Preliminary plan responds to Mutual Ministry Review feedback

By Christie M. Wills

Growing diocesan strengths such as hospitality, outreach and youth are among the top goals for the next five years, according to the preliminary diocesan Long Range Plan.
The Long Range Planning Committee drafted the report based on the responses diocesan vestries gave earlier this year to the Mutual Ministry Review.
“We wanted to be as responsive as possible to the Mutual Ministry Review because a majority of parishes and clergy participated in that endeavor and the data was most helpful,” said the Rev. Doug Wigner, rector of St. Paul’s, Lynchburg and convener of the group.
According to Wigner, the committee made a strong effort to create goals with concrete components. For example, the plan calls for the bishop to spend a week annually in each of the diocese’s five convocations as his schedule permits. These longer convocation visits were proposed in response to feedback that requested more two-way, free-flowing communication between the bishop and people across the diocese.
“The Long Range Planning Committee sought to strengthen those areas of what we do best, to seek ways to enhance those goals we want to accomplish, and to pay particular attention to the stresses within our system and how best to reduce them while remembering that conflict is a normative part of life. We will always have conflict, but we can reduce it to a more manageable size,” wrote Wigner in the preamble to the report.

The Long Range Plan is at the center of discussion at Fall Mission Day meetings in each convocation. Delegates are reviewing the report in small groups and giving their feedback to the planning committee.
The preamble to the plan describes the price of the beautiful, spread-out geography of the diocese: hindered communication. “The heights and depths of our diocese do not lend themselves to easy gatherings of our diocesan family… For many parts of the diocese, a cell phone is best used as a paper weight.”
At the Augusta Fall Mission Day, all of the small groups affirmed the plan’s emphasis on communication. As the southern most edge of the Augusta Convocation is about 40 minutes from Evans House, the diocesan office, the small groups agreed with the call for the Executive Board to explore a videoconferencing system.
Several also discussed the prospect of adding a canon to the ordinary or executive assistant to the bishop “for a more direct link between the bishop, parishes, clergy and lay leadership,” which may or may not require additional funds. Some questioned whether the additional position is necessary given the smaller size of the diocese; others felt it would enhance the parishes’ ability to connect with diocesan staff.
Augusta Convocation delegate Ernest Holley, of Trinity, Staunton, believes that the proposed Long Range Plan is responsive to diocesan needs.
“The emphasis the plan places on communication stuck with me. Some people don’t realize they are part of a Church beyond their own parish. Having the bishop’s physical presence with us for longer periods would be wonderful. If we can carry this plan out, it would be marvelous,” said Holley, who is also a member of the diocesan Standing Committee.

After all of the feedback has been received from the Fall Mission Day meetings, Wigner and the committee will make any adjustments to the plan. The committee, composed of the deans and presidents of the convocations, will release the final version of the plan in late December. Delegates will consider final approval of the document at annual Council in late January.
“I appreciate the hard work that the Long Range Planning committee has done and I look forward to how Council will take up these issues in January,” said Bishop Neff Powell.
“The proposed Long Range Plan would allow greater participation and communication in the diocese, but ultimately, it will only be as good as it is put into practice,” said Wigner. //

To read the full preliminary plan, visit the Fall Mission Days information section .