Mission Action Plan

2019-2023

ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT

This Mission Action Plan was created under the authority of the vestry of The Anglican Parish of Christ Church who are charged with casting a vision for the parish in accordance with God’s plans.  The plan will be presented to the entire congregation at the February 2019 AGM for approval.  The vestry and the clergy will then be charged with fulfilling the mandate of the plan and being accountable for its implementation.

PARISH OVERVIEW

The Anglican Parish of Christ Church is a community of followers of Jesus.  Our desire is to be a welcoming and open community whereby people are nourished in their faith and invited to participate in the life of the community. 

Our mission is to live as faithful witnesses to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and to express our faith through worship, welcome, service, learning and justice.  Our faith is fueled through our worship and community life together and we are then charged with sharing our faith in the world. 

Situated in the heart of the Oliver community in Edmonton, Christ Church has been a beacon of light and hope in the neighbourhood for over 100 years. 

·       We are a community of ordinary individuals who desire to worship God and live in faithful service to God’s call in our lives.

·       We care about children and young adults and desire to teach them the ways of faith in order that the next generation might hear and know of God’s love for them and for the world.

·       We care about the needs of those on the margins in Edmonton and through a ministry of outreach and hospitality we try to respond to these growing needs.

·       We want to be nourished and grow in our own faith so education, spiritual practice, Sunday worship and learning are also central to our life together.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

The outcomes and key strategies identified in this Mission Action Plan are aligned with the strategic direction provided by the congregation through the 2018 Congregational Assessment Tool, the 2018 MAP Cafes facilitated by Anne Smith and prayerful conversations on vestry and in a variety of committees.

OUTCOMES, KEY STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome one: Christian Education and Spiritual Formation for All Ages
Christian discipleship and spiritual growth are the cornerstone of our lives as Christians. We are called into a deep and abiding relationship with Christ, which then strengthens and enables us to serve Christ in the world. The Parish will develop stronger Adult Education programs that offer education and spiritual growth opportunities for all ages and stages of life.

Key Strategies:

1.1   Develop a series of small group bible studies that provide adult learning opportunities in a variety of settings

1.2   Run an Alpha Course with the emphasis being on engaging with the Oliver community

1.3   Plan a parish retreat

1.4   Plan a Young Adult retreat

1.5   Offer a training opportunity for Sunday School teachers

1.6   Facilitate a theological discussion group/book study

Outcome Two: Living the Gospel through Social Justice and Advocacy

Christ Church is committed to living the gospel in action and deeds. It has a rich history of outreach in the community and a desire to maintain and build upon this history.  We want to explore how God is calling us to advocate for those whose voices are not being heard and how to continue to act for justice in a local and global context. Over the next three years, we want to find additional opportunities through which we can work for lasting change in the city of Edmonton in areas of poverty, homelessness and inequality. 

Key Strategies:

1.1   Food Initiatives (Community Dinner, summer BBQs, Prayerworks, and Inner City Pastoral Ministry (ICPM)

1.2   Strengthen our ties with E4C 

1.3   Reboot our Social Justice Actin Team (SJAT) group and add the area of Advocacy to their mandate

1.4   Explore partnerships with city groups already doing advocacy work

1.5   Fulfill our committee to sponsoring a refugee family 

Outcome Three: Building Relationships in the Community

Welcome is a fundamental, spiritual practice and commitment. At Christ Church, we seek to be a welcoming community to those within our community and those we have yet to meet.  Our survey results from our 2018 Congregational Assessment Tool indicate that a high percentage of members at Christ Church are keen to be more connected with one another and to build relationships in the parish.  We want to foster and encourage this relationship building and we also want to explore the practice of welcome.  As we explore the practice of welcome, we are challenged to also explore who is not among us and why?  We want to have a better understanding of power and patterns of exclusion and inclusion. We want to be a place of radical welcome to all. 

 Our outcomes for the next three years include creating opportunities, both formal and informal, for parishioners to cultivate meaningful, lasting relationships within the Christ Church community and beyond. 

Key Strategies:

1.1   Provide opportunities for parishioners to build relationships  

1.2   Encourage small group Bible studies 

1.3   Newcomer tracking, welcome and events are in place and happening

1.4   Oliver Community initiatives (Alpha, barbeques, community league)

1.5   Diversity and Inclusion explored

Outcome Four: Worship Space as an Expression of our Faith 

The buildings and the grounds of Christ Church are a sacred gathering space in the midst of a bustling and busy city. Our building is a sacred space in which we worship and pray each week. We want to ensure we have an active and engaged Building Maintenance Committee to address repairs and upkeep. Our outdoor grounds are a source of peace, solace and engagement for the Oliver community. The Memorial Garden is a place within our grounds to lay our loved ones to rest.  The outdoor space acts as a silent witness to our faith and to the peace that God brings to our lives. We would like to maintain and strengthen this space in order for it to continue to act as a gathering place for us and for the wider community.

Key Strategies:

1.7   Create and implement a strategic plan for the upkeep of the Memorial Garden

1.8   Host events in the space in order to be a place of welcome

1.9   Promote the garden in the community and get more engagement with our neighbours to tend the garden together. 

Outcome Five: Foundations:  Stewardship of Resources

Christ Church is a vibrant church with an active ministry in Edmonton. In order to maintain this ministry, and to foster growth, we need to ensure that we have the ongoing capacity for the work God has set before us. Building upon our existing stewardship capacity, we want to explore other initiatives in order to engage, grow and sustain our community of volunteers and donors.  We also want to promote a transparent and healthy system of administration and governance. 

Key Strategies:

1.6   New resources for stewardship development     

1.7   Create opportunities for large gifts to the various funds available in the parish    

1.8   Develop and support clergy

1.9   Volunteer management

1.10 Communicate how we make decisions and do our work.