Ministry Architects Assessment Report

CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH MINISTRIES ASSESSMENT REPORT Healthy Systems. Innovative Change. For the Future of the Church. www.ministryarchitects.com

Calvary Episcopal Church Fletcher, North Carolina

By Leslie Manning, Lead Consultant leslie.manning@ministryarchitects.com Background Calvary Episcopal Church, started in 1857, is nestled in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina in a town called Fletcher, NC, within Henderson County.

Fletcher is adjacent to the Asheville airport and is a part of a growing and thriving area.

The church was founded by Episcopalians from the Low Country of South Carolina looking to escape the oppressive summer heat and the desire to have a place to worship in the summer while on extended holiday. The unique and storied history includes a massive fire in 1935 that burned everything but one stained glass window, the baptismal font, some of the original brick, and a few small items. From there, the church was rebuilt and has expanded over the years to now include an impressive Parish House building that hosts many bustling community ministries throughout the week.

Calvary is described by its parishioners as “welcoming” and “warm” as well as “community-oriented.” The membership of the church is 416 and on an average week, 151 people attend one of the church’s two traditional worship services: an 8:00 AM Rite

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II without music, and a 10:30 AM Rite II service with music. The church is led by the Priest-in-Charge, the Rev. J. Clarkson. The church also has a part-time Deacon, The Reverend Jacqueline Combs, who assists with pastoral care and education. Father J. joined the church in the summer of 2017 as the Curate and shortly after was moved into the role of Priest-in-Charge. The church is a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina led by The Right Reverend José McLoughlin.

Since 2016, there has not been a staff person dedicated to youth and children. Jill Meares served the church as the lay staff person dedicated to children, youth, and their families. She served in this way from 2000-2016. There are currently two paid childcare workers for Sunday morning. Currently the only formal program offered to children is Children’s Chapel during the later morning service and each week the program engages on average 5 children (K-5). On the rolls there are 13 children between Pre-K and 5th grade, 2 infants eligible for nursery care. Children’s Ministry is described as “lacking” and “inconsistent” with “some things offered by moms but not sure what they do.”

Likewise, in youth ministry, currently there are no formal programs outside of Sunday morning offered to the youth although there is a core group of committed students.

They continue to attend church although not all at the same time. On average, there are 2 students that attend Sunday worship with the potential of seeing 8 which is the current number on the rolls. All of the young people are Acolytes and take turns serving.

Listening session participants described the youth ministry as “anemic,” “non-existent,” and “struggling.”

Over the years there have been special events for children and youth like the Pancake Supper, Vacation Bible School (although it has not happened in the last 2 summers), and serving breakfast before the parish meeting.

The church has a 2018 budget of $450,000 of which approximately $2,500 is dedicated to children’s ministry and $1,900 is dedicated to youth ministry. Currently the church is making an overall investment of $4,400 in children and youth.

Currently there is no dedicated space for youth ministry although the Vestry has discussed making space available after the new Food Pantry space is built. The children’s chapel space as well as the nursery have recently been cleaned out and are set up to accommodate the children in their two dedicated rooms—both for Sunday morning chapel and nursery care.

Ministry Architects was invited to do an initial assessment of both the children and youth ministries and to make recommendations about how it might move strategically forward.

Ministry Architects met with 24 individuals in six focus groups or one-on-one meetings.

What follows are the findings gleaned from those conversations along with recommendations and a proposed timeline for the future.

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CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH MINISTRIES IN CONTEXT One lens Ministry Architects likes to use for understanding children’s and youth ministries is the idea of the “three rents.” Children’s and youth ministries that “pay these rents” tend to have much greater freedom to be creative, take risks, and experiment with innovative ideas. Those children’s and youth ministries that fail to pay these rents often find themselves mired in distrust, second-guessing, and discouragement.

It has been Ministry Architects’ experience that though these three rents, in and of themselves, do not ensure an effective or faithful ministry, they are often the most immediate evaluation tools used by children, youth, parents, staff, and the congregation at large.

Rent #1: NUMBERS—A significant percentage of children and youth need to be participating visibly in some aspect of the church’s ministry. It is important for this target number to be clearly agreed upon by the church leaders and the staff. Ironically, when target numbers are not established, the children’s and youth ministries is typically more likely to be judged by numbers than if the target numbers are clearly established.

The consensus is that this rent is not being paid. A lack of trust in consistent programming and missing clear leadership have contributed to the numbers being lower than they could be. Although children’s chapel has gained some traction, overall numbers are not strong.

Rent #2: PROGRAMS—In order to “earn the right” to experiment with changes, the children’s and youth leadership needs to provide the church with a few visible, effective children’s and youth programs that give both children, youth, and parents “something to talk about.”

The lack of intentional planning and communication of high-quality events and activities is noticeably absent signifying that this rent remains unpaid.

Rent #3: ENTHUSIASM—The joyful enthusiasm and positive attitude of the children’s and youth staff, volunteers, and the children and youth themselves are essential to building trust with the leadership of the church and with the parents.

Without clear vision, reluctance for adults to volunteer, and pervasive frustration suggest that this rent is not being paid on time. The number of leadership transitions and the lack of consistent programming in recent years have left church members with little to get excited about in the children’s and youth ministries.

As the leadership of the church develops its long-range vision, it will need, at the same time, to be attentive to these “three rents.” In this sense, the children’s and youth ministries faces parallel challenges.

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Laying the Foundation: Building a foundation and infrastructure that will ensure the youth ministry’s future effectiveness, and at the same time, Continuing to Do Ministry: Maintaining the current youth ministry in a way that builds the enthusiasm of youth, their families, the staff, and the church at large.

As the children’s ministry leadership steps into this parallel process, four rules of thumb –“children’s ministry norms” – will be helpful to keep in mind. These are not necessarily targets for success; they are simply what an average church typically experiences: 1) 15% of the Worshiping Congregation—In a typical church, the size of the children’s ministry tends to settle at a number that is around 15% of the worshiping congregation. A church with an average worship attendance of 151 could expect an average weekly attendance of around 23 children per week. The current weekly attendance of 5 children is well below what could be normally expected from a church this size.

2) $1,000 per Child—With a budget of $2,500 dedicated to the children’s ministry, Calvary has the capacity to effectively reach and maintain a weekly participation level of 2 children in some aspect of the church’s life. With 5 children currently participating every week, the ministry is getting a solid return on its current investment. However, the ministry will not be able to grow without a larger financial investment.

