli Ball Joan Everhart Ed Heishman Gail Hollinger Sarah Kite (Team Leader) Lou Lacy, Jr. Jacob Lewis

Stephen McCalley Lori Pendleton (Minister to Music and Minister to Senior Adults) Bill Shendow Kristin Whitesides (Acting Senior Pastor) Cheryl Winston Alison Wright (Dir. of Children’s Ministry)

Consultant:

Bill Wilson – The Center for Healthy Churches

Vision Report First Baptist Church Page | 2

Table of Contents

REFLECTIONS ON THE PROCESS

Why we started, Where we started, When we started…………………………………………... 3

Vision Facilitation Team Members……….………………………………………….…………………….. 3

Appreciative Inquiry Model…………………………………………….………………………………………. 4

Discovery process used…………………………………………...…………………………………………..... 4

o Summary of the 1st Congregational Conversation (Past)

o Summary of the 2nd Congregational Conversation (Present)

o Summary of the 3rd Congregational Conversation (Future)

An Engaged Church…………………………………………...…………………………………………………... 6

RECOMMENDATIONS

Mission Statement…………………………………………...…………………………………………………... 7

Acts 2:42-47 and Vision Statement………………………………………….................................. 7

Spiritual Gifts Inventory Commitment…………………………………………............................. 7

Challenges…………………………………………...…………………………………………………................. 8

Initiatives…………………………………………...…………………………………………………................... 8

o We are a Serving Community (Missions Focus)………………………………………….… 10

o We are a Spiritually-Growing Community (Discipleship Focus)……………………. 11

o We are an Interconnected Community (Fellowship Focus)…………………………. 12

o We are a Faith-Sharing Community (Evangelism Focus)……………………………… 13

o We are a Worshiping Community (Worship Focus)………………………………….…. 14

o We are an Empowered Community (Organization Focus)…………………….…….. 15

PROPOSED MINISTRY TEAM & COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

Organization Structure…………………………………………..................................................... 18

o Committees and Ministry Teams…………………………………………......................... 18

o Diagrams…………………………………………...…………………………………………................ 19

IMPLEMENTATION…………………………………………...…………………………………………........................ 24


REFLECTIONS ON THE PROCESS

From time to time over many years, the church has engaged in discussions about our facility needs, largely focused on parking, and raised the issue of whether we should consider building a church outside of Winchester where parking lots can be constructed adjacent to the church buildings. Likewise, we have held conversations about Hunting Ridge Retreat, its place in our ministry, its need for repairs and enhancements and its financial sustainability. Those discussions of both properties led to the creation of the Exploratory Study Committee to study those issues. In the course of this study, the Exploratory Study Committee determined that it could not fully evaluate our physical needs until we, as a church, had a clear vision of our future; thus, the adoption of this visioning process, approved by the church in fall of 2015. First Baptist interviewed both the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Center for Healthy Churches, and it was recommended to the church to hire the Center for Healthy Churches to guide First Baptist through the Visioning Process. At a business meeting in November 2015, following a presentation by the proposed consultant Travis Collins, the church voted to proceed with the process as outlined and to hire the Center for Healthy Churches to guide us through the process. A team was formed and voted upon in the business meeting held on November 18, 2015. The

Vision Facilitation Team (VFT) members who participated in the development of this plan

include:

Kimberli Ball Joan Everhart George Fletcher (Senior Pastor) Ed Heishman Gail Hollinger Sarah Kite (Team Leader) Lou Lacy, Jr. Jacob Lewis

Stephen McCalley Lori Pendleton (Minister to Music and Senior Adults) Bill Shendow Kristin Whitesides (Assoc. Pastor and Minister to Youth) Cheryl Winston Alison Wright (Dir. of Children’s Ministry)

On Saturday, January 9, 2016, the VFT met at the home of Scott and Kimberli Ball for a day-long

retreat led by Travis Collins from the Center for Healthy Churches. At the meeting, the process

was outlined and dates were set for the first church-wide meetings. At the same time as this

retreat, the team also learned of the impending retirement of our Senior Pastor, signaling

additional transition in the future. The team discussed the impact of the pastor’s retirement on

the proposed visioning process and affirmatively decided to proceed rather than wait for the

call of a new pastor. Taking all of this into account, with God’s guidance, the FBC Vision

Facilitation Team began the New Year with the goal of realizing the God-sized dreams of its

congregation.


