1. Strategic Plan
2013 - 2015
May 13, 2013

2. LRPC 2013 Objectives
• Evaluate progress made to date on the current strategic
plan
• Determine goals and needs that have not been met
• Listen to church member opinions regarding the status of
the church and direction for the future
• Review and synthesize church feedback
• Assess the current FPC Mission & Vision Statements and
develop a new Mission / Vision Statement, as needed
• Develop a new, 5-year strategic plan to guide and prioritize
FPC’s actions and allocation of resources, incorporating
the recommendations of church members, the Session,
and staff regarding future direction of the church
2

3. Our Mission Statement
To know Christ,
to make him known,
and to exhibit his love
through worship, education, and service.
3

4. Our Core Values
• Education
• Service
• Excellence
• Integrity
• Reformed Tradition
• Always Reforming
• Worship
• Ministry
4

5. FPC Nashville is 9th
Largest in PCUSA
5
Rank Church Name Location
2011
Members
2010
Members
2010-2011
Membership
Change
2010-2011
Percentage
Change
1 Peachtree Atlanta,Ga 8,675 9,141 (466) -5.1%
2 Christ Edina, MN 5,541 5,239 302 5.8%
3 Fourth Chicago, IL 5,428 6,182 (754) -12.2%
4 Highland Park Dallas, TX 4,854 4,777 77 1.6%
5 Village Prairie Vlge, KS 4,829 4,772 57 1.2%
6 Memorial Drive Houston. TX 4,343 4,201 142 3.4%
7 Myers Park Charlotte, NC 4,325 4,245 80 1.9%
8 First Houston, TX 4,300 4,300 - 0.0%
9 First Nashville, TN 4,241 4,206 35 0.8%
10 Menlo Park Menlo Park, CA 4,125 4,119 6 0.1%
11 Second Indianapolis, IN 4,028 4,072 (44) -1.1%
12 White Memorial Raleigh, NC 3,904 3,863 41 1.1%
13 University Seattle, WA 3,896 4,009 (113) -2.8%
14 First Colorado Sprgs, CO 3,824 4,108 (284) -6.9%
15 First Orlando, FL 3,521 3,521 - 0.0%
PCUSA Top 15 Churches 2011

6. 2004 Strategic Plan &
Accomplishments

7. 2001- 2004 Long Range Planning Goals
• Define a common sense of purpose for FPC that can be expressed in:
Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Statement of Values
• Articulate measures of success – concrete benchmarks for achieving
our common purpose
• Develop plan to implement common purpose and priorities in church’s
ministries, programs, missions, staffing, facilities, and fundraising
• Revise committee structure to align with the plan and assign
responsibility for pastoral relations
• Develop and publish policies and procedures manual
• Establish framework for ongoing long range planning and annual
reports to the congregation
7

8. Natural Church Development
• FPC strongest quality
characteristics
– Inspiring Worship
Services
– Loving Relationships
– Gift-Oriented Ministry
• FPC weakest quality
characteristic
– Need-Oriented
Evangelism
– Functional Structures
– Holistic Small Groups
8

9. Seven Key Strategic Initiatives 2004
• Worship: Build on strengths of “Inspiring Worship Services”
• Education: Support and strengthen existing program
– Expand SS offerings for youth & adults (quantity & quality)
– Redesign & upgrade nursery
– Investigate the viability of a Youth Ministry Institute in partnership with Princeton
Seminary
• Ministry: Build on strengths of “Loving Relationships”
– Deepen the spirituality of the congregation
– Serve the needs of the entire church family
9

10. Seven Key Strategic Initiatives 2004
• Missions: Become the most generous church in
Tennessee
– Increase involvement in & support for missions
– Increase funding for missions & benevolences
• Facilities: Conduct & Implement a comprehensive facilities
planning study & program needs
• Staffing: Increase pastoral & professional staff and
continue support, evaluations & development of staff
• Stewardship: Increase congregation’s understanding of
stewardship as an integral part of a Christian life & Increase
giving to the level to meet our goal
10

11. Strategic Plan Key Metrics
Strategic Plan 2002 to 2012 Accomplishments
Metric 2002 2012 Growth % Increase
Membership 3,299 4,265 966 29%
Baptized Members 360 741 381 106%
Adherents 3,796 5,345 1,549 41%
Worship Att. 843 1,227 384 46%
Sunday School Attendance 737 581 -156 -21%
Children SS 261 231 -30 -11%
Youth SS 127 102 -25 -20%
Adult SS 340 222 -118 -35%
Contributions (000) $ 3,154 $ 4,574 $ 1420 45%
Giving Units 1626 2,264 638 39%
Expenditures (000) $ 4,254 $ 5,723 $ 1,469 35%
Mission Giving (000) $ 498 $ 1,270 $ 772 155%
Mission Giving % Contributions 15% 25% 11

12. 2013 Strategic Plan

13. 2013 Strategic Plan Timeline
1. 2010- LRPC Review of 2004 Strategic Plan
2. Summer 2011- Church-wide Survey to evaluate needs & trends
3. Fall 2011- 8 Focus Groups to further define needs by life stages & generations
4. Summer 2012- Developed draft of 2013 Strategic Plan
5. Fall 2012- LRPC / sub-group to identify key priorities and strategic initiatives
and new Vision
6. February 2013- Retreat to identify initiatives and actions required to fulfill New
Vision & Strategic Initiatives
7. April 2013- LRPC Establish Strategic Initiatives & Goals
8. May 2013- Town Hall Meeting to obtain input from congregation
9. June 2013- Present New Strategic Plan to Session for approval
13

