Mission2018 and Our Parish Profile

The Story Continues-

In the last session we took a look at the pioneer spirit that has infused the community of Good Shepherd since its inception in 1967. Within moments of major discernment- be it becoming a diocesan mission, building a new sanctuary and parish hall, or most recently calling Fr. Tom to join us on our journey of faith, the people of Good Shepherd have not been afraid to "take the next step".

Phrases such as "a philosophy of abundance" have challenged us step out in faith, even if we didn't exactly know what the result would be. As the apostle Peter reminds us, "His divine power has given us everything we need..." (2 Peter 1:3). Looking back at the history of Good Shepherd yields proof of God's abundant blessings for our community. The product of all of this has been a parish that has grown from 25 folks, to over 700 engaged persons that are eager to do more for Christ. Mission2018, at it's heart- is our corporate calling- and it will provide the road-map for the years ahead.

A Prelude to Transition

A Bit of History- Beginning in 1996, Good Shepherd underwent its first strategic planning process entitled Vision2001. In addition to guiding the parish through a rapid time of growth and establishing of 32 different ministries, the parish and its leadership also learned a great deal about the "process" of corporate discernment and transition. Among the key points garnered was that in order for a church to be "relevant" and prepared to minister to the needs of today's society, we must be willing to be strategic in our visioning process- looking out 15 years ahead. We had also learned that there was a societal shift from modern to post-modern thinking and perspective. This helped to inform our discussions and desire to be relevant to the "world outside of our four walls". The leadership, both the Council of Elders (Vestry) and other leaders in the church, engaged in programming designed to hone our leadership skills, become versed in the societal change occurring, and moreover- examine that change in the context of our upcoming transitions relating to the departures of Fr. Bob and Christy and in preparation for our next stage of growth and development.

We also examined the history and landmark changes that had occurred at Good Shepherd as well as how those transitions were made effectively. In truth, Fr. Bob was able to adjust his leadership style several times over the course of the past 30 years in order to manage the growth of the parish. While our laity had always been deeply involved in carrying out the work of the church, our participation was often initiated by an invitation from our rector. This system illustrated a priest-centered model of ministry. As the term suggests, our rector was at the center of our system; understanding its functions and needs, directing and adjusting resources in order for us to grow. Good Shepherd however, had grown to such a size where remaining priest-centered would not have enabled us to fully realize our mission. It was then that Mission2018 began to take center stage in our conversation.

Just as our former rector had often been the "arm-around-the-shoulder" that got us involved in ministry, Mission2018- our corporate calling- would now be seen as reaching out to this body of faith and would serve as the impetus for us to engage in ministry here at Good Shepherd. Our mission, Mission2018, was now to be the center of our system. And so we've begun quite possibly the biggest transition we've yet to undergo- our transition from priest centered to Mission-centered ministry.

It should be noted too that in further anticipation of seeking our next rector, Good Shepherd transitioned from mission to parish status. There was significant discussion however, regarding our desire to maintain the culture of mission which had been at the heart of our founding mothers' and fathers' desire for our community. By this time, Mission2018 was being discussed at a ministry level and had served as the impetus for programming and discussion.

Granted, all of this is a lot to take in- which is why leadership at Good Shepherd has been engaged in conversation and action around these issues for more than a decade prior to Fr. Bob's retirement in 2006.

Our Parish Profile

In preparation for our next rector, Good Shepherd began to engage in conversation via round-table discussions and surveys where we discussed not only our dreams for Good Shepherd, but also our current views about or faith community. These thoughts and aspirations were brought together in the form of our Parish Profile. (Please take a look if you haven't already done so).

Interestingly, much of our discussion centered around our transition from a priest-centered to a mission-centered church. In doing so, many of our goals and aspirations are expressions of our own behavior and calling- our desires of obtaining a shared-leadership model in order for our church to fully realize Mission2018. This shift, though at times seemingly subtle, is also dynamic in its implication for our future. The result of this process was the realization that we, as a faith community, recognized the need to "do business" differently in order for us to take the next step towards growth and development. This too, is where we relied on our philosophy of abundance vs. scarcity- knowing that, as has so often happened here in the past, if we were truly following God's will, God will surely provide us with everything we need.

The below section outlines our Parish Profile (July 2007) goals for ourselves as well as the "details of the call" for Fr. Tom. Keeping in mind our culture shift from priest-centric to mission-centric, take a look at how we see ourselves and how we see our rector coming along side of us as we endeavor to meet our goals.