3) 1 Full-Time Staff Person for Every 75 Children—At this time, there is no paid staff person dedicated to children’s ministry. The church might consider dedicating at least a part-time staff person to support the goal of 23 children, and their families, per week.

4) 1 Adult for Every 5 Children—Ministry Architects likes to think in terms of “spans of care,” recognizing that, realistically, most volunteers cannot effectively oversee the church’s Christian nurture of more than about five children on an ongoing basis. With 2 weekly volunteers, Calvary is currently at a ratio of 2 adult leaders to every 5 children, giving the ministry a capacity for 10 children weekly. In other words, the team is fine for the current attendance but will need to grow in order for the ministry to expand.

As the youth ministry leadership steps into this parallel process, four rules of thumb – “youth ministry norms” – will be helpful to keep in mind. These are not necessarily targets for success; they are simply what an average church typically experiences:

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1) 10% of the Worshiping Congregation: In a typical church, the size of the youth ministry tends to settle at a number that is around 10% of the worshiping congregation.

A church with an average worship attendance of 151 could expect an average weekly attendance of around 15 youth per week. The current weekly attendance of 2 youth is well-below what could be expected from the ministry.

2) $1,500 per Youth: With a budget of $1,900 dedicated to the youth ministry, Calvary Church has the capacity to effectively reach and maintain a weekly participation level of somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 youth in some aspect of the church’s life. With 2 currently participating every week, the ministry is not funded to support any growth.

3) 1 Full-Time Staff Person for Every 50 Youth: Calvary has no staff at this time dedicated to youth. In order to maintain 15 youth, a part-time hire of 10-12 hours a week could be considered, although some churches can make that work with dedicated volunteers.

4) 1 Adult for Every 5 Youth: Ministry Architects likes to think in terms of “spans of care,” recognizing that, realistically, most volunteers cannot effectively oversee the church’s Christian nurture of more than about five youth on an ongoing basis. With 2 weekly volunteers, Calvary Church is currently at a ratio of 1 adult leader to every 5 youth, giving the ministry a capacity for 10 youth weekly. The current team seems to be the right size for the current ministry of 2 youth in worship. However, if the church wants to expand its impact, it will need to consider recruiting more volunteers.

Building a Sustainable Staff When a ministry is based solely on the giftedness of a single staff person, instability is a predictable result. Ministry Architects has found that the most stable approach to staffing a ministry, particularly in the early stages of a rebuild, is to build a staff of three different kinds of people: ● The Architect: A person who designs the building plan and ensures that building is done in compliance with the agreed-upon plan. ● The General Contractor: A person who manages the flow and sequencing of work, manages the building process according to the agreed-upon blueprint, and ensures that the appropriate number of “laborers” is in place for each stage of the project. ● The Laborers: Those people charged with specific gifts and responsibilities for particular aspects of the work. In youth ministry, a laborer might have particular skills in relating to youth, in planning and managing events, or in teaching.

Each of these roles is important as Calvary pursues a more sustainable model of children’s and youth ministries. As the church moves forward, the following observations will be helpful to keep in mind:

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It appears that there is no person or group playing the role of the architect. The ministry simply moves from one event to the next without a clear vision or stated outcomes.

In addition the church has hired laborers who are skilled at leading singing, playing games, or teaching a Bible lesson at youth group. These laborers often mature into an architect or a general contractor, but only if they are given permission, time, and training.

The staff is often expected to serve in all three of these roles. This is a recipe for congregational dissatisfaction and staff burnout.

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Assets Strengths to protect in the current children’s and youth ministries Clarity of Need Among those in focus groups, there was an across-the-board consensus that the children and youth ministries are not all that they could be and there’s a strong desire to move them to the next level. As one parent explained, “It is basically non-existent now but the desire is there!” One person asked, “Is this really the best we can do for our kids?” Another parent said, “Success would be that they are so grounded that once they graduate high school they are still coming to church and their faith is still important to them.” It may seem odd that this clarity of need is listed under the assets section.

However, dissatisfaction in this case will be an extremely important component to initiating or renovating the children and youth ministry, as well as a strong motivation to stay committed to keeping it running. It also will help fuel new expectations around children and youth ministries, and what that could look like in 2019 and beyond.

Food Pantry Over and over again, the Food Pantry came up as one of the amazing parts of Calvary church. With its wide-reach and consistent volunteer base, the community has really come to admire and respect this needed outreach mission. One listening session participant echoed what seemed to be a theme throughout the focus groups noting, “What we do best is our Food Pantry.” In 2017, the Food Pantry served a total of 5,289 households and 18,199 individuals. It is easy to see after spending one day on the campus of Calvary that the church is generously and thoughtfully using its gorgeous campus throughout the week, not something all churches can say!

Leadership Investment With over 20 people participating in the listening sessions during a busy week, the investment of the Vestry in the Ministry Architects process, as well as Father J.’s leadership, the church is clearly showing a renewed and vested interest in family ministry. The Vestry is committed to youth and children. When asked what success looks like one Vestry member offered, “Mentorship. The congregation should do anything it takes to make these areas of ministry grow.” Another leader in the church noted, “It is time for us to have some dedicated space for youth ministry and continue to elevate our children’s spaces as well.” Both the clergy and lay leadership are asking the right kind of question: what does family ministry look like in the 21st century? With passionate and generous leadership at the helm, the church is primed and ready to take the next courageous step.

Resilience With so much leadership turmoil in recent history, the good people of Calvary have proven that they are a people that will stick it out. One participant exclaimed when asked about some of the strengths of the congregation, “We are still here, aren’t we?”

That sort of fidelity and fortitude runs short in today’s culture. The people of Calvary

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have shown their commitment, albeit painful at times, to their church and their common life. One person noted, “This is our family and our home.” Another said, “We are grateful to have Father J. and our wonderful deacon.”

Beautiful Worship At every single listening session, when asked what Calvary does well as a family, Sunday morning worship came up. With a deep appreciation for their Anglican heritage and tradition, and a love of music, the listening session participants were consistently complimentary of their Sunday morning worship, the music, and the wonderful liturgy. “It is the best part of my week,” offered one participant when asked about worship. The historic church, with its beautiful feel and awe-inspiring stained glass windows, creates a sacred space for all to worship.