14. Five Primary Areas of Need
Expressed in the survey and 8 focus groups conducted in Fall 2011
1. Leadership
2. Communications
3. Openness
4. Balancing Spiritual Enrichment and Fellowship
5. Life Stage Needs/Opportunities
14

15. First Presbyterian Church is a church family where all
generations exhibit Christ’s love through lives
marked by gratitude, hospitality, and generosity.
• Hallmarks of the Envisioned Spirit of FPC
– Gratitude – Living in a way that continually expresses our thankfulness for
God’s grace and love
– Hospitality – Welcoming all people into our community through acts of
kindness and care
– Generosity – Recognizing the goodness and graciousness of God through
the giving of our time, talents, and treasure
New Vision Statement
15

16. 2013 Strategic Initiatives and Goals

17. Strategic Initiative 1:
Leadership Culture & Structure
• Evaluate leadership culture and the structure of councils and
committees to improve transparency in decision making, foster
innovative ideas, and align leadership with the church’s focus on
gratitude, hospitality, and generosity – tactics to include but not
limited to:
– Benchmarking Study on Best Practices of Leadership
– Engage young adults & new members in leadership &
committees
– Re-evaluate current committees and need for new committees
– Address the declining trend of educational ministry & leadership
needs
17

18. Strategic Initiative 2:
Personal Connections & Relationships
• Create personal connections and relationships by fostering, facilitating,
creating, growing, expanding and communicating small, community groups
for all generations
(e.g. Sunday School class, Wednesday Night offerings, Bible studies, fellowship groups, special
interest groups, study groups, prayer groups, need-based groups)
with a specific focus on re-developing the Parish ministry and evaluating/
developing education options as well as focusing on the life-stage needs of
the entire congregation, particularly
Youth, College, Young Adults, Young Families, Women and Older Adults
– Re-develop Parish ministry
– Evaluate/develop education options
– Examine life-stage needs of the entire congregation, particularly
focusing on youth, college, young adults, women (working, non-PW,
etc.), and older adults
18

19. Strategic Initiative 3: Worship Life
• Evaluate current worship options with a specific focus on
developing or integrating new styles of worship that better fit the
needs of a multi-generational church
– Evaluate starting a third Sunday morning worship service
– Invite all generations to play leadership roles in worship
– Include wide variety of music in worship
– Evaluate 5:30 effectiveness
– Develop new strategy for children & youth choirs
19

20. Strategic Initiative 4:
Mission & Outreach Opportunities
• Develop a need-based evangelism & outreach program beyond
current focus of missions
– Increase mission giving to 30% of annual budget
– Continue to develop new churches
– Create more mission opportunities for those in congregation with
different lifestyles
– Create more inter-generational mission opportunities
– Expand the concept of mission as a function of outreach
20

21. Strategic Initiative 5:
Stewardship & Service
• Grow and expand stewardship by redefining who gives
(everyone), ways in which we can give (including time and talent)
and how we can be generous in our giving
– Communicate that we are growing beyond being “the most generous
church in Tennessee” by including the giving of our time and talents
– Develop tracking methods for all gifts of time, talent, and treasure;
actively monitor the levels of stewardship participation
– Clearly and transparently communicate stewardship needs and
expectations by educating members on financial conditions & operations
– Make giving simple and accessible by improving online payment options
and developing new options, e.g. apps, credit cards, kiosk, direct
deposits
21

22. Strategic Initiative 6:
Marketing & Communications
• Evaluate current communications and create an effective marketing
and communications strategy that
1. Aligns the brand with the vision, and
2. Attracts, retains, and engages new people in the church with a
particular focus on young adults and those new to Nashville
– Create an FPC branding strategy
– Develop a marketing plan to include digital & print media for
FPC brand enhanced by social media
– Establish user-friendly signage & brochures, informational portal
to create a welcoming & hospitable environment
– Maximize First Edition & email to communicate regularly with
congregation on all events
22

23. Strategic Initiative 7:
Hospitality and Openness
• Create and reinforce a culture of openness and hospitality that
actively welcomes visitors and new members into the life of the
church and fosters opportunities for ongoing relationships.
– Create a structured and personal welcoming, contact and follow-
up system for all visitors and new members
– Create mentors / buddies for new members and young adults
– Create a means to engage people based on needs & gifts
– Develop a strategy for contacting members with broken patterns
of attendance
– Conduct congregation-wide training on Hospitality
– Upgrade church signage and designate ‘tour guides” to make
the church more user-friendly for newcomers
23

24. Strategic Plan Goals – FPC 2018
24
Goal 2002 2012 Growth % Increase 2018 Goal
Membership 3,299 4,265 966 29% 5,000
First Time Visitor Growth NA NA 50%
New Members – Annually
Previously Unaffiliated w/ a Church 57 33 -24 -42% 75
Worship Attendance 843 1,227 384 46% 2,000
Education Attendance (weekly) 737 581 -156 -21% 950
Children SS 261 231 -30 -11% 350
Youth SS 127 102 -25 -20% 200
Adult SS 340 222 -118 -35% 400
Contributions (000) $ 3,923 $ 4,533 $ 610 16% $ 7,000
Giving Unit Participation 40% 49% 70%
Mission Giving (000) $ 600 $ 1,142 $ 542 90% $ 2,000
Mission Participation—
Time, Talents, and Treasure 100%
Active Young Adults 200
Launch a New Church Every 5 years