Abundant Congregations, LLC was chosen to lead the Strategic Vision Planning Program at Rejoice Lutheran Church from September-November 2018. Rejoice Lutheran Church had just completed a building project and needed some new energy and direction and as we looked at alternatives the process that Abundant Congregations proposed seemed like a good match for the needs of our community. Even though there were some in the community who were reluctant to make the investment in this process initially the energy level in the congregation and the excitement for the congregation’s future is significantly higher than at the beginning of the Strategic Vision Planning Program.
The Strategic Vision Program that Abundant Congregations recommended to us involved listening to the congregation and to the community around the congregation. From the first session that our consultant led the congregation was actively involved in providing feedback and brainstorming about their desired future. The process provided everyone an opportunity to have a voice in where our congregation would go, and people felt empowered to make suggestions and we had several new leaders emerge throughout the visioning process.
As a pastor, this process was invaluable because it provided clarity for both me as a leader and for the congregation. The external interview process where we interviewed leaders throughout our community in government, police and the schools provided some great insights that helped us understand our neighborhood. I have recommended Abundant Congregations to several colleagues and would use them in the future for either helping clarify the congregation’s vision or with any future stewardship needs.
