Strategic Plan Update- Strategy #5
Strategy #5 – Invite new members intentionally and creatively to St. James Parish.
If the SPG’s first four strategic proposals make St. James a better place – energized worship, enhanced ministries, fully utilized campus, and increased financial support – than the last one calls on our best self; living and preaching the Gospel, welcoming others to join us.
This is easy to say, hard to do. It requires not just openness to others, but also sincere introspection; a willingness not only to promote ourselves in the community, but also to eliminate barriers to membership; not only traditional initiations such as baptism and confirmation, but also welcoming, intermediate “pathways” to participation, like a heart-felt welcome to St. James.
A venerable church like ours can be intimidating to a newcomer, who might be encouraged by:
- genuine hospitality
- the introductory Alpha Course
- public lectures, concerts, Bible study
- a variety of services, times, and dress
- opportunities for ministry
- childcare & pre-school
- posting of the Order of Worship on a projector screen
- tasteful “recruitment”
Fortunately, this approach does not require our parish to change, but instead to show our true selves to others, to identify what St. James and its members are doing in the community, even to “advertise.”
The result could be a larger, more diverse parish, one still rich in its 300-year-old history but fully invested in the future. It would also be vibrant parish, fully capable of achieving both the goals of our Strategic Plan and the call of a Twenty-First Century Episcopal church.