150th Vision Committee Report by Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church

150th Vision Committee Report

Table of Contents 3 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 4 Overview ............................................................................................................ 5 Our Vision for the Future ................................................................................. 6 Detailed Results of the Three Phases ............................................................ 9 Senior Pastor's Letter to the Congregation ...................................................

Dear Friends, The celebratory 150th Anniversary of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church calls to mind the inaugural church sermon from the Acts of the Apostles. On Pentecost, Peter stood before that widely diverse congregation and preached from the prophet Joel saying: God declares that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young shall see visions, and your old shall dream dreams. Throughout its storied history, BMPC has been guided by prophetic visions and dreams from one generation to another. In preparation for the anniversary, the ambitious This Time, This Place capital campaign raised more than $21 million in commitments toward renovating and revitalizing our church campus to better serve our ministry needs and enhancing benevolent support of mission partners and new outreach initiatives. With the capital projects near completion, in September 2021, the Session formed the 150th Vision Committee to lead a church-wide conversation on where we believe God is now calling BMPC in ministry and mission. The resulting initiatives and directions constitute, in the words of one Elder, “our spiritual campaign.” Providentially, this visioning process was launched as we emerged from the long season of separation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We experienced energetic appreciation for coming together to discuss what we value, what we hope for, and where we believe God is calling us to invest our time, talent and resources to strengthen the church’s witness now and in the coming years. While the resulting directions and initiatives build upon existing program and mission emphases, three areas for increased focus clearly came into view: •

Expanding evangelism and member engagement

•

Engaging our faith more deeply to address contemporary issues

•

Responding to needs in our local community

Does this mean we will withdraw from other longtime commitments in congregational life and mission? Of course not! It means that our congregation is increasingly aware of declining mainline church attendance, of the call for faithful discourse around difficult societal issues during these fraught and violent times, and of the hunger and housing needs close to our church campus. I invite you to read this report with an eye toward how the Spirit of God falls upon us today and emboldens us to see visions and dream dreams to further our Christian mission in the next chapter of this historic church. The vision that emerged from this process is one that we hope will call you to increased involvement as we strengthen our congregational life and witness as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Who are we as a church? What is God calling us to do? What is our vision for the future? The objectives of this initiative were to engage discussion about our vision for the future, identify core principles that will guide the church into our next chapter of ministry, discern new directions and initiatives to fulfill our calling and inspire members to commit themselves to the important work of our church. To this aim: the committee developed a three-part process in order to engage as many BMPC members as possible: the introductory Public Forums (Phase 1), 15 Focus Group discussions (Phase 2), and culminating in a church-wide Congregational Survey (Phase 3). More than 700 people participated in this three part process. Each phase built upon the learnings of the previous phase(s). The team of pastors and musicians were consulted throughout.

Overview

A Vision for Where GOD is Calling Us as a Church Community The congregational engagement facilitated by the 150th Vision Committee affirmed the core strengths and long held values of our church. These include meaningful worship and music, a deep commitment to local outreach and global mission, engagement of contemporary issues with our faith, Christian education for all ages, warm hospitality and welcome, a strong sense of discipleship and faithful stewardship of time, talent and treasure. Given our post-pandemic reality and the shifting trends for American religious institutions, the committee believes this visioning process enabled an important church-wide conversation from which new initiatives are emerging as priorities for congregational involvement and investment. With remarkable consistency, the participants in the forums, focus groups and survey made clear that BMPC’s priorities for future ministries include: - Expanding opportunities for BMPC members to participate in evangelism and member engagement - Engaging our faith more deeply to address current critical issues before our society and culture - Responding to needs in our community with an even greater sense of call to more local mission initiatives

On December 12, 2023 the Session endorsed the following areas of ministry as a faithful response to these findings from the visioning process and God’s call upon Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church:

Loving God In The Gathered Community Welcoming God In Friend And Stranger Partnering With God And Neighbor In Service We hope that these specific directions and initiatives will propel many members of the congregation to volunteer and take leadership roles in transforming this vision into concrete acts of engagement and service as we step into the future together and strengthen the witness of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church for years to come.

Vision for the Future

Loving God In The Gathered Community: • Celebrate the church as a unique multigenerational community. • Facilitate collaboration among ministry areas to foster interconnectedness, a shared sense of mission, and multigenerational relationships. • Continue resourcing and supporting Christian parenting and grandparenting of children and youth through programs and fellowship. • Continue to build the Prayer Partner program among children, youth and adults. • Enlarge the pool of volunteers in Children’s and Youth ministry with clear onboarding process and faith formation opportunities. • Create a group of dedicated teachers and volunteers to reflect on how their teaching is an act of spiritual formation. • Enhance communication and engagement with youth and college students. • Continue to develop first Sunday Evening Worship to expand worship opportunities and explore spiritual practices for all ages. • Continue to support Music and Fine Arts engagement of missional, diverse and multigenerational opportunities for choirs, concerts, and art exhibits. • Identify ways for diverse age groups to sing together with adults, youth and children. • Develop Hymn Festival to explore mission, spiritual development and member engagement. • Continue to nurture connection groups, our small group ministry to enhance a sense of belonging and nurture faithful discipleship.

