Hope for the City: A Strategic Plan for Ministry in Baltimore
We seek to become like Christ as we call, equip, send and support spiritual leaders to make disciples and grow at least 600 Acts 2 congregations by 2012.
Dowload the Complete Plan (PDF)
Download the Executive Summary (PDF)
Download the Power Point Presentation
HOPE FOR THE CITY
Adventure Pathways towards Transformation
A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR MINISTRY IN BALTIMORE
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to provide the framework for a comprehensive strategy for stimulating transformational ministry within the United Methodist churches in the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The sixty-one (61) United Methodist congregations in Baltimore share in the vision/mission of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of seeking to become like Christ in calling, equipping, sending and supporting spiritual leadership to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to grow Acts 2 congregations. The strategy outlined in this report offers an impetus for coordinating ministry within communities through implementing a comprehensive plan for urban leadership development for clergy and lay church leadership, providing ongoing support in the areas of contextualized worship, discipleship development, program development, stewardship and resource development, mission/outreach and evangelization, organizing local church, community-level and regional support, as well as in the development of information technologies which will facilitate enhanced networking among the various institutions with which the churches engage.
Baltimore Strategy Core Team
The Baltimore Strategy Core Team was formed from a recommendation made in November 2006 by the Baltimore-Washington Conference Connectional Table, which asked that a comprehensive strategy be developed for ministry in Baltimore. The Core Team is comprised of nine (9) persons selected from across the Baltimore region, and representative of the demographics of Baltimore city and the churches. The team has had the primary responsibility for developing the plan herewith. In essence, the Baltimore Strategy Core Team has been challenged to address the matter of how a comprehensive strategy for urban ministry in Baltimore could be devised within the context of the Baltimore-Washington Conference commitment to the Discipleship Adventure. The Core Team affirms that God's vision for the city of Baltimore is captured in the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." Jeremiah 29:7 and 11(NRSV)
The State of the United Methodist Churches in Baltimore City
Statistics for the 61 United Methodist congregations in Baltimore city indicate the following has occurred from 1996-2006:
- Membership has decreased from 17,311 to 15,140 (14.3%decline)
- Professions of faith have decreased from 495 to 436 (13.5% decline)
- Worship Attendance has decreased from 6516 to 5956 (8.8% decline)
- Average worship attendance per church/building has increased from 89 to 97 (8.9% increase)
- The number of churches paying 100% apportionments has increased from 35 to 43 (22% increase)
- 40 congregations reported a decrease in average worship attendance in 2006 when compared with 1996.
- 28 congregations reported an increase in professions of faith in 2006 when compared with 1996.
- 5 merged, one new, and one congregation that did not report 1996 worship attendance are not included in the above comparisons. These congregations are factored out of the statistics.
The Process
The process for discernment and analysis in which the Baltimore Strategy Core Team engaged over a six month period included the following:
- SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
- Demographic study
- Review/Analysis of Prior Investigation on Realignment
- Benchmarking
- Focus Groups
- Regional Survey
- Identification of Strategic Partnerships
Review of Prior Investigation on Baltimore Area Ministry and District Alignment
A part of the Baltimore Strategy Core Team's work involved reviewing prior investigation on the future of United Methodist ministry in Baltimore. The team reviewed several reports produced between April 7, 2003 and April 1, 2004. The recommendation at that time was to move toward implementing a plan for realigning the three districts in the Baltimore Region and establishing a Baltimore Central District by moving a total of 70 churches and 61 charges from the existing Baltimore area Districts into the new District, and then combining the Baltimore North and Baltimore Harford Districts. The recommendation was that the plan for realignment, with the establishment of new districts, was to be completed by July 1, 2005.
Revisiting the Question of District Realignment
One of the critical tasks of the Baltimore Strategy Core Team was to revisit and address the question of how might United Methodist congregations and leadership in Baltimore be best organized to maximize discipleship and transform lives in the communities in which our churches reside in the short and long-term. A critical matter addressed here was what would be the compelling reasons to recommend district realignment with the creation of a Baltimore Central District as was recommended in April 2004? The Core Team believes that realigning Baltimore Region Districts at this time is not the only option for creating compelling opportunities to strengthen overall the United Methodist presence in the City of Baltimore, although the matter of District realignment in the Baltimore region should remain an option and be revisited if it is deemed necessary for the revitalization of the churches and communities of the city and region in the future.
