About > Our Mission

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Church of the Transfiguration is to seek and serve Christ in all persons.

OUR VISION

We seek to be an inclusive community of disciples who love God and follow Jesus through reverent worship, compassionate service, formative education, and sacrificial stewardship.

STRATEGIC GOALS

a. Honoring our rich history, we will preserve our holy objects and spaces

i.   We will create a policy manual for ongoing maintenance of vessels, vestments, and other holy things.

ii.  We will properly fund the ministry of the Altar Guild to strengthen its work of caring and maintain all holy objects

b. Building on the beauty and holiness of existing liturgies, we will launch a new service to draw and feed a new group of people

c. Seeking to broaden our worshiping congregation beyond those able to be physically present, we will utilize new methods to provide worship experiences to more people

i.   We will incorporate digital recording to make our services available online

ii.  We will develop partnerships with other communities in order to share the witness of our worship

d. Recognizing our diverse worship needs, we will engage in a process of evaluation and preparation to build a chapel

a. Seeking to deepen our discipleship, we will provide opportunities for every member of Transfiguration to engage in meaningful ways of serving others

i.   We will encourage all ministries and organizations to perform at least one outreach-based effort per year

ii.  We will further develop the ministry of the Food Distribution Center, and commit funding and resources to its growth

b. Honoring our most vulnerable members, we will reinvigorate our pastoral care ministries to ensure all members feel God’s loving care

i.   We will strengthen the Pastoral Care Committee

ii.   We will hire another staff member to support pastoral care

iii.  We will expand our Stephen and Eucharistic Visitor ministries

c. Respecting the sacredness of children, we will enhance our partnerships with local schools

i.   We will investigate organizations that connect churches and schools, to receive guidance on how to make the greatest impact

ii.  We will formalize our relationship with Spring Valley Elementary, and increase opportunities for parishioners to become involved as mentors, tutors, and resource-providers

d. Seeking Christ abroad as well as locally, we will resume intergenerational mission trips and create a new international mission partnership

a. Honoring our baptismal promise to proclaim the Good News in word and action, we will strengthen our evangelistic efforts

i.   We will equip our members to be more enthusiastic and effective evangelists

ii.  We will develop new congregational strategies for sharing our story as a church and inviting people to join us

b. Recognizing the pathway from newcomer to involved member is varied and diverse, we will create a comprehensive welcoming ministry

i.   We will create a process to intentionally connect newcomers with existing members, ministries, or fellowships

ii.  We will perform an annual review of the membership roster to improve accuracy and evaluate retention rates

iii. We will perform new member “inventory” to gauge spiritual gifts and skills of our community

c. Seeking to offer all sacramental rites for all people, we will seek a resolution that will allow us to perform same-sex marriages

d. Desiring to move beyond our own walls, we will seek ways to bless people beyond our own church membership

i.   We will deepen our relationship with Church of the Holy Faith and support their efforts to grow and thrive

ii.  We will seek ways to engage in meaningful relationships with our Spanish-speaking neighbors

iii. We will seek new ways to invite and welcome Parish Episcopal School families into our community

a. Recognizing the spiritual impact of formation, we will seek to broaden the depth and reach of our educational offerings

i.   We will utilize digital platforms to share lectures, classes, and other resources

ii.  We will solidify the St. Catherine’s Fund to ensure its sustainability

iii. We will support the development of resources and opportunities for spiritual renewal

b. Anticipating the need for strong leadership in the future, we will focus on leadership formation across generations

i.   We will create a system to connect talented, committed members with various forms of leadership

ii.  We will develop a leadership pathway from basic membership involvement to Vestry

iii. We will reinforce patterns of prayer, Biblical reflection, and quiet contemplation at the start of all ministry meetings, and look to the Sermon on the Mount to orient decision-making

iv.  We will reinstate the Parish Council as a body of effective leaders

c. Honoring the spiritual need for holy rest, we will cultivate the practices of spiritual retreat and pilgrimage, both congregationally and individually, and encourage all members to seek God through the ancient spiritual practice of holy journeying

a. Honoring our role as stewards of the church’s financial health, and looking toward future financial needs, we will create long-range plans for giving and the budget

i.   We will create a 5-year budget to guide year-over-year development and growth

ii.  We will create a unified plan to integrate various ministry solicitations and diminish donor fatigue

iii. We will increase operational giving by 25% by 2021

iv.  We will increase the percentage of pledging units to 75% of total member households by 2021

v.   We will triple the Transfiguration Endowment by 2026

b. Honoring our role as stewards of our campus, and anticipating future capital needs, we will create a capital/campus master plan

i.   We will thoroughly evaluate usage of all church-occupied buildings by 2018

ii.  We will coordinate with ministry heads to determine needs and desires with regard to facilities by 2019

iii. We will create an updated capital maintenance report to guide annual capital maintenance expenditures and inform discernment about a possible future capital campaign

c. Honoring our role as stewards of Creation, we will create a cohesive plan to make Transfiguration a model of conservation and earth-care

i.   We will commit to generating zero net carbon emissions by 2023

ii.  We will develop an environmental plan to inform decisions on how the grounds and physical plant are utilized and maintained