Mission Study Report - First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF TULSA

Mission Study Report

OCTOBER 2024

The Mission Study Commission

A mission study is a process of discernment, of listening to both the Holy Spirit and the congregation. It is an introspective look at who and what First Presbyterian Church has been, where our church currently is situated in our time of pastoral transition, and where we want to focus our attention to achieve our providential purpose for existence.

It is primarily the opportunity to divine our purpose for being as Christ would see us, and to be obedient, with humility and fervor, to embrace the vision of His revelations to us as a vibrant body of Christ-following believers.

To that great end, the Mission Study Team has worked collaboratively to conduct an assessment of church positioning over a range of issues, and made note of productive opportunities for conversation within this community of faith about the future of its providential ministry in Tulsa.

Activities have included various one-on-one interviews, a consultant-facilitated churchwide survey, staff survey, several types of focus groups and congregational briefings, and small “congregant pod” discussion groups. The aim was to develop a meaningful set of findings and recommendations that seek to define and project the ministry's priorities and goals for the next three to five years.

The extensive information gathered from these interactive sessions with both the congregants and staff served as the basis for the Mission Study Report. This report is

not a collection of individual opinions from the Mission Study Team or of any particular participant in the process, but a reliable consensus of thematic concepts.

The following Mission Study Report is presented in a form that allows the reader to gain a broader understanding of the church.

z In the opening introduction, there is a brief summary of our church’s orthodox foundation, and its long-standing legacy in the historic Reformed Presbyterian doctrines and tradition.

z The following major segment is a broader contextual survey to describe the church’s profile in the community and to make note of important environmental trends.

z The third major section is a higher-level overview of the internal operations and functions of the church.

z From these introductory sections, the report details several key findings in each portfolio of activities and ministries of the church, ranging from its core mission on through its sundry endeavors and aspirations, essentially organized in the same fashion as its governing committees of the Session.

z Finally, the report outlines key challenges and opportunities, ending with key conclusions for the consideration of the Session.

Mission Study Team

Front row, L to R: Mark Brown, John Harper (Chair), Anne McCoy (Vice-Chair), Grace Masaku and Nicole Pugh. Back Row, L to R: Porter Shults, Gary Johnson and B.J. Dollahon

Thank you for the special assistance received from Paul Marsh, Duff Points, Lynn Fesperman, Julia Metcalf, Stephanie Madsen and Dionna Schooley.

Our Roots

Congregational Founding and Historical Relevance

As the first organized church of reformed Christianity in the Creek Nation, Indian Territory, preceding statehood, First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa is historically rooted in the extension of the Christian Gospel into Oklahoma. From its first gatherings on the front porch of the Hall brothers’ store in 1885, the congregation has grown with its city, and today “First Church” is the largest Presbyterian congregation in Oklahoma.

The itinerant history of the church ended in 1900 under the leadership of its first permanent minister, Rev. Charles William Kerr, who led the congregation for four decades. During this time, the church built two new stone churches, matching the growth of Tulsa as “the Oil Capital of the World.” It was under Kerr’s leadership that the church sheltered victims during the tragic Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. By 1941, membership had grown to 3,200 and continued to expand to its peak, in 1948, at 5,000 under the leadership of Dr. Edmund F. Miller. At that time, it was the second-largest Presbyterian congregation in the United States. The Kerr Education Building was added in 1954, and the existing historic sanctuary was renovated and church facilities expanded to incorporate the Stephenson Hall in 2012.

Early Connection to Education and Missions

One year ahead of Rev. Robert McGill Loughridge’s first sermons, the General Presbytery Board of New York commissioned the establishment of the first mission school in Tulsa in 1884. It was located at Fourth Street and Boston Avenue, and became known as “the mother of public education in Tulsa.” This schoolhouse was one of the tallest buildings in Tulsa. In 1889, the Presbytery Board sold the building when it was subsequently deeded to the community for school purposes. The Presbyterian Mission Day School was razed in 1906, and a building was constructed that became Tulsa’s first high school.

In 1884, the Reverend William Penn Haworth was installed in Tulsa, Indian Territory, from Vinita by the home mission board, organizing in October 1885 what would be the seed of First Presbyterian. (The fifteen charter members were of the Creek tribe.) He lasted three years. According to James Monroe Hall’s biography of Tulsa, Haworth was brutally ambushed by one of the inveterates he called out in a fiery Sunday sermon on gambling. Ego bruised, he migrated to California.

Rev. Charles Kerr and the two stone churches constructed during his tenure.

In celebration, church leaders burning the paid off mortgage in 1943.

The Presbyterian Mission Day School established in 1884.

Rev. Robert Loughridge served from 1883-1900

A Rich Pastoral Heritage

The first Presbyterian pastor in Indian Territory didn’t last a New York minute. That said, the post of head pastor has been a stingy seat ever since, with only seven pastors residing over a one-hundred-nineteen-year period.

The first sermon in what would become Tulsa is credited to the Rev. Robert Loughridge, delivered on the steps of James Hall’s general store in 1883. He had to preach over the heckling of the non-penitent, of whom there were plenty.

Rev. Dr. Charles W. Kerr served from 1900-1941

Rev. Dr. Edmond F. Miller, D.D. served from 1941-1956

Loughridge, a missionary assigned to the Creeks relocated during the Indian Removal Act, came to town from the Wealaka mission school at the bend in the river south of town. (The White Church Cemetery in modern-day Bixby was formerly the “Lockridge” Cemetery.)

Not until 1900—still seven years ahead of statehood—did the church employ a fulltime minister. Dr. Charles Kerr oversaw the building of the Gothic sanctuary at Seventh Street and Boston Avenue, our home ever since. He was succeeded by Dr. Edmund Miller, who led the congregation until 1956, by which time First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa was the second-largest congregation nationally in the denomination.

Rev. Dr. Bryant W. Kirkland, D.D. served from 1957-1962

The brief tenure of Dr. Bryant Kirkland saw the acquisition of Camp Parthenia, the YWCA camp west of the Arkansas River, and the development of Camp Loughridge, the church retreat now occupying 188 acres. A Connecticut native and Wheaton College graduate, he joined the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church of New York City in 1962. By this time, the church rolls stood at 5,100 members. Dr. William Wiseman inherited this robust congregation and served it until 1984. He was followed by Dr. Ernest Lewis, senior pastor until 1991, and the leader of Presbyterian churches in College Hill, Ohio; Oklahoma City; Evanston, Illinois; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Rev. Dr. William J. Wiseman served from 1963-1984

Rev. Dr. Ernest J. Lewis served from 1985-1991

Rev. Dr. James Miller served from 1992-2023

Rev. Dr. James D. Miller, the longest-tenured pastor since the formative era of Charles Kerr, came to Tulsa from the Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis. During his 30-plus years in the pulpit, the First Church footprint grew to incorporate the Bernsen Building (the former Masonic Temple), peaked with the construction of the east side addition that includes Stephenson Hall, the atrium that bears his name, classrooms and staff offices, and a courtyard, and culminated in the acquisition of the 8:10 Building, a funding arm for local missions. Joining Dr. Miller as co-senior pastor was Rev. Dr. Ryan Moore, who served from 2016- 2019.

Rev. Dr. James D. Miller gave his final sermon on Reformation Sunday, October 29, 2023. The Rev. Daniel Hutchinson now resides as interim senior pastor.

Our Reformed Presbyterian Doctrinal Roots

First Church is an evangelical congregation that has and continues to consider itself to be active in traditional and historical reformed theology, relying on the eternal relevance of the five solas: God’s glory alone, Christ alone, faith alone, scripture alone, and grace alone.

Today it is an energized and spiritually vigorous church focused on pursuing its mission as a community of believers being, “Called to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ—inwardly strong and outwardly focused.”

Our identity is both “orthodox,” affirming the authority of the scriptures and historic witness of the Church, and “evangelical,” meaning its mission is to share the good news of the gospel and participate in God’s holy work of healing and reconciliation in the world.

Rev. Dr. Ryan Moore served from 2016-2019 as co-senior pastor

Rev. Daniel Hutchinson Interim senior pastor

It has continued to affirm its orthodox, reformed and evangelical tradition. In various Book of Order modifications by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), determined by the Session leadership to be at variance with scripture, the church has exercised the freedom of conscience ethic allowed to it by the denomination’s governing documents.

Laying the new Sanctuary cornerstone in 1924.

Easter worship in the Sanctuary, 2024.

1925:

Cross

– Crosslet Fitchy Heraldic, representing unshakeable faith.

J.M. Hall & Company General Mercantile site of First Church service 1883. J.M. Hall and Dr. R. M. Loughridge.

First Mission School Tulsa 1884. Church services held Great Seal of the Muskogee

1911: Sheltered victims during the tragic events in May/June, 1921.

Current Sanctuary Building 1954: Kerr Educational Building

Celtic cross. A reminder of

2012: New worship center

Community Profile

Relevant Characteristics

First Presbyterian Church would be considered a large church located in a strategic area of Tulsa composed of members with educational backgrounds and financial resources, allowing it to make significant impacts in the community. Based on congregational survey results, over 90 percent of the congregants live three or more miles from the location of the church (44 percent greater than 10 miles).

Location and Attributes

The church is located within the heart of Tulsa’s historic downtown, in a square mile often referred to as the Cathedral District, a redeveloping and revitalizing urban community with notable merits and challenges. The church’s physical presence spans five city blocks and provides many opportunities for missional impact within the city and its surrounding communities.

Five other large denominational Christian churches share a spirit of general collaboration in harmony. First Church Tulsa is both an urban as well as a regional church, with most of its congregants commuting over five miles or more to attend services.

In terms of population, according to a report by the Downtown Tulsa Partnership in May 2024, there are 5,000 residents living in the downtown district, with 38,000 people working in the urban core during the course of a week. The age demographics are getting younger, and the residents are making more money. Since 2000, Latin households have more than doubled as well as households identifying as two or more races.