Welcoming God In Friend And Stranger: • Prioritize Anti-Racism work to guide the church toward a more inclusive and knowledgeable understanding of our faith tradition and bold Christian calling. • Create a statement to guide the mission and ministry of the church around topics of diversity, equity and inclusion. • Engage more members in evangelism through Sunday Greeters, Hospitality Team, and revitalization of new member Shepherd Program. • Expand congregational fellowship for enhanced sense of community through upcoming Potluck dinners and baked goods and food for after-church fellowship. • Continue strong adult educational programming in how our faith speaks to contemporary challenges confronting our culture and world. • Continue to create multifaceted opportunities for spiritual growth with special focus on seasonal themes in worship and preaching, devotionals and curriculum, studies, and guest speakers.

Partnering With God And Neighbor In Service: • Partner in local mission (Lower Merion Township and Montgomery County) by enlisting volunteers to help address affordable housing and access to resources, services, and support. • Support Ardmore Food Pantry with funding and volunteers. • Serve older adults locally through enhanced engagement with Eldernet and Surrey Services. • Continue to deepen relationships with Presbyterian World Mission, particularly Joining Hands Peru, our first long term mission partner, through study, trips and nurtured relationships.

Detailed Results of the Three Phases Who are we as a church? What is God calling us to do? What is our vision for the future? This next section describes in more detail the process and key outcomes of each phase of this initiative. The full dataset is available in the library and is entitled, "Full Report: The 150th Vision Committee."

Public Forums - Phase 1 -

The three public forums took place in May 2022. Two were held at the church and the third forum was offered online via Zoom. Over 150 people, including teenagers and octogenarians, long time and new members, and individuals involved in a variety of ministries participated. The conversations focused on four questions: • • • •

What is most important to us at BMPC? What are our strongest, most effective programs and activities? Are there any areas that need to be strengthened? As we think about future directions for our Church, where do you think God is calling us to focus our attention and efforts?

At the end of each forum, all participants were asked to write their top three priorities for the future on notecards.

Across all three forums the key strengths and core values of BMPC voiced by the participants were remarkably consistent: • • • • • • •

Meaningful worship and music Commitment to local outreach and global mission Transformational Christian education for the spiritual growth of all ages Deep engagement of contemporary issues with our faith Warm hospitality and welcome Growing sense of discipleship Faithful stewardship of time, talent and treasure

When listing their top priorities, participants mentioned the following, in order of frequency: • • • • • • • •

Mission Community outreach Worship (preaching, music, etc.) Education/fellowship Congregational engagement Young families and adults Children and youth Music and fine arts

The themes articulated in the public forums informed the questions explored in the focus groups. 10

Focus Groups - Phase 2 -

Fifteen focus groups were conducted in the fall of 2022, attended by 128 individuals. The focus groups attracted a wide cross section of members who are involved in many different ministry areas of the church. One of the groups was organized just for church youth. The objective of the focus groups was to give members the opportunity to discuss topics in depth in a more intimate setting with 8-10 participants over a period of 90 minutes. The focus groups were facilitated by a member of the 150th Vision Committee with an elder taking notes. Participants were asked to address a number of specific questions including: • • • • • • • • •

Are there ways that we might enhance worship and Christian education? How can we engage our faith with important contemporary issues? How can we be more actively involved in meeting the needs of our local community? What are our hopes for the church’s mission work in the country and the world? How can we be a more inclusive, welcoming church community? What are the best ways to attract and engage new members, including families with youth and children? How do we re-engage members of all ages post-pandemic? What actions do we need to take to remain a strong, vibrant church? What initiatives should we pursue to live into our vision for our next chapter of ministry together?

The main themes that emerged echoed the themes articulated in the public forums. Participants affirmed the strengths of the church: mission, worship, music and the fine arts, children and youth ministry, exploration of contemporary issues and the superb pastors, musicians and staff. On the key question regarding future directions, there was striking consistency in the ideas offered by participants across the focus groups: Focus on the Local Community • • •

Pursue mission opportunities in the local community Use spaces on campus to serve the local community Partner with other churches in the local community

Interest in Increased Multigenerational Opportunities • • •

Make worship services more multigenerational Offer fellowship programs to promote multigenerational engagement within the congregation Involve youth in the ministries of the church

Enhance the Worship Experience • • •

Offer programs that relate to the sermon topic Offer more Ministry Moments during worship Enhance family ministry through alternative forms of worship

Strengthen the Appeal to New Members • • • •

Create a shepherd program for new members to acclimate them to BPMC Create a system to identify and connect with visitors when they come for a service or program Encourage members and visitors to “come as you are” in more casual attire for worship services Attract a more diverse congregation and staff

These participants generated ideas for new directions and shaped the questions that were drafted for the congregational survey.

