Searching for the Future is a weekend series of focus groups designed to help a congregation clarify its vision, create a mission statement and create a starter list of goals that can later be incorporated into a strategic plan. It is a highly participative process, designed to incorporate as many members of the congregation as possible into small group sessions. The focus group sessions are lively and designed to make the process of clarifying vision and mission not only painless but actually fun.

Lay leaders, who are willing to help facilitate a group session, meet on Friday evening with the consultant to go through the process of articulating vision, creating a draft mission statement, and brainstorming goals in support of the mission. On Saturday, other church members participate in the small group sessions, going through the same process.  The facilitators trained on Friday evening lead the Saturday sessions.

On Sunday, the facilitators meet again with the consultant to blend the draft mission statements into one, which is then ready to go to the Board and ultimately to the congregation for approval. The brainstormed goals generated throughout the weekend are reviewed. The top suggestions are collated and given to the strategic planning committee for consideration in the formulation of the strategic plan.

The members of the Facilitator group should be people who are enthusiastic about the process and willing to make the 9-hour time commitment over the weekend and who feel up to the challenge of helping lead a group. Several board members should be included among the group; the others can be any lay leaders suited to the task.

PUBLICIZING THE PROCESS WITHIN THE CONGREGATION

The key to the success of the weekend experience is obtaining the participation of a large number of members of the congregation. Extensive publicity efforts should make every member of the congregation aware of the process and of their invitation to participate. Congregation members need to understand the process and that they are being asked to give only 3 1/2 hours of their time. The more participation, the greater will be the ownership of the mission statement and the goals that are generated by the weekend process.

In addition to newsletter articles and announcements, a mailing to the congregation would help to create an awareness of the process.  Members should be able to call the church office and register. You may also want to post notice of the Searching for the Future Workshop on the church’s web site and make it possible to register there.

About two weeks before the workshop, telephone calls should be made to all members and friends to ask them if they wish to attend and to determine whether childcare is needed.

Attendance of 25% of the congregation is considered to be a high degree of participation. The phone calls will make the difference between 10% participation and 25%. The callers should not be discouraged by the likelihood that 3 out of 4 will be unable or unwilling to attend. The mere process of making the calls strengthens the congregation, even if the person decides not to attend, because it increases the awareness that the congregation is not only exploring its vision and mission, but that the input of each person is most welcome.

Before the weekend, the names of those attending can be sorted into groups of ten and assigned to specific facilitators. For the Saturday workshop, we will need an on-site coordinator to welcome the participants and tell them their group number. Also this person can make the adjustments for those people expected but not showing up and others showing up unexpectedly.

Keep track of the numbers of those actually attending, so that you can report the numbers to the congregation afterwards.

December 2, 2003