The first step of the visioning process was to hold three congregational meetings that

addressed our past, our present, and our future. At each of the meetings, held on February 21,

February 28, and April 2, we averaged 125 members in attendance. The conversations were

fruitful and were guided by our consultant, Travis Collins. The third meeting was led by Bill

Wilson, Director of the Center for Healthy Churches, after our representative from CHC, Travis

Collins, accepted a pastorate in Birmingham, Alabama. Bill Wilson became our consultant for

the remainder of the process.

This report is intended to help First Baptist Church focus our ministry efforts in the next three

to five years and should be considered a living document. We fully expect to make updates to

our focus and direction as needed and as we call a new Senior Pastor to lead us.

Appreciative Inquiry Model

Under the guidance of Bill Wilson from The Center for Healthy Churches, the team used the

“Appreciative Inquiry” (AI) Model. This model focuses on using the strengths and what the

members appreciate from the past and the present to move into the future. In line with the AI

model, we held three “congregational conversations” which led the members through focusing

on the past, present and future of First Baptist Church. The God-sized dreams, or provocative

proposals, created using the AI model are all written in the present tense for a very specific

reason. They describe an idealized future as if it were already happening. They are affirming

and aspirational. They help and remind us to live into what God wants us to be as a church.

Discovery Process Used

Our Past (1st Congregational Conversation)

During the first of three congregational conversation meetings, we asked the church members

to tell us the best of FBC’s past. When we asked what attracted members to the church, the

top five answers were:

1. Family members and friends were/are members of the church (invited, married a

member, etc.)

2. Pastoral ministries

3. People were nice/friendly/sincere/welcoming

4. Choir/music program

5. Youth group

Other notable answers were that “it felt like my hometown church or the church I grew up in,”

“I started coming back because I heard about the visioning process,” and “I drove by as church

was letting out and everyone was smiling.”

When asked, “Why have you stayed at First Baptist?” the top answers were:

1. Fellowship and friendship; loving and caring; warm and welcoming


2. Feel like part of this place; connectedness; acceptance; like extended family

3. Bible studies and teaching through sermons and Sunday school

4. My Sunday school class

5. Choir/Music/Hymns

Other notable responses were love and commitment to Christ here, Christ-centered,

investment in our youth, youth group is fun, having Hunting Ridge Retreat, the children’s

program, and providing Christian foundation for my children

Members noted that they knew First Baptist became the church for them because it has the full

package with all ministries. There were several mentions about how wonderful it was that the

congregation came together and became stronger after the fire. Many members loved all of

the outreach that we do in the community, like WATTS and White Christmas. The members

also felt that a strong point is our intergenerational church community with all ages interacting

with each other – something all members want to continue to strengthen.

Our Present (2nd Congregational Conversation)

During the second congregational meeting, we focused on our present focus and activities. We

used the KOOLAid feedback sheets to help all members present to give feedback on what to

keep, add, improve and drop in all of the main areas we are currently doing. We received a

total of 1,067 responses from the feedback sheets during this meeting. Upon compiling the

feedback, the summary below shows the areas members most focused on with worship,

Hunting Ridge, administration, educational/spiritual formation, and community outreach in the

top five.

266

212

116

98

70

54

46

43

41

40

38

36

7

Worship/Music

HRR

Administration

Educ/Spiritual Form.

Community Outreach

Children's Ministry

Missions

Fellowship

Youth ministry

Pastoral/Member Care

SLC

Senior Ministry

College/University

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Worship/Music

HRR

Administration

Educ/Spiritual Form.