A Ministry Insight Report issued in December 2023 by the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery (which sourced information from the US Census Bureau, Synergos Technologies Inc., Experian and The American Beliefs Society) projects a 1.5 percent decline over the next five years in the urban population (a two mile radius of First Church), although Oklahoma is projected to grow by 2.8 percent over the same period.

Top community concerns

1. Personal health and other life concerns as a result of the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

2. Social and political tensions particularly on the lines of racism and racial injustice.

3. Avoiding homelessness.

4. Overall health concerns and anxiety of further fear of a new health crisis or illness.

5. Careers and financial matters, personal financing, savings and retirements.

December 2023 Ministry Insight Report

As it relates to employment, the number of families with an annual income above $100,000 is projected to decline over the next five years. The number of never-married will increase by 10 percent in the next five years, while those that are married will decrease by about 10 percent in the same period. Whitecollar jobs are double the number of blue-collar jobs in the Tulsa urban area, which is greater than the Oklahoma average. In the four years following the pandemic shutdown, the returnto-work rate has stabilized at 70 percent. It is unlikely to increase, however, as companies have settled into a mix of office and remote work.

In addition, the number of downtown visitors increased by 30,000 per month in the

previous year and now stands at 2.5 million per year, surpassing the mark of 2.1 million set in pre-COVID 2019.

Through 2023, Northeast Oklahoma experienced record-breaking levels of tourism, according to the Tulsa Regional Chamber, including sold-out concerts, live sporting events, conventions and fairs. While Tulsa retains significant private university educational resources in the University of Tulsa and Oral Roberts University, as well as Tulsa Community College, public K-12 education continues to languish in the city, as well as in the state, relative to national standards.

Recent Events

According to the 2021 American Beliefs Study Survey, Tulsa ranks significantly below the US average in terms of people not being able to find the right faith community. Those living in the Tulsa urban area (within 2.5 mile radius of First Church) have a higher than national average response than others in terms of their disbelief in God and their sense that this expression is relevant to their lifestyle. Additionally, those living in the urban Tulsa area have a higher-than-the-nationalaverage mistrust of organized religion and religious leaders, finding religious people to be too judgmental. The survey also indicates that the highest preferences are warm and friendly encounters with churches and religious communities versus the quality of sermons.

Tulsa area community facts

37.3

Median age 13.5%

Percent living in poverty

$66K

Median household income

$190K

Median property value

65.5%

Percent of home ownership

22

Average minutes commute time

6.1

Score on a scale of 10 in a US News quality-of-life report

101st

Tulsa’s rank out of 150 US cities in the US News quality-of-life report

Our Church Today

Congregational Profile

First Presbyterian Church utilizes a number of processes to maintain its membership and attendee records, most notably a database system called Realm. The composition of the congregation includes 290 individuals who are high school students and younger, as well as 997 who are over 56 years old (59%). The gender distribution is 56% female. There are no metrics kept depicting the racial ethnicity of First Presbyterians congregants, although 91% of the CAT Survey respondents indicated they are white. A significant feature of First Church is the vibrant community of immigrants called the Tulsa International Fellowship. This unique ministry began with a handful of local African Christians in 2009, and has since grown to serve disciples from around the world, uniting them around the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Community Engagements & Mission Outreach

As it was originally founded as a mission outreach to Native American tribes in Oklahoma Territory, First Presbyterian Church has become a great resource of missional evangelism in the region and across the world. Today, the opportunity remains for engagement, with discernment, in God's mission for Tulsa and beyond: forming, maintaining and evaluating strategic partnerships, in light of God's mission. Specifically, the church sees itself as a communication bridge between its partners and programs, where we encourage every member to articulate the place to which they are being equipped for effective witness.

First Church endeavors to steward its outreach and mission resources to maximize long-term impacts using a particular values framework which includes and embodies the following characteristics:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Support endeavors that demonstrate intentional and obvious Christian witness seeking to initiate discipleship.

Support ministries that provide service at the margins of our societies, particularly areas requiring increasing reconciliation and justice for the oppressed, impoverished and marginalized communities.

Form partnerships that have mutual benefits, where all parties contribute in areas of growth, each striving not just for equality of resources, but in equality of calling in the purpose of Christ and His kingdom.

Partner with missions that work toward transformative and empowering long-term goals that get to the root of the evil that affects the entire community.

Invite congregants to participate in face-to-face relational-centered ministry.

Develop, empower, promote and follow the local, indigenous church leadership in delivering missional support.

Seek to honor the rich historic legacy relationships that have developed in our church’s mission engagements over time.

First Church Tulsa age demographics - 2023

• Total active membership as of December 31, 2023: 1,693

• Membership ending 2022: 1,754

• In 2023, we welcomed 84 new members

• There was a loss of 145 members: 30 deaths and 115 from deletion

As an overview, in 2023 the total operating budget for the church's missional outreach was $1,845,145.

Local Missions

Masterwork Academy

Helping Hand Ministries

Hope is Alive

Camp Loughridge

Anderson Elementary School

Rising Village

Crossover Prep Academy

Works of HeArt

Global Missions

Kenyan PCEA Bondeni congregation

Presbyterian Church of India

Petra Kids Ministry (Uganda)

Outreach Foundation (Ukraine)

Discovery Church (Galway, Ireland)

First Church Tulsa mission partners

Governance and Organization

Church governance follows the model stated in the Book of Order. Ruling elders and deacons are men and women elected by the congregation from among its members. The nomination and election of ruling elders and deacons expresses the rich diversity of the congregation’s membership and is designed to guarantee participation and inclusiveness. Ruling elders and deacons are nominated by a committee elected by the congregation, drawn from and representative of the membership. In addition, there is a Board of Trustees whose members, while not ordained, are nominated and elected in the same manner as elders and deacons for the purpose of overseeing the church’s non-profit foundation and corporation.

The Session

The Session is the governing body of the church, charged with guiding its witness to the sovereign activity of God in the world, and ensuring that the congregation remains a community of faith, hope, love and witness. The Session is made up of thirty ruling elders, elected and ordained to service by the congregation. Those who are called as elders are persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in leadership, compassion, and in the discernment of God’s Spirit. Ten new elders are nominated and elected by the congregation each year to serve threeyear terms. The pastor serves as moderator of the Session, while all installed pastors and associate pastors are also members. All have a vote in matters of church governance. The work of the Session is accomplished through standing committees that include:

Session committees

Buildings & Grounds Next Generation Ministry

Communications Outreach & Congregational Life

Discipleship Personnel

Finance & Stewardship Strategic Planning

Member Care Worship & Music

Mission & Evangelism Ad Hoc Task Forces

The chairpersons of each of these committees make up the Session Council, charged with providing oversight and coordination between and among the committees. From time to time, the Session has created special-purpose committees and task forces as well.

The Board of Deacons

The Board of Deacons consists of thirty individuals who are called and ordained to ministries of care and compassion. They are persons identified by the congregation as ones who outwardly demonstrate what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus, caring for His flock and feeding His sheep. They visit the homebound, coordinate funeral receptions, offer comfort and encouragement to those dealing with the struggles of life and deliver flowers to those who may appreciate a reminder that they are a beloved member of the flock. Deacons also extend the love of Jesus to members of the community in need. Ten new deacons are nominated and elected by the congregation each year to serve three-year terms.

Trustees

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the direction and oversight of the First Presbyterian Church Foundation. The board consists of nine individuals who are skilled in the area of financial management and who possess a desire to see this congregation serve the Kingdom of God today and for years to come. Earnings from the foundation are dedicated to support the mission and ministries of the church. Independent investment advisors, carefully selected and overseen by the board, manage its assets. Three new members are nominated and elected by the congregation each year to serve three-year terms. The chair of the Board of Trustees serves as president of the church corporation. The corporate vice president and secretary are members. The chair of the Session Finance & Stewardship Committee traditionally serves as corporate treasurer. The corporation has the power to receive, hold, encumber, manage and transfer property, real or personal, for the congregation.

The Church Staff

We are privileged to have a team of pastors and staff members who feel blessed to serve Christ as an occupation. It is a special group of incredibly bright people who are fully devoted to Christ and to the mission of working together in a positive manner, with a common purpose and a heart to serve. There is a sense of genuine joy, caring and love among this team, for each other and for the congregation that they support.

Current First Church Tulsa Pastors

Rev. Daniel Hutchinson, M.Div., Interim senior pastor

Daniel Hutchinson is a thirdgeneration pastor, serving since the retirement of Rev. Miller as the Interim Senior Pastor of First Church. He grew up in Edmonds, Washington, just outside of Seattle. He graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in History in 2007 and an MA in Historical and Systematic Theology in 2008. Following graduate school, Daniel served for two years as a youth ministry intern at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle before attending Princeton Theological Seminary for his Master of Divinity. After a brief stint back at UPC as its Interim Director of Middle School Ministry, Daniel came to Tulsa in 2013 to serve at First Church as the pastor over Next Generation Ministries. In March, 2021, Daniel was promoted to Sr. Associate Pastor.

Rev. Wambugu Gachungi, M.Div., Associate Pastor

Born and raised in Kenya, Wambugu Gachungi came to the United States in 2001 to pursue faith-based higher education, graduating from University of the Ozarks in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, religion and sociology. He then moved to Tulsa where he attended Phillips Theological Seminary and obtained his Master of Divinity in 2011. Wambugu’s primary role at First Church is fostering the community of faith known as Tulsa International Fellowship, or TIF, where he leads worship, Bible studies, outreach, and offers pastoral counseling with disciples from over 12 nations.

Staff Organization Chart

Rev. James Estes, M.Div., Associate Pastor

James was born in Fort Worth, TX and raised in Claremore, OK from the age of four, where he graduated from Claremore Christian High School. Following high school, he earned an associate degree from Rogers State University before completing a two-year ministry internship at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2005, James graduated from Langston University’s Tulsa campus with his bachelor's degree in psychology. James graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. In August 2013, James returned to Tulsa to answer the call to serve as an associate pastor at First Church Tulsa, where he provides oversight to the various local and global mission efforts of First Church.