Mission-Minded The church is actively seeking ways to “be the church” in the community. Through the Head Start program, The Food Pantry, and other community support groups that meet in the space, Calvary has service to God’s people at its core. One person shared, “We love doing outreach as a church. Feeding people is what we do best!” Another constant theme was the desire for youth to do more outreach. Parents, leadership, and youth alike shared the following sentiments: • • • •

“We want to do even more mission.”

“It would be great to have regular mission trips for the youth.”

“Families want opportunities to serve together.”

“We can use more Calvary families to serve at The Food Pantry.”

This universal desire to serve will offer direction and a common goal for children’s and youth ministries as well as the whole parish family.

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CHALLENGES Obstacles to moving the children’s and youth ministries strategically forward One Eared Mickey Mouse The children and youth ministries seem to be separated from the rest of the parish with adults often wondering where the kids are. Integration with the larger church community is an essential desire expressed as missing by many participants in the assessment.

One person expressed this saying, “We love when there are intergenerational opportunities offered here.” Another person noted, “I would love to bring my grandchildren but not comfortable just sending them off.” While both youth and adults expressed an appreciation for the interaction they have enjoyed, it’s simply not been enough for the church to feel unified across the age groups. There was a clear separation between the youth and the worshipping congregation.

Nostalgia Abounds Often times it is hard for a church to look future-forward when they are busy looking backward. There was certainly a theme of “days gone by” at the listening sessions.

Overheard more than once was something to the tune of, “We used to have a huge youth group!” A general belief was shared that if the church just did the same things it used to offer then all would be well again. Some common themes were recreating a children’s choir, a church school, and regular Sunday youth group. When families and young people were asked if any of these old models were compelling to them during this season, no one leapt at the idea of a regular Sunday school model, children’s choir, or “EYC” youth group. Time and resources are precious and need to be used wisely to match the changing trends in the church. Calvary would be wise to look forward and move towards a fresh new vision as opposed to defaulting to the known familiar of the past.

Sustainable Staffing & Leadership Staffing that sticks is one of the greatest challenges facing the youth and children’s ministry at Calvary. The absence of a sustainable staffing model for many years has adversely affected the continuity of leadership provided and has prevented a sense of ownership over the ministry among many in the congregation. Students long for a connection with their leaders. When they experience a lack of continuity because of turnover, or without being told of a plan for staffing or filling the space with volunteers, they tend to trust the church less, becoming more resistant to the relational investment necessary to build community.

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Youth Programming One of the glaring challenges that Calvary continues to face is solid youth programming. Listening group participants were able to identify many of the reasons for this: ● Lack of critical mass ● Lack of leadership ● Busy schedules ● Lack of buy-in or real ownership from the church ● No sense of expectancy for the program While many of the causes were obvious to listening groups, the solutions were not as evident. The youth and the parents both agreed that they (the youth) really just want to be together. One of the challenges moving forward will be how to create spaces with critical mass in which to build Christian formation and community among the youth.

Terminal Vagueness There were many parents of children and youth who expressed frustration, disappointment, and anxiousness over the lack of a comprehensive vision and strategy for these two critical ministries. Citing the absence of planned milestones and intentional transitions, many parents felt confused about what the next spiritual steps were for their children/youth. One parishioner wondered if there was any plan for spiritual education.

Clarity and focus on implementing the strategic plan for these two ministries is crucial to bring about the longed-for change among ministry stakeholders. Commitment to a sustained course of action is necessary for a solid foundation to be built. Lastly, communicating this story in compelling and consistent ways is also imperative in the coming months and years.

Supporting Systems and Structures Calvary is experiencing the inevitable stress that churches experience when trying to build ministries without the appropriate supporting systems, structures, and vision. One adult said, “It seems like we are always changing how we do things!” Another added, “We try one thing, then we try something else. There doesn’t seem to be a plan or much reasoning behind what we do!” The resulting stress comes in the form of confusion, frustration, and resentment. The missing structures and systems can provide strength and stability to each ministry. Trying new things is good as long as there is an intentional plan for a period of experimentation.

Chronic Under-Resourcing The lack of investment in the children’s and youth ministries through time, talent, and treasure is evident in the church’s lack of reach, ability to innovate, and power to sustain a viable ministry. The missing continuity in leadership in these key areas hurts the church’s ability to attract and keep families who are seeking total family

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engagement. In addition, underfunding the ministries with less than necessary staff and program budget is also producing a lower level of participation.

Volunteer Recruitment Sustainable ministries are predicated on having a sufficient pool of volunteers for each area, building a deeper web of relationships with the children, youth, and families involved. While many of the participants indicated they were willing to get involved, they were not aware of how they might go about it. One person said, “I would love to get involved but afraid to offer because then I feel like it will be left all up to me!” Others wondered who was responsible to recruit new volunteers. While the volunteer development system remains unclear, the ministry will struggle until processes (both in intentional recruiting and training) have been built and improved upon.

The Road Less Traveled Throughout the listening sessions parents, youth, and leaders were confused about exactly what programs are offered at Calvary. There was general agreement among parents that organization and infrastructure is not one of the hallmarks of the ministry.

The vision and goals are not clear, infrequent youth events feel a little haphazard, and no one seems to be in charge of team-building or overarching infrastructure. One parishioner said, “Where are the children and what is offered for them?” Another parishioner said, “It feels like it’s been on a downward spiral for a while and no one wants to take ownership.”

There are two primary categories for this structural confusion:

○ Where’s the Map? - When a child begins their faith journey at Calvary it seems as if they are on a bit of a wandering trip. People are not clear about where their kids will go in the next phase of the ministry or how they will get there. There is also a vagueness about what is offered in the first place much less where the road leads. A clearly established program path for kids to go from one phase to the next is needed.

○ Missing Milestones/Rites of Passage - Presently there are only two clear Rites of Passage: Baptism and Confirmation. Such memorable milestones provide opportunities to empower children and youth, reminding them of their importance in the life of the congregation. Examples of what’s missing include when children move from elementary school into middle school, when youth move from middle school to high school, and when they graduate from high school. These celebrations and markers are incredibly helpful in retention and keeping the critical mass strong and well-connected.

