Process
This section explains the process for our Strategic Planning at Saint Demetrios. The column to the right explains some of the goals and other developments we have achieved or are considering at this time.
Introduction
Over the course of time, parishes have a tendency to get "comfortable" about what and how things are done in terms of administration, management and ministry. This is a danger, for the Parish has a mission to fullfill (the Great Commission of our Lord), and any complacency inhibits effective ministry.
Complacency means that we keep doing the same things in the same way, without much thought to how effective or efficient we are. If we--as any group of persons united in a common goal--are to be successful in our mission, effective and efficient, we must have a vision of our future. This is the basic purpose of strategic planning: to formulate a vision of our future as a parish.
In fact, for many years, the only "vision" of the future we generally had was very "short-term." Our primary goal was to get through the current year and, perhaps, prepare for the coming year. Our effectiveness was measured in comparison to the previous year. Little thought was given to the mid- and long-range future (5 to 10 years), or to recognizing historical trends over time.
Additionally, little thought was given to our mission as a Parish. Many had some idea as to what this was, but often as not this idea was incomplete and different than the ideas of other parishioners, the mission statement of the Parish (as contained in our Archdiocesan Regulations, Parish By-laws and Holy Scripture), and the vision of the clergy.
Another problem in trying to develop plans for the future (or because no systematic planning had ever really been tried) is that there was little accessible information about our parish membership (demographic information such as age or, more importantly, all the names of persons claiming to be parishioners).
In 1997, Father David organized a "Stewardship Committee" to begin planning for the future. Mr. Thomas Katsahnias, a former President of the Parish Council with extensive professional management experience in business and non-profit organizations, chaired the committee. While the committee never quite managed to develop a comprehensive plan, it certainly produced some far-reaching changes in our parish life. One was the introduction of an effective Stewardship Pledge program (replacing the former "dues" system of financial support by parishioners). Another was an outgrowth of the committee which basically transformed into our Outreach Ministries Committee for the development, implementation and management of parish ministry programming.
When Mr. Katsahnias returned to the Parish Council in 2004, the move to develop a more effective and efficient administration of our Parish was firmly in place. Inspiring Father David, some general reforms for our administration and ministry programming were introduced, including the need for a comprehensive strategic plan.
In 2009, an initial outline of a strategic plan with draft sections was composed by our pastor (reflecting only his opinions and goals at the time--thus, incomplete) and submitted to the newly formed Strategic Planning Group (SPG). This marked the beginning of our planning development. The process and idea of strategic planning being very new to members of the Parish Council and Outreach Ministries Committee, not to mention parishioners in general, the process has moved slowly, but there have been developments (see column at right).
Developing the Plan
The Strategic Planning Group (SPG) consists of the Parish Priest, the Administration and Planning Committee of the Parish Council, and the members of Outreach Minsitries Committee (see their pages elsewhere on this website).
Using the draft outline submitted by the Parish Priest, the SPG comes together occasionally to share information about our Parish programming and administrative needs. By design, our ministry leaders--represented by the Outreach Minsitries Committee--and our administrative leaders--represented by the Parish Council committee--work together to design an effective plan for the years to come.
Actual authorship, based on input from the SPG is handled by the Parish Priest. The resulting document (or portions of it) is approved by the SPG and then by the entire Parish Council. The final form of the document is then communicated to the parishioners through the Parish Assembly.
The Strategic Plan is not a definitive statement of policy or programming. Its purpose is mainly to sketch a general course for the future and suggest broad goals. More specific plans (action plans) to achieve the broader goals are developed by the relevant parties: the Parish Council and Parish Assembly for administrative goals; the Outreach Ministries Committee and ministry program leaders for ministry goals.
The Strategic Plan is always--and always should be--subject to constant revision and assessment, even as it provides us with a standard by which to evaluate our progress.
There are some other tools that we must use in development of a comprehensive plan:
1. S.W.O.T. Assessments. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) surveys have already been completed by the 2010 Parish Council and the Outreach Ministries Committee. There will be a need to extend these surveys to other ministry leaders in the Parish in the future. Eventually, this will be an annual exercise from which the SPG can evaluate progress in certain areas or recognize areas where our plans need to adjust.
2. Parish Membership Database and Census. In late 2010 we have undertaken our first Household Census to gain valuable demographic data from our parisioners. This will be entered into the Parish Membership Database. This database is contained in Parish Management Software (ParishSoft) obtained in 2010, replacing an obsolete system that itself was never utilized effectively. The census data can be easily analyzed with pre-existing and available tools that will allow us to recognize important trends without resorting to inconsistent or erroneous "anecdotal" evidence.
3. Lessons Learned Analysis. There should be no need in the parish to "re-invent the wheel" each time we have an activity. We should not need to start from scratch, but should have good records and evaluations from prior events (such as the annual fesitval). Administrative and ministry leaders must provide feedback on the success or failures of programming, and these in a timely fashion. Such "record keeping" and evaluations have never been that "systematic" or consistent at Saint Demetrios.
The first time doing any of these things is a challenge, and it has been to date. As we familiarize ourselves with the importance of these tools and the planning process, the task will become easier and efficient.