Rev. Julia Metcalf, M.Div., Associate Pastor

Julia Metcalf was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and studied vocal performance as an undergraduate at Belmont University in Nashville, where she graduated in 2015. Julia is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary where she received a Master of Divinity in 2020. During her time at PTSem, she had the privilege of serving for a year at The American Church in Paris, FR as the pastoral intern for Youth and Young Adults along with several other field education opportunities in children's ministry and hospital chaplaincy. Julia is very interested in the spiritual disciplines and how they can enrich one’s faith journey, and serves as the pastor over Next Generation Ministries.

Key Findings

Throughout this extensive informationgathering process, the Mission Study Team has been guided by a single desire: to be led by the Holy Spirit in glorifying God, by providing an accurate description of the values and beliefs expressed by our current congregants and staff.

Our Mission

Session elders approved a very simple mission statement in August 1994:

“Our mission is to live in such a way that all we do and say shall be for the glory of God.”

Matthew 5:16 and 1 Corinthians 10:31

This reflects the sense of our Presbyterian tradition to mutually attune our ardor for the Gospel of Christ (Matthew 5:6) with the order of pleasing Him with our discipleship (1 Timothy 4:12).

In February 2008, the Session enhanced and modified the mission statement creating a statement of purpose that has been used interchangeably as a mission statement and vision statement:

“Called to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ — inwardly strong and outwardly focused.”

In practical terms, this has become the highly visible and accepted mission statement for the church since then. It was a foundational concept of the work of the strategic plan created in 2008, as well as the guiding purpose statement for a “Base Camp” Mission Team Report prepared in 2011. In that effort, the superordinate theme was to “grow our servant leadership and discipleship among every age group at First Church so that we embody what it means to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ — Inwardly Strong and Outwardly Focused; inwardly strong guided by The Living Word, focusing our efforts outwardly to serve with God as His community of loving persons.”

Again, there is ample scriptural support for the mission statement: Fundamentally, we are asked to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

(Matthew 22:36-39)

Our spiritual duties include keeping His commandments and abiding in His love (John 15:10). Our discipleship is to be focused on His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), so that we may be rooted and grounded in our hearts, strengthened by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16-19). Our concern for others should be paramount, counting others more than ourselves in sincere humility (Philippians 2:3-4).

In addition, our Presbyterian orthodoxy and tradition holds great respect for the guidance from the Book of Confessions, where we come to understand the claim of God on all life. The reformed tradition emphasizes “the authority of God over every area of human life, over personal and familial relationships, over the organization and government of the Christian community, and over social, economic and political secular communities as well. The reformed confessions, therefore, contains both personal and social ethics—a gospel of salvation, and a social gospel” (Book of Confessions).

Accordingly, there is firm support to continue to use the current mission statement. There is a very strong sentiment in the congregation to not change the mission statement, nor is there a need to revamp or rebrand at this time.

Members heartily agree that their personal spirituality (being inwardly strong) was the basis for their whole approach to life. The same results were found when asked if they experienced the presence of God in their lives.

In terms of “outwardly focused,” church members largely feel a readiness for ministry. Church pastors feel there is room for a more vigorous expression of evangelism, while helping congregants function in their spiritual gifting.

“Our mission is to live in such a way that all we do and say shall be for the glory of God.”

– MATTHEW 5:16 & 1 CORINTHIANS 10:31

“Called to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ –inwardly strong and outwardly focused.”

Vision

We want to know your story.

The Strategic Planning Committee has effectively guided the ongoing vision for the church. It is charged with determining the major focus areas to support the current mission statement. It has accomplished that through an updated version of strategic plans, the initiation of several task force studies and other strategic initiatives. A majority of church members feel these plans are being effectively communicated.

The efforts to create and communicate the church vision have been fairly successful given that the consensus from the survey respondents indicated that they clearly agree they are satisfied with the direction of the church. Only six percent clearly disagree. Indeed, there is a strong consensus throughout the congregation for three critical priorities, regardless of the age of the person or the frequency of their attendance:

THREE CRITICAL PRIORITIES OF FIRST CHURCH TULSA

94% members agree they are satisfied with the direction of the church

14% churches (of 2,400 surveyed) scored higher than First Church in stressing conservative theology

90% agree that the church is committed to the unchanging historic faith

84% favorably affirmed that Christian marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman

1. Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to reach new people and incorporate them into the life of the church

2. Develop ministries that work toward healing those broken by life circumstances

3. Develop the spiritual generosity of people to financially support the ministry of the church

The congregation has indicated a need for clarity in our church’s vision in relation to recent Book of Order changes to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Further, there is a general agreement that Tulsa International Fellowship’s (TIF) vision and mission are in alignment with that of the First Church Tulsa congregation, and that TIF should not be considered a separate church.

There is some limited expression that the church needs to be more diligent in addressing social injustice.

Finally, there is concern that our church not become a mega church that is personalityfocused or measures success by sheer numbers of attendance. Rather, the consensus perspective is that as a reformed church, the congregants have priestly roles of duty to Christ

and in His service to the church and community. It is a shared vision that the church laity share the calling of service and worship in concert and harmony with the clergy, as Scripturally described. In this way, our unique diversity is sovereignly governed by the Holy Spirit, who has gifted its members to various functions and purposes as being members of the unified Body of Christ as described in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.

Values

Over the last several years, our mission statement has carried the affirmation that we believe in the historic witness of the one holy catholic (that is, “universal”) and apostolic Church as revealed in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, and summarized in the ancient Apostles’ and Nicene creeds. As Presbyterians, our church fully embraces the Reformed Traditions that emphasize the authority of Scripture, the sovereign grace of God, and the mandate to proclaim Jesus as Lord to the whole world. As such, there is a strong consensus among the congregants to stay true to Scripture and Doctrine, and to always keep Jesus at the center as the full and only complete revelation of God to humanity.

According to the Theological Perspective Index derived from the congregational survey, First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa is characterized as being in the 86th percentile of churches, indicating its strong conservative theology. This is a measure of the degree to which its members hold more conservative versus progressive views regarding such issues as the nature of scripture in the role of converting people to Christ, in societal change and the relationship to the church’s historic and orthodox doctrinal declarations.

In particular, those who responded to the survey tended by a large majority (nearly 90 percent) to agree that the church is committed to abide by the unchanging historic faith that has been handed down through the centuries. In a similar sense, those same respondents believe that conversion to Christ must be the first step to creating a better society and that scripture is the literal word of God without error, not only in matters of faith, but also in historical, geographical and other secular matters.

In 2015, the Session examined the nature of biblical authority in its understanding of what constitutes marriage. The Session acted to reaffirm, as it had done on at least four other separate occasions, the ancient Christian understanding of marriage as between one man and one woman. Approximately 84 percent of CAT respondents, in degrees of agreement, favorably affirm that Christian marriage is a

covenant between a man and a woman that is affirmed in Scripture as the authoritative word of God. The survey data confirms that the diversity of response to this question is not correlated to tenure of attendance or the age demographics of the respondents.

There was a general agreement that the church should not try to be all things to all people; that many churches are too aligned to the prevailing culture. At the same time there was support for ensuring our “Hearth and Home” culture be extended to include compassion and outreach missions. At our best, our church appreciates the line between right and wrong as bright and clearly articulated. It is common in the Hearth and Home culture to speak about issues from a biblical perspective that is more literally interpreted.

At the same time, this culture is familyoriented, where straying members are welcomed back with open arms and ready forgiveness, the church willing to provide comfort and services with remarkable perseverance. First Church is primarily a culture that highly values structure and stability, often resisting change due to a sense of guardianship over orthodox beliefs and practices. We are better when we are together in person and living out the functions of the Body of Christ.

Over the course of the months of this Mission Study, there have been increasing concerns voiced that the doctrinal integrity of church ministries are being impaired rather than protected by recent actions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly. Our sense is that tolerance will be driven by social activism rather than scriptural orthodoxy. Specifically, the language of the Olympia Overture and its approval with amendments in July 2024 at the Salt Lake General Assembly have made the waters exceedingly murky. The denomination continues to willfully pursue a course that will engender strife and discord. The consensus of church members is clearly expressed as a strong desire to remain steadfast to the foundation of truth clearly stated in Scripture. Our desire is to remain faithful to the full breadth of the gospel teachings of Jesus, and to the Apostolic orthodoxy of the historic Confessions upon which First Church stands.

It is our prayer that we address these issues commensurate with the priorities of the Gospel and the historical principles of church order. It is also our prayer that God’s church be open and welcoming to all who seek him with a desire to be faithful to His Word. We pray that as a community of believers, our focus is on what binds us together, not what pulls us apart. That is, a shared yearning for a deep and personal relationship with God our Father and the

redemptive grace of Christ that meets each one of us in the midst of our brokenness and need. We are welcomed by God as sinners, and yet that welcome draws us into a relationship that ultimately is about transformation. God’s grace calls each of us to obedience.

The Core Strengths of Congregational Life

Hospitality for All

First Church congregants often connect hospitality with the desire to reach people in need with resources and services that would bring them into relationship with Christ, and with the church as their new community of support. The congregants recognize the value of a community that is enriched by people who come from varied walks of life and experiences, all reconciled together in the common confession of faith in Jesus.

The congregation, along with staff and pastors, places particular importance on several key themes within congregational life.

KEY THEMES WITHIN CONGREGATIONAL LIFE AT FIRST CHURCH TULSA

We believe that making personal invitations to individuals or families for church services or programs significantly impacts their sense of welcome and interest.

Engaging with fellow congregants during services, getting to know one another, and sharing meals all contribute to a warm and inclusive atmosphere.

Improving hospitality involves meeting people where they are, without judgment, and with love.

Greater engagement by the church elders in hospitality efforts will enhance the overall sense of community.

Better preparation for church attendees to be willing and capable of effectively welcoming guests into the worship services.

