Summit Video/Photos
Join the Visioning Summit with Ministry Architects Jan. 27
The entire congregation is invited to gather on Saturday, January 27, from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm for a church-wide visioning summit with Ministry Architects. All who call FBC their spiritual home are encouraged to attend and participate in this highly interactive, collaborative session that will aim to capture in words the soul and heartbeat of our congregation. A light breakfast and activities for children and youth will be provided. So we can adequately prepare, RSVP no later than Wednesday, January 24.
Ministry Architects Update | January 17, 2024
Almost a full year ago, church leadership began prayerfully considering the possibility of engaging an outside consultant to help First Baptist Church lean into our post-pandemic future with the same thoughtfulness and intentionality that has characterized this congregation for more than 220 years.
In June 2023, FBC members approved reframing the 18-month period from August 2023 – January 2025 as one of discernment and vision-casting with the consulting firm Ministry Architects. At the conclusion of their visit, Ministry Architects said, “FBC expressed a remarkable openness to this process of reimagining and discerning the next chapter … giving testimony to the church’s readiness to move into a new future with careful, thoughtful consideration and hopeful energy.”
Thoughtful consideration and hopeful energy have characterized the entire process with Ministry Architects to date. We are now almost six months into this process. Much has been done. Much is being done. And, much is left to do.
10 Steps FBC has Taken Since August 2023:
Completed a demographic study of the immediate area surrounding the church, and the greater DMV area, and began to adjust ministry patterns accordingly.
Hosted Ministry Architects consultants Mark DeVries and Aqueelah Ligonde in September 2023 for an on-site assessment weekend with 9 focus groups and 50+ participants.
Received Ministry Architects Assessment Report with specific recommendations and a strategic plan for implementation.
Presented the Assessment Report to FBC’s Church Council for feedback. Following a series of edits and clarifications, the Church Council endorsed the report and outlined execution process.
Amended the 2023-2024 Operating Budget to increase operational reserves to $100,000, a goal that is now more than 50% realized.
Invited Prayer Partners to engage this entire process in prayer, and enlisted a small strategic advisory team to serve as liaisons between Ministry Architects, Staff, Church Leadership, and the Congregation.
Hosted Ministry Architects consultants for a 2-day Quick Start and Systems Audit in November 2023 to launch the process of revising existing church systems.
Drafted preliminary protocols for communicating about church finances with a mentality of gratitude, inspiration, and abundance.
Established a process for calendaring 9 momentum-building, outward facing events to engage our neighborhood.
Hired Part-time, Interim Staff in Children, Youth, and Family Ministries to provide programming for infants and toddlers, elementary age children, and teenagers.
5 Steps Currently Underway:
Preparing for the Vision Summit with Ministry Architects Consultants January 27-28, 2024.
Preparing for the Spring budgeting and nominations processes by working on internal systems that create efficiency and effectiveness in the daily business of the church including: strategic staffing, governance, newcomer engagement and follow-up, new member development, lay leadership development, and systems for financial transparency.
Onboarding a virtual ministry assistant to assist with daily administrative tasks.
Creating job descriptions for all current staff members, and identifying all volunteer needs for the 2024-2025 calendar year.
Planning a Mission Fest for the first Sunday in March, during which congregation members will have an opportunity to suggest outward-facing events that engage our community.
5 Steps to Expect in the Months Ahead:
Collaborative, engaging, and energizing Visioning Summit to update the FBC mission statement, core values, well-defined three-year goals, and the outline of a unique footprint for FBC.
Communication to key church leadership regarding internal systems audits and governance documents, with specific recommendations for efficiency and productivity.
Mid-course evaluation by the Strategic Advisory Team and the Church Council regarding the consultant process, assessment report, and effectiveness of the work to date.
Planning and preparing for the 2024-2025 calendar year.
Recruitment for lay leadership in the form of team leaders, hands-on weekly volunteers, event coordinators, and behind-the-scenes volunteers for the 2024-2025 program year.
The full Assessment Report and Execution Timeline from Ministry Architects can be viewed here. If you would like a physical copy of this report, email eric@firstbaptistdc.org.
As the significant steps named above invited you to reflect on the past six months of the consultancy process, we hope you did so with deep gratitude for this congregation. Moreover, as we imagine together a new season of worship and service, of mission and ministry and community, may we do so with confidence in the One who keeps calling to this beloved church: "Follow me!"
Pastor Eric