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Our Vision

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A Bold, Faithful and Growing Church

Table of Contents

Introduction – An Invitation to Ministry

Our Vision for Ministry - Aspen Hill Christian Church 2009

# Preamble

  • Mission Statement
  • Vision Statement
  • Values
  • Keys to our Success
  • Called to Focus

Strategic Areas of Focus

I - Sharing the Good News of New Life in Jesus Christ as a
First Joy of Every Disciple

II - Develop and Deepen the Spirituality and Discipleship of our Congregation

III - Creating New and Exciting opportunities for our Congregation To Make an Impact in the outside World

IV - Strengthening and Expanding the Stewardship of our 10
Congregation Through the Commitment of Time, Talent and Treasure

V - Improving and Upgrading our Building to a Modern First Class
Facility to Both Enable and Further our Church’s Ministry

Appendices

  1. Vision Plan Committee Members
  2. Vision Plan Process
  3. Factors Considered in Developing our Vision Plan
  4. Responsibilities and Authority
  5. Strategic Planning Guidelines

Introduction

An Invitation to Ministry…

We are pleased to offer the Vision Plan for Ministry 2009-2014. This plan seeks to guide us as we shape and transform our church into a congregation that is strategically responsive in increasingly challenging and difficult times. It is our conviction that where there is challenge and difficulty there is opportunity.

This Vision plan’s intent is to provide Aspen Hill Christian Church with a plan to shape its direction in the near future as well as a yardstick to measure its ministry over the next five years.

Our challenge as the members and friends of Aspen Hill Christian Church is to open ourselves to new and innovative ways of responding to the spiritual needs of the people both in and beyond our immediate community. We each have the challenge to live out the values of our faith and to keep ourselves focused on the spiritual, moral and ethical dimensions of our lives as we serve God and man.

We invite you as members and friends of the Aspen Hill Christian Church to take up the challenge to pray for our church, to work together for the mission and vision of our church and to accept personal responsibility to help grow our church spiritually, financially, physically and in every sense of what it means to be a growing, dynamic congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Just as our congregation has a call to serve God in faithful and obedient ways, each of us has a personal and individual mission and purpose in our lives. May you hear God’s call in your own life and may you be faithful in finding the joy and satisfaction that comes from both knowing and heeding God’s call in your life.

As the prophet Isaiah said long ago…

“Here I am Lord… Send Me”…

Robert Chance
Senior Minister
Aspen Hill Christian Church

Our Vision for Ministry - Aspen Hill Christian Church 2009

Preamble –

Our Vision Plan has been developed with an understanding that, while the future will bring changes and many of them will be unanticipated, it is important to know the basis for God’s call and our ministry in his name. As a faithful fellowship we must constantly focus on where God is calling us and how we can be faithful to him. The scriptures remind us that “no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God”. In developing our Vision Plan we attempted to reassess the way God works through our Church by addressing the following questions:

  1. How is God calling us into new and exciting forms of ministry that will complement and expand the ministries that are currently working well?
  2. What is our focus for ministry in this particular time and this particular place?
  3. How will our ministries be carried out in faithful obedience to God’s call?
  4. How do we plan for a future that is always changing, ever challenging and often unpredictable?

To be faithful in the ministry we hold so dear we must always balance being faithful and engaged in the present and looking to the future. At the same time we can celebrate what we have done in the past and how God has blessed us. In short, we seek to be a church that maintains the best of “the old-time religion” and embraces the best of the “new-time religion” as well. Joyfully, we are experiencing a general feeling of love and support within our congregation but we must not become complacent or take our blessings for granted. The Bible reminds us that a people without vision will perish.

Our Church’s Mission –

Aspen Hill Christian Church is a congregation within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). our compelling mission is to be “a faithful, growing church where people experience, cultivate, and share the love of God.”

Our Church’s Vision –

Our vision is to be “a bold, faithful, and growing church.”

Our Church’s Values –

Among the many values that shape our ministry, we hold the following especially dear:

  • Spirituality - We seek to know God at the deepest levels and to integrate our spirituality into every part of our daily living.
  • Accountability - We hold ourselves mutually accountable to God and to one another for living as Jesus Christ calls us to live.
  • Compassion - We have a deep and genuine caring for others.
  • Religious Leadership - We seek to model our lives wisely and courageously and to do our best to live in such a way that others want to come and experience the joy of Christian community.
  • Excellence - We seek to do all things to the best of our ability.
  • Diversity - We not only respect but we value differences in faith and the practice of Christian living centered on Christ and the principles found in the Bible.

