Report to the Governing Board

Strategic Planning Process

Recommendations

Executive Summary

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (New International Version)

As we seek to fulfill Jesus' command, we have been blessed with continued growth of the church. Recognizing this, in the fall of 2005 the Governing Board adopted a Strategic Planning Process which included the formation of the Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team. The planned outcome of this process is a flexible strategic plan that describes the following:

•  What the ministry of Gloria Dei will look like in 2011.
•  What steps Gloria Dei will pursue to accomplish its vision.
•  What must be accomplished in each of the next five years: this is to include ministry programming, facilities and staff needs

Recommendation

The Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team believes that we should do further detailed research into the concept of relocating to a larger site that can accommodate growth.

Next Steps

The Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team will take the following steps upon approval of this recommendation:

1. Develop a communication plan that will inform the Governing Board and congregation on a regular basis of the research, findings, and conclusions. This communication will use mail, Weekly Word, the web, audio visual methods and verbal components, most likely including small group presentations to every member of the congregation.
2. Add a member to the Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team with experience in communications.
3. Identify intermediate strategic steps required to meet the goal.
4. Develop a tactical plan that provides details on what must be accomplished each year between now and 2011, including milestones that will trigger each action.
5. Include in all research impacts to facilities, ministries and staff.
6. Begin the process of identifying suitable property that could be used for a new location or to sell for profit if the further research doesn't support the need for the land.
7. Begin planning for all of the transitional issues such as:
   •  Continuing growth in membership at our current site,
   •  Giving projections
   •  Potential for capital fund raising campaigns
   •  Intermediate facilities adaptations needed at the 8301 location
8. Submit a proposal for land purchase to the congregation for a vote in late 2006 or early 2007.
9. Submit a detailed Strategic Plan to the congregation for a vote when appropriate.
10. Submit plans for intermediate facility changes at 8301 Aurora to the congregation for a vote before any changes are made.
11. Submit plans for any long term facilities needs to the congregation for approval before any action is taken.

Introduction

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (New International Version)

Our Vision is that of GRACE:

Growing in Faith
Relationship Building
A Beacon to Our Community
Courageous in Outreach
Equipping Center

As we seek to fulfill Jesus' command and fulfill our mission and vision, we have been blessed with continued growth of the church. Recognizing this, in the fall of 2005 the Governing Board adopted a Strategic Planning Process which included the formation of the Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team. The planned outcome of this process is a flexible strategic plan that describes the following:

• •  What the ministry of Gloria Dei will look like in 2011.
• •  What steps Gloria Dei will pursue to accomplish its vision.
• •  What must be accomplished in each of next five years: this is to include ministry programming, facilities and staff needs

Process Overview

The process to date can be presented in four broad categories:

• •  Gather information
• •  Identify potential scenarios for growth
• •  Communication and Listen
• •  Evaluate and make recommendations

1. Gather information

Demographic information on our congregation and our community was acquired through the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. This data indicated that:

•  We can expect significant growth to the north of Douglas Avenue and west of 86 th Street through and beyond Grimes, in addition to continued rapid growth in the Johnston area.
•  Church selection is made on the basis of the message, the worship style and the people, not on the location.
•  The District has expressed a desire to have Gloria Dei expand into the Urbandale , Grimes, Johnston corridor. The closest LCMS churches are Living Faith in Clive on the Southwest and Beautiful Savior in Polk City to the North.
•  At least 40% of this area is unchurched. 60% of Polk County is unchurched. We are in the middle of a mission field.

We participated in the National Church Development survey. This survey showed that:

•  Overall we are a healthy congregation
•  The weakest areas are in the areas of “Need Based Evangelism” and “Gift Oriented Ministry” (Assimilation)
•  The strongest areas are in the areas of “Inspirational Worship”, “Empowering Leadership”, and “Functional Structures”.

An evaluation of Gloria Dei in the context of widely accepted information on church growth and development indicated that:

• •  Our church passed a significant threshold of 800 members at worship each week when we added the west parking lot.
• •  With the addition of the Saturday evening service, indications are that we will consistently worship around 1,000 per week.
• •  Research shows us that the church is full when it is at 75% of its capacity. We are consistently over this level at the 9:30 service and in Sunday School rooms. This has the potential to make newcomers feel uncomfortable and that there is not room for them. The same 75% rule affects perception of parking availability.
• •  There is an increasing desire for adult study programs on Sunday morning but there are not rooms available (currently 2-4 classes meet simultaneously in the Family Life Center . The sound level makes class participation difficult)
• •  Attendance studies have shown that we have experienced steady growth over the past 35 years. (see attachment 1)
• •  Giving studies have shown that we have experienced steady growth in our giving as well. (see attachment 2)
• •  Children's attendance at Sunday school has declined, possibly due to overcrowded classrooms.

The Ministry Action Team also studied church lifecycle trends. It is shown in this research, that if a church reaches a point where things are going well, it needs to re-evaluate its focus and renew itself to avoid a slow decline into a failure mode. It cannot afford to “rest on its laurels”.

Synodical statistics were evaluated.

