Vision
Paul in I Corinthians says “All the members of the body, though many, are one body . . .” and “There are varieties of gifts . . . varieties of services . . . varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” There are many ways to be a member of First Congregational UCC. We invite all members and prospective members to find their own ways to contribute to the vitality of our church.

We would like to make it more likely that people come to our church as visitors and seek membership. We want new members to become active members and the entire membership to be involved and active in church life.

Five Year Planning Possibilities
◦ Attract more visitors/members. Possibilities include “soft evangelism,” meaning members invite friends to attend; featuring 3 or 4 missions for a period of 3 years (or so) to attract members interested in these missions; increasing the likelihood that on-line searches will lead potential visitors to our web-site. We could also collaborate more with other “similar” churches to increase overall liberal, Protestant memberships.
◦ Increase the connection of new members to the church. One way to do this would be to change the nature of New Member Classes so that new members know more about how they can become involved in the life of the church and that we enthusiastically invite their involvement. New members could be invited to attend the half-hour All-Board meeting; they could be encouraged to investigate small groups or missions in which they were interested, and then to become part of one or more of these groups after becoming members. Another idea is to change the way new members are mentored, by having a trained group of mentors, trained somewhat as Lay Ministers are; one or more of these mentors would be assigned to each New Member Class.
◦ Increase the connections and interactions among all members. One possibility would be to have a three-year series of classes that are taught on a rotating basis. All members would be invited. New members would be “expected” to attend. The first year could have 4 or 5 classes about what defines First Congregational UCC (Open and Affirming, Chiapas mission, Habitat for Humanity, Generosity, Social Justice). The second year could have classes about the nature of the greater Christian church in our time. The third year could be “Unwrapping Our Gifts.”
◦ Improve our knowledge about our members - age, occupation, family situation, length of membership, past and current activity level in the church. Example: Increase use of Time, Talent, and Interest information. Also be sure differently -abled and homebound members’ needs are being met.
◦ Clarify our thinking and communication about our expectations of membership. One possibility, following Michael Durall’s recommendation, would be to create a membership committee of 10-12 people who believe the church has changed their lives in some fundamental way, and who can articulate the importance and value of our church to potential new members. This group would define what “integrity of membership” means for First Congregational UCC.
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Staff – part of one staff person’s time
Budget – materials, office time
Measurement – monitor visitors, new members, new member retention, attendance at activities, satisfaction with FCC.