Introduction from the Long Range Planning Committee

The Congregational Church of Brookfield (CCB) is an amazing faith community which has served residents of our area since before Brookfield was an actual town. With the dedication of our church and ordination of The Rev. Thomas Brooks in 1757, CCB members have served as stewards of this great place of ministry, enjoying our work together in Christian discipleship and service here as an integral part of our lives for more than 266 years.

Throughout this long history, we have adjusted course as circumstances changed – as Brookfield grew from a small farming crossroads into a thriving suburban town. Now, as the world continues to change, we believe it is time to prepare proactively for the opportunities and challenges ahead. This document is intended to put into words our deepest values, recognizing who we are today, and to lay out a plan to help us look ahead. We lay out a framework of working together to build the church we hope to become.

One key objective for LRPC is to create and maintain a strategic plan for the future. Over the last two years, LRPC committee members have been discerning the importance of an all church plan, the relationships that will be important for CCB in the future, and ways LRPC will support the congregation during implementation.

Today, we present our All-Church Plan – identifying the impactful actions we do already, suggesting broad goals to carry us forward, inspiring us to create together and take action steps to get us there.

As we work together as a church – on our various ministry teams, in committees, and as a congregation, we hope this plan can help us align our goals and achieve our mission –

to faithfully serve God, each other and our community.

Respectfully submitted,

Long Range Planning Committee: Alan Peck (chair), Susan Dodd, Megan Duggan, Sarah Dykes, Laurie Matson, Michael Matson, Larry Ruschmeyer

April 28, 2024

Objective of the Plan:

In the coming years, we want our church to be even more vibrant and thriving.
Thriving in our ability to include everyone.
Thriving in the willingness of all members to contribute time, talent, and treasure.
Thriving in our ability to financially support our campus, staff, leadership, and outreach programs.
Thriving as a faith center for our wider community – where everyone from long-term leaders and members to first-time visitors and recent newcomers can each feel welcomed and included, celebrated in times of joy, and comforted in times of hardship.
We hope this All-Church Plan will guide our Congregation to work together toward mutual goals ensuring CCB’s vibrancy and sustainability into the future.

Where did we begin?

Following the completion of numerous and more immediate needs of the church, LRPC members began to re-examine our church’s mission and vision statements to ensure that they represented both who we are today, and who we strive to be in the future. At the spring 2022 annual meeting, our proposed rewritten mission statement was approved, and a small revision was made to the 2009 church vision statement. These two statements helped to focus this plan.

Three elements of the 2024 All Church Plan:

In working through our discernment process, we first asked ourselves, “What would it take for us to achieve the plan’s objective of becoming a more vibrant and thriving congregation and develop such meaningful connections, one to another, that we attract others to participate in our faith-filled life at CCB?” We discussed the different priorities at CCB and grouped them into three key components, which became the foundation for the All-Church Plan. These key pillars align with the three CCB vision priorities.

PRAY: Faith Formation and Expression

SHARE: Service and Outreach

WELCOME: Engagement and Fellowship

These three elements of Christian discipleship are already interwoven throughout the fabric of our church life. They do not fall under the purview of a single leader or committee. We believe that supporting every member’s faith growth, and uniting around this plan, will help us achieve the goals of the All-Church Plan and make CCB stronger, more vibrant and sustainable for years to come.

The Invitation to You:

Please read and study this document. Ask probing questions and seek resources to help our church community – and especially your various groups, teams or committees – focus on working together creatively to strengthen these 3 pillars. LRPC will work closely with church leaders, because we believe ministry coordination and active communication that reaches people of all generations in an inspiring, meaningful way will be key to our success. As we implement this plan, imagine how wonderful it will be in 2027 to see:

● Our church well-known to all as a place to pray, receive spiritual nurture, and grow in faith

○ With classrooms and campus full of adults, children and youth

○ With higher in-person and virtual attendance in our worship services

○ With a thriving music ministry that attracts spiritual seekers with gifts to share

● Our church well-known to all as a place to share our gifts and do handson service work

○ With classrooms and campus full of volunteers connecting and making a difference with ministries like the Giving Garden, Refugee Resettlement, Thrift Shop & Yankee Fair

○ With a church budget fully funded by cheerful donors who embrace generosity as a spiritual gift to be developed in everyone, no matter their age or income level

○ With leaders engaged in meaningful service work, with the aim of understanding and addressing systemic social problems, while still helping those who bear the brunt of injustice or oppression

● Our church well-known to all as a place of God’s extravagant welcome

○ With a beautiful, upgraded Fellowship Hall, fully accessible to all

○ With an even larger, more inclusive and diverse congregation and leadership team

○ With classrooms and campus full of community groups, using our space to do their work

Using this plan as our guide, let us continue to encourage one another to seek more visible opportunities to come together to demonstrate our faith, our traditions, and extend our warm welcome to all. Working together, we know we can continue to strengthen our church as a vibrant Christian community filled with joy and love.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower…

I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them

bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing…. ”

~ Jesus (John 15:1, 5)

In John’s Gospel, Jesus called himself a living vine, connecting himself and others to God – our Creator/Holy Vintner who gives all life and growth. So Jesus never set out to build a church, but to create community – a living organism to bear fruit to nourish and sustain the world. Jesus called human beings like us to come together as his disciples – to follow him, to be part of building the kin-dom of love that is God’s dream for all the world’s beloved peoples.

And so it is today. We are not called to build an institution of stone to look upon with pride, but instead to grow together in this powerful movement – serving God and others in Christ’s name. As we do, we join hands with generations of disciples who have come before us. Like them, we know that Christ is the one who connects us and nourishes us, and we can trust that God is in charge. Like any good vine grower, we know God is planning for our growth and productivity.

As your pastors, we are so grateful that our Long Range Planning Committee has worked toward putting words to our CCB Vision– to list some actionable goals, potential strategies and seed ideas, and to share the plan with the rest of us. We believe that, using the plan and relying on God's guidance and grace, we can grow and change in ways that align with our mission and vision, and with the building up of God's kingdom on earth. We have faith that, with God’s help, our church will bear much fruit for our local community and beyond for years to come. May this plan help us grow in the ways God hopes for us, as a church and as a wider community.

Blessings,

Pastors Jennifer

We share our deep thanks and gratitude to the Long-Range Planning Committee for their tireless work on this Strategic Plan. It is clearly evident that the committee spent much time in discernment and discussions to bring this plan to life. We have gotten regular updates from the committee as to their process and progress and are very proud of them and our involved church community for this effort.

As we step forward to embrace and live this plan, we know that it will provide more clarity in our purpose-driven spiritual life both as individuals and a community.

Our wish for the church is for this plan to take on a life of its own as a living, breathing, and evolving guide. May it grow organically in and among us all.

In service,

Amy D’Alessandro, Moderator

Rodger Wutzl, Vice Moderator

PRAY: FAITH FORMATION & EXPRESSION

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”

~ Jesus (John 8:31)

“God is spirit, and we who worship must worship in spirit and in truth.” 

~ Jesus (John 4:24)

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High.”

~ Psalm 92:1

Faith Formation is the process of developing disciples through study, worship and relationships built on trust, so that a strong spiritual foundation supports everything we offer in service to God. This growth process should help our members become more “united in Christ’s love,” and better equipped to share that love with each other, as well as with the wider community.

GOALS

● Involve more adults & young people in faith formation opportunities.
● Teach the Good News of the inclusive love of Christ across all generations.
● Encourage disciples of all ages to live out and express their faith.