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Why plan?  If you think back to the church where your parents or grandparents grew up, you think of a small, intimate church with the entire congregation there every Sunday. When issues arose, the Church Leaders could call a meeting for a given Sunday and come to a solution that was heard by the entire group. Think of today at St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church with approximately fifteen hundred members. We never have the "entire congregation" there on any given weekend. We have elected Officers to run the church and an Administrative Staff to manage the day to day operations of the church. A church of our size should operate with a clear vision and plan for the future, so that it may better reach its potential in many ministries. The Long Range Planning Committee was charged with the task to produce a long range plan for St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church. We have solicited input from the congregation, officers, staff, clergy and consultants to help us understand which direction the church needs to go to fulfill its ministries. Let's talk about how we've used this process before.

 In 1990, the Session had a Long Range Planning Committee work to produce a Mission Statement and a supporting plan that was also tied to the budget process. This process worked well for a number of years. In 1992, a consultant was hired to give us input on where the church was and where it needed to go. At the same time, the Facilities Task Force was formed to determine the facility needs of our church. This group also used an outside consultant, an architectural firm, to help decide what our growing church needed to adequately address our building needs into the future. A facilities plan was adopted and we enjoy the results today. In 1999 & 2000 the Long Range Planning Committee developed goals for 2001-2006, which were adopted by our Session and has been our guide over the past few years.  As we approach 2006, we have once again looked to the future asking God’s spirit to guide and empower us.

Before we look to the future, let's look at the strengths of St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church today. The Long Range Planning Committee is keenly aware that much of what St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church now does is of great value and we fully support the continuation of existing ministries. In the Congregational Survey and through conversations with Staff, Officers and Members we celebrated the ongoing ministries of our church that have served us well and will be part of our future. Among these are our Children's Ministry, our Youth Ministry, our Music Ministry for children and adults, Stephen Ministry, short term mission trips, Wednesday night fellowship dinners, Presbyterian Women, Adult Education, Saturday night and Sunday morning worship, etc. These and other existing ministries are not the focus of the Long Range Plan. They are the FOUNDATION of the Long Range Plan. We stand on these ministries' shoulders to reach beyond.

The following is the Mission Statement and definitions of the main areas of ministry we feel describe St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church:

 "Our mission as St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church is worshipping and glorifying God, proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ, teaching discipleship, encouraging a loving servant community and caring for a hurting world."

Worship Ministry
      - worship experiences, music ministry and preaching

Discipleship Ministry
      - Christian education, stewardship, small group ministry

Mission, Outreach, and Assimilation Ministry
      - local/worldwide missions, evangelism, assimilation

Fellowship and Caring Ministry
      - fellowship, caring and community spirit

Administrative Ministry
      - personnel, communication, facilities, technology and planning

This Long Range Plan is not all inclusive of every possible need of the church. It is a vision and a guide for the Session and Diaconate to use to navigate through the upcoming years. A number of items in this plan are already "in the works". This plan should be reviewed and modified as the Session is led by the Holy Spirit. We thank all who provided input and review during this planning process. It is our hope that this document will be of constructive service to the congregants and to this body of Christ. Most of all, we pray that these collective efforts will serve the ministry of God.

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St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church
1416 Market Street, Wilmington, NC 28401
910-762-9693  +  fax 910-762-0317
care line 910-762-3588