Strategic Plan 2023-2027

Prepared by Woollard Nicols & Associates

In early 2022, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church initiated a strategic planning process to develop a new 5-year strategic plan. A diverse planning committee of 13 people was recruited which included a neighborhood resident who is involved with activities at the church but not a member. An executive committee guided the strategic planning process and served as the primary point of contact with the consultants. 

Beginning in Spring 2022, the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) gathered feedback from the entire congregation using key stakeholder one-on-one interviews (20), listening sessions (3 in person and 2 virtual), a congregational survey (91 respondents) and a staff survey (5 respondents). The feedback gathered from congregants echoed the desires and goals developed during the parish’s previous strategic plan. The challenge was determining how to move forward with the outstanding church goals while adapting to pandemic-related changes in the cultural and societal landscape.

With the parish’s guidance in hand, the SPC held multiple work sessions focused on building understanding of the current conditions in the parish community; considering future scenarios for St. Matthew’s; and assessing the big questions facing the church community. The Way of Love, as espoused by The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry and the Episcopal Church, was incorporated into the planning process and the strategic plan.

This strategic plan is intended to serve as a guide for the ongoing work of the Vestry, the parish staff, and the congregation at large. In addition to clearly articulating the organizational identity in an updated mission, vision, core values, positioning statement, and list of gifts, the plan also identifies priority areas, objectives, and strategies for improvement over the next five years. There are spaces for the groups developing a more detailed roadmap for each strategy to list the criteria for success and timelines.