Community Outreach

Children's Ministry

Missions

Fellowship

Youth ministry

Pastoral/Member…

SLC

Senior Ministry

College/University

Add

Drop

Improve

Keep


The Vision team used many of the ideas submitted from this meeting to develop the goals and

suggested ideas for each our initiative focus areas. The team plans to provide the details of all

of this feedback to the Ministry Coordinating Teams working through the implementation of

our initiatives.

Our Future (3rd Congregational Conversation)

The third congregational conversation meeting asked us to “dream” of what could be for our

future taking into account what we identified as the best of the past and the present. The

members in attendance came up with over 100 different possible God-sized dreams for First

Baptist. Each of the 22 tables put their group’s top idea onto a large sheet of poster paper and

hung it around the room for all to see.

The Vision team collected and reviewed all large poster papers as well as the papers from every

attendee. The team referenced these ideas and used many of them in the final initiatives

drafted in this document. Several of the initiatives have the exact wording of the God-sized

dreams that came from this third conversation.

An Engaged Church

As the team sifted through all of the feedback and information provided by the church

members, it realized that the majority of church members were suggesting that we move to

more of an “engaged” church model. During our first of three Vision Update meetings in

August, we asked the members present to tell us what it means to be “engaged” in something.

The words given were “committed,” “active,” and “involved.” Upon more discussion, we also

realized that this not only meant being engaged together as a church body, but also being more

engaged individually. During the vision update meetings in August, the team felt that 1

Corinthians 12:12-14 embodied how we are all to engage together to do God’s work in our

world.

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with

Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or

Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not

made up of one part but of many.” 1 Cor 12:12-14

Based on feedback and research received from the Center for Healthy Churches, churches with

a more “engaged” model for membership and leadership activities are more successful than

those using the traditional model where the ministerial staff does most of the leadership and

development of ideas.


RECOMMENDATIONS

The Mission Statement

The Vision Facilitation Team felt that we already had a strong mission statement at First Baptist.

The team chose to recommend to the Church that we keep the current mission statement:

“We are a loving and caring church transforming God’s vision into action.” The team felt it

was a good representation of the best of the past that we bring with us into the future.

The Vision Statement

First Baptist did not really have a guiding vision statement when we started this process. The

team started its journey by reviewing all of the feedback from the church congregational

meetings and found that many of the areas highlighted as important to our church were found

in the Acts 2:42-47, which is God’s early model for the Church:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread

and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the

apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and

possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the

temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily

those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

Within this scriptural passage, we identified the focus areas of missions, worship, fellowship,

evangelism, and discipleship.

The team recommends the following vision statement for First Baptist Church. It incorporates

the vision from Acts 2 as well as brings in the passion and dedication of our members.

First Baptist is a Christ-centered community of believers with diverse backgrounds and

experiences, called by the grace of God and united by the Holy Spirit. In our collective and

individual lives, we are challenged to regularly and purposefully engage in worship,

discipleship, missions, faith-sharing, and fellowship. Empowered by God's Spirit, we aspire to

be faithful believers who together praise God joyfully, learn passionately, give selflessly,

witness earnestly, and care demonstrably.

Spiritual Gifts Survey

All church members and those who regularly attend First Baptist’s services and activities will be

given the opportunity to take a spiritual gifts survey starting in November. This will help you

determine your individual gifts and how they fit into this vision process. The Discipleship

Coordinating Team will develop a process for new members to take this survey as they join.


Challenges for Ministry-based Engagement

Each of the initiative focus areas contains at least one challenge to help our members become

more “engaged” individually and collectively within the ministries of First Baptist. Challenge

cards will be available to all members as a reminder to focus on living out the initiatives of

worship, faith-sharing, fellowship, missions, and discipleship. These challenge cards will not be

graded or kept track of in any way, but will serve as a personal reminder to each of us.

The Initiatives

The initiatives presented in this document include a series of God-sized dreams for First Baptist

Church. These dreams are intended to be Spirit-led and inspired so that our trust is not in our

own abilities, but rather in the power of God to lead and direct our congregation into a new

era. These initiatives are the direct result of a spiritual discernment process that allowed all

members of First Baptist to offer their vision for our church.