The Keys to our Success Are:

  • our people – our people are dedicated, talented, diverse, creative and energetic.
  • our leaders – We have talented and faithful leaders, both lay and clergy.
  • our size – We are a middle-sized congregation committed to continued growth. We are large enough to provide a variety of quality programs and resources and yet small enough to provide personal care and attention to everyone.
  • our congregation – our church is a racially, socially, and theologically diverse community of faith. We are all called as people who need our hurts healed and our hopes reaffirmed.
  • our neighborhood – our neighborhood is a changing, growing, multi-cultural, exciting place to live and work. We see our neighborhood as a dynamic place filled with opportunity to minister in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ.
  • our world – Ministry begins in our community and extends into the entire world.

Called To Focus…

The concepts outlined above are the heart of the Vision Plan that follows. We invite you to share in this exciting call to Ministry with us!

As a congregation committed to faithfully focusing on where God is calling us, Aspen Hill Christian Church strives to:

  • Proclaim the Christian faith to a people who are hungry and in need of the Gospel.
  • Teach the great traditions and theology of a faithful church.
  • Provide care and support for people who share the needs of God’s children.
  • Create and enhance Christian community in a society in which true community is often neglected.
  • Provide a spiritual home where people may grow in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Strategic Focus Areas for Aspen Hill Christian Church

Our vision plan is based on five strategic areas of focus that encompass our seven program ministries: Worship, outreach, Membership & Evangelism, Property, Stewardship, Education and Fellowship.

I Sharing the Good News of New Life in Jesus Christ

As a First Joy of Every Disciple

  • Expand our staff to facilitate further growth of our congregation.
  • Use improved technology
    • Use our web site more effectively to share the good news.
    • Distribute information through the newsletter or other advertising.
    • Provide information about our church on our web site and through email.
  • Engage members in personal evangelism
    • Seek to understand who we are and how to most effectively evangelize to our community.
    • Provide training to guide members in effective ways to evangelize and offer discipleship classes for groups of leaders.
    • Use publicity tools to increase awareness of our programs.
  • Target families with children for sustained growth
    • Provide fellowship programs/opportunities that are designed to bring in new members/families.
    • Develop innovative ways of promoting our church.
  • Use our space, facilities, and programs in ways that help visitors feel welcomed.o Utilize our worship, fellowship, education, and outreach programs to bring in new members.
    • Develop and implement both short term and long term strategies to upgrade our church space.

II Develop and Deepen the Spirituality and Discipleship of our Congregation

  • Continue to make Sunday morning worship the center of our community. Ensure that the worship experience on Sunday morning remains dynamic, faithful, and engaging.
  • Develop and build our Music program.
    • Broaden music programs to provide a variety of programs and styles.
    • Increase variety of instrumental music in our worship service.
    • Expand number and types of choral groups.
  • Expand and develop our summer programs, including music and education, to make our church a year-round program.
  • Develop and expand the sense of community within our congregation
    • Highlight and celebrate cultural diversity.
    • Use people’s gifts.
    • Provide “entry” opportunities and programs into church life for new or uninvolved members and friends.
    • Bring people into the church through a variety of groups focusing on the sense of community.
  • Develop Christian Education as a critical element in the culture of the church.
    • Offer ongoing adult learning opportunities.
    • Provide our church leadership with development opportunities.
    • Grow Sunday School for all ages.
      • Increase the positive appearance and perception of our Sunday School space.
      • Increase the level of our congregational commitment to our youth programs.
        • Deepen and grow the fellowship life of the church.
          • Continually evaluate current fellowship groups in the life of the church to see if they are still working effectively.
          • Look for and be open to new types of fellowship groups that would draw people closer together in Christian relationship.
          • Fully support the fellowship groups and programs within the life of the church.
          • Offer a variety of fellowship opportunities and groups that meet our members’ interests and needs.

III Creating New and Exciting opportunities for our Congregation to Make an Impact in the outside World

  • Develop and grow our Christ Center (Refugee Ministry) as its own area of ministry, distinct from but certainly related to our outreach Ministry.
  • Encourage and foster the formation of congregational groups around outreach ministries targeted to specific needs. For example:
    • Develop congregational groups focused on service to local organizations such as jail ministry or ministry to homeless shelters.
    • Foster teams that participate in a variety of outreach activities that give members different opportunities to participate in what would be for them a meaningful outreach ministry.
    • Enable and encourage our youth group to participate in “hands on” outreach projects.
    • Develop programs related to the specific interests of church members such as neighborhood “homework” groups to help neighborhood youth.
  • Provide the congregation with a number of targeted giving programs focused on “hot button giving” opportunities including backpacks for children, Christmas baskets, etc.
  • Incorporate missionary programs for youth and adults into our church outreach portfolio (e.g., youth working hands-on in the community).
  • Develop outreach/education publicity or information that keeps people informed of our congregation’s outreach ministries.
  • Challenge members to do individual outreach on a personal basis on behalf of the church (e.g., gather a group for Katrina assistance, Christmas in April, etc.).
  • Continue to develop our web site to inform our congregation and the public about our outreach programs and opportunities.