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Recommendations 1) Reframe the next 18 months as a time of building long-term infrastructure for the youth and children’s ministries. Understanding that significant and immediate momentum will be built throughout the process of renovating the ministries, target April 2020 as the date when the youth and children’s ministry renovation will be complete.

2) Establish a Prayer Team to undergird this renovation process.

3) Present this report to the Vestry requesting that they endorse an 18-month strategic design process for the youth & children’s ministries.

4) Establish a Renovation Team, made up of four to five volunteers. These nonanxious, goal-oriented people will focus on the following, a. Addressing the three primary areas of growth opportunities facing the ministries as they transition toward thriving, sustainable children’s and youth ministries (e.g., keeping the trains running on time) b. Implementing the strategic, long-term recommendations of this report (e.g., building a new railway system) 5) With the support of Ministry Architects, ● Chairing and leading the Renovation Team during the first three-months of the 18-month period of momentum building. ● Working with the staff and volunteers to address the immediate pressure points and as the church sees fit, ensure the achievement of the outcomes outlined in this report’s timeline (contracted for 6 months, available to renew and re-up contract). ● Go through a Vision Summit clearly setting 3-year goals and 1-year benchmarks as well as writing a mission statement for these critical areas and identifying core values. ● Determine a staffing structure that supports the future of the ministry.

6) Address the current pressure points facing the children’s and youth ministry.

Pressure Point #1: Create a plan for youth ministry to start in the season of Advent

o Add all 6-12th graders and their families to a Remind texting app. o Create a thoughtful 12-month calendar and claim 2019 as the “year of the laboratory” giving the church permission to try new ways of doing youth ministry, while putting periodic evaluative processes into place.

(Think SurveyMonkey, etc.)

▪ Calendar that includes a nice combination of fun & fellowship as well as formation & service but does not include a traditional

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o

model of Sunday school every Sunday and youth group every Sunday night Get connected to the Diocesan Youth Calendar and recruit adults who will advocate and coordinate parish efforts

o Identify 3 clear ways to be involved with The Food Pantry & write a game plan that supports this ongoing effort.

o Find ways for the young people to provide mentorship for children (i.e. prayer partners for younger children).

Pressure Point #2: Wednesday Evenings for Calvary’s Children and Families are in a place where the church is putting resources behind them with meals and programming offered by the Rector. There are a number of factors that will contribute to the continued success.

o Update nursery space with play equipment suitable for children who are past the age of being held.

o Reclaim Wednesday evenings as “the time for family formation” offering o

o o o o

opportunities for parents to be together and for children and youth to learn.

New Programming opportunities for the season of Advent: ▪ Recruit two magnetic adults to lead an Advent series for the youth (involving both fun and learning) ▪ Recruit 4 children’s ministry volunteers to lead an Advent children’s program (involving both fun and learning) OR ▪ Have Wednesday evenings as completely intergenerational for children Kindergarten and up. An Advent devotional and activity is done at each table after the church-wide supper. Everyone is invited to participate. Youth could sit at one table to build their community alongside the church to continue to grow that group.

Have clergy and volunteers in line at Head Start and the Food Pantry letting people know about Wednesday night programming and inviting families to attend.

Create a “New Baby Process” as a way to track the pastoral care given to new families that are using the nursery and track the information they’ve received.

Review the children’s check-in and check-out procedure to ensure the safety of all children.

Create a quarterly special event for children and their families to create space for community, build critical mass, and invite friends.

Pressure Point #3: Intergenerational Activities

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Review calendar of church-wide offerings and see where the events could be enhanced for families (i.e. adding a bounce house to the August supper).

The goal should be to host quarterly “family-friendly” events that are highly visible, a great way for newcomers to find the church (and glean their contact information!) and for volunteers to supply shortterm help.

Ensure that childcare or activities for children are offered at all churchwide events Clear marketing plans are created for each event so that the parishioners and wider community knows of Calvary as a “familyfriendly” church Additionally think of Sunday as an ongoing intergenerational “event”: ○ Offer a kids’ snack table at coffee hour ○ Provide coloring sheets and word puzzles for each Sunday

7. Build the long-term infrastructure required for long-term, sustainable children’s and youth ministries.

• Control Document Development: Complete and publish an 18-month calendar, create major event notebooks to help event planners succeed, and generate a preventative maintenance calendar that schedules behind-thescenes activities for each month (like “September: nail down the date for next year’s high school mission trip”).

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Attendance: Track attendance for all children’s and youth activities.

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Marketing: Establish clear internal marketing processes that allow parents, children, youth, leaders, and the broader church to be exposed to the successes and good news surrounding the children’s and youth ministries.

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Communication: Establish normative processes for effective and timely communication with parents, children, youth, and leaders utilizing as many forms of communication as possible including updating the children’s and youth pages of the church’s website, Facebook, mass texting, mail, e-mail, etc.

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Children’s and Youth Ministries Manual: Develop a Children’s and Youth Ministries Manual, including the most recent children’s and youth directories, a 12-18-Month calendar, results-based job descriptions for staff and volunteers, compliance documents, budgets, game plans, a preventative maintenance calendar, and notes for every major children’s and youth ministries event.

DEVELOPING AND NURTURING STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

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Volunteer Recruitment: Build a fortified volunteer leadership team, some of who will do relational ministry with children and youth while others work behind the scenes. Create a clear and complete list of volunteer needs. Create a “fishing pond” list of at least 40 possible volunteers to call on for weekly volunteer positions.

• Broaden Volunteer Definition and Opportunities: Create additional, nonthreatening opportunities for adult involvement in the program. Encourage volunteer involvement in both visible and behind-the-scenes opportunities.

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Leadership Launch: Schedule and implement an inspiring leadership-training event for all volunteer children’s and youth workers at the beginning of each school year.

DEVELOPING CLEAR STRATEGIES AND NEW INITIATIVES •

Parent Engagement: Create a written process for engaging the majority of parents in the ministry in some way during the 2018-2019 school year.

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Measurable Markers of Effectiveness: Determine reasonable participation goals for all children’s and youth ministries events and weekly programs through August 2019 and take responsibility for filling those events.

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First-Timer Process: Develop a process for welcoming new families, children, youth, and guests to the church so that they feel warmly welcomed. Document a timely follow up plan to ensure their return to the church.

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Family Ministry: Plan quarterly family events throughout the year focused on building family relationships and fun fellowship.

