INTRODUCTION TO VISION 2012
During our brief history, we have held several “vision campaigns.” Typically, near the end of the year we have had a dinner and launched our vision strategies for the coming year. Due to the frenzy of activities regarding our facilities and restrcuturing the last three years, we did not have Vision 2010 and 2011. So this year’s vision campaign will be a refreshing time of interactive refocusing and recharging for our congregation.
Vision 2012: Getting GracePointe Back on Track, unlike previous vision campaigns, will be conducted in multiple settings and meetings. The first thing we need to do is revisit our “Purpose, Passion (Vision), and Plan (Mission). These are unchanging ideals on which GracePointe was built.
Using the “GracePointe PATH”, we will deal with such topics as assimilation (that is, what are some of the things we can do to get people “settled into” the church?); retention (what keeps people in the church?); outreach (what gets them in the church to start with?); and participation (what gets people involved and active within the church?).
We will also introduce a new Strategic Planning Model called “MAP” (mobilization, assimilation, and participation). The MAP is a eight-step process that will help us keep our focus, stay on track, and make the necessary changes to be more effective. The MAP includes four assessments called “4-C,” which will help us “foresee” the GracePointe future, so to speak. These assessments are:
· Community Assessment- Learning about demographics of our community
· Change Assessment- Discovering how our community has changed
· Churches Assessment- Exploring what other churches are doing to grow
· Congregation Assessment- Acknowledging the gaps in GracePointe Church
Using these four assessments in conjunction will help us establish some strategies and goals that will ensure the most effective approach to ministry going forward.
Vision 2012 will continue into and through 2011. There will be weekly emphases, monthly updates, and quarterly GPS Luncheons (GracePointe Strategies), a mid-year “tweaking” (ReMAP), and a year-end celebration (“Final Destination”). If you decide to really participate, it will be an exciting ride (the trip will be what WE make it).
So, let’s begin the journey on the GracePointe PATH…