• •  Gloria Dei is larger than 95-98% of the other LCMS churches in the country.
• •  The synod is not equipped to provide advice to large churches.
• •  80% of the members of LCMS churches attend 20% of the churches.
• •  When planting a church, the home church membership will grow as much or more than the number of people that leave to start the new church.
• •  New church plants will most likely stabilize at 150-200 members.

Culture has evolved over the past 40 years to change people's expectations and desires. Large organizations (churches, department stores, schools, grocery stores, hardware stores) are all more attractive because of the variety of offerings not available at smaller organization.

2. Identify potential scenarios for growth

A Governing Board retreat was held in September 2005 at which six scenarios were explored. During a two-day workshop held on September 30 and October 1 of 2005, The Governing Board, Elders, Ministry Staff and the Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team discussed and refined these scenarios. The scenarios identified were:

Plant A New Church: When planting a new church, Gloria Dei would recruit a group of existing members to become the core membership of a new, independent church.

Opportunities within this scenario include:

• •  Reach new demographics
• •  Allows us to focus outward
• •  Possibility to duplicate our success

Challenges within this scenario include:

• •  New church will set its own vision
• •  Will not resolve growth challenges at the current location
• •  Staff is shared originally
• •  Potential loss of relationships

Additional items of interest include

• •  New successful plant can become a model for the district
• •  Fits within our mission/vision
• •  Location would be driven by needs of the new church
• •  Easily can be a ministry of any scenario
• •  Increased opportunities for lay leadership

Multi-Site Church: Within this scenario, Gloria Dei will remain a single church with two or more physical locations, each providing all the services of a single church.

Opportunities within this scenario include:

• •  Provides a consistent preaching/message (may have a live feed to other site or a recorded version of the sermon could be presented)
• •  Maintain a connection to the current programs
• •  Facilities can be shared
• •  One administration
• •  Single Governing Board
• •  Easily multiplied to more than one site

Challenges within this scenario include:

• •  Potential loss of relationships
• •  Possible competition between campuses
• •  Staff is shared originally and is stretched
• •  Strong pull for site to become independent

Additional items of Interest include:

• •  Option exists to have second site be a long term relocation location
• •  Allows experimentation
• •  Increased opportunities for lay leadership

Split Campus: Within this scenario, Gloria Dei will remain a single church with two or more physical locations – each hosting certain ministries (ie youth at another location).

Opportunities within this scenario include:

• •  Immediate implementation
• •  Focus on growing certain ministries
• •  Unique outreach
• •  Address some space needs
• •  Multiple worship settings
• •  Allows experimentation/flexibility
• •  Maintains current campus
• •  Rent rather than buy

Challenges within this scenario include:

• •  Potential loss of relationships, possibly families split among locations
• •  Transportation logistics
• •  Parking continues to be a challenge
• •  Logistics in general (having the right things at the right site)
• •  Short term focus/stop gap
• •  Remodeling of current campus necessary

Additional items of interest

• •  Could be new model for church
• •  Silver cinemas or Albertsons building?
• •  Later research showed that the rent on the Albertson's building is $34,000 per month not including retrofit building costs.
• •  Might reach non-traditional Lutheran
• •  Which ministry moves and why
• •  Does it solve the space issue?

Relocation: A new location would be within the region already being served and would also allow the expansion of the region. A new larger location would support our growth as God continues to bless our congregation and our vision of G.R.A.C.E..

Opportunities within this scenario includes:

• •  Reach more people
• •  Easier to keep what's core working well
• •  More visible witness
• •  Better stewardship in the use of capital expenditures
• •  Addresses our capacity problems
• •  Stay one church body (other options split us in one way or another)

Challenges within this scenario includes:

• •  Grieving the loss of existing building (memories)
• •  Slightly farther drive for some existing members
• •  Financial challenge
• •  Longer to implement / current issues still need to be addressed
• •  Loss of current identity

Interesting

• •  Could be a multi-part solution – once there, enables other solutions as well
• •  Create ministry flexibility
• •  Opportunity for master plan – design for a large church

Modest Growth: Continue to make minor changes at the 8301 location with the understanding that growth would be limited. We would most likely try to buy 3-4 properties along 86th Street .

Opportunities within this scenario include:

• •  Less expensive
• •  Forces creative thinking – worship on multiple days
• •  Quick implementation

Challenges within this scenario include:

• •  Forces people to change worship times – different days at church
• •  High $ with limited return
• •  Limits the vision
• •  Limits staff
• •  Moves to maturity level of cycle – “Maintenance church” possible
• •  Poor stewardship

Additional items of interest:

• •  Add new services at different times and days
• •  Forces better use of facilities
• •  Would current worshippers change?

Teaching Congregation: provide training and support for Vicars, Interns, DCEs, and the church at large.

