There is a story of a young boy who wanted to show his dad how good he was with a bow and arrow. So, he invited his dad to the side of their barn where he was practicing. When his dad arrived, he saw six arrows and six round targets which were in red. Each of the arrows was a bullseye, smack dab in the middle of each red target. His dad was very impressed and asked how he got so good since he knew that his son had just started using the bow and arrow a few days ago. “Oh, that was easy,” the boy replied. “I just shot the arrows on the side of the barn and then painted the red targets around each one!”
Unlike the William Tell wannabe young boy, focusing on targeted outcomes or goals is not easy. In the life and ministry of First Presbyterian Church, the Session participated in a strategic planning retreat to help us think and plan for a way forward. We used the experience and skill of an outside facilitator who helped and guided us in this process. Here is an excerpt from her written summary of our time together:
“Strategic planning is the process of connecting Point A to Point B. The vision for success is Point B, when the organization can say, “We’ve arrived.” Point A is the current assessment of the starting point. The mode of travel, what you will do, is the mission that moves you from Point A to Point B. How you will travel is characterized by the values chosen.”
In this day-long strategic planning retreat, the Session arrived at three “critical success factors.” We are committed to marshaling resources and energy in these areas: community outreach, worship, and children’s ministry. One calendar year (March 31, 2025) is the timeline in which we hope to arrive at a “desired state of success.”
As your Session, we wanted to communicate with you the roadmap we have set for ourselves. There will be more to come in keeping you up to date on the progress of our strategic plan.
Please keep all of us in your prayers.
Warmly in Christ,
Jesse