Knowing and Loving God: Worship and Discipleship

A common driver of satisfaction and energy in a vibrant and large church is the capability to offer diverse worship, discipleship and fellowship opportunities to establish and strengthen the

What is Hearth and Home?

Six characteristics that define the category of congregation where First Church most aligns.

CLARITY

Ultimately concerned with a clearly defined faith that is lived out in a community with structure and stability.

LITERAL

Common to hear folks talk about issues from a Biblical perspective that is more literally interpreted.

STEADFAST

Members appreciate the clarity provided by the unchangeable nature of the message proclaimed and lived.

DELINEATED

The line between right and wrong is usually bright and easily articulated.

COMPASSIONATE

Where a Biblical mandate is perceived, members provide services to those in need, often with remarkable perseverance.

FORGIVING

Straying members of the church family are welcomed back with open arms and ready forgiveness.

THIS IS FAMILY.

broader community. In this regard, our church offers a cornucopia of options that, taken together, provide a tapestry for spiritual sustenance.

A Great Multitude: Sunday Morning Worship

Worship is paramount to glorifying God, and we are called to glorify God in all that we do. Worship opportunities abound at First Church, and as with most Christian churches, Sunday mornings are treasured as a time for corporate worship. On a typical Sunday morning, the church hosts multiple services with differing styles, allowing congregants from all walks of life to experience beautiful music, community, and a Christ-centered gospel message. Broadly speaking, each service can be described as either traditional or contemporary, though each adheres to the PC (USA) order of worship.

The traditional services are held in the church’s sanctuary and chapel. These services are very fitting of the “traditional” label, featuring choir-led hymns, organs and vestments in ornate, reverential spaces. The contemporary services have a less formal feel, featuring modern praise and worship songs in a more casual environment.

The 11 a.m. traditional service, which is the most heavily attended service, is broadcast through Tulsa’s local cable provider. This traditional service plus the TIF 11 a.m. worship are live-streamed to Facebook, YouTube and ChurchOnline, and posted to the church’s website. While not available live, other services are frequently recorded and available to view through the church’s website. There is a desire to expand and consider other strategies that would enable us to reach more of our congregants who are now watching and participating in our services through the media.

While the assortment of services is generally seen as a tremendous benefit, it does present challenges. One being logistical, as each service requires its own space, preacher, music and volunteers, and none of those may be easy to come by on any given Sunday. Another challenge, typical for churches of this size, is a loss of cohesion. That is, members often mention a sense of disconnectedness from those in other services.

The church designates certain Sundays of the year as Festival Sundays, typically driven by events on the church calendar, such as Pentecost and World Communion Sunday. On Festival Sundays, the church conducts a single service in the sanctuary, bringing attendees from the various services (including TIF) together. Many members enjoy having everyone together and seeing aspects of the various worship styles incorporated into a single service. Others feel more comfortable with a smaller gathering in

Kerr Chapel traditional worship

Tulsa International Fellowship

Sanctuary traditional worship

Stephenson Hall contemporary worship

the particular style they like. They also note a preference for early worship times.

Regardless of the service attended, congregants extol the quality of the music program. With the remarkable talents and efforts of the Music Ministry staff and volunteers, we benefit from an embarrassment of riches. Whether it’s the Chancel Choir, organ, and hymns in the traditional services or the worship teams, drums, guitars and modern praise and worship songs in the TIF and contemporary services, the music ministry is consistently mentioned as one of the highlights of worship.

Worship Schedule

Global Influence: Tulsa International Fellowship

Among the worship services and fellowship groups within First Church, the Tulsa International Fellowship (TIF) community warrants special recognition. Growing from a small number of local African Christians, TIF has been a vibrant and vital element of First Presbyterian Church since 2009. Over the past 15 years, this group has grown into what would be the second-largest Presbyterian church in Tulsa based on average weekly attendance if it were a standalone congregation. And, drawing from the cultural influences of over 15 distinct nations, TIF gatherings offer an experience you typically wouldn’t expect at a Presbyterian church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The fervent evangelism, pastoral support and fellowship within the TIF community is continually recognized as a model of Christian community.

The mission and vision of TIF is in line with that of the rest of the church, though the strength of the community among TIF attendees gives the feel of being its own selfsustaining entity carrying out the work of Christ. This is both a blessing and a challenge. It’s a blessing thanks to the genuineness and devoutness apparent within the community. But, despite integration within the children and youth ministries, at times it can feel as if TIF is separate from other groups within the church, contributing to concerns of disconnectedness expressed by numerous members within the congregation. Also, TIF members at times feel as if they are not accepted within the larger congregation. Granted, a church this

size will typically see internal factions form, so it is imperative that we be very intentional in advocating for extensive interactions and promoting relationships among members with varied backgrounds. There are immense opportunities for the traditional foundation and the global perspectives from TIF to bolster the church as a whole.

Growing in Faith: Christian Education

First Presbyterian Church has a rich history of Christian education, and the membership continues to overwhelmingly view Christian education as critical to discipleship. This dovetails with a strong belief that, as Christians, it is our lifelong responsibility to grow in the Word.

Bolstered by these beliefs, First Church Tulsa made a decision around 2012 to have a dedicated “Sunday school hour” on Sunday mornings. This means there are no worship services conflicting with Sunday school classes at 9:30 a.m. There are two key objectives behind this decision:

Rationale for a dedicated Sunday school hour

To encourage having children with their families during worship

To encourage adult Sunday school attendance

Certainly, this decision isn’t universally favored, especially by those who prefer to not attend the early services but also don’t like how late the 11 a.m. services wrap up. There is little doubt that the church’s decision occasionally drives some individuals to skip worship altogether. However, the dedicated Sunday school hour is generally well supported and is seen as a strong reflection of how the church prioritizes worship, continuing education, and community.

As expected for a church of its size, the church offers a large assortment of Sunday school offerings, with topics, class sizes, facilities, attendee profiles, and timelines to suit most needs and preferences. Both the Discipleship and Next Generation ministries excel in supporting the various Sunday school classes and other small groups to ensure each is equipped to learn, grow and encourage each other as fully devoted followers of Christ.

Though Sunday school may be the most noticeable event for fostering discipleship, building the “Kingdom of God” is not solely reserved for Sunday mornings. Rather, we are called to glorify God and to grow together in love

The church has a rich history of bringing in visiting theologians, scholars and other outside speakers, hosting retreats or service events, live streaming awardwinning lecture series, and enabling staff or members to attend conferences.

Traditional Contemporary International

Kerr Chapel (8 a.m.)

Stephenson Hall (8:30 a.m.)

Great Hall in Bernsen Center (11 a.m.)

Sanctuary (11 a.m.)

Stephenson Hall (11 a.m.)

The four groups within Next Generation

Children (newborn to 4th grade)

Middle school (“Pathfinders” 5th - 8th grade)

High school (“Exodus” 9th - 12th grade)

College students (“UKirk” ages 18-24) in conjunction with the University of Tulsa

and understanding at all times, and the church provides year-round opportunities to that end.

One example is Wednesday Night Downtown (WNDT) programming. Generally aligning with local school calendars, the church invites the whole congregation to join to share a meal together on Wednesday nights before heading to classes, lecture series, or other worship and discipleship offerings.

Bolstered by the current strength in youth ministries, Wednesday Night Downtown is well attended and presents a tremendous opportunity for worship, fellowship, learning and fun.

Other opportunities include Bible studies or studies of special topics, such as Christian literature or video series. Some classes meet before work hours or during lunch, and others include childcare. Certain classes and special series are seasonal while others are made up of disciples who gather throughout the year. Many of these gatherings are held at the church, but it’s not uncommon for groups to gather at members’ homes or other venues.

In a similar vein, members are encouraged to engage in fellowship groups, referred to as K groups (K is for “koinonia”, the Greek word for fellowship). K groups may be similar to the study groups listed above, but the intent is to meet consistently with a small set of people, to build closer connections, living life together as brothers and sisters in Christ. While participation in K groups has ebbed and flowed over the years, the church still endeavors to make sure everyone is supported and connected in the greater body of Christ. This is in line with a common sentiment among the membership that there is a yearning for opportunities to form meaningful relationships.

Beyond these, there are numerous other opportunities for worship and discipleship through programming. The church has a rich history of bringing in visiting theologians, scholars, and other outside speakers, hosting retreats or service events, live streaming awardwinning lecture series, and enabling staff or members to attend conferences.

Despite these opportunities, one area frequently cited as an area for improvement is in equipping members to use their own gifts as part of their own personal ministry. Essentially, this is the membership conveying an appetite to be more evangelical and outwardly focused. Whether that is achieved through existing programming or through new initiatives brought into the church, this demonstrates

the congregation’s desire to continue growing as disciples and to become better equipped for the call to make new disciples.

Right Here and Now: Next Generation Ministries

Children and youth aren’t just the church of tomorrow, they are the church right here and now. We are blessed with a large, growing and actively engaged group of young disciples overseen by a remarkable Next Gen leadership team.

Programming is based around multiple age groups, each with its own dedicated staff but also relying heavily on volunteers. Church members consistently recognize the youth ministries as a strength of the church, though its continued growth presents challenges, especially related to having enough volunteers and resources to maintain an already high bar.

While the specifics of programming for these groups vary in line with their ages, the principles are consistent among the groups. Even very young children are encouraged to attend worship with their families. For children between kindergarten and second grade, the “K-2 Quest” program exists so they can experience worship with the rest of the congregation but return to the children’s area for a more age-appropriate lesson during the sermon. For third grade and up, children are expected to stay with their families through the entire worship service.

During the Sunday School lessons, the children use a curriculum that follows the biblical narrative and timeline, structured to each grade as appropriate.

On Wednesday nights (WNDT), programming includes not only lessons and small group discussions, but also worship time. Adult volunteers lead the worship for the younger children, but worship for the middle and high school groups is led by the youth worship team, entirely made up of middle and high schoolers, supervised and sponsored by NextGen leaders and adult volunteers.