These initiatives are written as if they have already been accomplished, recognizing our faith in

God to direct our path as we seek to serve Him. We accomplish this through the following

initiatives:

We are a Serving Community (Missions Focus) - First Baptist Church creates innovative

models of ministry and missions. We partner with organizations and other churches to

effectively meet the varied needs of our local, regional, and global communities. “For I

was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something

to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I

was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…Truly I tell

you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did

for me.” Matthew 25:35-36, 40

We are a Spiritually-Growing Community (Discipleship Focus) - We are a community of

believers that strives for continual spiritual growth through Bible study and prayer. Our

educational programs encourage all members to become Biblically literate and

spiritually alive, helping them to engage in the life and work of the church. “Do not

conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and

perfect will.” Romans 12:2

We are an Interconnected Community (Fellowship Focus) - First Baptist is a loving,

welcoming, and inclusive community of believers. We actively strive to know, accept,

help, and love one another by following Christ’s example. We encourage each person to

use his or her unique personal and spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church. “A new

command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one

another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples...” John 13:34-35

We are a Faith-Sharing Community (Evangelism Focus) - First Baptist Church actively

proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ outside the walls of the church as well as


inside. We welcome and lead people into a relationship with God. We establish a

church culture of openness and acceptance of individuals seeking God. “…Therefore go

and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded

you.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

We are a Worshiping Community (Worship Focus) - First Baptist glorifies and honors

God the Father through worship that is initiated by the Holy Spirit, centered on Christ,

offered to and made acceptable by God. Our dynamic and creative worship engages our

minds, bodies, and spirits, leads to transformed lives, and sends us into the world with

the courage and commitment to do God’s will. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must

worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 (NIV)

We are an Empowered Community (Organization Focus) – First Baptist uses our God-

given resources to establish a foundation for worship, discipleship, evangelism,

fellowship, and missions. We are good stewards of our human, financial, physical, and

organizational resources. “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because

you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Cor 15:58 (NIV)

The following are the detailed initiatives, goals, and suggested ideas that came directly from the

congregational conversations and brainstorming sessions and conversations of the Vision

Facilitation Team meetings.


We are a Serving Community (Mission Focus) - “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21

First Baptist Church creates innovative models of ministry and missions. We partner with

organizations and other churches to effectively meet the varied needs of our local, regional,

and global communities. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you

gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed

me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…Truly I tell you,

whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew

25:35-36, 40

Goals

We partner with organizations and churches to combine resources to meet identified needs

of the local and regional community.

o Create a community schedule of ministry opportunities that is available to the

church membership.

o Invite partners to speak to the congregation regarding different ministries and

community needs.

We partner with organizations to reach our global community.

o Provide a global missions opportunity every three years.

o Create a partnership with a missionary on a three-year cycle.

o Offer shirts that coincide with our three-year mission focus.

We strengthen our partnership with Primera Iglesia Bautista Peniel.

o Create a stronger dialogue between the congregations.

o Engage, every six months, in a collaborative worship, fellowship, and mission event.

We have a Missions Coordinating Team that provides mission opportunities for various

service teams of all ages.

o Provide a quarterly service event.

o Develop a way for members to bring identified needs to the attention of the church.

We challenge our members to commit to at least one hour of mission or ministry work per

week.


We are a Spiritually Growing Community (Discipleship Focus) – “Speaking the truth

in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,

that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

We are a community of believers that strives for continual spiritual growth through Bible

study and prayer. Our educational programs encourage all members to become Biblically

literate and spiritually alive, helping them to engage in the life and work of the church. “Do

not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will

be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Goals

We survey members periodically to discover all of our spiritual gifts, abilities, passions, and

needs.

We provide appropriate technologies to support educational programs.

We have a Discipleship Coordinating Team to provide educational opportunities for

members of all ages and stages of spiritual development.

o Develop, coordinate, and publicize educational opportunities for our members.

o Create classes for underserved groups.

o Encourage small group studies, which may meet at different times and locations.

o Provide a way for members to bring ideas for new studies.

o Provide training opportunities for teachers.

o Develop opportunities for prayer training and prayer groups.

