~ City on a Hill ~
We’re excited to share more information about City on a Hill Year 2: Stewardship this spring! Stay tuned!
What is City on a Hill?
City on a Hill launched in 2023 and is woven into the fabric of Christus Victor! Built upon feedback from people affiliated with our church, the initiative has shown where God is leading us. While it supports the church financially, it also directs Christus Victor’s strategic priorities.
To see the full details of our 2023 City on a Hill priorities, please keep scrolling! 2024 priorities will be shared soon!
Hear from Pastor Melanie about City on a Hill (2023!)
To pledge your commitment to City on a Hill, click here:
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2023 City on a Hill Priorities
Christus Victor Strategic Priorities
2/12/2024 (original draft submitted on 5/22/23)
Mission: Christus Victor exists to make the living Christ known.
Vision: We Gather, Grow and Go in the context of Missional Communities to participate in Jesus’ redemptive mission in the world.
Core Values:
Welcome—We welcome all people, made in the image of God.
Identity—In our baptisms, we are saved by grace to join Jesus every day.
Community—We participate in community as disciples, doing God’s work in the world.
Purpose—Our purpose is to join the living God in actively using our gifts to make the world a better place.
The following goals, objectives, and tactics represent a distillation and prioritization of the feedback received from the Dream Team, Council, listening sessions, surveys and the City on a Hill team. They are offered as steps to achieve our vision of Christus Victor as a beacon of light, a city on a hill, always open and welcoming, safe for all to enter and pray, worship, seek help, and seek God. These goals are in addition to the current work, priorities and funding of Christus Victor, the council, our ministry teams, our members, and all of you. Over time, these commitments and activities will lead to increased worship attendance, growth in faith, increased giving, increased outreach and service to our communities.
The updates since the release of these priorities in May of 2023 are printed in bold.
The following are major growth areas:
· the Equipping Ministry Coordinator position was revamped to become the Minister of Community Engagement; Deacon Annette was hired into this role
· the roof was replaced by the aforementioned date
· the decision was made to repair and paint the fellowship hall room dividers by 3/1
· we hired Christina Schiel as our Communications Specialist to help with marketing, social media presence and overall communication
· we started up PADS on Sunday nights with new leadership
· the Children’s Ministry was revamped in summer of 2023, and we hired Kasandra Pruyn as coordinator, fully supported by the Children’s Ministry Lead Team and by Pastor Melanie in her expanded role as Faith Leader for Young Families
· we opened the nursery and hired Terri Flaim as coordinator
· a cross-section of Christus Victor people revamped adult education to promote Passport for Learning opportunities that offer both online and in-person options, as well as options for those new to the faith and those seasoned in the faith…see “Passport for Learning” at cvlutheran.org/passport
1. (GATHER) Christus Victor is a vibrant, safe, welcoming worship home in which people’s faith grows and transforms our community
a. Objective 1: ensure all people are greeted and acknowledged individually at worship
i. Tactic: recruit and train 24 people to be effective greeters (2 per service, 24 people per month) by June 2024 (updated from 1/2024)
1. Worship team coordinator (and equipping ministry coordinator)
ii. Tactic: follow up on all new visitors with 2 phone calls
1. One from a pastor and one from a council member or Minister of Community Engagement in the week following the visit
b. Objective 2: ensure facility safety and adequacy to support worship and educational opportunities
i. Tactic: replace roof by 5/1/23 (action completed)
ii. Tactic: repair and paint room dividers in fellowship hall by 3/1/24
iii. Tactic: other safety and aesthetic upgrades, as needed
c. Objective 3: enhance worship teams by June 2024 (updated from 1/2024)
i. Tactic: recruit new volunteers for each worship service and train one team for each service, each team will cover one service per month
1. Include promotion of different ministry opportunities through newly-revamped Friday Five and social media posts
2. Pastors, worship team coordinator and Minister of Community Engagement
ii. Tactic: refresh teams annually thereafter, with training and new volunteers
d. Objective 4: Enhance music ministry
i. Tactic 1: Hire consistent traditional music leadership, including organ support (updated from hire permanent organist ASAP)
ii. Tactic 2: Recruit youth with musical talents to continue to play and sing at all services (Students enjoy playing and singing at all services, and Megan and Pr. Melanie are in discussion about regular youth musical involvement in all worship services)
iii. Tactic 3: Suggestion box for hymns and songs by 3/1/24 (Megan already has a blue box on the usher’s table, ready to welcome suggestions and comments!)