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Rites of Passage (or Milestones): Develop a written plan for the processes, events, and privileges that includes celebrations like:

o First Steps Milestone ▪

Purpose: introduces the congregation to a few of the youngest members and makes both children and parents more comfortable with Sunday school. It reminds both children and their parents of the importance of attending Sunday school.

o Welcome to Worship ▪

Purpose: intentionally extends the welcome mat to children and their parents. It also introduces children, and the adults who care for them, to worship and worship space.

o Anniversary of Baptism

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▪

Purpose: Reminds those who have been baptized during the past year, their families, and the congregation of the promises made to everyone at baptism. It is an opportunity to remind everyone that living our baptism is a lifelong journey—and one needs to be prepared to live and walk wet.

o Prayer Milestone ▪

Purpose: To encourage the congregation to can keep its promise to equip and support parents to pass on faith. Through this milestone, children learn they have a direct relationship with God and Jesus through prayer.

o Kindergarten children invited to Children’s Church ▪

Purpose: To invite younger children into the special worship experience of elementary age children.

o Bibles to 8 year olds ▪

Purpose: To invite children into the community’s practice of reading scripture together.

o Acolyte Invitation to 5th graders ▪

Purpose: To recognize leadership abilities of children in worship.

o 5th graders moving into the middle school ministry ▪

Purpose: To welcome the rising 6th graders and their parents into the middle school ministry.

o Blessing of the Backpacks ▪

Purpose: To mark the passage of summer and to help children, youth, and adults transition back into the fall schedule, reminding the children and youth that Jesus is always with us.

o 8th graders moving into the high school ministry ▪

Purpose: To welcome the new 9th graders and their parents into the high school ministry.

o 12th graders graduating from the youth ministry ▪

Purpose: To launch the church’s high school graduates from the youth ministry, confident that they are surrounded by a supporting church family and committed to live out their faith as adults.

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7) Build the long-term infrastructure required for long-term, sustainable children’s and youth ministries, including the following tasks:

Building Infrastructure and Stability o

o

Host a “Quick Start” Summit: Invite the Renovation Team, key volunteers, and youth staff to participate in a Quick Start Summit in which the renovation process is launched and the pressure points outlined in the Assessment Report are addressed. The Summit tackles the items that need to be done first and builds momentum for the youth ministry renovation process. ● Identify any progress in implementing the recommendations of this report. ●

Orient the Renovation Team to their specific responsibilities.

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Assign Renovation Team members responsibility for implementing the recommendations of the report.

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Calendar the dates involving Renovation Team.

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Create a plan for concrete communication between the Renovation Team and staff to ensure that all parties feel they’re “in the know.”

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Draft the following documents, finalizing them within no more than two weeks after the Quick Start Summit: ○

A finalized version of the calendar for all weekly programs and major special events through May 2019.

○

Results-based, written job descriptions for all paid and volunteer positions in the youth ministry. The job descriptions cover all current positions and also include additional, non-threatening opportunities for adult involvement in both visible and behind-the-scenes opportunities.

○

A clear and complete list of volunteer needs in the youth ministry, including relational and behind-the-scenes, weekly events and special event leaders.

○

A broad “fishing pond” list of at least 40 possible volunteers to call about volunteer positions. The list includes people sure to say yes, and it includes people that will never say yes (but hope they will one day).

Visioning: Invite parents and leaders to participate in a multi-session, oncampus process of visioning a new future for the youth ministry with Ministry Architects, resulting in the following documents which will direct the ministry: ●

A ministry mission statement.

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A statement of values.

A set of three-year revolving goals and one-year benchmarks An organizational structure for the ministry.

● ● ● o

Christian Formation Summit: Gather a team for a Christian Formation Summit to discuss the learning objectives of each age level and how these might be accomplished utilizing curriculum, milestones and special programming.

● Evaluate the upcoming curriculum to ensure its effectiveness. ● ● ● ●

Develop a long-range scope and sequence as well as a set of core competencies for the youth ministry programming.

Develop a clear plan for milestones and special events to shape the faith formation through the ages and stages.

Determine how the curriculum selected will be communicated to volunteers.

Decide what level of training will be required prior to full implementation.

o

Control Document Development: Complete and publish an 18-month calendar, create major event notebooks to help event planners succeed, and generate a preventative maintenance calendar that schedules behind-thescenes activities for each month (like “September: nail down the date for next year’s high school mission trip”).

o

Compliance Documents: Ensure that copyright licensing for music and videos has been obtained, an application and screening process for every volunteer is in place, and all adults working with any youth affirm a child and youth protection policy.

o

Attendance: Track attendance for all youth activities.

o

Database: Numbers matter because people matter. Create a database of all the young people who are connected to your congregation, infant through 12th grade. This database will be an important tool as you communicate and as you determine who is active. We recommend using categories that help you target your communication to students with various levels of involvement in your ministry (for example- “active,” “inactive,” or “visitor”).

o

Marketing: Establish clear internal marketing processes that allow parents, youth, leaders, and the broader church to be exposed to the successes and good news surrounding the children’s and youth ministries.

o

Communication: Establish normative processes for effective and timely communication with parents, youth, and leaders utilizing as many forms of communication as possible including updating the youth page of the church’s website, Facebook, mass texting, mail, email, and other social media.

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o

Ministry Manual: Develop a Youth & Children’s Ministry Manual, including the most recent directory of families, an 18-Month calendar, results-based job descriptions for staff and volunteers, compliance documents, budgets, game plans, a preventative maintenance calendar, and notes for every major youth ministry & children’s event.

Developing and Nurturing Staff and Servants o

o

Strategic Staffing: Propose a clear, appropriate long-term staffing plan, including the professional and volunteer components, for the youth & children’s ministries, that will provide the church with significant capacity to sustain a thriving ministry to its targeted number of youth.

Leadership Development: Complete results-based, written job descriptions for all paid and volunteer positions in the youth & children’s ministries and create a structure for the ongoing training of all volunteers at least quarterly.

o

Volunteer Recruitment: Build a fortified volunteer leadership team, some of who will do relational ministry with youth while others work behind the scenes.