Summary of 2007 Parish Profile Goals for Good Shepherd

Over the next five years, we as a community see ourselves:

1. Responsive to community outreach with inspiring worship services
2. Finding opportunities to experience passionate spiritual growth as a parish and individually
3. Continuing to be a loving community- placing a high value on inclusive youth programs
4. Living into Mission2018
5. Developing our diversity initiative
6. Expanding facilities and parking, adult education, community engagement, and small group ministry

In order to realize these goals, we articulated "details of the call" for our new rector. These details were aimed at framing-up how our next rector would partner alongside of us to assist us in realizing each of our above goals. Again, being mindful of the shift from a priest-centered to mission-centered model of ministry, each detail was then further articulated in the context of our parish's strengths and challenges. (See our Parish Profile for a complete explanation).

We asked that our new rector-

1. Will be an inspiring, loving, faithful leader and teacher to join us on our journey of faith. We see a rector who is scripture-inspired and by sermons and worship serves to strengthen us in our daily life.
2. Will guide us in the transition from a priest-centric parish to a mission-centered/resource church in which laity are fully empowered in their ministry.
3. Will equip us for mission as stated in Mission2018 by guiding the expansion of our facilities.
4. Will broaden and strengthen our financial resources and implement processes to sustain and mange them.
5. Will assist us in growing our parish population within the context of a diverse, inclusive, community while strengthening connections among parish members.
6. Will foster opportunities for spiritual growth, education, and fellowship for all ages, increasing our sense of connection and belonging.
7. Will support a continued emphasis on outreach and foster connections with the greater community so that we might further live into the Outreach and Evangelism Mission Imperatives.

Our Next Steps
So, how do we live into our daring aspirations, especially in this time of transition? The same way Good Shepherd has always done....by ascribing to a philosophy of abundance, being strategic, transparent, and deliberate in terms of planning, leadership and communication. Furthermore, we recognize and honor the foundation that was laid- a foundation based on a pioneering spirit of faith and mission. Most importantly, we take the next step by trusting that God will provide. Scripture affirms God's provision over and over. "His divine power has given us everything we need...(2 Peter 1:3). "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need" (Luke 12:31). "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

As the verse called out last week from Zechariah urges us- "This is what the LORD Almighty says, "You who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD Almighty, let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built."" (Zechariah 8:9).

Our hands are strong...and we are ready.

Join Us Next Week for an All-Parish Family Meeting

We will meet for a fun-filled time of fellowship and connection with our Mission between the services 10:05-11:15. Please be sure to join us for this exciting time together!

Let Us Pray-
"O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in Your light we may see light, and in Your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p 303).

Reflection Questions-

Feel free to share your responses as comments below or join members of the Vestry in conversation following Adult Ed on Sunday.

1. Reflect on the history of visionary leadership here at Good Shepherd and our current transition from a priest-centered to mission-centered parish? What are the possibilities for us as we make this transition? What are the challenges?
   
2. Review our Parish Profile Goals. As we live into those goals as a community, where do you see yourself engaging and how will you do so?
3. Examine again Mission2018 and the seven Mission Imperatives. Which imperative(s) excite you the most and why?

Mission 2018- "Our Story"

A Beautiful Story-
The Church of the Good Shepherd was founded in 1967 when missionary families from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Vancouver, accepted the challenge of starting a church in the rural, East Vancouver countryside. A small building was constructed and on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th, 1968- the first worship service was held with Fr. Bob Rhodes at the pulpit. Even then, with 25 members to it's name, there was a commitment by the founding members to be a welcoming congregation that made special provision for children and their families.

Eight years later, the congregation nearly closed it's doors due to financial difficulties at it's parent congregation. The following year, 1976- Good Shepherd became a diocesan mission with an annual budget of $20,000. The word "mission" took on a whole new meaning for the congregation. Undoubtedly, in addition to being literally a mission- they were people of mission. The culture, the DNA, the very foundation that was laid in building this community of faith- was one of missional living.

Good Shepherd has been quite purposeful about seeking God's will. As a community, we have undergone a number of visioning processes- whereby the entire congregation has engaged in heartfelt discernment to articulate God's will for the parish. As difficult as this is to do on an individual level, it is even more remarkable at a corporate (parish-wide) level.

