 In-Focus Recommendations

Overview  Church Values  Church Data  Revamp Communications  Children and Youth Ministries  Small Group plans

Church Values  Warm Relationships  Missional Service  These values reflect who we are as a church body

Church Data  After updating the records our current membership is 324 people  The average attendance over the past 6 months is 201.

Church Data  38% of our apportionments were paid for 2014

Church Data

Children and Youth Ministries  Breakthrough Prayer  Find ways among staff, leadership, and children’s volunteers, to regularly incorporate breakthrough prayer for our church’s children’s and youth ministries into the ministry routine.  Improve Leadership in both ministry areas  Hire Youth minister and Children’s minister  Provide and obtain 100% of Safe Sanctuary training for staff, volunteers, and potentially ADS teachers  Create a Youth Ministry Council and a Children’s Ministry Parent Council  Create a Leadership Avenue for Youth  Create a plan to increase parent and adult involvement

Children and Youth Ministries  Improve Worship opportunities for Youth and Children  Incorporate youth and children in worship services more  Observe Scout Sunday, incorporate Day School into worship services more often, etc.  Make WOW Worship more “worship oriented” instead of like a SS class  Create a guideline for spiritual milestones for children and youth for the use of church leaders and teachers  Ensure regular emphasis on stewardship for our children and youth

Children’s and Youth Ministries  Encourage Discipleship among Children, Youth, and Parents  Offer confirmation classes every 2 years or as needed  Break apart JrHigh and SrHigh Sunday School classes  Encourage milestones for parents and youth in the spiritual development/future of their children, and provide resources to help with faith formation  Provide information in a timely manner to parents/youth about UMC camps etc. and encourage students to participate in these camps  Schedule and offer “Connecting Events” to foster building of relationships among church members/families  Create a Children’s and Youth’s bulletin board for posting pictures, announcements, etc. available for all congregation to view  Scheduling/posting calendars and activities far enough in advance to notify busy families and recruit committed volunteers for upcoming events

Children and Youth Ministries  Outreach Opportunities to Families in the Community  Research possibility of starting an Upwards Sports program at Asbury year round  Consider making a walking prayer track on property available to community  Offer special programs and services that are family oriented to bring people in (i.e. Breakfast with Santa)  Research possibility of offering/sponsoring parenting programs throughout the year at Asbury for congregational members, Day School and families in community  Routinely ask Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Girl Scout troops to participate in activities with church to incorporate these youth.

Improve Small Groups  Winter A meeting for current Home Group Leaders  February/March Sunday School worship emphasis  Spring Pastor begins small group for leadership team; in next 18 months, do something similar for potential church leaders  Spring Conduct a refresher training for Prayer Partners  April Ministry Moments for each Home Small Group  July weeks training for new home group leaders and Sunday School leaders  September Kick Off new home groups and Sunday School classes  Fall Introduce a bank of short-term small groups

Revamp Communications  Communicating with Active Members  Communicate weekly via bulletin, screen, and /phone tree  Circulate monthly via Circuit Rider or twice monthly via . Also make available through mail or at welcome center  Restart phone tree  Mailouts as needed  Determine active members’ preferred method of contact  Have shepherds contact personally monthly, with quarterly fellowship events

Revamp Communications  For Committees and Volunteers  Transfer responsibility of contact to committee members to committee chairs, rather than office administrator  Committee chairs will be asked to pastor and office administrator first to schedule and prep meeting, and then copy them on their communications to their team  General Communications  Obtain, Train, and Implement new membership and attendance software  Create a display board for the main hall with Sunday School information  Update and man welcome center weekly

Revamp Communications  Communicating with Sporadic Attendees  Begin the Missing Member ministry under the Membership Care Ministry  Send quarterly mailouts to let them know we’re thinking of them  Communicating with Visitors  Initial contact within 72 hours  2 weeks out, 4 weeks out  A plan for when and how they should be encouraged to become a member