Dear Parishioners: 

We are pleased to provide you with this update on the status of our Strategic Planning process:

Mission Statement and Shared Values Finalized  

As we reported last month, in the early Summer, we created an updated mission statement and statement of shared values. We shared that work with the parish in July and received some welcome and thoughtful feedback about the statements. The following statements reflect that feedback:   

Mission Statement

To build a welcoming, joyful community, transforming lives by serving God in Christ, one another, and those in need with love and acceptance.

Statement of Shared Values

As a Christ-centered community, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church strives to live our faith through these shared values:

Love – Loving God and practicing kindness toward our neighbors and ourselves.

Inspiration – Offering engaging, uplifting, and thought-provoking worship and music.

Generosity – Sharing our gifts through service and giving.

Hospitality – Welcoming all with genuine warmth and compassion.

Community – Forming a close-knit congregation where people of all ages and backgrounds connect and grow together in faith.

Background Research – Demographics, Survey of Surrounding Parishes; Financial Projections

After a break in August, the Committee jumped back into its task meeting in early September to discuss the Weston and Wayland (and surrounding community) demographic data provided by Rev. Elise, our consultant from Kairos and Associates, which included surveys of population and community characteristics.  

In addition, Rev. George shared the results of work he has been doing over the last few months to meet and interview clergy at all of the Episcopal churches in neighboring communities, collecting comparative size and budget numbers, as well as qualitative data about growth/decline trends at those parishes. All of this is important background work for our strategic planning process and will inform and guide the many decisions we will be making.  

At this meeting, the Committee also reviewed a series of detailed financial projections carefully put together by St. Peter’s Treasurer, Camille Batarekh, working with the Wardens and Rev. George. The financial projections outline worst-case to best-case scenarios about expenses and revenues over a 5-year period and serve to estimate at what point St. Peter’s can operate on a budget-neutral basis (or better!).   

These projections will be updated throughout the process as we make decisions about what programming and leadership staffing will best support our strategic vision. 

Five Strategic Priorities

In order to define and accomplish our five strategic priorities (see below), we have assigned a leadership team from our Committee to each priority.  

Over the next two weeks, these teams will:

1) Select the initiatives that will accomplish the strategic priority;  

2) Answer the following questions: When we accomplish this strategic priority, what will St. Peter’s look like in 3 years? How will we be different than we are today? 

3) Add interested parishioners to their team.

AND SO, because we are all in this vital project together, as you look at the 5 Strategic Priorities below, we hope you will prayerfully discern where your interests lie and how you can contribute your gifts toward making these priorities a reality. Please feel free to reach out to any team leader and let us know! And don’t be surprised if one of us reaches out to you as well!   

Priority #1: Grow and strengthen the Congregation

Team Leaders: Scott Westvold, Lynn Maruskin

Rationale:

St. Peter’s is a unique congregation in the Weston community. With well-crafted and conducted liturgy, strong music and a commitment to inspiring and intellectually stimulating preaching, St. Peter’s provides an oasis of spiritual care, hope and healing in challenging times. St. Peter’s is a progressive church, authentically welcoming diverse people into its warm and vibrant community.  

Over the last several years, the congregation at St. Peter’s has dwindled in number. To be a strong, vital congregation in this community, St. Peter’s must grow the congregation in membership and involvement, focusing on those who are already part of the congregation, those who have drifted away, and those who are not here yet. 

Priority #2: Increase St. Peter’s visibility (both physical and virtual) in Weston and surrounding community

Team Leaders: Michael Iacono, John Jacobs

Rationale:

One of St. Peter’s many special assets is its beautiful building and prominent location. Over the years, however, St. Peter’s presence in the community and the communities’ awareness of the ministries at St. Peter’s has diminished. Although we have improved the main outdoor signs, more work is needed to convey to the community the many ways in which St. Peter’s can serve them.  

In addition, St. Peter’s web presence is minimal. In today’s world, churches must assume that any person who visits their church has gone on their website or mobile application before attending a service. If the website/mobile app does not communicate life, vibrancy, energy and spirit, a person seeking a new church community is unlikely to check out the church.

This strategic priority will examine St. Peter’s visibility in the community, both physically and in the on-line space, to raise awareness and knowledge of our presence as a strong, active congregation that is making a difference in the world and individual people’s lives. 

Priority #3: Position St. Peter’s as a Mission Center – An outreach station in Weston and the surrounding community

Team Leaders: Karen Montague, Anne Ruggles

Rationale:

St. Peter’s has a long tradition of outreach and service, but it is no longer evident that our surrounding communities recognize this is a focus and passion for St. Peter’s parishioners or that St. Peter’s is a place they can fulfill their desire to serve others. When people are asked what draws them to a faith community in today’s ever-changing world, or what gets their attention, a desire to be part of places that are making a difference in the world and sincerely helping others are at the top of the list.  

St. Peter’s has a great opportunity to build on its longtime commitment to service to widen its reach to include more people from outside the existing St. Peter’s congregation. A key element of this strategic priority will be to get outside the walls of the church and introduce St. Peter’s more fully to the surrounding communities. Further, by providing both long-term and “bite-sized” opportunities for mission and outreach efforts that draw in single people, couples, families and other groups, we can offer unique intergenerational experiences that are hard to find in today’s world.  

Priority 3 supports and could contribute substantially toward realizing Priorities 1, 2 and 4.  

Priority #4: Focus on children, youth and family ministries

Team Leaders: Ann O’Rourke

Rationale:

As St. Peter’s membership has declined, so has the number of children who take part in youth formation programs. Furthermore, the lives of families have become so incredibly busy and overscheduled that it is difficult for any church to identify how to offer youth formation programs that families have the bandwidth to take advantage of. Nevertheless, St. Peter’s believes that to be a healthy church in our community we must find a way to offer programming that helps families raise young people in the faith and the Christian commitment to care for others.  

This strategic priority will work to consider new models for children and youth ministry that are suited for 21st century families. It will consider possible collaborations or partnerships with other churches and faith-based organizations and will be as creative and innovative as possible, realizing that whatever programs are designed will not look like those from decades past or previous eras in the life of the church.

Priority #5: Develop a realistic financial plan to reach a sustainable, balanced budget that supports these priorities and St. Peter’s programs.

Team Leaders: Camille Batarekh, Rev. George Stevens 

Rationale:

The decline in St. Peter’s membership over the past several years has led to a decline in pledge revenue that is forecasted to create an operating deficit in 2022 and this deficit is projected to persist and likely compound from year to year, unless revenues can be increased significantly. This deficit would have occurred earlier were it not for several one time sources of revenue and the growth of St. Peter’s endowment during recent years of bull markets.   

In order to return to a healthy balanced budget position, St. Peter’s will need a realistic financial plan, including a staffing and financial model that ensures long-term sustainability. In order to achieve this, all possible operating models, including exploration of collaborations with other parishes, must be carefully considered. Depending on the model selected and in order to ensure that sufficient resources are made available for our strategic priorities, additional funds from the endowment may be needed to support the operating budget, at least over the next few years.  

With a solid plan and a commitment to responsible stewardship of the financial resources with which St. Peter’s has been blessed, St. Peter’s has a runway in which it can put its Strategic Plan into action with a goal of stabilizing its financial position so that it may carry out its Christian mission for years to come. 

Very Truly Yours,

The Strategic Planning Committee

Rev. Elise Brown

Rev. George Stevens

Ann O’Rourke, Chair

Michael Iacono, Warden

John Jacobs, Warden

Lynn Maruskin

Karen Montague

Anne Ruggles

Scott Westvold