"God is on a mission in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, and you are his plan for getting it done!"

That wake-up call from church visionary Dr. Kelly Fryer (right), delivered at the 2008 Assembly, is the theme for the Synod’s year-long strategic planning process, which aims to align the ministries of the synodical organization, lay and rostered leaders and congregations with God’s mission to bless and save the world.

This page summarizes the year-long process and our progress toward a strategic plan due in early 2009.

• Missional Principles
• Values and Best Practices
• It's God's Party!

 

SEPA Missional Principles

The process began in January, with two sessions at which congregational leaders offered feedback and constructive criticism of the capacity of the Synod and congregations to focus on mission. Working with Mike Regele and John Mueller Nowell of Church Innovations, a team of leaders outlined seven core missional principles and reviewed our shared ministries in light of those principles.

 

SEPA Missional Principles

1.    It’s God’s mission:   We are invited to participate.

2.    Jesus is Lord:  We are claimed, called and sent by Christ.

3.    The Holy Spirit guides us:  We are prayerfully and spiritually open to God’s direction.

4.    God doesn’t play favorites. God’s gifts are for everyone. Mission is a cross-cultural enterprise.

5.    Right here! Right now!   We respond to God’s call to our time and place.

6.    Tell it like it is!  The old, old story must be translated so people today can hear it.

7.    Vision and leadership required.  Every part of the church needs missional leaders.

 

Values and Best Practices

The first phase concluded with the identification of best practices that will mark Synod ministries.  These values include:

•    Training missional leaders who are collaborative, accountable, and willing to risk for the sake of the Gospel.
•    Directing resources for mission and encouraging sustainability in mission.
•    Encouraging and affirming missional risk-taking and experimentation.
•    Investing in and resourcing missional congregations and new opportunities.

 

It's God's Party ... And You're Invited!

In the current phase of the process we are engaging people across the synod in exploring missional imagination.  “It’s God’s Party” is the theme for the 2008 conference gatherings. These events are designed to be  fun and enlightening, and will help leaders to share their story in their own context and provide input to the Synod’s visioning process. Conversations, ideas and participation from these gatherings will be used to construct a strategic plan to be unveiled by early 2009.

	Professional comic Mark Ristine, youth director at Gloria Dei, Huntingdon Valley, facilitates the God's Party discussions.
	Bishop Burkat talks with congregational leaders at the Central Philadelphia conference gathering.

Kelly Fryer and Dave Daubert of A Renewal Enterprise are guiding us in this missional planning process. Kelly engaged council presidents on September 20 and Dave will keynote the Mission Fair Oct. 18.