This is the presentation that was given at Unity of Birmingham on June 3, 2018.

1. UNITY OF BIRMINGHAM
STRATEGIC PLANNING REPORT

2. FISCAL ASSESSMENT
Currently,
Unity has YTD
expenses of
$73,578.35
Unity has
received only
$65,857.90 in
revenue
This indicates
Unity is
running a
monthly deficit
that averages
$1,544.09
Unity’s cash
flow situation
is desperate;
Unity currently
has roughly
$3,000 in the
general fund
Payroll on June
15 will deplete
this further,
leaving Unity
with little in
reserve
Some fiscal
shortfalls may
be
compensated
for by the
release of Tech
Director &
Church
Administrator
salaries,
however . . .
Even at
minister’s
reduced rate of
pay, now that
he is receiving
a salary,
deficits are
likely to at
least hold
steady in the
coming
months

3. FISCAL ASSESSMENT: CONCLUSION
If trends continue unchanged, Unity will
exhaust its financial reserves before the
summer is out.
Unity of Birmingham is on a negative growth
trajectory and, if it continues on this path, will be
forced to discontinue operations and close its
doors.

4. THE 5 STAGES OF ORGANIZATIONAL DECLINE

5. ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
Time period Spiritual
Leader
Attendance
averages
Accomplishments Unresolved
1980-1988 Rev. Jerry &
Rev. Beverly
250 • Built annex
• Changed church
seating
• Gazebo and gardens
• Artie’s place
• Beverly Hall
• Socialization changed
• Multilevel marketing
• Church split
• Mismanagement of
finances
• Jerry not present at end
of illness
1989-2011 Rev. Jerry &
Rev. Merle
125-200 • Great music (Unity
Lights)
• Great speakers and
workshops
• Lots of activity
• New members
• Lack of trust
• No transparency
• Uninformed about Jerry’s
health
• Multilevel marketing
• Secrets
2011-2013 Rev. Mark 75-300 • Membership growth
• Small groups
• Church remodel
• Finances stabilized
• Board President issues
• Instability
• People left
• Minister left
• Loss of Unity Lights
2013-2014 Rev. Charles
& Rev.
Christine
85-90 • Financial integrity
• Revamped/growth
of YFM
• Increase in
membership
• Social justice
• Running church like
military
• Charles’ interpersonal
style
• Firing Ron and Gigi
• Tag Team preaching
Stage 2
decline
Stage
3
declin
e
Stage 4
decline

6. THE 5 STAGES OF ORGANIZATIONAL DECLINE

7. Diagnosis: The Church is Very Sick
AUTOPSY OF A DECEASED CHURCH
• Significant numerical decline over the past 10-20 years.
• Prolonged times of apathy, with occasional times of
intense conflict.
• The church is not known in the community (the clerks
at the local stores don’t know about the church’s
existence).
• New members are rare.
• Revolving door of pastors.
• The “good old days” are roughly 20 years in the past.

8. ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

9. PLANNING TEAM ANALYSIS

10. THE CHOICE
Unity of Birmingham
Death with Dignity
Hard work of
reconstitution and
rebuilding

11. OUR CHOICE: RECONSTITUTE AND REBUILD
Unity of Birmingham
• Will be a slow, laborious process
requiring a great deal of sacrifice.
• Hard work will be required of all
church members, especially those in
leadership.
• Will demand a clear and inspiring
mission which serves as a light to the
community.
• Will require a shift toward sound
management practices, and truthful
(empirically based) data examination
and projection.
• Focus must turn outward instead of
inward. Financial priorities must reflect
this focus change.

12. OUR CHOICE: RECONSTITUTE AND REBUILD
Unity of Birmingham
“If you have a clear and inspired purpose built upon solid
core values, then the noble course may be to fight on, to
reverse decline, and to try to rekindle greatness. The point
of the struggle is not just to survive, but to build an
enterprise that makes such a distinctive impact on the
world it touches, and does so with such superior
performance, that it would leave a gaping hole – a hole
that could not be easily filled by any other institution – if
it ceased to exist. To accomplish this requires leaders who
retain faith that they can find a way to prevail in pursuit of
a cause larger than mere survival, while also maintaining
the stoic will needed to take whatever actions must be
taken, however excruciating, for the sake of that cause.”
-Jim Collins

13. STEP ONE: STOP THE BLEEDING
Actions taken:
• Seeking out cheaper providers for most services,
including bulletin printing and building maintenance
• Terminate all non-essential operations, including:
o Hospitality
o All paid nursery/YFM workers except Director &
Assistant Director
o Eliminate funding for church manager & tech
director positions
• Further salary reductions
o Minister
o Music Director
o Musicians

14. STEP TWO: BEGIN PROACTIVE MEASURES
Actions being taken:
• Begin tracking ALL attendance with names and
contact information (pew pads)
• Personal pastoral follow-up with every church
member who was absent and every new visitor on a
weekly basis
• Members commit to personally noticing and
welcoming visitors, pointing them out to minister
• Minister attends all classes and events offered by the
church, effective immediately
• Begin 3-6 month strategy based on revised mission
and vision

15. CRAFTING A STRATEGY TO RESTORE
OUR CHURCH
AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS TAKEN
“Planning is not an event. It is the continuous process of
strengthening what works and abandoning what does not, of
making risk-taking decisions with the greatest knowledge of
their potential effect, of setting objectives, appraising
performance and results through systematic feedback, and
making ongoing adjustments as conditions change.”
- Peter Drucker

16. SOME ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What is our
mission?
Who is our
customer?
What is our plan?

