News: February 21, 2025
Dear Members and Friends,
This month’s Board meeting had a special focus- finalizing next year’s Congregational Aspirations. But, you may ask- what are the Aspirations, how are they developed, and how do they affect the ministries and programs of the church? Read on, friends, and let’s go through these questions together!
What are the Aspirations?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an aspiration as “a strong desire to achieve something high or great.” Our congregational aspirations are likewise a set of 3-6 ambitious goals that guide our planning and budgeting for the coming program year. Developing and approving the Aspirations is the primary way in which the Board of Directors guides the vision of the church. Once approved, the Aspirations then form the basis of the Annual Vision of Ministry, (VoM) which lays out an overall plan and priorities for the coming church year (our fiscal year runs July- June). The VoM is usually drafted by the Senior Minister, then formally adopted by the Board before being presented to the congregation at the Annual Membership Meeting, and published in the Annual Report.
How are the Aspirations Developed?
The original concept of developing Aspirations came to us from congregational leadership expert Dan Hotchkiss, author of Governance and Ministry (in which he calls them “Open Questions”). For the past five years, during Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen’s Developmental Ministry, the Aspirations have been largely drawn from our 5 developmental goals. Because this year marks the beginning of Rev. Colin’s Settled Ministry, we have the opportunity to develop a new set of Aspirations.
To develop this year’s Aspirations, Board members reviewed and considered aggregated, anonymized feedback on general congregational priorities that congregants gave as part of the Ministerial Search process. (A huge thanks to the Ministerial Search Committee and to all those who gave feedback!) We then went through a facilitated process at our January Board workshop to consider how congregants’ stated priorities lined up with our congregation’s Vision, Mission and Covenant, the types of congregational resources we possess, and how much progress we might hope to make. Based on this process, we decided that Spiritual Growth, Social Justice and Lay Leadership Development should form the basis of this year’s Aspirations, along with continued work on Multiculturalism and Antiracism, a priority that continues from our 5-year developmental goals. Based on the Board’s assessment of the need for greater fiscal sustainability, we also included an Aspiration related to our finances. The Board President and Vice President also met with staff to receive feedback on the Aspirations, as staff efforts are key to ultimately carrying out the work of the Vision of Ministry. Board members have been asked to continue to reflect on the draft Aspirations, and will be asked to vote to adopt them at the March 19 Board meeting.
How do the Aspirations reflect the programs of the church?
As mentioned, the Aspirations guide the development of the Annual Vision of Ministry, which in turn guides the development of the annual budget. In this way, the Aspirations lay out the priority areas to which we will allocate minister and staff time, funds, facility use, and lay leader time.
For example, over the past two years, the Board has adopted an Aspiration related to deepening spirituality and providing opportunities for spiritual development. This Aspiration has led to the development of programs like “Future Vision, Future Selves,” which has helped congregants reflect on how we as humans envision and prepare for the future. This program, described in the 2024-25 Vision of Ministry, has included sermons, special worship elements, workshops with outside facilitators, and a monthly book group. It has also helped guide lay-led programming, as congregants in lay-led groups reflect on themes introduced as part of the series.
How do I see the Aspirations?
Each year’s Aspirations, along with the Annual Vision of Ministry, are presented at the annual Membership Meeting at the beginning of June. They are then published in the Annual Report, available on the congregation’s website.
This coming church year will be a challenging one, in terms of all that’s going on in the US and in the world, but I have hope. Our Aspirations are statements of our hopes for the future, and of our confidence that we have the will and resources we need to continue to widen love’s circle together. May it be so.
With love,
Sheryl
Sheryl Abrahams
Board President
This month’s Board meeting had a special focus- finalizing next year’s Congregational Aspirations. But, you may ask- what are the Aspirations, how are they developed, and how do they affect the ministries and programs of the church? Read on, friends, and let’s go through these questions together!
What are the Aspirations?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an aspiration as “a strong desire to achieve something high or great.” Our congregational aspirations are likewise a set of 3-6 ambitious goals that guide our planning and budgeting for the coming program year. Developing and approving the Aspirations is the primary way in which the Board of Directors guides the vision of the church. Once approved, the Aspirations then form the basis of the Annual Vision of Ministry, (VoM) which lays out an overall plan and priorities for the coming church year (our fiscal year runs July- June). The VoM is usually drafted by the Senior Minister, then formally adopted by the Board before being presented to the congregation at the Annual Membership Meeting, and published in the Annual Report.
How are the Aspirations Developed?
The original concept of developing Aspirations came to us from congregational leadership expert Dan Hotchkiss, author of Governance and Ministry (in which he calls them “Open Questions”). For the past five years, during Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen’s Developmental Ministry, the Aspirations have been largely drawn from our 5 developmental goals. Because this year marks the beginning of Rev. Colin’s Settled Ministry, we have the opportunity to develop a new set of Aspirations.
To develop this year’s Aspirations, Board members reviewed and considered aggregated, anonymized feedback on general congregational priorities that congregants gave as part of the Ministerial Search process. (A huge thanks to the Ministerial Search Committee and to all those who gave feedback!) We then went through a facilitated process at our January Board workshop to consider how congregants’ stated priorities lined up with our congregation’s Vision, Mission and Covenant, the types of congregational resources we possess, and how much progress we might hope to make. Based on this process, we decided that Spiritual Growth, Social Justice and Lay Leadership Development should form the basis of this year’s Aspirations, along with continued work on Multiculturalism and Antiracism, a priority that continues from our 5-year developmental goals. Based on the Board’s assessment of the need for greater fiscal sustainability, we also included an Aspiration related to our finances. The Board President and Vice President also met with staff to receive feedback on the Aspirations, as staff efforts are key to ultimately carrying out the work of the Vision of Ministry. Board members have been asked to continue to reflect on the draft Aspirations, and will be asked to vote to adopt them at the March 19 Board meeting.
How do the Aspirations reflect the programs of the church?
As mentioned, the Aspirations guide the development of the Annual Vision of Ministry, which in turn guides the development of the annual budget. In this way, the Aspirations lay out the priority areas to which we will allocate minister and staff time, funds, facility use, and lay leader time.
For example, over the past two years, the Board has adopted an Aspiration related to deepening spirituality and providing opportunities for spiritual development. This Aspiration has led to the development of programs like “Future Vision, Future Selves,” which has helped congregants reflect on how we as humans envision and prepare for the future. This program, described in the 2024-25 Vision of Ministry, has included sermons, special worship elements, workshops with outside facilitators, and a monthly book group. It has also helped guide lay-led programming, as congregants in lay-led groups reflect on themes introduced as part of the series.
How do I see the Aspirations?
Each year’s Aspirations, along with the Annual Vision of Ministry, are presented at the annual Membership Meeting at the beginning of June. They are then published in the Annual Report, available on the congregation’s website.
This coming church year will be a challenging one, in terms of all that’s going on in the US and in the world, but I have hope. Our Aspirations are statements of our hopes for the future, and of our confidence that we have the will and resources we need to continue to widen love’s circle together. May it be so.
With love,
Sheryl
Sheryl Abrahams
Board President