The WNDT lessons for younger children mostly deal with scripture memorization and biblical literacy. As children age though middle and high school, lessons build upon biblical principles, digging deeper into living as a disciple in a world full of challenges.

Each of the four age groups are also presented with service opportunities and retreats to foster further growth. Perhaps the highlight of these are the week-long mission trips taken separately by the middle school and high school groups. There, they get a very tangible sense of what it means to be in community and to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Ministries

First Church's “Special Needs” outreach is a small but rapidly growing component of Next Generation ministries. The church has employed a dedicated employee to minister to the four to six children requiring individualized attention. Other volunteers have stepped up to assist, being mindful of theologian Henri Nouwen’s encouragement to “pay attention to the people God puts in your path if you want to discern what God is up to in your life.” In addition, the Next Generation team has formed a task force to explore possible ways to expand First Church's Special Needs programming to invite all of God’s children—and their caretakers— into a worship community.

In visiting with the youth, they commonly express a desire for connectedness, not only for themselves but also across the church as a whole.

The youth treasure opportunities to interact with the pastors and lay leadership. And while youth programming largely has them interacting with peers of the same age, they frequently express a desire to interact more with other age groups. This isn’t just younger kids wanting to spend more time with the older kids—the high schoolers also express a desire to do more with the middle school and elementary-aged kids. Perhaps most strikingly, the various age groups frequently recognized a sense of separation between the separate worship services and adult fellowship groups, with many of the youth extolling the value of the combined Festival Sunday services. This illustrates a tremendous forwardlooking perspective and also demonstrates rich opportunities for the church to foster further growth among its young disciples.

With respect to the younger college-age and early-career congregants, the church reinvigorated “UKirk” outreach in 2023, relying primarily on special small group discipleship sessions and one-to-one mentoring led by one of the associate pastors.

We are truly blessed with a large and energetic collection of young disciples, but across all four age groups, a majority of youth programming aligns with the school year and mostly follows a standard Sunday/Wednesday schedule. Going forward, there is discussion around enhancing the youth programming through the summer months. There is also support for using more sports and team-related endeavors to attract and engage more youth throughout the year.

Also relating to young disciples, one very significant proposal is the establishment of a private school at First Presbyterian Church. Opinions vary significantly on the value and timing of this idea, but there is enough support that there has been an initial feasibility study and the Session has recently established a task force, overseen by the Strategic Planning Committee, to formulate an operational plan. At the current stage, the team is tasked with enumerating critical issues that would have to be addressed for the church to seriously consider running its own private school.

Discerning Our Aspirations

As described above, the church offers an abundance of programs for all ages, though these require sufficient resources to ensure they are fruitful and sustainable. There is a strong recognition that the church’s programs need to be regularly assessed to ensure their effectiveness in promoting spiritual growth and that available resources aren’t being spread too thin. This is a congregation that values its traditions and tends to favor the status quo, so it can often be challenging to effect change. However, the congregation does recognize that changes are often necessary to meet changing needs, and we strive to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Member Care

Many congregants view the church as their family and seek assurance that the church will be there for them throughout all phases of life, including old age. There is regular communication between the Member Care Committee and other church leaders to coordinate with Sunday school classes and K Groups, ensuring awareness of member needs. This represents a broad grassroots effort of intentional caregiving. The church leans on its deacons to support the needs of the church community.

Currently, there is active support for The Sisterhood of Widows group, the Guild of Intercessors and Faith Partners for mental health support.

To leave no member behind, the church also provides support for the homebound. Much of the support for those members unable to attend services is provided jointly by the Member Care Committee and the Deacons. Another layer of collaboration exists between the Pastors and the assistance provided through the parttime Parish Visitor position recently added. In addition, more can be achieved in expanding the outreach services for special needs situations and Church provided transportation.

The addition of a Parish Visitor would enable the work of the Member Care Committee, and other member service functions of the church, to become more strategic and directed. This can also be enhanced with the ongoing engagement with the Director of New Member Outreach, ensuring that new members are effectively shepherded into church life, and that they sense and understand that First Church is their home — a place where people care for one another.

liturgy or communion, classroom teaching for all ages, functions to facilitate hospitality and to provide child care.

This number can be multiplied given that volunteer rotations require additional backup volunteers to adequately provide these support services on a month to month basis.

The same concept is foundational to the volunteers needed for the Wednesday evening programming. It is also noteworthy that First Church Tulsa has an active annual calendar of events and special programs that also are undertaken with a heavy reliance on volunteers, many of whom see that particular act of engagement as their opportunity to exercise their gifts and interests.

Accordingly, staff finds it necessary to spend a lot of time recruiting and organizing volunteers for their ministry departments. The input received from staff indicates the chronic reality that the need for volunteers frequently exceeds the number of volunteers. The desire is to provide clear communication for volunteer opportunities, along with targeted outreach to well-suited individuals and families. In addition, it is also critical that these volunteers be thoroughly vetted and familiarized with the operating procedure and culture to ensure the safety and security of the children in their care. The gold standard would be that all volunteers benefit from spiritual gift identification and development, so that their service to the church would be more effective.

Exploring innovative strategies, such as involving Sunday school classes or offering after-work opportunities, can boost volunteer participation.

A Core Strength: Spiritual Vitality

Volunteerism

For a church the size of First Church, the number of volunteer opportunities numbers near one thousand. The number of volunteers for the various special events in the church calendar is well over two hundred on an annual basis. Providing governance and servant leadership by elders, deacons, trustees and volunteer committee members necessitate a group of over one hundred individuals who meet together at least monthly. On a typical Sunday, the varied church activities can require scores of volunteers to carry out tasks that range from greeting to ushering to worship roles in music,

Spiritual vitality covers the degree to which congregants believe their faith is central to their lives. As compared to other churches in the congregational survey database, our church rank was extremely high (94th percentile in this area). This indicates that those who responded, strongly feel that their spiritual experiences have a large impact on the way they look at life and form the basis for their whole approach to life. They have a strong sense of the presence of God in their lives and they connect their faith in all the other aspects.

The major findings to further enhance our spiritual vitality focused on creating more opportunities for groups to speak candidly about struggles, joys and concerns. Many desire to promote more support groups within the church, such as the Stephen Ministry. There is also a desire to establish relationships in life counseling including divorce counseling. More accessible pew prayer cards were considered important.

In addition, there is support for tapping into others’ gifts in teaching, to broaden congregant participation in their spiritual formation, including putting more emphasis on making disciples that, in turn, make disciples.

Finally, there is a desire to fashion more sermons that are relatable to youth; to continue the vital practice of elder service in home communion; and to be more focused on engaging the congregation, at all ages, in Bible literacy.

A Realized Conviction: Engaged in Missional Outreach

The capacity and fervency for mission outreach in any given church is a direct reflection of its desire to think beyond itself. Survey responses indicated a positive and passionate engagement in the mission of the church. There is also a strong sentiment that it would be worthwhile to empower persons in various ministries to excel in work that is meaningful and celebrated.

The call to make new disciples is imperative. Naturally then, a goal of First Church Tulsa should be a welcoming fellowship. This is reflected in the survey by the higher Hospitality Index (in the 60th percentile comparatively), which is a significant factor in driving church growth. The survey also showed that about 80 percent of those who responded indicated they felt a purposeful worship experience, and not just going through the motions of church activity. Instead, the vast majority feel that the whole spirit of our congregation makes people want to get involved.

Reaching new people and incorporating them into the life of the church, and developing ministries for those broken by life's circumstances—these are the priorities.

The church supports sending its congregants abroad, youth and adult, but would desire more communication and reporting about such trips, along with periodic mission updates. Many feel that an annual Missions Fair would provide an opportunity to spread the word about mission outreach.

In addition there is strong support for the belief that First Church Tulsa continues to be ecumenical in its work with other downtown churches, particularly for providing comfort to those who are living in the margins of our society. Our congregants desire a Christ-centered church that is diligent in obedience to the Great Commission. We can strive to be even more intentional in this practice, just as we are about discipleship. We can reimagine our outreach efforts to touch more lives as each of us individually carry the weight of evangelism more than ever.

Helping Hand, our working ministry providing emergency utilities assistance and a food pantry, is a long-running example of this. In the deepest

sense our church is very committed to sustaining our existing local ministries and outreaches that are effective, particularly those that are historic and in need of continuing resource allocations.

As a part of the Mission Study process, several of the partners that participate with us in our outreach, both locally and around the globe, provided detailed descriptions of their ministries. These reports can be found in the appendix to this report, as well as a listing of all of the financial support given to various missional outreach endeavors sponsored through First Church as documented in the annual financial report of the church. In every case these partners are extremely grateful for the time, talent and treasures that are being given by this congregation. A common theme for all is the invitation to organize more direct face-to-face opportunities to present the challenge and need of their mission to the congregation as a body, and to individuals who may be felt led to participate directly in their work. In every case, these partners are extremely pleased with the willingness of the First Church Tulsa pastors and congregants to take up significant leadership from time to time in support of their activities.

Congregational Communication

The church, as with many mainline churches, employs a variety of traditional and digital messaging to communicate with a wide demographic. Some desire more infographics presentation of information; others maintain an allegiance to the printed bulletin. A small editorial team produces, edits and distributes the content across a spectrum of media and markets. In addition to the quarterly print magazine Tidings—a publication with a hundred-year history—there is a constant, steady flow of e-newsletters and blasts, social media posts and digital display.

In spite of this, some congregants feel the need for more and timely information, a situation that may speak to delivery methods but may also hint at information overload. Several years back, a church-management software platform, Realm, was acquired with the idea of consolidating communication, reducing email exchange, and linking church members to committee assignments, projects, Sunday school agenda and event calendars. The member buy-in to Realm has been slow, possibly due to a lack of training. The team continues to navigate strategies designed to reach more online viewers, a growing segment of the attendance in the postpandemic world of worship. Some members have expressed a desire for both in-person services and those designed uniquely for virtual participants. Meanwhile, the 11 a.m. traditional worship service is broadcast on local cable television in three time slots, and is also available for viewing on YouTube, Facebook and ChurchOnline.

