Strategic Plan stewardship efforts underway
by the Right Reverent Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo
February 2006

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

In September 2004 the Diocesan Council adopted A Strategic Plan for Growth and Ministry: The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, 2005-2010. This comprehensive and visionary plan is our guide to the faithful living of our mission and ministry as a diocese during this period. The strategic plan is a response to our diocesan mission statement to “Pray the Prayer of Christ, Learn the Mind of Christ and Do the Deeds of Christ.” More than a “blueprint for success,” it is an expression of our common vision, hopes and aspirations for our diocese over the course of the next few years. The guiding principle of this vision and plan is our pledge to live fully into the promises of the Baptismal Covenant and our various baptismal ministries that comprise our commitment to baptismal living as the church gathered and dispersed for mission and ministry.

The Strategic Plan for Growth and Ministry is a “living” document, that is to say a document reflecting our life and vitality as a diocese engaged the reconciling mission of God in Christ, under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The expressed vision of our Diocesan Council is that we be a “lively, mission-oriented church that discerns and welcomes God’s call to us as a Diocese.” Five interwoven themes emerge from this call and run throughout the various components of the Action Plan created to reflect the thinking, hopes, and dreams of Episcopalians throughout Vermont. They are: Formation, Liberation, Communication, Connection and Celebration. In this column, I want to share two recent developments in response to the Action Plan related to the theme of Connection.

The first development is a bold decision by the Diocesan Council to engage the consulting services of Robert “Bob” Uerz to assist us in the development of the comprehensive financial stewardship strategy called for in the Strategic Plan for Growth and Ministry. The Council recognized that the success of the Strategic Plan is dependent upon securing in a timely manner the financial resources necessary to carry out its goals. Initially the Council thought the way to do this was to hire a Development Minister for the Diocese, and they sought funding for that position in the 2006 budget. That funding was not available, and along the way Council became convinced that a better approach would be first to develop the comprehensive stewardship strategy and then seek a person to help us implement that strategy.

The comprehensive stewardship strategy envisioned by the Strategic Plan for Growth and Ministry includes stewardship education, general giving, planned giving and a future capital fund campaign. Bob’s mission among us is three-fold: first to listen, then to help us construct a comprehensive fund development plan, and finally to assist us in our search for the best person to help us carry out that plan. The interview with Bob in this edition of the Mountain Echo offers you an opportunity to begin to get to know him and to know more about his ministry among us in the coming year. My hope, and that of Diocesan Council, is that you will welcome Bob into the congregations of our diocese so that the plan he helps us settle on is truly reflective of the needs, hopes and aspirations of our diocese.

The second development I want you to know about is also in response to one of the Action Plans in the Strategic Plan for Growth and Ministry. I announced at Diocesan Convention the creation of a Task Force to review and make recommendations to Diocesan Council and Convention regarding the current system of parish support for our diocesan budget, also known as the parish assessment. It has been a very long time since the formula we use for this has been reviewed, and much has changed in the life of the church and our diocese during that time. The funding of our diocesan mission and ministry is a matter that concerns us all, and my charge to this Task Force is that they bring their best thinking and ideas to this important work, bearing in mind that our mission and ministry as a diocese is not separate from our various local expressions of ministry, but integral to it.

One of the strongest connections we have in this diocese is our commitment to one another, as evidenced by the consistent willingness of our congregations to pay their full share in support of our diocesan budget. Council and I have tried to be transparent with you about the finances of our diocese and to be good stewards of the financial resources each faith community contributes to our common life and mission. The goal of this Task Force is to make sure the system of shared commitment to our diocesan budget is fair and equitable.

There are many dimensions to the work of this Task Force, and our commitment is to provide an opportunity for many voices to be heard. We are learning from the experience of other dioceses and reaching out to each of our congregations for your thoughts, ideas, and concerns. Of particular concern to the Task Force are the challenges facing congregations trying to grow and congregations struggling with particular realities of economics and other factors that have an impact on their mission and ministry.

I am very appreciative of the commitment being made by the members of this Task Force to assist the diocese in thinking about this important aspect of our life and ministry together. The members are: Iris Darling (All Saints, South Burlington), Franklin Sanders (Grace, Forestdale), Ken Poppe (Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Burlington), Jim Harder (Trinity, Rutland) Nancy Vogel (Saint Paul’s, White River Junction), Bob Brower (Saint James, Arlington), Reid Farrell (Holy Trinity, Swanton), Bill Bridges (Zion, Manchester), Steve Smith (diocesan treasurer), and Lynn Bates (canon to the ordinary).

Please keep them and their work in your prayers. And please continue to pray about, reflect, and act upon the whole of our diocesan Strategic Plan for Growth and Ministry.

Faithfully,
+Thomas