Create a clear and complete list of volunteer needs. Create a “fishing pond” list of at least 45 possible volunteers to call on for weekly volunteer positions.

o

Leadership Launch: Schedule and implement an inspiring leadership-training event for all volunteer youth workers at the beginning of each school year.

o

Parent Support: Sponsor and execute an encouraging parent support event and create mechanisms for engaging the majority of parents in some way.

o

Measurable Markers of Effectiveness: Determine reasonable participation goals for all youth & children’s ministry events and weekly programs and take responsibility for filling those events.

o

Integration: Develop a strategic plan for helping the youth become an integral part of the whole church, weaving the youth & children into the fabric of the entire church.

o

Family Connection Plan: Develop a system for ensuring that every family in the current family directory is contacted personally at least once a year in order to make a connection, express support, and clarify if there are any parents requesting that their sons and/or daughters be removed from the church’s directory.

o

Non-parent Recruitment: Create a game plan to target specific, non-parent demographics in the congregation when recruiting volunteers.

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Proposed Timeline: The following provides Calvary with a timeline that can serve as a blueprint for the strategic launch of sustainable, long-term youth ministry.

Many churches choose to use the services of Ministry Architects to provide coaching and experienced troubleshooting through this infrastructure-building process. If the church would like Ministry Architects to provide more specialized consulting in certain areas, particularly for the 18-month transition, we are available to help.

October 2018 Focus: Starting Right and Work Begins Outcomes: ●

This report has been presented to the Vestry for the strategic renovation of the children and youth ministries has given full support of this plan.

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A half-day Quick Start Summit with Ministry Architects has been scheduled for early November to address pressure points and orient the Renovation Team to the process.

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The Renovation Team for youth and children has been recruited and the first meeting has been scheduled to take place during the Quick Start Summit.

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A prayer team has been recruited and charged with praying for the process.

They have received a copy of the assessment report and timeline.

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A detailed 2019 budget for youth and children has been completed and submitted to the appropriate group.

●

The church has partnered with Ministry Architects to serve as the architect for the launch of the renovation process.

November 2018 Focus: Renovation Underway, Quick Start Summit, Visioning Set, Database Outcomes: ●

A Visioning Summit has been scheduled for February and a “save the date” email/postcard has been sent to all families.

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● ● ●

● ●

The 2019 youth ministry calendar has been completed & a plan for distribution has been drafted in conjunction with the church staff.

Immediate volunteer needs have been listed and a plan to recruit the most critical volunteers is in place.

A Quick Start Summit has taken place in which the renovation process was launched, and pressure points outlined in the Assessment Report have been addressed. The Summit tackled the items that needed to be done first to initiate the renovation process.

A volunteer training has been calendar for early December and individuals have been personally invited.

Work on the youth and children’s database has begun, collecting the most recent information for families and youth. All are categorized in a manner that will follow up on MIA families and youth. Each youth has been classified in the following categories: Active youth are the ones whose families are members and have attended at least once in the past year – plus visitors who have become a regular part of the group. They should show up in your printed youth ministry directory.

Member Inactive (MIA) are still a part of the flock. You may not need to send them a Facebook message every time the group gets together, but you’ll want to regularly pursue these youth, whether they ever show up or not.

Visitor Active are those who regularly attend weekly programs and/or activities but are not an official member of the church.

Visitor Inactive are the ones who may have visited, but you are confident they will never become a regular part of the group. This group requires no follow up. But you’ll want to keep their information for the occasional big event to which you’ll want to invite everyone you know.

First Timers refer to visitors who have attended a program for the first time. You’ll want to have a process for capturing their information on their first visit and follow up with them within one week of their visit.

December 2018 Focus: Visioning Promotion, Volunteers, Calendar Outcomes: ● ●

Work has begun on the summer calendar for families 2019.

A fishing pond of 45 potential volunteers in the youth ministry has been created and notes have been made which volunteers would be good for “behind-the-scenes” and “hands-on” or “both”.

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●

Promotion of the Visioning Summit has begun.

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Wednesday night promotions have begun.

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Database work continues and a new “family registration card” is available at all events and worship serves that involve children and youth.

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Volunteer training has taken place for all volunteers involved in children and youth.

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All volunteers have participated in Safeguarding God’s Children and have undergone a background check paid for by the church.

January 2019 Focus: Pressure Points, Communication, Calendar Outcomes: ●

All pressure points have been addressed and the good news has been widely shared with the congregation.

●

Building on the desire expressed by many youth to make a difference in the world and their community, a calendar of mission initiatives for youth and families has been well publicized for the next 18-months, paying particular attention to finding ways to support The Food Pantry and the Head Start center. A plan to invite all age-appropriate visitors and first-timers to participate in these initiatives has been put in place, recognizing that the missional activity of the church may be the most natural plug-in point for many outsiders.

●

An engaging parenting event has been scheduling for March.

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Communication norms have been determined and those best practices are being implemented (i.e. when social media is used, weekly emails, texts, etc.)

●

Results-based job descriptions have been written and distributed to the appropriate volunteers for the youth ministry.

A volunteer training has been calendar for all spring and summer volunteers.

Renewed efforts for families on Wednesday is in place with target participation goals.

● ● ●

The 2019 summer calendar for children, youth, and their families has been completed and distributed so families can save the date.

●

Copy of the approved budget has been distributed to the Renovation Team.

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●

The church office can account for all volunteers, confirm that they have participated in the Safeguarding God’s Children training and background checks have been run on regular volunteers.

February 2019 Focus: Visioning, Calendar, Compliance, Recruitment Outcomes:

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Major Event coordinators have been recruited for summer 2019.

Volunteer job descriptions have been reviewed and updated as needed.

Current programming has been evaluated, notes taken, and adjustment strategies have been crafted.

New names of potential volunteers have been added to the fishing pond.

All volunteer needs have been determined for the 2019-2020 school year.

The volunteer needs list and the potential volunteers list has been merged.

Current volunteers have been asked to evaluate and renew their commitment to the youth ministry.

Recruitment has begun for hands-on weekly volunteers, event coordinators and behind-the-scenes volunteers for the following programming year.

The 2019-2020 children and youth ministry calendar has been completed through August 2020 including a Fall Kick-off.

A Visioning Summit with all major stakeholders has occurred producing visioning documents for the youth ministry (mission statement, core values, goals and structure).

One-year benchmarks have been assigned to each three-year, revolving goal developed in the visioning process.