Spiritual Vitality Index 94% 94

We rank high among churches surveyed regarding the presence of God in the worship experience.

60% 60

Hospitality Index

We rank slightly above average in terms of being a welcoming church.

First Church uses a mix of traditional and digital media to communicate, including printed bulletins, social media and e-newsletters. We continue to explore the best strategies to enhance reach and engagement.

First Church leverages social media internet streaming plus local cable TV media to promote and broadcast our worship services.

Social media and technology, if employed strategically, expands opportunities for preaching and teaching in a global environment. The overall sense is that the church could do a better job using technology to reach its members, and connect with those seeking a new place to worship or spiritual community.

A website overhaul is in discussion, as the format increasingly becomes a portal for such members, those new to Tulsa scouting for a new church, or those simply curious.

In all, the Communications Committee established by Session tends to be a more production, content-creation group than one of oversight and long-term strategy. More strategic planning would profit the small production staff, which relies heavily on pastors and colleagues for content.

A Quest for Vigorous Pastoral Leadership

The Bible provides a road map for pastoral leadership. We desire a senior pastor that actively listens to God and delivers strong teaching with a practical application. The preaching and teaching must be solidly grounded in scripture. The candidate should be well-versed in biblical literacy and possess a reputable theological understanding. A focus on the gospel is essential. Our desire is that the senior pastor would respect and adhere to the orthodox and reformed tradition of the historic Presbyterian Church.

A senior pastor should highly value the congregants, genuinely showing interest in getting to know them and their stories on a personal level. The senior pastor should be intentional in connecting people and their stories to others, thus creating a community of support. This involves weaving connections between members and Christ, and between our congregation and other Christian churches locally, across the state, the nation, and the world. The senior pastor should always be seeking strategies for connecting us vertically to God, internally to ourselves, horizontally to one another, and spiritually to the larger community of faith. It’s this sense of connectedness that helps First Church Tulsa feel intimate, in spite of our being a large urban church. Our church must become more intentional about maintaining and strengthening this sense of connection, and our senior pastor should be a unifying force, bringing together our diverse congregation and culture.

We believe it is important for the congregation to recognize and respect the individuality of the new senior pastor; he/she does not need to be an exact duplicate of our past senior pastor.

The senior pastor needs to understand both formal and informal roles within the staff and congregation. The new pastor needs to respect and highly value the roles of other pastors and the active participation of staff, lay leaders, elders, and those who help equip the church in becoming inwardly strong and outwardly focused.

We would like our senior pastor to lead by example, and delegate with authority. A senior pastor should be someone who highly values teamwork, especially with the other pastors. It is important for a senior pastor not to be overly burdened with administration but allowed to focus on preaching, teaching and pastoral care. We may need to consider hiring an executive pastor to handle administrative personnel matters.

We envision our senior pastor (and the senior pastor’s family) playing a leadership role in the community. We would like to see the new pastor engage meaningfully with youth, the next generation and the children’s ministry. The youth themselves have expressed what a gift it is to be able to interact with the church’s pastors. While each may engage with the senior pastor in different ways, they share positive past experiences attributed to prior pastors’ wisdom, faithfulness, confidence, openness, curiosity, affability and humor.

A Calling for All: Lay Leadership

It is the general consensus of the congregation that those members called and elected to positions of governance and leadership are representative of the diversity of the membership and that they show genuine concern to know what people are thinking when decisions need to be made.

It is believed that improvements in governance could be achieved by fostering greater communication between various Session committees; between Session committees and staff; and between Session and the congregation. It is suggested that the Session Council, a group made up of the chairs of each standing Session committee, the clerk of Session and a pastor, resume in-person meetings on a regular basis, which was a practice in the past.

Leadership is encouraged to clearly identify and communicate priorities in programs, programming and initiatives. It is recommended that each Session and Board of Deacons committee should have a mission statement and a 5-to-10-year plan of how the efforts of their committee will serve to further the kingdom of God at First Church.

Session and Board of Deacons committees should be intentional about including on their committees church members who are not currently in leadership positions, but who have unique gifts to offer.

Ordained elders should be intentional about their call to be spiritual leaders in addition to their call of governance and organization. The feedback received supports the notion of strengthening the process by which members are called and equipped for ministry and leadership, as well as encouraging the level of engagement elders have in the leadership of the church.

Session members should be encouraged to engage in free and constructive dialog concerning matters that are brought before the body before taking any action.

Strategically Enhancing Staff Vitality

We believe our staff play an essential role in our church’s health and functioning. The church desires for them to feel vital and passionate about our church’s mission. We want to support them in feeling spiritually, mentally and emotionally strong.

The majority of church staff, as identified by the Pulse survey and interviews, indicate they are satisfied and even excited about the impact of their efforts. Compared to three years ago, almost half feel more satisfied with their work today, while 39% feel their satisfaction level has remained the same.

The staff believe their supervisors care about them as individuals and feel that the leadership shows genuine concern for their input. It is important for them to be given opportunities to make significant contributions and achievements in their work. The staff experience the presence of God in their lives and believe their work is important to the community and the larger world.

Key areas that enhance staff satisfaction at First Church Tulsa

Professional Development: This is a priority for the large majority of the staff. Adequate funding and encouragement for training individually, as a department, and as a staff team, both within and outside the church, are essential.

Safety and Security: Addressing security threats and preparing through comprehensive planning and training for weather disasters and fires is crucial. Feeling safe in the workplace is of great importance to the staff.

Volunteer Training: More effective recruiting, training and management of volunteers are needed.

Cross-Training: Staff members emphasize the importance of cross-training within and across church departments. This ensures effective coverage for those absent from their unique roles.

Technology and Training: Having up-to-date and effective technology, as well as regular training with the equipment and programs, is essential. Staff members believe that insufficient technology and training waste valuable time and energy.

The findings reflect that our staff, though to a lesser degree than the congregation, demonstrate the same high energy and high satisfaction culture of our church. All of this suggests a transformative and highly effective team.

Church staff have indicated a need for better communication and accountability internally, along with improved supervisory skills from managers. They would like to see problems resolved quickly among staff members, realizing this often happens through mutual effort.

The staff would also like buy-in on planning processes, which would help with clarity regarding long-term vision and direction. Other needs cover everything from staff spiritual retreats to improved workspaces or workstations.

Improving Facility Utilization, Safety and Security

The church campus encompasses four buildings and six parking lots located on five contiguous city blocks within a south-central section of Tulsa’s downtown area known as the Cathedral District. Some of these walls have been standing since 1925, while others were added only recently—nearly a century later. As a mix of old and new, the campus is unified in purpose to provide a central meeting place for Tulsans of all walks to come together to worship the Lord, grow together and serve the common good.

The historic First Presbyterian Church building facing Boston Avenue was extended north in 1954 with the addition of the Kerr Building and Kerr Chapel. These buildings also house the children’s and music programming. In 2002, a small, enclosed courtyard on the front of the building that incorporates a columbarium with 720 inurnment spaces was added.

In 2012, an atrium, two new wings and a courtyard were added onto the east side of the building. The Miller Atrium is now the central connecting point for the entire main church facility. It connects the old and new buildings and lends itself to special gatherings, art displays and small concerts. Stephenson Hall, where Sunday contemporary services are held, occupies the new south wing, and is also used for receptions, banquets and other large gatherings. The new north wing has two floors dedicated to classrooms. Pastoral and administrative staff offices occupy the third floor of the north wing. The outdoor courtyard, which is connected to the atrium and two wings, is used for outdoor gatherings, receptions and other similar activities.

The church acquired the historic Masonic Temple, located directly west across Boston Avenue from the original church building, in 1994 and renamed it the Bernsen Community Life Center. The historic building, constructed in 1925, was renovated to facilitate the church’s

Our desire is for our staff to feel vital and passionate about our church mission. We want to support them in feeling spiritually, mentally, and emotionally strong.

community outreach programs and efforts. Today it houses offices for six non-profit agencies, the Helping Hand ministry, conference rooms and classrooms. The Great Hall on the fourth floor is home to the Tulsa International Fellowship Sunday worship service, and is also used for other large group meetings and receptions. Large portions of the second and fifth floors are dedicated for use by the Masterwork Academy after-school program for Anderson Elementary. The building is also home to the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery.

The Powerhouse, located across Cincinnati Avenue on the east side of the main church building, is a multipurpose building that houses the Pathfinder and Exodus youth programs. It contains a large meeting room, coffee and reception area, game room and smaller rooms used for classes and group meetings.

The 8:10 Building, located directly across Eighth Street on the south side of the main church building, is a six-story commercial real-estate property that is currently fully leased as office space for three separate tenants. The building represents a unique example of social entrepreneurship, in that every penny of net profit from this for-profit operation is dedicated to support local mission projects in the Metropolitan Tulsa Area.

Armed security services are on site at all times any of the campus facilities are open, whether for worship and other related activities, and during normal working hours. In addition, during times outside of worship and other such large group activities, there are limited points of access to the facilities that either require a keycode for entry or access is granted by identification and registering with the receptionist. Procedures are in place for controlled evacuation in case of fire and for sheltering in place in case of severe weather conditions. However, safety concerns have been raised with respect to the need for procedures to be put in place in case an active shooter event, or other such threatening activity, should ever occur on campus. An appropriate team, which includes our current security service provider, is currently in the process of updating all of our safety and security procedures, and appropriate training and drills will be in place later this year.

Bernsen Community Life Center

Miller Atrium

8:10 Building

Courtyard

Stephenson Hall

Powerhouse building

Financial Profile

Stewardship

Like many churches, First Church solicits pledges from members to cover a substantial portion of the annual operating expenses. Over the past several years, the planning and organization for the stewardship campaign has been under the direction of the Finance and Stewardship Committee. Past history reflects that annual pledges towards the operating budget are usually fulfilled at a 96-97% rate.