We continue to revitalize our Children’s Ministry education programs.

o Develop guidelines of Biblical learning for each developmental stage.

o Provide integrated preschool and school age curricula.

We provide materials and mentorship to baptismal candidates.

We challenge our members to commit to at least one hour of prayer and one hour of Bible

Study per week.


We are an Interconnected Community (Fellowship Focus) – “There is one body and

one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope...” Ephesians 4:4

First Baptist is a loving, welcoming, and inclusive community of believers. We actively strive

to know, accept, help, and love one another by following Christ’s example. We encourage

each person to use his or her unique personal and spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By

this everyone will know that you are my disciples...” John 13:34-35

Goals

We are accountable to one another and reach out to members we haven’t seen in a while.

o Ask Sunday School Leaders to contact members who have missed three consecutive

Sundays.

o Sunday School Leaders and Deacons communicate with the Pastor when members

have missed three consecutive Sundays.

o Pastor conducts exit interviews for members moving to other churches, if they are

willing.

We provide a pathway to integrate new members and visitors into the life of our church.

o Provide training to Deacons to contact and assist new church members to whom

they are assigned.

o Hold periodic New Member Orientation and Baptist Heritage classes.

o Reach out to active non-members to invite them to join the church.

o Continue weekly Sunday Fellowship time before Sunday school in the New Narthex.

o Have a designated Sunday each month at which attendees wear name tags.

We use technology to help us connect and communicate.

o Place screens in the narthexes with announcements, worship preview, Sunday

school classes, calendars, etc.

o Encourage website usage through videos, weekly devotionals, etc.

o Explore use of text communications to members who sign up to receive them.

We have a Fellowship Coordinating Team to coordinate and promote our fellowship events.

o Provide a calendar of fellowship activities.

o Offer diverse opportunities for fellowship, recognizing that people have differing

schedules and needs.

We have a Congregational Care Ministry Team to organize consistent care of our fellow

members in times of need.

We challenge our members to participate in at least one act of congregational care each

month, such as: hospital visits, homebound visits, cards, bereavement care, meals,

transportation, and prayer chains.

We challenge our members to participate in at least one fellowship activity per month.


We are a Faith-Sharing Community (Faith-Sharing Focus) – “You will receive power

when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in

all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NIV)

First Baptist Church actively proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ outside the walls of the

church as well as inside. We welcome and lead people into a relationship with God. We

establish a church culture of openness and acceptance of individuals seeking God. “…Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew

28:18-20 (NIV)

Goals

We welcome each person who attends our worship services or activities in a warm and

caring way.

o Update the visitor card to include information about the church and our faith with a

tear-off card with their information to put in the offering plate.

o Provide an opportunity for visitors to be further welcomed with a small gift and

more information.

o Enhance the greeting time at the beginning of the worship services to acknowledge

and welcome our visitors.

o Follow up with visitors no later than the Wednesday following their visit.

We have a Faith-Sharing Coordinating Team to equip members to share their faith and

coordinate our evangelism efforts.

o Train children, youth, and adults in how to effectively witness and share their faith.

o Create and promote opportunities to reach out to our neighbors, college students,

SLC families, and mission-served families.

We challenge our members to invite others to be a part of our church community and to

find opportunities to share their faith with others at least once per month.

o Develop a concert series for the church and the community to attend.


We are a Worshiping Community (Worship Focus) – “Make a joyful noise unto the

Lord, all ye lands.” Psalm 100:1 (KJV)

First Baptist glorifies and honors God the Father through worship that is initiated by the Holy

Spirit, centered on Christ, offered to and made acceptable by God. Our dynamic and creative

worship engages our minds, bodies, and spirits, leads to transformed lives, and sends us into

the world with the courage and commitment to do God’s will. “God is spirit, and his worshipers

must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 (NIV)

Goals

We incorporate various styles of music in our worship services.

o Update our hymnal.

o Encourage participation in different ensembles and groups.

o Encourage all ages to use their musical gifts.