iv. Tactic 4: Consider role for music leader for traditional service
e. Objective 5: Expand social media presence as the front door to Christus Victor’s worship and ministries
i. Tactic 1: Support newly-hired Communications Specialist (team has been working to onboard her in her role) in developing engaging content for new and existing visitors to Christus Victor’s website and socials
ii. Tactic 2: Revamp website (Christina has initiated a plan to do so) and evaluate effectiveness of social media presence in bringing people in to services and programs
f. Objective 6: Fairly and competitively compensate all staff
i. Tactic 1: with guidance from synod, establish and fund appropriate salaries
1. Council and City on a Hill team
2. (GROW) Christus Victor is a faith home for young families and all who are searching for a relationship with Jesus
a. Objective 1: grow youth ministry to include post-confirmation through college
i. Tactic: text chains, bible studies, youth Alpha (Renee Weiland is eager and willing to help lead), Zoom meet-ups, reunions
ii. Tactic: expand and financially support youth ministry position to achieve goal and implement tactics targeting youth
iii. Tactic: continue to develop back-up support team of parent volunteers (Pr. Stefan has been working with a team of parents/volunteers to hire a youth leader who will be well-supported)
b. Objective 2: Support and expand Sunday School/Grapple and VBS
i. Tactic: increase marketing
ii. Tactic: rely on Lead Team to support the broad spectrum of Children’s Ministries (including Sunday School, Grapple, VBS, MOPS and nursery)
iii. Tactic: continue to work on strategies put forward by the revamp team to strengthen efforts in recruiting volunteers to serve and grow in their own faith, while serving children
iv. Tactic: continue to monitor safety and effect change where necessary
c. Objective 3: Support and expand nursery usage during services and for other ministries and special events
i. Tactic: continue to recruit and train adult and youth volunteers, who serve regularly (2-deep leadership for safety purposes)
ii. Tactic: support new nursery coordinator in creating a ministry that reaches the whole family
iii. Tactic: support the coordinator in recruiting volunteers for childcare coverage for adult educational opportunities on Sunday mornings/work alongside those who are recruited to provide unique older kidcare during those adult education options
d. Objective 4: organize one annual mission trip for adults
i. Tactic: recruit 2 volunteers to organize, promote, etc.
e. Objective 5: engage new members and visitors through meaningful follow-up opportunities to participate in ministry, educational opportunities, etc.
i. Tactic: council members and ministry leaders contact visitors
ii. Tactic: new Minister for Community Engagement reaches out to all new members to help them engage in ministry
f. Objective 6: support every opportunity in the newly-revamped adult education Passport for Learning through promotion, childcare, facility usage, etc.
g. Objective 7: offer social hour between services to include visitors as well as regular attendees
i. Tactic: Council and volunteers
h. Objective 8: simplify access to information about all the happenings at Christus Victor
i. Tactic: support our new Communications Specialist in releasing timely information about upcoming ministries
ii. Tactic: QR code weekly list of what’s up by end of January 2024 (Christina), and what just happened
iii. Tactic: Digital Sign out front
3. (GO) Christus Victor is a body of people in Christ who work as God’s hands and feet in service to the community through faith-inspired outreach
a. Objective 1: Expand current successful ministries and opportunities to serve, including food pantry, Grief Share, Exodus refugee support, Caring Place
i. Tactic: increase volunteer support and participants by 50% by June 2024 (updated from 1/2024)
ii. Tactic: support volunteers through training and acknowledgment
iii. Tactic: recruit 5 new volunteers for each long-standing ministry
b. Objective 2: Grow outreach to Spanish language residents of our region, to engage in programs and worship
i. Tactic: financially support Annette’s role as Deacon to reach current Hispanic/Latinx participants by June 2024 (updated from 1/2024…she was hired as Minister of Community Engagement)
ii. Tactic: continue to support Deacon’s new role as Minister of Community Engagement. Financially increase support and expand Deacon’s role as need and impact increase
c. Objective 3: Grow newly-revamped PADS ministry on Sunday nights
i. Tactic: support new leadership with whatever they need for the community ministry
ii. Tactic: continue to seek funding and volunteer support for PADS