Aims and Priorities

Our goal is that people encounter Jesus and be sustained and grow in that encounter.

To achieve this goal we have aims divided into five areas.

1. Leadership and Organisation

We aim to:

  • Establish an organisational structure that supports leadership, administration, discipleship, mission, pastoral care, youth, finances, property, ministry, and community.
  • Develop an every member ministry and enable everyone to exercise their vocation or calling.

Priorities:

  1. Vocations
    Identify and encourage those called to licensed lay or ordained ministry (ongoing).

2. Property and Infrastructure

We aim to:

  • Maximise the usability, functionality, flexibility, and accessibility of our spaces to bless both the congregation and the wider community.

Terms of Reference:

  • To maintain, repair, and improve the Parish Church, its furnishings and facilities, as well as the graveyard, church hall, rectory, grounds, and all other church-owned properties.
  • To ensure church-owned properties, where applicable, meet the government and legal requirements for business and/or private tenancy.
  • To ensure both the church and business tenants/property users have appropriate, agreed, and delineated storage to meet their requirements.
  • To record and maintain an inventory of all church furnishings and submit this to the diocese on an annual basis.
  • To manage the provision, storage, and maintenance of consumables, equipment, and furnishings.
  • To ensure, where possible and practical, the Parish Church and Hall are accessible for those with disabilities including wheelchair users.
  • To ensure the Parish Church is maintained and improved to enable contextual worship, prayer, and pastoral ministry to take place.
  • To ensure the Parish Church and public premises are, where practical, fit for purpose with regard to use by the wider community including children and young people.

Priorities:

  1. Inventory of the church property
    To conduct a full inventory of items owned by the church and maintain an online or offline database of items that can be amended and/or submitted to the diocese on an annual basis.
    (Project Lead: Lisa-Dawn Johnston)
  2. Storage management
    To organise the storage space for items for our leaseholders (Season nursery and ate@8), Scouts, Sunday school, church office, and Guild.
    (Project Lead: Lisa-Dawn Johnston)
  3. The ordering of the church space for worship
    To ensure the sanctuary space is both beautiful and functional. This includes defining a requirements specification for use of the space before developing a design specification. This will include such things as space for weddings, line-of-sight, use of the St.Francis Chapel, and a permanent audio-visual installation.
    (Project Lead: TBA)
  4. Schedule of Works
    Create a five-year (or even ten-year) plan for future property expenses. THis will include regular maintenance as well as major maintenance such as graveyard maintenance, roof maintenance (cleaning/cloroxing), and/or stained-glass window repairs.(Project Lead: Norris Ebbin)
  5. Youth Venue
    There is still a public interest in a skate park/outdoor youth venue. One of the lower hall rooms was developed into a youth venue but this space has since been reacquired for storage needs.
    (Project Lead: TBA)

3. Children and Families

We aim to:

  • Reach and connect with young people in the parish through church-based activities and schools work.
  • Provide relevant opportunities for people to meet and gather in both church and non-church locations.
  • Respond appropriately to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people in both our congregation and the wider community.
  • Invite both church and non-church members to join God’s mission through participation in our outreach projects.
  • To provide opportunities for ongoing discipleship and spiritual growth both online and in person.

Terms of Reference:

  • To ensure every member of Smith’s Parish, including members of St.Mark’s, has
    • access to spiritual and pastoral care.
    • the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel message.
    • access to ongoing fellowship, discipleship, and learning opportunities.

Priorities:

  1. Sunday School crèche
    To establish a creche facility to look after under-4s so that parents can participate in Sunday worship.
    (Project Lead: Felicia Nichols)
  2. Home Visitation Team
    To establish a wider home-visiting team through identifying those that need regular home visits and assigning team members with appropriate training.
    (Project Lead: Helen Campbell)
  3. Tablets for the Disconnected
    To load and distribute tablets with video content of our worship for those that are unable to attend and/or unable to access the Internet.
    (Project Lead: Gavin and Helen Tyte)
  4. Youth Group(s)
    To identify a time/venue/content to engage with SMC young people.
    (Project Lead: Shirene Fulton)
  5. Schools and Community
    Identify ways in which we can connect with children and young people through schools and other community groups, such as Scouts.
    (Project Lead: Gavin Tyte)

4. Business and Finance

We aim to:

  • Encourage people to donate or tithe through providing transparency and communicating about how our money is allocated.
  • Be good stewards of our finances and resources through developing a culture of careful management and procurement.

Terms of Reference:

  • Manage the church accounts, banking, budgeting, tithing, donations, and policies for capital expenditure, and manage the day-to-day finances.
  • Negotiate and manage all works contracts, terms of employment, and business/private tenancy agreements and leases.
  • Organise and manage the effective and efficient day-to-day administration of the ministry of the Parish Church, graveyard, Parish Hall, and church properties.
  • Develop and establish a business strategy, including marketing, of St.Mark’s facilities and properties for hire.
  • Raise sufficient funds to pay:
    • the stipend of the Associate Priest for St.Mark’s and Holy Trinity Church.
    • for the maintenance, repair, and improvement of the Parish Church, its furnishings, as well as the graveyard, Parish Hall, rectory, and other church properties.
    • for all necessary expenses relating to the worship and services of the church — which may include the payment of musicians and other necessary roles.
    • to insure the church property and pay all utilities and administration costs.
    • to make available an annual $2000 Discretionary Fund to be used by the Associate Priest or Priest-in-Charge for charitable purposes.

Priorities:

  1. Management and Administration Review
    Review all management and administration roles/tasks/time allocation (current requirements). Develop a plan for what roles are required in the future with role descriptions. This will include business management, graveyard management, landscaping, and church administration.
  2. Income Stream Review
    Conduct a review of all income streams (e.g. legacies, graveyard, stewardship, tax benefits), business leases, and rents. This will include establishing whether they are in line with the current market value.
  3. Friends of St. Mark’s
    To establish a more formal ‘Friends of St.Mark’s’ to help with property maintenance and community service facilitation. This may include canvasing Smith’s Parish residents as well as reaching out to our existing ‘friends’ database.
  4. Church and Hall Marketing
    Establishing communication of what the church is doing and our events through social media – especially for young people. Linking with wedding planners to market and sell the church and hall space. 
  5. Hall and Church Bookings
    Develop a method and online (accessible) database for hall and church bookings.

5. Worship and Prayer

We aim to:

  • Encourage people to encounter God by providing relevant worship that embraces both traditional and contemporary elements.
  • Ensure our worship is accessible and seeker-friendly through removing barriers that might impede or hinder people connecting with God.
  • Extend God’s love to the wider community by inviting groups to participate in our worship and receive God’s blessing.

Terms of Reference:

  • To ensure that there is a variety of styles across the worship opportunities made available between both St.Mark’s and Holy Trinity churches.
  • To ensure that the worship is accessible to all including parents of babies, children, those with disabilities, wheelchair users, and those with mental health issues.
  • To manage the administration and planning for worship including rotas, themes, music, and special occasions.
  • To manage the physical resources for worship including any books, audiovisual equipment, furnishings, and equipment.
  • To manage the human resources for worship including welcomers, readers, musicians, servers, eucharistic ministers, AV team, children’s team, and guest speakers.

Priorities:

  1. Prayer Ministry
    Develop a Prayer Ministry Team to provide opportunities for Prayer Ministry after our Sunday worship.