Transformation at
St. Thomas' Anglican Church
Sherwood Park

The transformation process started with a question at the Annual General Meeting. "Can anybody tell me what the vision for this parish is, where we are going down the road?" There was an awkward silence. The rector, Bob Peel, took the microphone and said, "No."

Actually it began some time before that. The congregation had become aware that they were running out of room in their building. In spite of three worship services on Sunday morning, people coming at 9 and 11 a.m. often found the pews already full. Parking had become a real issue. The hall in the basement was too small for parish gatherings and was not wheel chair accessible. Space was needed for parish programs and the congregation wanted to be able to accommodate community functions.

The congregation had spent over a year gathering information and developing designs for an expanded space. The initial cost estimate was around six figures, and people generally were inclined to say, "Let's do it." The project was put out to tenders, and when they came in the cost had ballooned to $1.4 million. People started to look at the whole project and realized it was not clear who the expansion was meant to serve. It all came to a head at the AGM, and the plan was voted down with a resounding no.

The Vestry was directed to develop a process that would give the congregation a clear picture of where it was headed, what was their vision of the future God was calling them to prepare for. The Vestry met, and the Rector, Bob Peel, recommended the Congregational Life Centre be asked to help. As a result, the congregation began a journey that continues to unfold.

The journey included five workshops starting in September 2001. They were well attended, and support was strong. Information was gathered through surveys and focus groups in homes. A picture began to emerge of the role the parish saw for itself, and as a result, more clarity about the kind of building that was needed as a place to carry out that role.

The result - St. Thomas sees itself as a vibrant Christian community, proud of its Anglican roots, supportive of those who are currently part of the congregation and wide open to those looking for a church home. People are clear the world is changing, and as a result solid support has emerged for the new ways of being the church that are required to meet the needs of people today.

An important part of the process has been the gatherings where people felt they were truly being heard. "The journey has given a lot of people a feeling of self worth, and that they are helping to influence where the parish is going," reports Scott Montgomery, one of the vision team leaders.

The Rector's Warden, Marion Bulmer, states "the visioning was important because people met face to face with others who were not normally in their intimate circle." A surprise for her - "I began to truly understand our diversity." Another gift, the process "has created a situation where a lot of people are onside."

It has not always been clear sailing. "Anytime you try to do a mission statement," Scott remembers, "it is like trying to swim in Jell-0." The temptation for congregations is to develop what we at the Centre call the "kitchen sink" mission statement, one that attempts to include everything the congregation is doing. What St. Thomas wanted was a simple statement that focused their energy.

Some people had become comfortable with the planning mode and did not want to move on to the action phase. There does come a time, however, when the time for visioning is over and the time for acting on that vision begins.

Moving to Implementation

When the phase led by staff from the Congregational Life Centre was finished, the Vestry and the Visioning Team met. Their question, "Where do we go from here?" Everyone agreed, it was time for action. It was time for a new team, an Implementation Team.

Gordon Voth was asked to chair the new thrust. In his "previous life" before retirement as CEO of a health region, Gordon's job was guiding strategic planning. He was a natural for the push to develop a real action plan.

The vision statement is not perfect, Gordon says, but after some refining and fine tuning, it carries a clear message. "St. Thomas, under the leadership of Jesus Christ, is a congregation on the move. We are a mission church whose purpose under the Great Commandment is to know, and to help all people, experience God's unconditional love." Love experienced, love shared - that is what being the church is all about. Now came the task of giving that concrete form.

"I put forward a request for people to join me in developing a written plan," Gordon reports. "Some 20 people came forward." It was a reflection of the level of excitement in the parish.

Six goals were quickly identified. Four came directly out of the visioning process: empowering leadership, welcoming newcomers, developing a small-group ministry and coordinating the parish's outreach program with those of the community and the diocese.

A fifth goal had become clear in meetings over the summer - dealing with what it means to become a program church. The congre-gation has long thought of itself as being a pastoral size congregation, one where a key clergy person can have a hand in everything that is going on and be in touch with everyone on a regular basis. That works well when there are less than 150 people involved. St. Thomas has many more than that, and is growing. The challenge is to set up program leaders who give support to those in their groups while keeping clergy informed of any special needs. That is what makes a program size congregation work.

The sixth goal had been there from the beginning, developing and maintaining a space that would support the congregation's mission. As Gordon puts it, "We may get to talking about a new facility, but in the meantime, we have to deal with the one we are in." The sanctuary has been given a complete renovation with comfortable seating, lighter colours and new floor.

The Vestry has become clear that its role is to set policy, not to micro-manage congregational life. Making that change is part of the transition from a pastoral size to a program size parish.

Some closing advice

For any congregation undertaking this kind of a process, Gordon Voth has some advice. "You have to have two strong teams," Gordon insists. "The first team are the visionaries. In our congregation they did an excellent job coming up with a lot of good ideas. The second team, a more practical group, are the doers. They turn the vision into a concrete plan."

The Rector, Bob Peel, has this advice: "If you aren't a church that is prepared to reach out, to be in mission, then you are only a self-serving entity."

From Scott Montgomery: "Bring in outside facilitators to help you through the process. And don't be afraid to step outside the box."

From Marion Bulmer: "A democratic process is cumbersome, but it is important to have everyone involved."

St. Thomas is a parish on the move. Their vision statement says so. Their strategic plan insists it is so. You can hear the excitement in people's voices, see commitment in the smiles on their faces.

Article by Centre Staff Team

Congregational Life Newsletter Vol. 9 No. 2 April 2003

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