This conclusion is based on the following factors. First, the Conference staff assigned to work with the churches in the three Baltimore area Districts – including superintendents, Adventure Guides, and administrative support staff - has been organized into the Baltimore Regional Team, and has been strategically assigned to resource and support the unique ministry needs and opportunities of the Baltimore Region. Secondly, the Regional Team approach – within the context of the Discipleship Adventure - affords an opportunity for aligning Baltimore city pastors and their congregations into community-based (some cross-district) Discipler Groups, thus creating six or seven Baltimore City Discipler Groups. Information provided by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council indicates that the City of Baltimore is comprised of twenty-six (26) distinct communities. Community-based alignment of Disciple Groups (pastors and churches) with these community distinctions in mind would provide opportunities for facilitating strategic, contextualized/focused resourcing and support for the pastors and the churches in the groups. This affords the potential for pastors in specific communities to more effectively collaborate and synergize their efforts (e.g. work on shared community projects, develop community-based Shalom Zones, 501c3's, youth ministries, etc.).
Pathways towards the Transformation of Baltimore
How might we encourage, support, and develop "fruitful" churches in the City of Baltimore? The Core Team believes that the Seven Vision Pathways developed by the United Methodist Council of Bishops in 2007 provides the strategic framework for a response. These Vision Pathways are:
- New Church Development
- Transforming Existing Congregations
- Racial/Ethnic Ministries
- Leadership Development
- Reaching Children
- Eliminating Poverty
- Teaching the Wesleyan Way of Disciple-making
Project Hope for the City: Adventure Pathways towards Transformation
A Ten Point Action Plan for United Methodist Ministry in Baltimore
In light of the above Vision Pathways, and in order to realize the objectives and accomplish the goals as set forth above in seeking to maximize discipleship among the United Methodist congregations in Baltimore, we will commit to the full implementation of the following Ten Point Action Plan over the next seven years:
- Discipleship Academy (Urban Track) – As the urban component of the Baltimore- Washington Conference Discipleship Academy, the Urban Track will offer contextualized training sessions for Laity/Clergy Teams from Baltimore city churches over the next seven years to help strengthen churches in the areas of celebration in worship, making faithful connections, faith development, engaging in faithful service, and faith sharing.
- Urban Discipler Groups – Organize Urban Discipler Groups (6-7) into community-based clusters of pastors of city churches, and assign 2 Discipleship Adventure Guides with gifts, experience and passion for urban ministry and the churches of Baltimore who will be dedicated to working with Baltimore city pastors and churches.
- Shalom Zones - Develop at least three Shalom Zones per year over the next 7 years in collaboration with the National Shalom Ministry Plan.
- The Building Hope Initiative (Urban New Church Initiative) - Develop at least one new Acts 2 faith community per year in Baltimore over the next 7 years.
- Hope Centers - Develop at least four comprehensive community ministry centers – one in each of the four quadrants of Baltimore city - over the next 4 years.
- Project Hope - Enlist at least seven regional Volunteer in Ministry (VIM) Teams per year over the next seven years from the Baltimore Region and across the Baltimore-Washington Conference to work on improving the condition of existing church facilities and city communities.
- Hope for our Neighbors – Commit to working with every congregation in Baltimore over the next three years to resource each in adopting-a-school in the church's community, and developing a plan for an ongoing community partnership with the school (its students, parents, teachers, and staff); and also commit to working with every congregation to resource each in becoming actively involved in a neighborhood/civic/community association as a means of increasing community visibility, investment and engagement.
- Hope Fellows - Work with Wesley Theological Seminary and city churches to place at least 3 urban graduate interns/fellows per year in Baltimore city congregations per year over the next seven years.
- Hope for the City Fund – Provide an impetus for investment/re-investment in Baltimore city congregations and communities by developing an investment fund with a goal of at least $15 million to fund future transformational ministry.
- The Hope Council – Establish a Conference supported team of up to 12 people who will meet on a quarterly basis and serve as an advisory body to work with congregations and staff during the implementation of the Ten Point Action Plan.
