strategic planning
In a congregational meeting in March 2008, Mike Honeycutt outlined,
“So now we have to look ahead to the next 20 years in order to move into the future that God has planned for us, a future that is in one sense not too difficult to discern. In some things we have no choice but to deal with facts that are before us. Our Sunday school space is full; our youth lodge is beyond full on Sunday nights; we are out of office space for staff…. and our parking lots are congested. So what do we do with all this?”
The Session responded by forming a Strategic Planning Committee—a committee that was tasked to look at these challenges and propose a solution. This solution would in effect take Southwood forward, by God’s grace, hopefully to 2020 and beyond. Southwood’s founding members had a strategic vision for our church, which God has blessed and fulfilled beyond their imagination. That fulfillment included God drawing into our church a host of new members all committed to a partnership in the Gospel and a fellowship of grace. It is now incumbent upon us to be good stewards of God’s blessings on Southwood, as well as honoring of our members’ faithfulness in providing a current strategic vision for Southwood for the next 10 - 15 years.
This Strategic Planning Committee has met continuously for the past nine months, inviting other staff, leadership and an outside architect into their discussions as they have sought to address our needs for leadership, staffing, ministry development and campus/facility needs associated with our vision and mission statements for Southwood. This has resulted in a three phase plan, with an implementation schedule which spans the next five years, that we have begun to communicate to our leadership team, staff, and broader congregation.
We’re delighted to present to you several key advances in the life of our church that will aid in our extending the peace of God to our community. The initial stage, our interim period focus, is sort of a “getting our house in order” phase that provides long overdue and necessary office space and the creation of four warm, inviting spaces for people to gather in fellowship. These spaces offer our members and guests a place to connect outside of worship and Sunday school. One space in particular will be designed to connect with guests and future new members.
Everything we do at Southwood is for the glory and honor of King Jesus and the advancement of His rule and reign in the hearts of men and women in every possible sphere of influence. Southwood has and always will be about advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ through discipleship. As we seek to make fully devoted followers of Christ, it is imperative that we continue to resource the necessary environments to help us accomplish this end. Through the resources of new staff, facilities, and church planting, we aim to be radical in our hospitality and intentional in our nurturing and equipping disciples.
In the article “Resourcing Environments”, we’re taking the opportunity to give you an insider’s look at the work of the Strategic Planning Committee as approved by the Session. In addition, we will be hosting several congregational “Town Hall” meetings to allow you to ask questions and gain insights. We are confident that these plans are comprehensive, reasonable, and necessary as our church continues to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. It will be exciting to see what God has in store for us during this next season of advance.
Strategic Planning Committee Members
Wayne Parker
Ruling Elder
Small Group Leader
Lincoln Village Preservation Corporation Board
Sharon Dutcher
Office Administrator
Small Group Environment Support
New Member/Assimilation Support
Mike Pope
Deacon
High-Life Leader
Usher
Facilities and Grounds Committee
Skeets Simonis
Ruling Elder
Adult Sunday School Teacher
Small Group Leader
Long standing member of ministry planning committees
Crawford Dillon
Ruling Elder
Chairman of the Finance Committee
Adult Sunday School Teacher
Ex-officio: Ken Leggett, Interim Pastor; Bob Bradshaw, Executive Director