First Church Pledging Trends

Total commitments have been trending downward, and the number of households pledging has shown a concerning decline. The percent of operating expenses covered by pledges was higher than normal in 2021 due to a required shutdown period during the COVID pandemic. Operating expenses increased significantly in 2022 resulting in a corresponding decline in the percent covered by pledges. Fortunately, the percent of operating expenses covered by pledges has remained fairly consistent over the past three years, as the average pledge amount per household has trended upwards after reflecting a significant decline in 2022.

First Church Unpledged Contributions and Designated Gifts

Each year, pledged commitments fulfilled towards the operating budget are supplemented by unpledged contributions, which make up a less significant, but important, portion of the First Church Tulsa annual operating income.

Stewardship Observations

The congregation has made stewardship a priority. There is strong support to develop the spiritual generosity of the people to financially support the ministry of the church. The congregation has suggested more focus on stewardship from the pulpit and in churchwide communication to nourish the thought of giving as spiritual worship. More frequency and transparency in reporting results of missions and program activities would encourage more widespread giving. Also, considering the generational differences in giving patterns, teaching financial literacy with stewardship may be required.

Stewardship trend lines have attracted the attention of Session, and accordingly Session has organized a Financial Condition Task Force “to investigate, study, evaluate, analyze and report concerning the financial history and financial condition of, and long-term financial forecast for, First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa, including such recommendations as the task force may deem appropriate.”

Endowment Funds

First Church is the beneficiary of six endowment funds with a combined fair market value of $27,069,341, as of December 31, 2023. Distributions from these funds support the worship, discipleship and mission operating expenses of the church, as well as provide support for other designated affiliated ministries.

Principal among the endowments is The First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa Foundation, which was established in 1962 and since that time has grown to a fair market value of $24,985,124, as of December 31, 2023. Three years ago, the foundation set a goal of increasing the fair-market value of net assets to $30 million. Over the past ten years, the foundation has distributed $7,189,085 to the church.

Foundation Distributions

$800,000

$700,000

$600,000

$500,000

$400,000

$300,000

$200,000

$100,000

$0

In 2004, the Foundation Board of Trustees established the Legacy Society. To join requires a donation of $1,000. Those persons giving a gift of $25 thousand or more are recognized by adding their names to an expanding piece of art outside the sanctuary, representing a growing vine with names on each leaf.

Foundation Distributions to First Church Tulsa

Operating Budget

Session approves an annual operating budget that is subsequently presented at the yearly congregational meeting for acceptance as presented. The approved budget, as presented, reflects annual operating income; annual operating expenses categorized by worship, discipleship and mission; and the expected net operating surplus or loss.

2024 Operating Budget

The church maintains an operating reserve to cover any net operating loss, with respect to budget and actual results. On December 31, 2023, the operating reserve balance was $849,690. The 2024 budget reflects a net surplus, which would increase the operating reserve balance to $850,168 as of December 31, 2024.

For financial control and day-to-day financial management activities, a very detailed line item financial reporting system is in place, and monthly financial reports are produced and reviewed with the Finance and Stewardship Committee and Session.

SOURCES OF REVENUE (2024)

Other Sources of Income

2023 Mission Ministry

Through a combination of financial and other resources, total mission gifts in 2023 amounted to $1,845,145. The sources and distribution of those gifts is more fully described below.

8:10 Building Fund

In 2013, thanks to the generosity of designated member gifts and other resources, the church acquired an abandoned, six-story car dealership located adjacent to the primary church property and renovated it into commercial office space. The building was renamed the 8:10 Building, linking it to Nehemiah 8:10 (“…the joy of the Lord is your strength.”) and the story of rebirth and rebuilding in the ancient city of Jerusalem. Renovation of the building was completed and the first tenants began occupancy in 2015. By mid-2017, the building was fully leased and has substantially remained so ever since.

The church is the sole member of the 8:10 Cincinnati LLC organization that owns the 8:10 Building. As a designated gift, net accumulated cash from operations is available for distribution to support approved local mission projects in the Metropolitan Tulsa Area. Session established the 8:10 Project Council to evaluate proposed projects and make recommendations to Session for funding evaluated projects.

Criteria for evaluating local mission projects for funding:

Christ-centered effort and organization

Transformational projects that address root causes or systemic issues

Provide service opportunities for church members

Metro Tulsa focused

Bias to a focus on a handful of large rather than small projects

Based on current occupancy levels, following the establishment of appropriate operating reserves and future requirements for tenant improvements and other capital needs, building operations generate more that $800,000 per year that can be made available for approved projects. In 2023, approved project funding totaled $1,009,705, including gifts to Masterwork Academy, Helping Hand, Rising Village, Crossover Preparatory Academy, Habitat for Humanity, Hope is Alive and Pathways Learning Center. Funds available for distribution in 2024 are expected to reach approximately $800,000. There is interest by some in continuing to see the expansion of Masterwork Academy to engage more children in need of its services

Other Mission Ministry Funding Sources

Through the operating budget and designated gifts, the church provides direct financial support to a large number of ministry organizations and projects around the world. In 2023, total gifts to these groups and projects amounted to $601,301. Furthermore, in its Bernsen Community Life Center building, the church provides office and operating space at a significantly discounted rental rate to nine different non-profit agencies and outreach mission programs. The net cost of providing that space in 2023 amounted to $234,139.

Challenges and Opportunities

For reference as a framework for our challenges and opportunities, the six “Great Ends of the Church” (Book of Order, F-1.0304) can serve as a reliable benchmark comparator. These principles of church life fit well with our mission of being fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. They provide a practical set of practices that can guide us in our spiritual foundation as well as being the visible practice of our harmonious fellowship, becoming the testimony of our collective efforts to glorify God, and remain in communion with one another (John 17:21-23).

Proclaim the Gospel

To proclaim the gospel for the salvation of humankind, emphasizing the church's mission to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world, seeking and saving the spiritually lost, and being preoccupied with Heaven’s great joy. To that end, we are also admonished by scripture to affirm that our highest calling as Christ followers, individually and collectively, to exalt God, and that at the name of Jesus, every knee would bow (Philippians 2:9-11), every tongue confess, and that we will be subject to Him in all matters of our life (Matthew 22:37-40). Therefore, the opportunity, in this time, is for the church to continue to be passionate in its evangelical witness and evangelistic in its missional outreach, particularly to those who are at the margins of faith, to those who are seeking to become devoted to Christ. We are to resist being recreational Christians who are like salt which has lost its taste (Matthew 5:13).

Commune Together in Holy Fellowship

To shelter, nurture and attend to the spiritual fellowship of the children of God. The satisfaction that is the engine of fellowship is founded on the fruits of the Holy Spirit, wherein we experience

peace with one another, knowing we are in meaningful relationships through Christ. In this context, we are providing a caring and supportive community for believers, abstaining from discord, adhering to mutual esteem and respect that promotes the peace of Christ among us, teaching obedience to Jesus, and provoking one another to good works in the fear of the Lord. For this holy objective, we must continue in our ethic that affirms our full embrace of loving inclusion and tolerance so that God’s grace can do its work in individuals through the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is through interpersonal respect and active listening that we reach for mutual understanding, demonstrating our broad faith and community. This holy fellowship encourages discernment around disagreements, always seeking how best to bring glory to God in all things.

Revere Holy Worship

We are responsible for maintaining regular worship services that honor and glorify God, and in our Reformed tradition, centers worship around the engrafted Word of God, which has the power to save. To that end, a significant driver of congregant satisfaction and energy is that its worship services be exceptional in both quality and spiritual content. Having been greatly blessed in that regard, a desire exists to continue affirming orthodox biblical preaching as the foundation of our worship, in song and in prayer, regardless of the cultural headwinds or cross-currents, remaining true to the close observance of living in obedience to God’s Word.

Uphold God’s Truth

Christ charged His church (this church) with the task of preserving, upholding, proclaiming and celebrating His truth, which is first and foremost our salvation by grace through faith. Our

congregation has responded positively through the years to strong pulpit preaching in the Reformed tradition; congregants will respond positively to a senior pastor who has the ability to effectively preach as well as teach, and to a shepherd who tends the flock. There is an authenticity associated with the intimacy of the clergy knowing the stories of its parishioners.

We make disciples by being inwardly strong and outwardly focused, knowing and practicing the truth of God as it is found in holy scripture. This is how we preserve truth as an ongoing effort to engage in biblical education, as well as experience spiritual edification and holy service for the glory of God and His kingdom, in this age and the age to come.

Espouse and Practice Social Righteousness

The promotion of social righteousness in society, working to defend the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, along with others on the margins who are in need of spiritual comfort. To this glorious task, our church has been greatly enabled through the gifts of ministry of many who find compassion to provide helping hands and hearts. This remains a priority, given our congregational demographics and ability to provide missional service to the very heart of underserved peoples in close proximity to the church.

Be the Kingdom at Seventh and Boston

It is incumbent upon our church to meet the challenge of being a holy place of spiritual vitality, with congregants who are highly motivated to provide their talents and treasure as faithful stewards, to see the work of God sustained and expanded by the Holy Spirit through the prayerful discernment of the Session elders.

For generations, Presbyterians have summed up their reason for existence in the Six Great Ends of the Church:

• The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind.

• The shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God.

• The maintenance of divine worship.

• The preservation of the truth.

• The promotion of social righteousness.

• The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.

Conclusions

A stable and transformational church

As a barometer of overall satisfaction, information collected and analyzed indicated broad satisfaction among members of First Church Tulsa. Most clearly agreed that our church is not simply going through the motions of church activity. There is a high degree of focus that drives satisfaction around worship services that are exceptional in quality and spiritual content, as well as clergy who communicate with the people in ways that keep them connected and spiritually focused. There is solid support for the missional outreach and evangelism agenda going forward.