17. MISSION
Current mission:
We demonstrate Divine Love through
spiritual practice, joyful community, and
inspired outreach.
Not inspiring
or compelling

18. FORMULATING A MISSION
“Changing lives is always the starting and
ending point . . .
A mission cannot be impersonal; it has to have
deep meaning, be something you believe in –
something you know is right. A fundamental
responsibility of leadership is to make sure
that everybody knows the mission,
understands it, lives it.”
- Peter Drucker

19. FORMULATING A MISSION
”The question of mission has become, if anything, even
MORE important as our world becomes increasingly
disruptive and turbulent. No matter how much the world
changes, people still have a fundamental need to belong
to something they can feel proud of. . . They have a
fundamental need for connection to other people, sharing
with them the common bond of beliefs and aspirations.
They have a desperate need for a guiding philosophy, a
beacon on the hill to keep in sight during dark and
disruptive times. More than any time in the past, people
will demand operating autonomy – freedom plus
responsibility – and will simultaneously demand that the
organizations of which they are a part STAND for
something.”
- Jim Collins

20. FORMULATING A MISSION
Must work out an exacting match of:
Opportunities
CompetenceCommitment

21. FORMULATING A MISSION
What are Unity’s opportunities?
Location – Downtown and Highland
area
Being the “unchurch” for people who
don’t like church
UAB
UAB hospital
The VA
Birmingham Southern
Bards
Arts
Adoption community
Retirement homes
Neo hippies
Mind/body/health connection
Yoga/massage/healing
touch/therapists
Eco people
Lefty people, concerned with voter
engagement
Help people take ownership for life
outcomes
Help people on their journey
Heal religiously abused
Young people, particularly those who
enjoy yoga and mindfulness
LGBTQIA community
Battered women
Planned Parenthood
Magic City Arts Connection
1917 Clinic
YWCA

22. FORMULATING A MISSION
What are Unity’s competences?
Top Three:
Inclusivity
Radical love
Raising consciousness

23. FORMULATING A MISSION
To what is Unity willing to commit?
Top Three:
Social justice for marginalized
Loving relationships
Healing modalities

24. QUESTION 2: WHO IS OUR CUSTOMER?
Defining “Customer” in the Non-Profit Sector:
Who Must Be Satisfied for the
Organization to Achieve its Results?

25. QUESTION 2: WHO IS OUR CUSTOMER?
Defining “Customer” in the Non-Profit Sector:
SUPPORTING CUSTOMERS: Volunteers,
members, partners, funders, referral
sources, employees, etc.
PRIMARY CUSTOMER: The person whose
life is changed through your work.

26. QUESTION 2: WHO IS OUR CUSTOMER?
Unity of Birmingham’s customers:
SUPPORTING CUSTOMERS:
• Current Congregation
PRIMARY CUSTOMER:
• Religiously abused
• Recovering Christians
• People on the opportunities list –
LGBTQIA, UAB, Highland, Downtown,
hippies, eco, Planned Parenthood (clinic
protectors), those who are hurting

27. “I've learned that people will forget what you
said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made them
feel.”
- Maya Angelou

28. QUESTION 3: What is our plan?
New
vision; new
mission
Goals to
match

29. QUESTION 3: What is our plan?
The plan encompasses:
• Mission
• Vision
• Goals
• Objectives
• Action Steps
• Budget
• Appraisal

30. QUESTION 3: What is our plan?
Vision Statement: We envision all people
experiencing heaven on earth, right here, right
now.
Tagline: Heaven Now, Y’all! #heavennowyall
Mission Statement: Healing the world through
radical love.

31. UNITY’S 3-6 MONTH GOALS
1. Increase attendance through personal contact by
25% by September
2. Develop a relationship with Planned Parenthood
3. Create more points of entry for Unity
• UAB
• Performance in service
• Yoga
• Local organizations
• Study groups
4. Be part of Faith in Action Community
5. Assess needs and heal relationships with existing
church members

32. WHAT WE WANT FROM YOU
PERCEPTION SHIFT
Can be remembered through the acrostic: SONIC.
SACRIFICE. Be willing to sacrifice your personal comfort
in order to reach the community.
OPEN. Be open to experiences, people, and
opportunities you haven’t previously experienced.
NEW. Embrace the new mission, vision and goals.
INTEGRITY. Communicate in integrity. Take issues
directly to the people involved; ask for mediation when
necessary.
COMMIT. Be willing to reach your tribe for Unity; serve
(including in leadership), and give of your treasure.

33. WHAT WE WANT FROM YOU
ACTION STEPS
1. Write down the vision or mission statement of
Unity – whichever most profoundly speaks to you.
Put it on your bathroom mirror, or somewhere
else you’ll see it every day.
2. Invite at least one friend or family member to
church once a month. That’s 12 Sundays a year.
3. Volunteer once a month. Pick a ministry – YFM,
usher, Music (do you sing? play an instrument?), a
special event or outreach (more info to come),
A/V – or suggest something new we may not
know we need you to do!
4. Tithe 10% of your income to Unity. Give in faith to
the place where you are spiritually fed.

34. QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS, CONCERNS, APPLAUSE!