An encouraging parent support event has been widely publicized for March, reaching the majority of parents with children and youth in some way.

March 2019 Focus: Volunteers, Compliance, Mid-Course Evaluation, Outcomes: ●

Background checks have been done for all weekly hands-on volunteers.

●

All paperwork for hands on, weekly volunteers has been updated and is compliant with the Safeguarding policy.

●

A written strategic plan for helping the youth become an integral part of the whole congregation, weaving the youth ministry into the fabric of the entire

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church, has been created. This gameplan has been given to the Vestry for approval. ●

Permission slips for each offsite event in addition to standard medical release forms for the entire year have been created.

●

Fall Kick-off team has been recruited.

●

All programs have adhered to the Safeguarding God’s children has been widely publicized to the church.

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“Visitor” bags or gifts are put together for the anticipated summer guests.

This gifts holds information about offerings for youth and children as well as some fun takeaways and “fidget buster” activities for younger children in church.

●

The Renovation Team has completed a 6-month mid-course evaluation of the renovation process and made any adjustments necessary to improve the work being done.

●

The Renovation Team has met monthly and decided how often they will meet for the remainder of the 18 months.

●

Sustainable staffing plan is in place and the Vestry is aware of needed budgetary adjustments.

April 2019 Focus: Attendance Tracking, Christian Formation Summit, Participation Goals, Database Outcomes: ●

A process for tracking and recording attendance in all children and youth ministry programs has been created and implemented.

●

Reasonable participation goals have been determined for all youth and children ministry events and weekly programs through summer 2019 and steps to accomplish those targets have begun to be implemented.

●

A database of all youth and their families has been compiled and each person is “tagged” with a category.

●

Any “missing in action” children and youth have been systematically contacted.

●

Engaging parent event has taken place and been evaluated.

●

Communication gameplan has been evaluated and adjusted.

●

Gifts for guest families have been finalized and has ownership from a member of the congregation that will oversee this effort with support from

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other children and youth volunteers as well as members of the “welcoming committee.” ●

Work has begin toward the one-year benchmarks.

●

Core values and new mission statement for these critical areas has been shared widely. These words will set the scene and themes for the next program year.

●

Fall Kick-off team has been recruited and has started to make plans for a fun, engaging, “welcome mat” event that is open to the community and the parish to celebrate the start of the 2019 program year in August.

May 2019 Focus: Major Event Notebooks, Marketing, Communication, Volunteer Thank You Outcomes: ●

A volunteer thank-you event has been scheduled and promotional materials have gone out to all children and youth volunteers to thank them for their time and efforts this past program year.

●

Work has begun on major event notebooks – creating a template for the notebooks and collecting information on each children/youth event. Digital copies and hard copies are available for future Major Event coordinators.

●

Clear, internal marketing processes have been established that allow all church members to be exposed to the successes and good news surrounding the children and youth ministries.

●

Communication methods currently being used to promote the youth ministry and share the successes with the congregation have been evaluated and added to if necessary.

Volunteer recruitment has continued.

Summer volunteer meeting has taken place to make sure all volunteers are equipped and ready for the summer offerings.

● ●

June 2019 Focus: MIA, Fall Kick-off, Manual, Database Outcomes: ●

The collection of updated information from each youth and family has been completed and the database for youth ministry has been updated with that new information.

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●

A Fall Kick-off team has been recruited to begin planning for the start of the fall youth ministry programs.

●

MIA youth have been systematically contacted.

●

The Ministry Manuals (both hard copy and digital) have been completed, including: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Visioning documents Directories of children, youth, and families Volunteer directory Volunteer training agendas and notes Attendance records Annual calendar Results-based job descriptions Game plans and new initiatives Meeting agendas and minutes for Renovation Team.

Record of curriculum resources used for the current year Budget and other financial documents Recruiting template, with a record of all the volunteer needs for the year Compliance documents

July 2019 Focus: Major Event Notebooks, Volunteers, Database, Volunteer Thank You Outcomes: ●

●

With the most recent information on youth and their families, a directory of all families and a directory of all volunteers have been created to be distributed at the Fall Kick-off.

A volunteer thank-you event has taken place.

●

The effectiveness of this past year’s curriculum has been reviewed and decisions have been made for any necessary changes for the upcoming school year.

●

All volunteer needs for the 2018-2019 school year for youth ministry have been filled.

●

Reasonable participation goals for the new school year have been established for all children/youth ministry events and weekly programs and clear lines of responsibility for filling those events have been established.

August 2019 Focus: Benchmarks, Major Event Notebooks, Leadership Launch Outcomes:

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●

All major event notebooks have been updated by the event coordinators and given back to the youth staff to pass along to the next year’s coordinator.

●

50% of the one-year benchmarks have been accomplished.

●

All volunteers have experienced a Leadership Launch, lasting 2-4 hours that clarified their roles, inspired them to grow in their own faith and equipped them to serve. The Safeguarding policy was reviewed and adopted by all volunteers.

●

All paperwork for hands on, weekly volunteers has been updated and is compliant with the Safeguarding God’s children policy. Background checks have been completed on each volunteer.

●

All youth and children’s programs have adhered to the Safeguarding God’s Children policy.

●

All guest/newcomer processes have been reviewed and evaluated.

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A list has been given to the Rector of all active/MIA families so that a personal invitation to the new program year has been extended.

●

August supper has included family friendly enhancements (i.e. a bounce house).

September 2019 Focus: Fall Kick-off, Curriculum, Major Event Notebooks Outcomes: ●

Curriculum has been distributed to all teachers/volunteers and they have been trained to implement the curriculum.

●

A Fall Kick-off has taken place that welcomed children, youth and parents into a program they can get excited about, introduced parents to a format and structure they can feel confident about and provided a forum for receiving information from families. All volunteers have been introduced at this time as well. All participants feel energized and enthusiastic about the coming year’s programs.

●

Major event notebooks for each major event for the youth and children’s ministries have been handed out to this year’s event coordinators.

●

Each family has been contacted by the Rector over the summer and warmly invited to the new program year offerings.

October 2019 Focus: Christian Formation Summit, Budget

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Outcomes: ●

Interested staff, volunteers, and parents have gathered to determine milestones and special programming for children to youth, cradle-to-college.

●

Evaluated the upcoming curriculum to ensure its effectiveness

●

Adopted a scope and sequence as well as a set of core competencies for the youth and children’s programming.