We utilize creative worship styles.

o Encourage testimonies during worship services.

o Have a quarterly guest speaker.

o Provide varied prayer experiences.

o Allow the liturgical calendar to shape our worship.

We have a Worship Coordinating Team to help the ministerial staff facilitate broader lay leadership

and member participation.

o Intentionally cultivate intergenerational engagement.

o Incorporate different approaches to engage varied learning styles.

o Develop a way for members to bring ideas for worship.

We challenge members to offer their time, their talents, and their resources for the worship of God.

o Attend worship services regularly.

o Use our varied talents to lead and participate in worship.

o Commit to tithing regularly.

o Have a quarterly pledge Sunday in the areas of influence, time, talents, and money.


We are an Empowered Community (Organization Focus) – Whatever you do, do for

the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31

First Baptist uses our God-given resources to establish a foundation for worship, discipleship,

evangelism, fellowship, and missions. We are good stewards of our human, financial,

physical, and organizational resources. “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,

because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Cor 15:58 (NIV)

Goals

Human Resources/Staff

We believe that God calls and equips every Christian for ministry. Using our own unique spiritual gifts

we serve together to build up the body of Christ here and throughout our community and world.

Ministerial Staff – Our ministerial staff is called to equip each member of the congregation for

ministry and mission. To that end, they will work with each ministry team to be sure that the work

of each aligns with and serves the larger vision and calling of the church.

Non-ministerial Paid Staff – At this time, the church’s needs are being met by present staff. Future

staffing needs will be addressed, as appropriate.

Lay Leadership – Research reveals that churches with broader participation and leadership from

members are more likely to thrive. With an engaged model, First Baptist envisions getting more

people involved in ministry leadership. We will use the spiritual gifts survey to help us match gifts

and talents to the needs within the church.

Financial Resources

We recommend structuring the budget around the six initiative areas of worship, discipleship, missions,

faith-sharing, fellowship, and stewardship within the next two to three budget cycles. The Ministry

Coordinating Council will work with the Stewardship and Finance Committee to recommend changes to

be proposed for future budgets.

During the transition period, while the church is implementing the new initiatives and organizational

structure, the Ministry Coordinating Council will work with the Finance Committee to develop a process

for ministry teams and committees to bring requests for additional funding.

Physical Resources

The primary recommendation from this Vision Process is to see the church achieve, individually

and collectively, a more meaningful level of engagement and a deeper involvement in church

ministries. We believe that our focus at this time should be on development of our initiatives in

the Vision Plan to become a more fully engaged church. It is our ministries, not our facilities,

that reflect who we are as a church community.

We hope that this heightened engagement and focus on ministries will result in growth for the

church, a desired outcome but not the driving purpose of that emphasis. We seek moderate

church growth, across all age groups and demographics. We do not seek radical growth and we

do not ascribe to become a “mega church”.


Even though we want to emphasize ministries, we know the matter of our facilities is

important, and was a driving factor when this process started several years ago. So, we have

sought input and have some recommendations.

The Church Property

Through the feedback throughout this vision process, the Vision Team has discerned from the

church members a general self-identification of First Baptist as a downtown Winchester church.

This seems to be based not just on where we are now, but also where we feel we belong,

where is “home.”

Given our identity as a downtown Winchester church, we recommend a plan as follows:

If our facilities at this location can be made to meet our needs for the short-term, by possible

space re-allocation, and for the long-term, by possible additions and/or renovations to our

current buildings, and if parking solutions can be identified and implemented, for the short-

term, meeting current needs and, for the long-term, meeting projected future needs based on

moderate growth goals, then we believe the church sees its future here on this corner.

If all of the above cannot be met, then we believe the church will need to look at options other

than remaining at this location.

With all of this in mind, the Vision Team recommends the following plan:

1. Implementation of our ministry plan and engaged church model. Our ministries as a

people of God must guide our facilities needs and decisions, rather than the other way

around;

2. Immediate formation of a Parking Solutions Team, to study current and future parking

needs and look for and recommend creative solutions;

3. Immediate formation of a Space Allocation Team to ascertain our current space

deficiencies and whether solutions exist to re-allocate space to meet those needs now

with just minor physical modifications.

