Strategic Planning

In 2010-2011, the people of Grace Epiphany Church are engaged in a strategic visioning process to map out our future as an Episcopal church in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia.  We are actively seeking to answer the question, “What is God calling us to do and to be?”  Responding to repeated exhortations by the Rector, we formulated a new mission statement, with a vision statement, and strategic plan to follow. The Vestry has kicked off the process by formulating our Core Values, and a Visioning Team will refine those into a statement of who we are as a church family at present.  From there we will begin to imagine our preferred future and formulate a vision statement, and finally look at what specific actions—programs, activities, personal commitments, and group projects—will take us from the present into the future we describe. 

Our mission, vision, and strategy must of course be grounded in our core identity as children of God, as followers of Jesus Christ, who gather for worship and Communion so that we may go out into the world to do God's work.  In this we are surely guided by the promises we have made in the Baptismal Covenant, and by the power of the Holy Spirit as it moves us in this place and in this time.

As we move closer to identifying specific programs, activities and commitments, it may help us to see the examples of proposed actions that were identified in an "asset-mapping" exercise, a technique learned from Partners for Sacred Places.

If you have any questions or comments that can contribute to this process, please send them to rector.graceepiphany@verizon.net, with your name and e-mail address, noting whether you are a current parishioner, former parishioner, or friend of Grace Epiphany.