Millwood Community Presbyterian Church
An Emerging Vision for Ministry
2002 - 2008
Below is a description of the last six years of planning and vision casting that has led us to initiate a Capital Campaign in the Fall of 2008.
Compass Report
This Compass Group was initiated in 2002 while the church was without an installed pastor. With the help of Frank Beatty they did a detailed mission study and presented an extensive report to the session. They accomplished a great deal with this report, including the adoption of the following vision statement:
Vision Statement
Millwood Community Presbyterian Church is a Spirit-filled congregation that joyfully worships God. Through worship, Bible study and prayer, we equip and challenge people to spread the Word of God, provide shelter for those in need and serve as a beacon of God’s Truth and Light in the community. Our members use their time, talents and treasures to serve the Lord. We embrace youth and respect age. Our older members provide stability and mentor the younger members, who challenge the church with fresh ideas. We proclaim the majesty of God’s Grace through traditional and contemporary forms of worship. We acknowledge, discuss and accept our differences, unified by the assurance that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
Concluding Statement of Compass Report
The problems facing Millwood are not trivial and will not be solved quickly. There is no quick solution such as hiring a new pastor or building a gymnasium that will change the membership trends or will create a desire in our youth to stay within the church family. The decline in church membership started 40 years ago and mirrors trends within the mainline Protestant denominations. We can make dramatic changes in the way we operate and the programs we offer. This may create a fun environment that attracts new members, but it is only by refocusing our attention on the Lord Jesus Christ that our church will experience true growth.
The current Mission Goals are somewhat inwardly focused. We need to build a strong foundation by making sure our church and our individual lives are centered on the Lord. Only then can we actively reach out to our community and our world to proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
The full report is available here.
Compass II Report
The Compass process was continued in the Spring of 2005 when the Compass II Committee was asked by the session to build on the work of the original strategic planning group. This included assembling data from over 120 Appreciative Inquiry interviews, reflecting on our strengths and capacities as a church. This process culminated in a session retreat in the Fall of 2005 where we identified five areas of focus for us a church in the coming years. As part of this report the Compass II group, along with the session established five mission priorities and vision themes;
1. Caring Relationships Vision Statement: As the body of Christ, Millwood Presbyterian Church is a caring community, where all God’s people are accepted, loved, nurtured and supported as part of an extended family.
2. Mission and Outreach Vision Statement: As the body of Christ, the people of Millwood Presbyterian Church express God’s love and mercy with their resources and deeds to serve the Church, the neighborhood, and the greater community.
3. Models of Faith/Spiritual Practices Vision Statement: Millwood Community Presbyterian Church is a community of spiritual mentors, leading people to a commitment to Jesus Christ and a life of discipleship through Bible study, corporate worship, adult education, opportunities for mission, stewardship, and connecting personally with others.
4. Facilities as Centers of Outreach Vision Statement All facilities at Millwood Community Presbyterian Church are used and maintained to their full and utmost potential to further a life in Christ.
5. Youth & Young Adults Vision Statement: Millwood Community Presbyterian Church is creating and providing an environment and avenues to stimulate, grow, develop, nurture, and lead the youth of our community to a life in Christ.
The full report is available here.
Living Into the Vision
The next step in our journey has been to live into these plans for ministry and we are starting to see this vision for ministry coming to fruition.
● We have grown in our mission to the Youth of our community through our Young Life Church partnership, the creation of the Crossing Youth Center, and we are helping start a new mentoring ministry to teen moms. The Crossing is almost already at capacity for our Junior High ministry.
● We have grown in our mission to the neighborhood and community through things like the Millwood Farmer’s Market, and Homework Partners tutoring at Orchard Center elementary.
● We have grown in our willingness to care for those in greatest need through things like the senior meals program and our participation in Interfaith Hospitality Network to house homeless people. We have also opened up Camp White to house homeless families as part of Family Promise, the North Idaho version of Interfaith Hospitality.
● We have grown in membership over the last four years. In that time we have received 136 new members, which is 5 more than we received in the 9 previous years combined. In 2004 we reported a membership of 425 and as of today we have a membership of 475. Over a quarter of our current church rolls consists of people who have joined over the last four years.
Facilities Planning
One of the areas of focus has been facilities planning. The Compass II Report describes our facilities as center of outreach and paints a picture of our future where, "All facilities at Millwood Community Presbyterian Church are used and maintained to their full and utmost potential to further a life in Christ."
To help us live into this vision for our facilities, the session appointed a task force or Mission Action Team in 2006 to help guide us in planning. They were specifically assigned the task of making recommendations to the sessoin about how to fulfill this vision for our facilities. There report is available here. It focused on the task of replacing or renovating our Christian Education building, improving bathroom access our main facility, and creating a community center facility for use by the church and community.
Based in these recommendations the session appointed two teams, the Capital Campaign Team and the Building Design Team, to help refine and implement the recommendations of the Mission Action Team.
The Capital Campaign team was assigned the task of preparing for a Capital Campaign to help raise funds fo the facilities projects. After a process of exploring our past history of giving, our financial needs, and our giving potential, this team with the sessions approval has secured the services of Roger Boatman from R.S.I. to help lead us in a capital campaign in the Fall of 2008.
The Building Design Team has worked hard for the last year, determining that future construction will be limited to the parcel of land that currently hold the CE Building. Most notably they determined that construction on the church owned property to the west of Dale Rd. is not possible due to it's residential zoning. They also determined that the church will not be able to aquire the property on the corner of Dalton and Dale Rd. With those limitations in mind, the Building Design Team is working with local architect, Paul Matthews, to make design recommendations and cost estimates to the congregation in Septemeber of 2008.
Reality Check - It's Not About Buildings and Money
As the planning team members have waded through the details of the tasks that have been set before them, they have had to remind themselves that these tasks are fundamentally not about buildings and money. Rather these assignments are about mission and ministry. They are about a shared commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, a commitment to share and live out that good news together in this neighborhood and community.
This is the vision that drives us today as has always been the case.
It is this vision that led 47 people in March of 1915 to start a Sunday School class that led Millwood Presbyterian Church to be established in 1918 as a mission of First Presbyterian Church. As the neighborhoods around the church grew with young families, the church also grew and in 1923 the cornerstone was laid for the original sanctuary building.
It is this vision that through the years has led us to welcome over 5,400 members, and baptize over 1,100 children.
It is this vision that led us over the years to expand and improve our facilities to more effectively share and live out the hope that is within us. This included the construction of the current Children’s Education building in 1947, our current sanctuary completed in 1957, the major renovation of the office space, classrooms, and the addition of the Reception Hall in completed in 1989, and more recently in the renovation of the organ and the creation of the Crossing Youth Community Center.
It is this vision that will lead us and animate us as we seek to raise funds and renovate facilities in the Fall of 2008.