Well-educated and versed in scripture

The membership hungers for Christian education and spiritual formation at every stage of life. The ethos of becoming inwardly strong as followers of Christ resonates as a strong must in the church culture.

Stewardship development a priority

First Church is an active and engaged congregation that readily supports an abundance of programming beyond Sunday. Often, though, its eyes are bigger than its stomach. To that end, and in congruence with the efforts of the Session through the Financial Condition Task Force now underway, it is critical that the church be devoted to the resourceful stewardship of His work through our ministries. We must encourage the effective provision and use of congregants’ time, talent and treasure.

Clergy-focused, balanced with strong elder leadership

The church has a clergy-dependent culture that has been positively reinforced for decades of strong pastoral leadership, engagement and spiritual edification. It is evident from the survey and from the focus group sessions, that the church enjoys and cherishes the close relationship of its clergy. Any incoming senior pastor will inherit this responsibility and expectation, among the membership and the existing pastoral leadership. Clearly, the dynamics of executive power and spiritual leadership shared by the Session must be effectively balanced in our Presbyterian governance model through mature and accountable leadership. While there is not frequent conflict among the congregants or its leadership, differences do arise from time to time. These issues should be addressed commensurate with the priorities of the Gospel, with respect and love, and with the historical principals of church order. It should be understood, however, that even though unanimity is preferred, not all may agree on a certain topic. Accordingly, the pastoral staff and Session leaders must be diligent and purposeful in strengthening the governance engagement of the Session through stronger adherence to the orderly consideration of input from the congregation, both through committees and the often-underutilized Session Council. It is the consensus of the congregants that our leaders be mindful to provide and protect the prevailing culture of civility in our discourse, allowing space for disagreement with patience and prayer for introspection.

Intentionally Orthodox, Reformed and Evangelical

The information gathered by the Mission Study Team indicates that our church is intent upon exercising its prerogative by reason or freedom of conscience, an authority ceded to First Church Tulsa, by the Book of Order when it comes to implementing recent progressive modifications proposed at the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly in Salt Lake City. Specifically, it would seem prudent to clarify, through Session action, that the church affirms and asserts its standing position on biblical marriage, sexual ethics and Elder leadership requirements.

And growing

Let us never confuse movement with action. We know and trust that First Church Tulsa has been uniquely and providentially commissioned to go and make disciples of Christ. We will need to continue to fully embrace that challenge, remembering the often quoted C.S. Lewis admonition reminding us that “the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, and to make them little Christs. If we are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons and even the Bible itself are simply a waste of time.” Our ongoing challenge is to build on our orthodox and reformed foundation, seizing the great opportunity to continue to see a future of growth for our church. This necessitates the discerning gift from the Holy Spirit that transcends fashion and culture. We must then develop comprehensive strategies to reach new people and bring them into the life of the church, for the sake of His kingdom. This means developing robust and meaningful ministries that heal all of us who have been broken by the circumstances of life. To that end, let us seek to persevere and thrive as a grace-filled church of Christ, open to all who come through our doors and inviting everyone else.

Staff vitality = programmatic success

First Church has a highly developed sense of its mission and has put in place a very professional cadre of pastoral leadership and staff to provide oversight of its many functions. It is a church that, by its size, requires a proficiency in administrative excellence to effectively carry out its mission in a manner that meets the varied requirements of the congregation. The key findings of the Mission Study indicate that there is a keen sense of purpose and vitality represented among the pastors and staff, as well as the others in administrative service. That said, there are opportunities for further development and improvements that have been detailed in the Key Findings section of this report. Based on input received from various conversations with congregants, they feel that, in addition to hiring a new senior pastor, the church should consider adding an executive administrative pastor to assume operational functions, relieving the pastoral staff of this duty. In addition, it cannot be emphasized enough how the senior pastor’s leadership style and effectiveness affect staff morale and effectiveness. The tone is set at the top and, to that end, the leadership must be one that is highly regarded and respected by those who are devoted to the daily functioning of First Church Tulsa.

Mission Study Process

Through this extensive process of data gathering, the Mission Study Team has been guided by a single desire to be led by the Holy Spirit in glorifying God, by providing an accurate description of the values and beliefs expressed by our current congregants and staff.

Mission Study Commissioning

NOVEMBER 2023

The Session approved the selection of a team to conduct the Mission Study and put it under the direction and guidance of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery Guidance

JANUARY 2024

The Mission Study Team met with Tim Blodgett, executive director of the Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery, to satisfy Presbytery requirements for a solid Mission Study Report. Several examples were provided by Rev. Blodgett that have been useful to the Mission Study Team in establishing an effective approach to data gathering, as well as understanding sources of potential information useful in the completion of the final report.

Transition Communication

JANUARY 2024

From the outset, the Session leadership enabled the utilization of the church communication assets and personnel to enable full and frequent updates to the congregation. Over the course of the various activities of the Mission Study Team, congregational bulletins, emails, prayer notices, podcasts and social media posts were used to provide updated information of progress.

Initial Congregational Meeting

FEBRUARY 2024

The Mission Study Team conducted a group discussion with congregants to communicate the approach being taken for the study, and to begin gathering information on key issues as part of a Wednesday Night Downtown session.

Selection of a Consultant

FEBRUARY 2024

The team secured an outside consultant to assist in the congregational surveys, and after a review to vet the capabilities, approached three recommended consulting groups. Holy Cow! Consulting was selected to assist in facilitating a comprehensive Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT), and to survey church staff. The results of these surveys informed further interviews and focus groups.

Pastoral Interviews

MARCH 2024

One of the first tasks of the Mission Study Team was to interview each of the pastors of the church in separate sessions to get a sense of their ideas and vision as it went forward in the transition period towards the selection of a new senior pastor.

Reference Materials

These reference materials have been provided to the Strategic Planning Committee as part of the resource documents considered and developed during the Mission Study report. As such, they are available for viewing.

2023 First Church Tulsa Year In Review Report

2023 Annual Meeting Report

2023 First Church Tulsa Guidebook And Directory 2022 First Church Tulsa Year In Review Report and 2022

Report

2018 - 2023 Church Statistical Report With Historical Stewardship Data

2023 First Church Tulsa Organizational Structure Chart Multi-Year Attendance History

Legal documents for 8:10 Cincinnati LLC

The First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa Foundation corporate documents, including any stated by-laws

Legal documents for Camp Loughridge

Fundraising Calendar

Elder Roles

First Church Tulsa Biblical Standard For Christian Leaders

First Church Tulsa Elders Deacons and Trustees Lists

First Church Tulsa Pastoral Letter On Christian Marriage

2008 - 2015 Strategic Directions Study

2010 Alban Institute Staffing Study

2011 Base Camp Study

2013 Leaning Into A Faithful Direction Study

2013 Next Step Task Force Report

2016 Faith And Fine Arts Academy Report

2017 8:10 Mission Campaign Report

2017 Strategic Planning Survey And Findings

2022 Feasibility Study For A Private School at First Church Tulsa

Congregational Input Approach

MARCH 2024

With the assistance of Holy Cow! Consulting, the CAT was administered as an online survey during the month of March. Given the size of active members and attendees (about 1,600 as of the end of 2023), a goal of 285 completed surveys was set to achieve a statistically reliable sample. All told, 484 persons responded.

Staff Survey and Interviews

APRIL & MAY 2024

The consultant was also engaged to facilitate a survey of the church staff (The Pulse) and provide feedback on the results. These were discussed with staff on May 20 with a follow-up session of facilitated focus group discussion, followed in the next week by several one-on-one individual staff interviews.

Session Leadership & Congregational Briefings

MAY 2024

More than 90 elders, deacons, trustees and staff gathered in the Great Hall of the Bernsen Building to receive a post-survey briefing from Holy Cow! Consulting on May 4. The primary findings can be found in the reference document titled Vital Signs. In a congregational session held on May 19 in Stephenson Hall, the findings were presented to more than 250 congregants.

Ongoing Congregational Communications

MAY 2024

Team updates were provided monthly to the Strategic Planning Committee and to Session. The Transition Team also updated its church webpage periodically with the latest progress reports. Several podcasts were aired providing more extensive updates on the progress of the Mission Study.

Session Committee Focus Groups

MAY & JUNE 2024

To understand the information derived from the CAT, each of the Session committees met with individual focus groups based on their particular roles and responsibilities. The conversations were summarized and themes identified regarding the current and future state of the church.

Congregational Conversations

JUNE 2024

The final stage of data gathering included five Sunday sessions in which congregants were invited to explore topics related to the work of the Mission Study. Attendance varied from week to week, from a high of 150 to a low of 62. In total, there were approximately 50 groups participating over the course of the five weeks. Those attending were broken into discussion pods using a designed questionnaire to gather input from the smaller groups and to allow discussion. The Mission Study Team also held focus group sessions in the youth Powerhouse with the eight Pathfinder and Exodus breakout groups to gather their input and ideas. Feedback was incorporated into the findings of the Mission Study Report.

2023 Executive Insights Report and Ministries Insight Report

Six Great Ends Of The Church (Book Of Order F-1.0304

First Church Tulsa Website- What We Believe

2023 Inquirer's Class Notebook (New Members)

Fellowship Community Tenets

Mission Study Process Guidelines

Transition Team Notes of Meeting With Dr. Miller

First Church Tulsa Mission Study Team Road Map

Key Themes From Pastors Interviews

Consultant Engagement For Congregational Survey

Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) Launch

CAT Survey Questions

Strategic Issues- Session Strategy Retreat, February 2024

CAT Survey Raw Data

CAT Custom Questions 95-102; 103-106

CAT Survey “Vital Signs” Report And Transition Summary

CAT Open Comments Themes

Key Leader Slide Deck for May 4 Briefing and CAT Handout

For Congregational Briefing

The Pulse Survey Results and Staff Interviews

Session Committees Focus Group Notes

Key Feedback Comments Matrix and Congregation Pod Support Documents

Community Mission Partner Reports

MST Update Reports

Call System Document For Pastors