The first visioning process involved Good Shepherd deciding to establish itself as a congregation. The second process led to becoming a diocesan mission. The third led to the building of the church sanctuary and parish hall. The fourth process led to the calling of a full time Associate Priest. The fifth, entitled Vision2001, led to the establishment of 32 different ministries and guided the congregation during a time of rapid growth. The sixth hallmark happened in 2003 when the community took up the challenge of wrestling with specific language of God's call to Good Shepherd. The resulting document, Mission2018 has been our fifteen year guide post- our attempt to put into words our intention of spirit.

The year-long process of discernment and drafting of Mission2018 was in some ways, the easy part! Living into it- it's vision- it's mission- that's the challenge. Let's take a closer look at our corporate call as described in Mission2018:

Mission2018
Mission Statement-We are people of God, committed to acting in love, seeking and serving Christ in the world, one another and ourselves.

Mission Imperatives- The word "imperative" is not lightly chosen. As the word suggests, each of the seven Mission Imperatives are compulsory to our actions of faith. The Vestry is currently developing Theological Statements for each of these Mission Imperatives- and in doing so- we will be able to more fully express and relate what we have discerned God's call to be- to the teachings found in Scripture. This underpinning is truly the "why we do, what we do".

Spiritual Growth- We will support and honor each person's faith journey by seeking to awaken, deepen and empower our faith in Christ and the faith of others.

Evangelism- We will equip and encourage our congregation to reach out to the unchurched with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Diversity- We will reach out to all, recognizing and celebrating our similarities and differences as we remove barriers to fellowship and build a diverse, inclusive community.

Community- We will foster joy-filled, supportive relationships across all generations.

Leadership- We will develop, sustain and advance excellence in leadership.

Resource Growth- We will prayerfully and creatively develop the human, financial and physical resources necessary to carry out our ministries.

Outreach- We will share our abundance by responding to those in need throughout our community and the world.

All of this is to support our overall Vision- A world transformed by the love of Jesus Christ.

The Mission statement, Vision, and Mission Imperatives are all supported by five Core Values. Any decision we make must be in alignment with our core values of: Responsive to Members, Integrity, Compassion, Leadership, and Responsiveness to Community.

Our Next Step
Our visioning processes have not ended with Mission2018. If anything, change and transition has been the "buzz phrase" around our community for the last number of years. With Fr. Bob's retirement, Christy accepting a call to become a rector of her own parish, Fr. Jim Bethell joining us as the Interim priest- and now with Fr. Tom Warne joining us on our journey of faith as the second rector of Good Shepherd- there has been a whole lot of change going on. But- through it all the people of Good Shepherd have been true to the same pioneering spirit which called those few missionary families to start a congregation in East Vancouver.

Today we have grown to nearly 700 members and have an annual budget of roughly $700,000. We have greater resources to make Christ known- not only to our community but the world as well and as we discovered in our most recent visioning process where we developed our Parish Profile and set goals for ourselves to achieve over the next 10 years- we are eager to do more for Christ.

Our "next step" is living into our corporate calling of Mission2018. It would not even be possible to do so if it were not for the firm foundation we are standing on- a foundation that has been laid brick by brick, stone by stone, deed by deed- by the people of Good Shepherd. Over the past nearly forty years, each stone was laid with mortar comprised of faith and boldness- even in the midst of uncertainty.

Consider this Easter season- a time of resurrection and renewal. The opportunity ahead will be filled with blessings and challenges as well- but much of the pioneering spirit of our founding fathers and mothers still beats in our hearts today.

Over the next six weeks we will be discussing how we might fully live into our corporte calling as articulated in Mission2018. Please join us during Adult Ed- 10:15 on Sundays. If you're not able to-this blog will be posted along with a audio clip of each Adult Ed session.

Zechariah 8:9 captures the sentiments of our time ahead-

"This is what the LORD Almighty says, "You who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD Almighty, let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.""

While our founding fathers and mothers might shy away from being charactarized as "prophets"- their pioneering spirit and faith have served to infuse Good Shepherd with a boldness of character. It's with that example in mind that we boldly take "Our Next Step".

Reflection Questions-

Feel free to share your responses as comments below or join members of the Vestry in conversation following Adult Ed on Sunday.

1. We've used the word "transition" frequently in recent months. What thoughts and/or feelings does this word elicit for you?
2. Consider our "Mission Time Line" as described in today's session. Where have you been involved? Reflect on the process- what was helpful? Useful? Difficult?
3. Examine the seven Mission Imperatives. Which imperative(s) excite you the most and why?