Following a two to three year emphasis on growing our ministries, First Baptist should evaluate

our facilities’ needs to determine if additions and/or renovations are desired and feasible. This

evaluation could be done in conjunction with review of the parking study for long-term needs.

Hunting Ridge Retreat (HRR)

The evaluation of Hunting Ridge Retreat (its ministries, facilities, purpose, needs, and future)

has now come full circle. The Vision Team has received input from the church community and

from the HRR front-line folks. The team recommends involving the entire church in a full and

open discussion in the near future concerning Hunting Ridge Retreat and how the church

envisions the future of HRR, how that future can be realistically achieved, and how that fits with

our needs for the in-town facility.


Organizational Resources

Our goal is to update our organizational structure to enable more lay leadership and member

participation to help ministerial staff fulfill God’s purpose for First Baptist Church. The goals for the

organization focus are:

We structure our committees and teams around our six initiative areas.

o Propose a one-year grace period, starting at adoption of the vision document, relaxing the

church by-laws in the areas of committee structure and organization.

o Update the by-laws, at the end of the grace period, to reflect structural/organization changes.

o Annually review our committees and teams to ensure that they function as intended.

o Ask Ministry Teams to develop a covenant during their first meeting to be reviewed and

updated annually.

o Evaluate the size of all committees containing more than six members to see if the same work

can be done with six members or less.

We have Ministry Coordinating Teams in the areas of worship, discipleship, faith-sharing, fellowship,

missions, and stewardship.

o Organize Ministry Teams within each of these areas. For example, the Missions Coordinating

Team would include the Ministry Teams such as Women on Mission, WATTS, and White

Christmas.

o Organize Committees of an administrative nature within the Stewardship Coordinating Team.

o Encourage Deacon representation within each of the six ministry areas to help balance the

spiritual leadership and church membership.

o Each Ministry Coordinating Team will be comprised of leaders of the Ministry Teams and

Committees within each category, and a member of the Vision Facilitation Team (1 year). One

ministerial staff member will participate on the team for guidance.

o Leaders of the Coordinating Teams must be members of First Baptist Church and will be

approved/affirmed by the church membership each year at the November Business Meeting.

o The Ministry Coordinating Teams will meet during even months.

We have a Ministry Coordinating Council comprised of the leaders of each of the Ministry

Coordinating Teams, the Deacon chair, a representative from Peniel, and chairs of the SLC and HRR

Committees. This council will replace our existing Church Council.

o This council will meet during odd months.

o Develop meeting and reporting guidelines for all meetings to ensure they are run efficiently and

are good stewards of the members’ time.

o Coordinate the church calendar among all of the ministry areas.

o Coordinate with the Finance Committee to address budget concerns and, eventually, help

restructure the budget around these initiatives.


PROPOSED MINISTRY TEAM AND COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

During the 2nd Congregational Conversation meeting, members gave quite a bit of feedback

about needing to improve communication between committees, needing more information

about what the committees do and who the leaders are, and needing to get more people

involved in the overall work of our church. We received approximately 116 bits of feedback

regarding administration, and organization of the church. Based on this feedback, the Vision

Team discerned that a change in our organization structure needs to occur.

The Vision Team proposes that we structure our ministry teams and committees in a cluster

format based on the six initiatives we have outlined throughout the vision process. This format

is meant to foster collaboration and creativity within the leadership teams, ministry teams, and

committees with the overall purpose of focusing on the ministries of First Baptist.

Since “ministry teams” is a new term and concept to our structure, we wanted to provide more

information about the difference between a Ministry Team and a Committee.