Congregational Survey - Phase 3 -

The survey was designed with several objectives in mind: 1) to discern directions for future ministry; 2) to assess interest in specific ideas recommended by participants in the public forums and focus groups; 3) to determine which directions and initiatives will elicit active participation of the congregation; and 4) to maximize the number of survey respondents. A paper copy of the survey was mailed with a return envelope to every member and non-member in the church’s database. The survey was also made available online. A total of 453 individuals completed the survey. The survey was conducted April 16, 2023 through May 28, 2023. The survey questions covered the four main areas of interest articulated by participants in the public forums and focus groups: mission, spiritual development, member engagement and new directions for ministry. The Committee decided not to offer questions in areas such as music and the fine arts or family and children ministry, areas where participants in the public forums and focus groups were uniformly positive and did not offer recommendations for significant changes or innovations. The Committee framed the survey questions to elucidate which areas of future ministry would generate the active involvement of the congregation. The survey included a total of 16 questions; ten that focused on preferences and priorities for participation in future ministries, and another six that focused on the backgrounds of the survey participants. Key questions and results are shown below. The graphs are displayed in a way that best conveys the survey results.

Survey Question: As you think about your participation in the life of our church in the future, to which areas do you feel called to give your time and talents? Please select all that apply.

This is the central question in the survey. It addresses where the congregation feels called to invest in future ministries. Local mission and fellowship were cited most often, followed by spiritual growth and multigenerational programming, and lastly evangelism and global mission. 14

Survey Question: As we consider mission initiatives to fulfill our vision for the future, how much of a priority are the following opportunities for you?

This question addresses where respondents wish to pursue mission opportunities. The responses reinforce the congregation’s strong sense of calling toward local mission with almost three-quarters indicating that partnering with those who serve needs in the local community (Lower Merion and surrounding towns) is a very high or high priority. Partnering with those who serve needs in the Greater Philadelphia area also emerged as a high priority to congregants. Of note, a large majority of respondents reported that all five of the mission opportunities were at least a moderate priority.

The fulfillment of this vision will be a wonderful opportunity for church members and friends to broaden our outreach with community partners, respond to challenging times from a faith perspective, and enjoy growing in courageous discipleship.

Survey Question: How likely would you be to participate (or continue to participate) in each of the following mission related activities?

This question addresses how respondents wish to pursue mission opportunities. The most popular choices were: 1) making financial or in-kind donations to mission work; 2) a mission project at BMPC; and 3) a mission project that takes place at a local partner’s site.

Survey Question: With the goal of strengthening fellowship within our church community, consider how important each item is to you as you envision your ideal church of the future.

With the Goal of Strenthening Fellowship: Importance of the Following...

42%

60%

65%

81%

27%

29%

36%

33% 31%

Very Important

23% Important 32%

Moderately Important

34% 22%

Welcome programs to engage new member s

44%

33%

39%

12% 4% 2%

11%

13%

23%

10% 4%

11% 6%

Multigenerational programming

Online membership directory (voluntary participation)

14%

23%

11%

Church sponsored excursions

Church sponsored retreat s

Slightly Important Not At All Important

On the topic of fellowship, another area where congregants felt a strong calling to give of their time and talents, the vast majority felt that it was very important or important to offer welcome programs to engage new members; almost two-thirds placed multigenerational programming in one of these two categories; and three-fifths indicated that an online directory (with voluntary participation) was very important or important.

Survey Question: How likely would you be to participate in each of the following member engagement/evangelism activities?

Member engagement activities generating the greatest likelihood of participation include attending seasonal potluck dinners, followed by joining the hospitality team that helps greet and welcome visitors on Sundays and at special events, and learning how to introduce our church to others.

Survey Question: How likely would you be to participate (or continue to participate) in each of the following opportunities for your spiritual growth?

On the topic of spiritual growth, approximately half of respondents indicated that they were very or somewhat likely to participate in churchwide book reading and discussion, adult education related to seasonal worship or sermon themes, connection groups or bible study.

Survey Question: As the church considers how contemporary issues relate to our faith, how likely are you to engage in programs, service opportunities and/or advocacy around certain contemporary issues? How likely would you be to participate in each of the following opportunities for engaging with contemporary issues?

Reflecting the high level of current programming at BMPC, hunger, gun violence, environmental stewardship, and racial injustice lead as the contemporary issues that congregants anticipate being most likely to engage with. The most popular format for addressing these issues is via presentation by an outside speaker. However, a significant number of respondents indicated that they would be very or somewhat likely to participate in small discussion/book groups, moderated discussions among people with different views, or joint programs with other local houses of worship.

EXPRESSIONS OF GRATITUDE The Committee is grateful to all the members of the church who participated in the forums, focus groups and the survey and also to the pastor team and musicians who were especially helpful in articulating how we can live into this vision through specific programming and emerging avenues for service. We would also like to thank Liz Ellis who provided her invaluable assistance throughout the process and Matt Rowe who designed this report.

The 150th Vision Committee consisted of members: Ashley Whamond, Steven Udicious, Sarah Reiner, Joan LaLeike, Carolyn Gerrish, John Frazier and Elliot Dee.

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church

150th Vision Committee Report