IV Strengthening and Expanding the Stewardship of Our Congregation Through the Commitment of Time, Talent and Treasure

  • Promote financial awareness within the Church.
  • Provide an environment that fosters regular, faithful giving through recognition of God’s blessings.
  • Encourage Personal commitment to ensure that the work of the church is accomplished.
  • Develop programs to encourage legacy gifts through wills, estates, and memorial giving.
  • Develop a coordinated stewardship program that offers multiple giving opportunities throughout the year
    • Develop a focused giving program directed at specific projects.
    • Develop appropriate fundraising programs.
  • Develop programs that promote and stress complete stewardship - the importance of giving time and talents as well as treasure.
  • Promote, through educational programs and newsletter articles, tithing as the Biblical standard for giving.
  • Utilize the annual EMC campaign to raise awareness of the importance of stewardship.

V Improving and Upgrading our Building to a Modern First Class Facility to Both Enable and Further our Church’s Ministry

  • Relocation
    • Continue to explore possible locations for a new church home.
    • Expand search area and focus on high growth areas with new developments.
    • Provide a modern day facility with modern day amenities.
  • Renovation
    • Develop a comprehensive multiyear plan, including funding sources, for sequential renovation of existing space with an emphasis on the Sunday School space as the highest priority.
    • Include in the renovation plan improvements that can be moved to a new location (e.g. tables and chairs).
    • Modernize gathering areas to match our worship space (e.g., fellowship hall).
    • Incorporate new technology upgrades into sanctuary (e.g., audio visual, lighting, upgraded communications).
    • Develop programs to encourage members to commit to the upkeep and maintenance of the church facility and property.

Appendix A: 2007 – 2012 Vision Plan Committee Members

Blake Buckingham, Charles Capellman, Mary Chance, Carol Knott, Ralph Leslie, Karen Shpiece, Jane Small, John Small (Chair), Robert Chance (Pastor)

Appendix B: The Strategic Planning Process

The process for creating this Vision plan involved the appointment of a Vision Plan Committee with the charge to meet and explore together what our Vision Plan would look like this time around.

We sought a group of people who were spiritual, innovative and open thinkers. While soliciting input from the Board of Directors, the Elders and Deacons and the Ministry Chairs and other leaders within the church, the committee was given the primary responsibility for creating the plan. A proposal for our VIsion Plan was taken to the Board of Directors for discussion and approval. The Vision Plan will be available for church members and used on a regular basis over the next period of years. It is seen as being current for three to five years and will begin to be rethought and reworked at the end of that cycle.

The intent is for the Vision Plan to be shared with the leaders of the church in various forums such as the Leaders’ Planning Retreat, the elder’s and deacon’s monthly meetings, the Program Council etc.

If the Vision Plan is to have relevance it must not be approved and set aside on a shelf for the next five years. It must used on a regular basis, cited in the making of strategic and tactical decisions and in planning for ministry in the coming years.

Process of the Vision Committee

2008-2009

The following topics outline the process that was used by the Vision Committee in development of the Vision Plan. Each of these topics was addressed at meetings held during the last year.

Getting Started

  • Information We Need To Know.
  • Review of where we are and we are going.
  • Identification of Mission / Vision of AHCC.
  • Identification of Values of AHCC.
  • Kinds of Information We Need To Have/Track For Directions/Decisions

SWOT Evaluation

  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
  • Opportunities
  • Threats
  • Contextual Analysis / Demographics / Internal and External Analysis

Development of Strategies, Goals & objectives

  • Strategic Directions
  • Long Range Goals
  • Specific objectives To Critical Issues

Strategic Plan Drafted & Proposed

  • Draft Strategic Plan presented.
  • Discussion & Modification of Strategic Plan.
  • Process developed for presenting the plan and building ownership of the plan.

Finalization of the Strategic Plan by the Vision Committee

  • Reviewing the input and ideas of the fielded plan to Board, Elders & Deacons and other groups within the life of the church for whom input is required.
  • Process of ongoing evaluation and modification of the plan.
  • Final meeting of the Committee to approve the plan.