●

Developed a clear plan for milestones and special events to shape the faith formation through the ages and stages. Determined how the curriculum selected will be communicated to volunteers.

●

Decided what level of training will be required prior to full implementation.

●

Physical space “dream list” has been created and shared with the Rector and the Vestry.

●

A detailed 2020 budget for the youth ministry has been completed and submitted to the appropriate group. Sustainable staffing is a part of that budget request.

●

All summer events and programing has been evaluated and notes have been added to the Major Event files.

November 2019 Focus: Reflection and Re-Assessment, Preventative Maintenance Calendar Outcomes: ●

All game plans that have been launched in last 12 months have been evaluated and tweaked as necessary for impact and sustainability.

●

A preventative maintenance calendar has been created for both the children and youth ministry that will help regularly deal with on-going “behind the scenes” ministry maintenance.

●

A review of the renovation process has been completed.

●

An online diagnostic has been completed to re-assess family ministry at Calvary.

●

Staff and volunteer structures are in place to support the current level of programming.

●

Current pressure points have been named.

December 2019 Focus: Calendar, Participation Goals Outcomes:

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●

Work has begun on the summer calendar for 2020.

●

All spring volunteers have been recruited and empowered for the next semester.

●

Reasonable participation goals have been determined for all youth ministry events and weekly programs through August 2020 and steps to accomplish those targets have begun to be implemented.

●

Plans are underway to shift the Renovation Team to the appropriate committee(s) to support future programming after April.

January 2020 Focus: Benchmarks, Calendars, Mid-Year Training, Strategic Staffing Outcomes: ●

All one-year benchmarks have been achieved. Goals have been re-upped and new one-year benchmarks have been established.

●

Work has begun on the 2020-2021 youth ministry calendar.

●

The summer 2018 calendar for the youth and children’s ministries has been completed and distributed.

●

A mid-year training event has taken place in which all volunteers received support and training in their specific roles. A “check-in” with each volunteer has taken place to evaluate how the volunteer has been doing in their role and addressed any concerns.

●

With the changes in the youth ministry, the volunteer staffing to meet the size and scope of the youth ministry has been evaluated and a game plan to meet those needs has been created if necessary.

February 2020 Focus: Volunteer Recruitment, Calendars Outcomes: ●

Volunteer recruiting season has opened.

▪

Volunteer job descriptions have been reviewed and updated as needed.

▪

Names of potential volunteers have been added to the fishing pond.

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● ● ●

▪

All volunteer needs have been determined for the 2020-2021 school year.

▪

The volunteer needs list and the potential volunteers list has been merged.

▪

Current volunteers have been asked to evaluate and renew their commitment to the youth ministry.

Recruitment has begun for hands-on weekly volunteers, event coordinators and behind-the-scenes volunteers for 2020-2021 The 2019-2020 family ministry calendar has been completed.

All one year goals have been met.

March 2020 Focus: Sustainability Outcomes: ●

A timeline for the next 12 months has been created that included game plans for the current pressure points (an online diagnostic can be offered through Ministry Architects).

●

Game plans have been put in place to sustain the processes and procedures during the renovation

●

Ongoing coaching has been secured and a sustainability plan has been put in place.

●

The staff, Vestry and Renovation Team have celebrated what God has done with their 18-month investment.

●

The Renovation Team has been honored and celebrated by the church.

●

The Renovation Team has transitioned their role to providing support and accountability to the youth and children’s ministry volunteers and focusing on strategic issues such as three-year goals and one-year benchmarks, curriculum selection, calendars, and volunteer recruitment. RT members can also bow out at this point or move over to other supportive committees.

●

All ministry areas are staffed appropriately.

●

Physical space has been dedicated for both children and youth.

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The Ministry Architects Team Serving Calvary Episcopal Church (Fletcher, NC) LESLIE MANNING – LEAD CONSULTANT leslie.manning@ministryarchitects.com 205-470-9482 (direct number) Leslie first became truly engaged in youth ministry while attending Auburn University to study Sociology. She worked as the Youth Minister at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church for four years. Prior to her experience at Holy Trinity, Leslie had been a camp counselor at Camp Beckwith and a volunteer for Young Life. After leaving Holy Trinity, Leslie followed a call to Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville where she served as the Youth Ministry Coordinator. Leslie was first introduced to Ministry Architects while serving at the Cathedral. After serving at the Cathedral, Leslie served on the Diocesan staff for the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama for nearly ten years. In that role, she coordinated youth events, supported full-time and volunteer youth ministry in and around the Diocese, and coordinated the Episcopal non-profit, Sawyerville Day Camp, a free summer program that is staffed by high school and college age volunteers and offered for free in one of the most impoverished counties in Alabama. Leslie spent a lot of her time not only coordinating and overseeing this free summer program but also fund raising and garnering awareness and support. Currently, Leslie works full-time for Ministry Architects partnering with churches all over the country. Leslie is married to the Rev. Bentley Manning, an Episcopal priest, and together they have two young daughters, Mary Bentley and Alice.

Stephanie Caro – SENIOR CONSULTANT stephanie.caro@ministryarchitects.com Stephanie Caro has been involved in ministry to children, youth, and adults in the local church since…a long time. Her humorous, straightforward style keeps her busy presenting and coaching at conferences, training events, camps, mission trips, retreats, churches, etc. She is Senior Consultant for Ministry Architects, which allows her to help churches assess, vision, and formulate their ministry game plan. Her books, Thriving Youth Ministry in Smaller Churches and 99 Thoughts for the Smaller Church Youth Worker, were published by Group/Simply Youth Ministry. Her latest book, Smaller Church Youth Ministry: No Staff, No Money, No Problem, was published by Cokesbury in the fall of 2016. Her next book, Ten Solutions (to Ten Common Mistakes in Small Churches), comes out early 2018. Stephanie is a contributing author to several ministry resources like YouthWorker Journal in addition to her regular column “Smaller Church Youth Ministry” in Group Magazine. Check out Stephanie's blog, part of the #1 read youth ministry blog network, youthministry.com from Simply Youth Ministry/Group Publishing. She also blogs for youthspecialties.com, Princeton Theological Seminary, and others. Stephanie and her husband, Steve, live in Houston, Texas. Their seven children are all grown.

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