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The following information is intended to introduce you, the parish family of St. Martin of Tours, to the parish’s new strategic plan.
Please read through this information prayerfully and deliberately. Take note of your reactions and thoughts as you digest this information. Jot down questions that come up for you.
Don’t hesitate to contact any of the individuals listed at the end of this page with questions and thoughts.
History
Two years ago, our Parish Pastoral Council held a series of Town Hall meetings. The impetus for these meetings was a general sense that the energy in our Parish was waning, that our Parish family was wanting for something more or different. We heard many concerns, frustrations, hopes and wants, along with some positive comments about our Parish.
We recognized that we had one of three options in response to these meetings: do nothing; try and address the individual wants, needs, concerns and frustrations; or take a systemic approach to building the St. Martin of Tours that will nourish and sustain us for the next 10-plus years. This latter approach seemed the right one, which is why we decided to undertake a Strategic Plan approach.
With prayer and, we believe, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we invited several people to some initial conversations. This first group was intended to represent a good cross-section of our Parish family, and included members of the Pastoral Council and Finance Committee, as well as life-long and newer members to our Parish. We initially intended to take a very traditional approach: Analyze our Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities, and begin to build a list of things that would limit our threats and weaknesses while building on our strengths and opportunities.
Then God provided us with a gift, by way of Bob Bundy and the Kellogg Foundation. We were introduced to Tim Dechant, a professional with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation who has expertise in a different, more effective approach. With Tim’s guidance, and later with the support of his colleague Kara Werner, we were introduced to several revolutionary ideas:
- Beginning with an exploration of “who we are” as the Parish of St. Martin of Tours.
- Understanding who we are becoming.
- Determining what key factors are most likely to bring us to our future vision, and building a plan around these.
- Building engagement with our full Parish family – a genuine lay-leadership!
With these concepts at our disposal, and with much prayer, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of our Pastor, we invested more than 500 hours in discerning the St. Martin of Tours Strategic Plan.
Foundation
Our Parish Strategic Plan (referred to as “our plan” from here-on, as in our Parish Family’s plan), is built on several key foundational pieces. In the Gospels, our Savior tells the parable of two builders who each wanted to build a house. The first built his house on sand, and when the rains came, the house was washed away. The second built his house on rock, and when the rains and winds came, it stood firm.
Our plan is built on rock!
Relying on the work of renowned Organizational Change experts, we began by cultivating a strengthbased approach. We realigned our thought-process to shift away from a “what’s not working” model, and to a “what would we like to create” framework. There is much research to show that this more positive and strength-based approach generates more lasting and meaningful change.
We then began working our way through a model called the Hierarchy of Choices. Without going into too much detail, this model poses a series of foundational questions, each to be discerned in preparation for the next.
- Who Are We? This tier of the model focuses on our Core Values, which identify who we are as a Parish Family. The Core Values are deeply-held statements of our identity as the Parish of St. Martin of Tours. No important Parish decision should be undertaken without considering our Core Values.
- Why Are We? Here we focus on our Purpose, or what some organizations refer to as their Mission. The question here is “Why does the Parish of St. Martin of Tours exist?” The answer must be congruent with our Core Values.
- What Are We Becoming? The focus at this level is on our Vision. Guided by our Core Values and Purpose, we discern what we see St. Martin of Tours becoming during the next several years.
- How Will We Become . . .? Here we explore strategies which we believe will help us achieve our vision. These strategies are developed with a careful analysis of how our Parish operates from a “systems” point of view. Through this analysis we articulate Key Success Factors that we believe will lead to achieving our vision.
- Which Tactics will get us there? At this level, we determine tactics that are likely to exert a positive influence on the key factors we discerned above. These tactics are in alignment with our Core Values and Purpose, focused on our Vision, and directly related to our understanding of the factors that influence how our Parish operates.
- Who, What, When, Where, Why and How? Finally, we are ready to put the rubber on the road! At this final tier of the model, we articulate the specific activities that will bring about achievement of the tactics we identified above. As our full Parish family is engaged in these activities, we are able to measure the impact of any activity on the overall plan, and on the St. Martin of Tours that we are working together to create.
Core Values
The following core values were discerned as representing the core values for St. Martin of Tours as an organization.
- Christ-Centered - Our identity is based on our Savior Jesus Christ – His cross, resurrection, teachings, and example. We must imitate Christ in all of our decisions and actions.
- Unity - We are a unified faith community that is loving and inclusive. We must be forthright and compassionate in all that we do.
- Reverence - Our Catholic faith is sacred and a precious gift from God. Our actions must demonstrate a deep devotion to God and our faith.
- Tradition - The Church teaches universal Truth revealed by God. We must remain faithful to our heritage, and enthusiastically share our faith.
- Stewardship - We are blessed with many gifts from God. We must be responsible and generous in sharing the gifts with which we have been entrusted (time, talent, and treasure).
Purpose
Building on the core values, the following purpose was identified by the Strategic Planning Team, reflecting on the core values and building on the past purpose statement. This purpose represents why we exist as a parish.
To bring all people into closer communion with God by…
…responding to their spiritual and temporal needs;
…instilling sacred faith and Traditions;
…being a beacon of light that Christ may be better known to all.
Vision
Our vision helps us “see” the future of the organization. It is what we wish to create via the strategies and actions in the next section. The vision for St. Martin of Tours is:
As a welcoming, growing community, St. Martin of Tours Parish inspires people to develop a deep and lasting relationship with God through the sacraments, education, and service to others.
We are a community-oriented parish family that is:
- Deeply committed to our faith. Our programs and activities are continually focused on bringing the richness of the Catholic faith to all.
- Highly engaged. The majority of our parishioners are involved beyond attending weekly Mass – everyone is active.
- Dedicated to service. Our outreach extends beyond the boundaries of the parish and into our community.
- Continually learning. We recognize and support the need for people of all ages to grow and develop in their faith.
- Focused on the future. We are continually building a legacy to be carried forward by future generations.
We are an active parish community that has responded to God’s call to actively seek eternal life by deepening our commitment to our faith, educating ourselves, serving our community, and building for future generations. We are deeply committed to this vocation.
Next Steps:
So where do we, the Parish family of St. Martin of Tours, go from here?
On April 11 the Parish will host a parish engagement meeting for all members of our Parish family to engage in the implementation of the Strategic Plan. This meeting will be interactive - all participants will have the opportunity discover the strategic plan, and consider how to engage in areas that they find exciting and interesting.
Strategic Plan
You can dowload a PDF version of the Strategic Plan in its entirety by clicking HERE.
Contacts:
Any of the people listed below will be happy to answer questions you may have about the above information. Please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail!
| Mike Anderson | cmfkazoo@yahoo.com | 234-0514 |
| Michelle Buist | 925.silver-lining@sbcglobal.net | 649-0880 |
| Bob Bundy | turtle.bob@sbcglobal.net | 649-2670 |
| Bob Callahan | rcallahan@plunketcooney.com | 649-4850 |
| Pat Cline | pscline9@comcast.net | 679-5832 |
| Lisa Irwin | lirwin@dioceseofkalamazoo.org | 649-2423 |
| Richard Szwaja | richard@theauthenticexperience.com | 352-6176 |