Opportunities within this scenario are:

• •  Share our gifts
• •  Teaching will generate learning – staff improves
• •  Contribute to the church at large
• •  Help revitalize synod

Challenges within this scenario are:

• •  Additional staff required
• •  Might tend to overlook member needs
• •  Doesn't fulfill the whole vision
• •  Strong programs will cause even more rapid growth

Additional items of interest:

• •  Cutting edge
• •  Invigorates existing ministry
• •  Reinventing constantly
• •  Educate lay people
• •  Increase knowledge
• •  Encourages growth in faith

3. Communicate and Listen

During this phase, several meetings were held to gain additional information and to provide opportunities for the congregation to become more informed and to provide input. Initially, two meetings were held with past leaders of the church. The research done to date and the potential pathways were presented and discussed.

Based on input from these meetings, the six pathways were narrowed down to three along with their associated opportunities, challenges and interesting characteristics. The three potential pathways that were developed for consideration are; Plant a church/Multi-Site Church, Split Campus and Relocation.

• •  Plant a church and Multi-site were felt to be very similar with the only significant difference being the goal of independence or inter-dependence.
• •  Modest Growth seemed to be shortsighted and not a fulfillment of the Great Commission or the Vision. The cost of enhancing the facility could exceed the value of the property.
• •  Teaching Congregation is a ministry opportunity for any of the considered scenarios and should be considered as such going forward. It didn't address the charge that the group was given.

The congregation was then invited to attend one of four town hall meetings where all of the information presented at the previous meetings was discussed along with the three pathways.

During this process, the Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team also met with SVPA architects to gain a better understanding of options available with our current property and to address questions raised at previous meetings. Items of discussion included the estimated costs of developing any adjacent land along 86 th street , if purchased, building a parking ramp, and alternatives for expanding the capacity of the present facility.

We learned that:

• •  The two most important factors in church growth are parking and sanctuary space.
• •  Maximum seating space while maintaining “good seats” with adequate eye contact with the speaker/pastor is 1200-1500.
• •  Flat lot parking spaces cost about $1400 a slot
• •  Parking Ramp spaces cost $12,000-$15,000 a slot
• •  We can replace the middle wing and the old sanctuary space with 2 story spaces for a cost of $4.8 million.

The town hall meetings revealed the following items as being important to the participants:

• •  Staying as one group (Gloria Dei is relationships, not the building)
• •  Diversity of service styles
• •  Relevancy in the sermon regardless of worship style.
• •  Strong doctrinal principals demonstrated in all aspects of ministry
• •  The Vision of GRACE
• •  Multiple sizes of worship venues (large and small/intimate)
• •  Variety and depth of programs

4. Conclusions and recommendations

After reviewing all of the input and feedback received from members who have participated in the workshops, leadership meetings and town hall meetings we can offer the following conclusions and recommendations.

Conclusions

•  We do not have an option of not growing – “We are here to fulfill the Great Commission.  What that means is that we're supposed to bring more people to Christ.  That means that we - and other churches - will grow.  If we don't want to grow, that means we don't want to live the Great Commission.“ (quote from one of the participants)

•  Sensitivity to change is important in planning implementation of any scenario.

•  Continuing to grow will allow us to do more ministry: missions, supporting a satellite, sponsoring a seminarian, starting new programs, etc.

•  Exploring the feasibility of relocating to a larger facility with room to grow is the ideal solution while meeting the desires stated in the meetings.

•  The Plant A New Church / Multi-Site Church, and Split Campus scenarios were viewed by most participants as less desirable than relocation because of the potential impact on valuable relationships. There was also some concern that none of these choices would do much to solve existing challenges at the current site and that it would be better stewardship to place our focus on eventual relocation to a new site.

Recommendations

1. Develop a communication plan that will inform the Governing Board and congregation on a regular basis of the research, findings, and conclusions. This communication will use mail, Weekly Word, the web, audio visual and verbal components, most likely including small group presentations to every member of the congregation.
2. Add a member to the Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team with experience in communications.
3. Identify intermediate strategic steps required to meet the goal.
4. Develop a tactical plan that provides details on what must be accomplished each year between now and 2011, including milestones that will trigger each action.
5. Include in all research impacts to facilities, ministries and staff.
6. Begin the process of identifying suitable property that could be used for a new location or to sell for profit if the further research doesn't support the need for the land.
7. Begin planning for all of the transitional issues such as:
   Continuing growth in membership at our current site,
   •  Giving projections
   •  Potential for capital fund raising campaigns
   •  Intermediate facilities adaptations needed at the 8301 location
8. Submit a proposal for land purchase to the congregation for a vote in late 2006 or early 2007.
9. Submit a detailed Strategic Plan to the congregation for a vote when appropriate.
10. Submit plans for intermediate facility changes at 8301 Aurora to the congregation for a vote when before any changes are made.
11. Submit plans for any long term facilities needs to the congregation for approval before any action is taken.

We are amazed by God's accomplishments as he has richly blessed Gloria Dei in the past and we are excited by the potential of bringing Christ to many more people for the first time and a lifetime. We are ready to proceed with the above recommendations as approved or amended by the Governing Board.

Respectfully Submitted,

The Strategic Planning Ministry Action Team

Deb Kesse, Ken Wunsch, Shawn Woolman, Charles Jackson,

Kevin Kelley, Dan Petrak, Anne Martens, and Merlin Siefken

Worship Attendance Projection Graph

Powerpoint Town Hall 2007

Powerpoint Fall 2006