Implementation of the Vision Plan

  • Final Draft given to Board for discussion and approval at the Annual Leader’s Retreat.
  • Tactical elements developed for the focus areas at the Annual Leader’s Retreat.
  • Sharing of the Vision Plan.
    • St. Paul’s Breakfast for Elders & Deacons.
    • Newsletter (in appropriate “bites”).
    • Vision Report made available to congregation.
  • Progress on the plan implementation to be monitored by church Board.

Appendix C: Factors Considered In Developing the Vision Plan

The following factors were investigated and discussed in great detail in developing this Vision Plan.

  • The context of the community in which we minister.
  • The history and past experience of our church, including previous Vision Plans.
  • The current and projected societal environment in which we minster.
  • Generational characteristics of both our church and society in general.
  • Vision plans of other organizations including both churches and secular organizations.
  • Most of all, God’s call for faithful ministry as best we understand it to be in the particular time and place.

Appendix D: Responsibilities and Authority

Execution of the Plan

Responsibility for each element of the plan belongs to the Board of Directors, the Senior Minister and all groups within the life of the church. The Board Chair and Minister will work together to mutually monitor progress toward its achievement. Specific tactical objectives should be the work of the Ministry Chairs and others involved in the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly operation of the church; this should occur on a continuing basis. The Annual Church Leader’s Planning Retreat will be the primary place where on-going review, discussion and accountability to the plan will occur. In addition to the Annual Church Leader’s Retreat the Board Chair will ensure on-going attention and response to the plan will occur. Particular strategy for ensuring appropriate execution and monitoring of the plan will be the responsibility of the Board of Directors and Senior Minister.

Appendix E: Vision Planning Guidelines

Overall Context

This plan represents a corporate statement of what the Aspen Hill Christian Church is about, what we value, and the direction we need to take in accomplishing our mission and vision. The plan provides specific guidance on initiatives we are undertaking to move forward in achieving the goals outlined in this document. This plan is not intended to outline everything we do, but it does provide a framework within which everything we do should fit. We should be able to see how what we are doing contributes to priorities inherent in this plan. If not, we should be asking ourselves if we should continue performing such functions. Regardless of our role in executing the plan, everyone should develop a familiarity with the document. It is in understanding this plan that we see the full context of our corporate priorities and direction

The Value and Importance of a Vision Plan…

The value and importance of having a current, viable and robust Vision Plan cannot be overstated. one of the hallmarks of growing and vibrant churches is having and using a Vision Plan that is current and relevant to the ministry of the congregation.

We have a history of developing and using our Vision Plan over the last thirty years. While we never achieve all of the goals and objectives that we identify in our Vision Plan, the plan gives us something to work with and from in guiding and shaping our day to day, month to month, year to year ministry. our plan is both a guide to our planning for where we are going and an assessment of where we have been.

Part of the value of a Vision Plan is found simply in the process of thinking about the mission, vision, and values that guide our ministry. Another part of the value of having and using a Vision Plan is in our ability to hold ourselves accountable to the mission, vision and values that guide us. There is no magic in a Vision Plan. It is not intended to be all inclusive or exhaustive. Rather, at its best our hope is that our Vision Plan will help us plan and do ministry on the basis of those values and beliefs and goals that are core to our understanding of what it means to be church.

The Vision Plan is intended to be strategic in nature and not tactical. It will be the work of our ministries and groups to flesh out the specific tactical details of each area of focus.

A Living Document

The Vision Plan is seen as a work in progress. It is not finished. our intent is for this document to be an open document that invites and requires further thinking and prayer as we seek to discover and live out God’s will for our church. The Vision Plan is a working document. It is intended to form a framework for action while retaining flexibility to adapt as times, personnel and circumstance change. It is a living document and can be modified at any time. Changes to the mission, vision and focus areas will normally occur during our annual review of the Vision plan.

Our Hope About The Vision Plan…

Our hope is that the Vision Plan will be used by all of those engaged in planning and doing ministry within Aspen Hill Christian Church. our hope is that leaders and members will be excited and energized by this plan and will be inspired to new ministries as well as renewed commitment to the continuation of the time honored and tested ministries of the past.

Our Invitation to Members and Friends…

Read this plan! Pray about ministry in the future! Think about all the exciting and fulfilling ways we may serve the Lord by serving his children! Do great ministries through Aspen Hill Christian Church in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ. Let God use you to bring others to the joy and life giving spirit of Jesus. Embark with us on this great adventure.

Your mission is to share in Aspen Hill Christian Church being a church where people experience, cultivate and share the love of God. May we all work together and under the direction of God’s Holy Spirit as we seek to be faithful in the years ahead.