Question 4
What will be our congregation’s three most important accomplishments over the next 3 to 5 years?
Summary
Outreach – 110 total mentions
Outreach – continuing and new – 62 mentions
• Implement capital campaign component
• Growth to 50% (esp. for homeless and elderly)
• Project 5000 actually feeds 5000
• Strengthen Habitat
• Expand Room in the Inn
• Do something about low-cost, high-rise affordable housing
• Augustine Project becomes #1 faith-based service organization in Charlotte
• Mission trips for adults
• Ecumenical outreach to other urban churches
• Music outreach to the unchurched
• Outreach locally and around the globe
• Increased mission work in inner city
• Expand mission work beyond NC
• Continuing outreach in deliberate ways
• Expand resources committed to outreach to and support of Charlotte’s poor and homeless
• More C.R.O.P. walkers
Sustain and grow Youth Program and opportunities for outreach – 20
• More mission trips
More Outreach/involvement opportunities to/for downtown work community – 14 mentions
• Lectures
• Weekday services
• Musical events
• Offering a place in uptown Charlotte where traditional Episcopal liturgy can be celebrated weekly
• A redefined and expanded meaning of being an uptown church -by reaching out to and attracting the young adults/unchurched living uptown
Take action in areas of social Justice – 10 mentions
• Establish a “justice league”
• Recognized as taking risk and speaking up for the poor and unloved, and against injustices in our community.
• Serve as leader in the faith community around social issues
Other outreach – 4 mentions
• We don’t spend so much on ourselves e.g. Organ, renovation of church
• Making serving God’s larger community the priority instead of so much internal focus on music and pageantry
• Continuing to speak/challenge the city’s leadership on quality of life as God’s witness in the heart of the city
• Peace movement
Growth – 92 total mentions
Growth of Congregation (size) – 47 mentions
• 10-15%
• Be intentional about attracting diverse families with children
• Attract new members, notably young adults & families with children still at home.
• Increasing pledges by 10%
Sustaining growth particularly among young families
• Attract young people and families
Growth (Spiritual) – 28 mentions
• Continue to seek Christ in all, that Christ may be seen in us, and seek God’s will for St. Peter’s
• Increased opportunities for adult Christian formation, study and inquiry (including other religions)
• Establish a “leadership role” for Christian education in the community
• More adult education classes of every type: life skills, family skills, real-life issues
• Eucharistic visitors
• More opportunities for contemplative prayer
• Bible school
• Disciple courses offered
• Become known as “hotbed of spirituality”
Larger staff – 8 mentions
• Clergy and staff to support growth
• Youth minister
Have a need for three Sunday services – 5 mentions
Long-range strategic planning – 4 mentions
• Strategic plan
• Feasibility of capital campaign for building exterior
• Showers for Room in the Inn and youth overnights
Build on our strengths – 90 total mentions
Financial Stability/Strength – 36 mentions
• Debts paid off
• Raise and meet financial goals
• Budget wisely
• Rebuild endowment
• Increase pay for staff
• Developing wider, more generous financial and volunteer support to cope with tough economic realities
• Will have thrived in economic hard times & become stronger
• Continue doing what we now do well – 31 mentions
• Diversity
• Liturgy
• Welcoming
• Keep our doors open
• Maintain our identity, intensity, unity and strength
• Adapt to our changing world
• Have a committed, active parish life
• Keep our vast array and variety of members involved, thru ministries and activities.
• Continue to reach out to a diverse congregation
• Teaching youth
• Continue to minister to children and young people
Expanded Music Ministry – 24 mentions
• Endow Choir School
• Establish an academic choir school
• Increase congregational participation
• Instrumentalist every Sunday
• Include music in pastoral and lay Eucharistic ministries
• Music education through St. Peter’s support of The Choir School at St. Peter’s.
Liturgy / Worship / Spiritual Leadership – 59 total mentions
Have a new rector – 17 mentions
• There is mutual satisfaction
• More pastoral care
• We are being led to new and greater ministry
• Strong new rector who inspires parishioners spiritually, intellectually and socially
Hire an assistant rector – 14 mentions
Liturgy – 20 mentions
• More variety at later service (e.g., Rite 1, Morning Prayer)
• Maintain “traditional” services
• A more “low church” offering on Sunday morning
• More youth orientation in services/children more visible in worship
• Priest who can sing
• “World class” liturgy & music – church full every week
• Honor long-term parishioners and their traditions
• Contemporary services
• Musical variety
• More modern music service
• Elevation style church
• Start a Contemporary Service on Sunday (doesn’t need to be too ‘modern’, just updated…and not longer than an hour!)
• Creating a livelier and spiritual worship experience that engages the congregation and sends them back into the world energized to do God’s work. (As opposed to feeling like they’ve watched an elaborate show and listened to a choir sing 16th century dirges!)
• Create services that are energetic, enthusiastic and spiritually up-lifting.
• Improve the music at services so that all members of the congregation can participate easily.
Preaching – 6 mentions
• Great preaching every week
• Greater variety in preachers
• Better sermon speakers
Other Liturgy – 3 mentions
• Continue to be open door for everyone
• Incorporating youth into the worship life more
• Deepened spirituality through expanded worship experiences like the Labyrinth, weekly Taize and others.
Inreach – 45 total mentions
More opportunities to grow in Community/Relationships – 24 mentions
• Retreats
• Ushering
• Small groups
• Altar Guild
• Fellowship ”events” (e.g. Kanuga or an “at-home” weekend
• Revitalize Holy Chow
• Trips for seniors
• Establish a Men’s group
• Neighborhood “meet & greets”
• Group for 30-50s
• Group for 20-40’s
• Outreach to singles
• Gay/lesbian group
• Women’s Bazaar
• Helping people in the parish become a closer knit community by devising more ways to bring them together to get to know one another
• Provide opportunities for new members to participate so they will stay engaged
• Start a jobless support group
• Continuing “in reach” in deliberate ways
Lay leadership development – 7 mentions
• Inspire a new generation of leaders
• Will have a new priest from our Sunday school
• Cultivating new leadership and grounded them in St. Peter’s mission as older leaders age out
• Start a new congregation
Begin a new Ministry – 6 mentions
• Mothers’ Morning Out
• After-school Program
• Reach out to Hispanic community
More in-reach to our active members – 5 mentions
• Lay ministry
• Priesthood of believers
Other Inreach – 3 mentions
• More nursery volunteers
• Accessible altar
• Large-print hymnals & service information
Youth Responses for youth – 45 total mentions
Activities
• Awesome pilgrimages
• More kids on pilgrimages
• Trips
• Dance parties
• More coffee hour options
• Starbucks in church
Facilities / Equipment
• Renovate basement
• Use 3rd floor
• Youth projector
• Recreational facilities
• Bigger youth rooms
Worship
• Strong music program
• Dress up every Sunday
• More / better acolytes
• Father Pittman back
Growth
• More youth get confirmed
• St. Peter’s youth program grows in popularity – 4 mentions
• More funds for youth
• More fundraisers
Outreach
• New Outreach programs
• Strengthen existing outreach programs
Community / Family
• Stay close (family)
• More ways to get involved
Other accomplishments – 14 total mentions
Improved communication within parish – 4 mentions
We have maintained a sense of humor – 2 mentions
We are using the gifts/talents of all parishioners – 2 mentions
We have all become better listeners
Embrace change and capture its energy
Growth of parking garage
We have a shared vision and strategy for making it real
More decoration outside (flowers)
Staying relevant in 21st century life