A MINISTRY TEAM A COMMITTEE

Is drawn together by common PASSIONS Is APPOINTED by the Nominating Committee

Is SELF-ORGANIZING formalized by a covenant

Is MANDATED by the Church Bylaws

Has NO term limits Has a SPECIFIC term limit

Utilizes the SPIRITUAL GIFTS of church members

Is NOT enlisted because of the SPIRITUAL GIFTS of church members

Has a clear sense of PURPOSE Has BROAD TASKS

Is concerned with the SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT of its members

Spiritual development of its members is NOT their primary concern

The following diagrams show the proposed organization structure that First Baptist will start in

January 2017. Other churches going through a visioning process have used and found this

structure to be successful when reorganizing how committees and teams work together to

further the ministries of the church. The Vision Team is in the process of talking with other

churches that are in various stages of implementation of this visioning process and structure to

gain knowledge about issues they have had and lessons for us as we implement.

The Vision Team realizes that this structure is a place for First Baptist to start and that it will be

adjusted over the next year (and after that) to make it work most effectively for our church.

Some of the diagrams contain team shapes labeled “????”. This notation means that these are

open spots for new ministry teams that the church members would like to add to fill a specific

ministry opportunity, as needed.


MAIN ORGANIZATION DIAGRAM

Ministry Coordinating Council

Missions Coordinating

TeamFaith-Sharing Coordinating

Team

Fellowship Coordinating

Team

Worship Coordinating

Team

Discipleship Coordinating

Team

Stewardship Coordinating

Team

Deacon Body

Special Ministries:

SLCHunting Ridge

Peniel

Ministry Team

Deacon Led Ministry Team

CommitteeStaff or

Appointed Position

Ministry Area Diagram Key


WORSHIP COORDINATING STRUCTURE

Worship Coordinating

Team

Music Ministry

Ushers

Audio Video

Technology Support

Team

Communion ????

Flowers Team

DISCIPLESHIP COORDINATING STRUCTURE

Discipleship Coordinating

Team

Baptism LibrarySunday School

????

????

Nominating Committee

Audio Video

Technology Support

Team

FBC History Team

Children’s Ministry

Team

Nursery Committee


FELLOWSHIP COORDINATING STRUCTURE

Fellowship Coordinating

Team

Reception Homebound BereavementWeddingLink Hospitalization

Church Life Congregational Care

Wednesday Night

Dinner???? ????

MISSIONS COORDINATING STRUCTURE

Missions Coordinating

Team

White Christmas

Women on Mission

Fellowship Fund

WATTS

Peniel Coordination Team

????


FAITH-SHARING COORDINATING STRUCTURE

Faith-Sharing Coordinating

Team

Greeting

Out-Reach Hospitality

Outreach

Security

????Hospitality

????

STEWARDSHIP COORDINATING STRUCTURE

Finance Committee AMC Committee

Stewardship Coordinating

Team

Ministerial Relations

Committee

Personnel Committee

Scholarships & Memorial

IT Security and

Network Support

Team

Auditing Committee


STAFF AND OTHER CHURCH POSITIONS

These positions will be placed within the structures above once it is determined which coordinating teams they will be working most closely with. There will be some overlap with some positions.

Financial Secretary

Senior Pastor

Associate/ Youth PastorChurch Secretary

SLC Director

Church Moderator (& Asst)

Director of Children’s Ministry

HRR Marketing Manager

HRR Caretakers

Minister of Music

Pianist Organist

Media Manager(Publications Secretary)

Treasurer


IMPLEMENTATION

November 2016 –

Affirm/Approve Ministry Coordinating Team Leaders at November Business Meeting

January 2017 –

Spiritual Gifts Survey taken for all members middle-school age and above

January 11, 18, 25 – Spiritual Gifts Study Wednesday Nights – how to use your gifts

1/29/17 – Putting your Gifts to Work Fair Sunday School Hour in CEB (snow date –

2/12/17)

First Ministry Coordinating Council Meeting

Committees and Teams have their first meetings of the year to elect their leaders.

February 2017 –

First set of Ministry Coordinating Team Meetings (Missions, Fellowship, Faith-Sharing,

Discipleship, Worship and Stewardship)

b Report of the Vision Facilitation Team · 2016-10-19 · The Vision Facilitation Team felt that...

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