Many 'Ah-ha!' Moments During Discovery Phase of Strategic Planning Journey

By July, Anna Bubel, Strategic Planning Committee Consultant, had met with every parish in the Diocese of Edmonton, either in person or in a couple of extraordinary cases, via video or phone conference. 

Bubel says she had many “Ah-ha!” moments as she drove 4,600 kms to visit parishes. These are her top three:

1. “I am blown away by people's dedication. So many elderly women, in particular, are holding their church communities together despite declining numbers and increased expenses. They are clearly bound by a deep love of God and each other -- doing everything to keep their church doors open and keep Christ at the center of their lives. 'Small but mighty' was a description that was often repeated."
2. “I was impressed by people's clear and practical thinking when sharing their challenges and opportunities. There was a level-headedness when describing the struggles of their parishes.”
3. “The themes arising from the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analyses and the sessions were overwhelmingly similar and did not cut neatly along urban vs. rural divides. Smaller parishes experience the same challenges as larger ones, albeit on a different scale. Rural parishioners tithe more per capita than their urban brethren. They are tackling the same challenges but with fewer human and financial resources. Parishes struggle with big-picture diocesan thinking (seeing themselves as part of a diocesan family of churches).”

“We are grateful to all of you for listening in spirit together by completing the membership survey and/or participating in a parish engagement session. As with any plan, we first needed to listen to our parishes and parishioners,” says Bishop Stephen London.

With the discovery phase of our strategic planning journey nearing completion, Bubel is now summarising her learnings to share with participating parishes by the end of September or, at the latest, the first week in October. She is writing a comprehensive report for members of Synod to reflect on before they gather in October.

Her report on the parish engagement phase of the strategic planning process will be presented at our 69th Synod, “Hearts Burning Within Us,” scheduled to take place on October 18 and 19. 

“We plan to spend several hours as a Synod talking and praying about the report. This is important work because it is from these conversations that we will develop the Strategic Plan for our diocese and parishes. Executive Council will use the insight gleaned from our discussions about Anna’s report to chart a course for our next five years together,” says Bishop London.

“We are in a challenging time as a church, and we need to discern together where Christ is calling us currently to invest our time and resources. We are a family of churches joined together for the work of the Gospel in Central Alberta. Please pray for our discernment as we listen to the voice of God together. Thank you for embarking on this journey in faith together.”