American Church in Paris Strategic Plan The American Church in Paris Strategic Plan 2019-2023 DRAFT For AFCU May 2019 meeting Currently being deliberated by ACP Council Page 1 of 28 For ACP 2019 May meeting – Currently being deliberated by ACP Council American Church in Paris Strategic Plan Table of Contents The Senior Pastor’s Summary and Prayerful Foundation for this Strategic Plan ..................... 3 Why a Strategic Plan? Why NOW? and the Process we have followed...................................... 5 The Strategic Plan (Draft May 2019) ......................................................................................... 7 ACP – a brief introduction to our history and ACP today ...................................................... 7 ACP Vision, Mission and Values............................................................................................. 8 Strategic Pillars ....................................................................................................................... 9 A selection of key SWOT items ............................................................................................. 10 Our Ministries, Missions and Community Groups ............................................................... 11 Operational/Finance/Physical Facility Plan .........................................................................12 Next Steps ............................................................................................................................. 27 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 28 A. DRAFT Goals and Action Plan (Strategic Pillars, Responsibilities. Timeline and measures pending) ............................................................................................................ 28 B. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) ......................................... 28 C. Strategic Analysis Data .............................................................................................. 28 D. Five-Year Property Plan Project List ......................................................................... 28 1. Strategic Planning Survey 2. Stewardship Survey 3. Congregational meeting material including 2019 Approved Budget E. Mission /Committee Reports, including Pastoral reports ........................................ 28 from the March 2019 Congregational Meeting................................................................. 28 F. Monitoring and Evaluation of Plan - Pending........................................................... 28 G. Communication Plan - Pending ................................................................................ 28 Page 2 of 28 For ACP 2019 May meeting – Currently being deliberated by ACP Council American Church in Paris Strategic Plan The Senior Pastor’s Summary and Prayerful Foundation for this Strategic Plan The Psalmist affirms God’s “steadfast love endures forever” and God’s faithfulness is “to all generations.” We approach the work of preparing for the future through this ACP Strategic Plan with the fundamental trust that God’s love and faithfulness have been manifest in the life of the American Church from the earliest generations of our founding mothers and fathers who were gathering in house church meetings as early as 1814. The Rev. Edward Kirk, D.D., the first pastor after the congregation received official charter from Napoleon III, dedicated the first place of worship in 1857 with words memorialized on a plaque which adorns our current sanctuary: “This national monument erected in the capital of continental Europe demonstrates that as citizens we assign to man’s religious interest a place of supreme importance.” In other words, there has been a deep conviction from the ACP’s earliest beginnings that God’s steadfast love and faithfulness compels us to give bold witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in generous and gracious ways, beginning with worship that rightly honors our supreme savior Jesus Christ. One of the earliest sermons preached in the current place of worship was based on Isaiah 56:7, “For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Rev. Joseph Wilson Cochran knew that not only do we trust in God’s providence for generations to come, but also that God’s welcome extends to “all peoples.” Eighty-eight years ago and still today the ACP is the only Protestant sanctuary in the world to display stained glass windows with not only biblical characters, but also Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox saints! I believe also that our ancestors couldn’t have imagined the diversity that we celebrate today, with over 40 nationalities and probably as many Christian denominations represented in our membership. We were the church in Paris to host the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on October 24, 1965 to a standing room only crowd and continue to pursue what the Lord requires, “to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” The beautiful diversity of our congregation and the ways we have shown the grace of God’s welcome to the stranger and pursue God’s global vision of compassion, justice and peace, is an eschatological sign of the Kingdom of God and is delightfully subversive to the nationalistic and xenophobic trends currently emerging both in the United States and in Europe. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ which has shaped and sustained the ministry and mission of the ACP since its genesis, continues to compel us as we look to the future and respond to God’s call to Kingdom work in the City of Light for generations to come. As we contemplate coming transitions, this ACP Strategic Plan is a response to the American and Foreign Christian Union’s (AFCU’s) invitation to engage in a reflective and collaborative anticipation of God’s ongoing love and faithfulness, but also a disciplined preparation for the fruitfulness of coming generations’ ministry and mission. We pray that this work will not remain just a snapshot of some past attentiveness, but rather a dynamic working document which inspires and motivates this kaleidoscopic community’s impact upon the many residents and visitors who join us for worship on a weekly basis, and serve God’s transforming purposes in the city of Paris and around the world. I wish to thank the ACP Council leaders who have contributed to this work, especially Michael Ott (Moderator), Jenn Cavanaugh (Vice Moderator), Pam Bohl (Finance, Stewardship and Development Committee Chair), and Don Farnan (Finance, Stewardship and Development Committee Vice Chair) who provided countless hours researching and interpreting the data of this work. We also thank the whole board of the AFCU who continue to prayerfully support and challenge us, and with whom we hope to pursue support for a more dynamic vision for this ministry into the future. Page 3 of 28 For ACP 2019 May meeting – Currently being deliberated by ACP Council American Church in Paris Strategic Plan We also pray that this strategic plan reflects God’s will through the voice of the wonderfully gifted congregation members, who have taken time through surveys and listening sessions to speak into our process of learning and discernment. As I learned during this project, “hope is not a strategy... and a dream without a plan will always still just be a dream.” And so we have a plan! May God give us the commitment to pursue this plan with energy, intelligence, imagination and much love. Finally, we pray that whatever comes of this work, the Holy Spirit will continue to lead and empower us and that the Lord will be glorified. We trust also that the ACP congregation will be strengthened in love and continue to grow up into him who is the head. We offer this not as a finished, but a working draft, in humility and with deep gratitude, trusting that future leaders will correct our errors and clarify our vision, and with confidence that God will show steadfast love and faithfulness to this unique and vibrant congregation for generations to come. “And now to him who is able to accomplish exceedingly far more than we can ask or imagine, to Him be honor and glory, in the church and in Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen!” The Rev. Dr. Scott Herr Senior Pastor Page 4 of 28 For ACP 2019 May meeting – Currently being deliberated by ACP Council American Church in Paris Strategic Plan Why a Strategic Plan? Why NOW? and the Process we have followed The ACP Council, led by the Executive Committee, has, for quite some time, focused on a few specific goals every year. These goals, some of which link closely to the annual theme, are proposed, discussed, and refined at the annual Council Retreat every fall, along with actions to enable Council and the Congregation to work toward these goals. In 2017-2018, for example, the ACP theme was "Making All Things New" (from Revelation 21) and the Council's goals focused on evangelism, on how to approach difficult discussions regarding inclusivity, on enhancing the connectivity of various communities within ACP, and on a review of governance (including an examination of ACP's Constitution). The ACP theme for 2018-2019 is "No Longer Strangers" (from Ephesians 2). Our goals for this year are: Develop a deeper sense of stewardship within the ACP community, both fiscally and in volunteering time and skills o in order to properly staff and fund the programs we undertake to build meaningful worship and community Expand our programs and ministry to the city and the wider world through developing