a Cooperative Baptist Congregation
3615 Reinhardt College Pkwy Canton, GA 30114 ~ 770-479-9415
Strategic Planning:
Preparing a new vintage for our Heritage.
The strategic planning committee of Heritage Baptist Fellowship is comprised of a variety of members that bring many different life experiences and skill sets to this team. The diversity in age and length of membership to the church help to create a positive balance. Furthermore, many remember the vision, goals, and purpose of Heritage that was initially founded, while others provide a fresh outlook as a recent ‘outsider’ visiting the church for the first time.
As many already know, we are utilizing an outside consultant, Marinn Bengel with the Center for Congregational Health, to facilitate and assist in the process of brainstorming, discussion, and organizing those thoughts into a plan of action. In discussion, our desired outcome is to clarify the congregation’s unique identity, its core values, identifying the arenas of mission and ministry about which the congregation feels most passionate and feels called to pursue, and projecting the type of staff and facilities needed to fulfill the congregation’s sense of call for future mission and ministry.
The tasks of the Strategic Planning Committee is to function as the eyes and ears of the congregation during the planning process, collect and interpret data, communicate data to the congregation, present goals and action plans to the congregation, and recommend a design and structure for implementing the goals and action plans adopted by the congregation.
The most intriguing aspect as I listen to ideas and metaphors during the brainstorming piece is capturing the talents and abilities of each to strengthen our ministries and provide opportunities in service. As a small church, finding ways to serve can be relatively simple but finding a role that incorporates an individual’s passion and joy can sometimes be difficult. For those that are new members, it may be difficult finding a specific role that expresses those talents and abilities. For those that were present to witness ministries created, it may be equally difficult to step back and evaluate it from a different perspective. Nonetheless, the broad scope is to discover ways to use our most valuable resources that are within our church to provide ministries to our community.
During our initial meeting, I cannot help but think how special this church is to Jennifer and me in the short time we have been here, and the family that it has provided to many. Moreover, this is a group of people that we often share our joys, our sorrows, life experiences, and moments of worship each week. As we embark on this journey, I am both excited and optimistic that great opportunities lie ahead for our church. We are Heritage Baptist Fellowship, and I am proud to be part of the vision of this church.
Andrew Greeson
Co-Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
WHY STRATEGIC PLANNING?
The Planning team exists to develop a long term plan for Heritage that addresses issues of identity & mission.
WHO?
The Strategic planning team was nominated by the congregation to lead in this long-range planning process. Members include representatives from all adult age groups. SPG Members include: Jennifer Greeson, Dee Miles, Drew Laurens, Amy Rowe, Noel Powell, Cathy Lacy, Mark Shadburn, Donna Free, Jonathan Harrison, Mary Free, Andrew Greeson, Kim Heath, Kim McCurry, Nathan Brandon and Sharron Hunt.
HOW LONG WILL THE PROCESS TAKE?
The process will take six to nine months. It will involve: remembering our history, examining our strengths, exploring our community and naming our opportunities for mission.
WE ARE USING A CONSULTANT; HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST?
In order to receive the most benefit from this process, we have elected to enlist the services of the Center for Congregational Health. We have elected to use the “al a carte” options, in which we will consult with the Center on an “as needed” basis. This will include coaching conference calls and a final onsite consultation. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has subsidized the initial luncheon. Donations from the congregation have covered any additional expenses for 2011. In 2012, the SPG will work with the Finance Committee to fund our work with the Center outside of the 2012 budget. This is an investment in our future as a congregation.
WHAT CAN I DO?
First thing-Pray. Prayer is the most important thing in this process. Pray for your church, congregational leadership and ministerial staff. Pray for God’s direction. Secondly, participate. Give your all to this process. Ask yourself, how can my voice add to this process in a positive and not a negative way? There are multiple ways for the entire congregation to participate through church-wide forums, interviews and surveys. Thirdly, if you feel so led, give materially to the planning process.
Help discover the exciting future of this congregation.
As they gathered for prayer in 1994, Bryson Cato told the group of forty people, “If we’re going to have a church, we need to start tomorrow.” And, start they did.
Cato, a lay person, was part of the group who joined together in Canton, GA to start Heritage Baptist Fellowship. This church start began with a group of Baptists who wanted a different direction than the one their current Southern Baptist church was taking. Feeling that God was calling them to something different, several families began to visit Heritage Baptist Church in nearby Cartersville, GA. While these visits nurtured their faith, Cartersville Pastor Jim Strickland pointed out that maybe God was calling this group to be at work in their own city of Canton.
Strickland called Rev. Nathan Brandon and asked if he would consider gathering a group together to start a church in Canton. Rev. Brandon invited a casual gathering of about 28 people to begin talking about the possibility of starting a church. Brandon remembers that Strickland simply asked the group, “What are you looking for?” The answers to that question shaped the identity of the new Heritage Baptist Fellowship: integrity in worship, authentic faith development, and a fellowship that embraces people of different backgrounds.
After the challenge to “start tomorrow,” the group of about 50 people met for worship the next day at Reinhardt University. That day marked the beginning of a journey of faithfulness for this new community of believers. Heritage, led by their first pastor Rev. J.R. Huddleston and a committee structure of lay members, met for worship and Bible study on the Reinhardt University campus for three years.
Even as the church was energized about joining God on a new journey, some Heritage members had to process a sense of loss. Mary Free, a charter member, said, “Even though I was joyful, I cried for weeks. I had left the church where I was baptized. But, then I started seeing God’s hand in this new thing. I knew this is where I was supposed to be.”
On May 7, 1997 the church broke ground and dedicated a new building. Church members designed the new structure, and each person joined in hammering nails or painting walls. Heritage had already become a groundbreaking church in the Canton area: the church is a CBF congregation who ordains women, holds ecumenical services and welcomes believers of many baptismal traditions.
Welcoming people of all backgrounds has become part of Heritage’s identity. The multigenerational church enjoys being a community where people can thoughtfully engage different viewpoints, and still be “an embracing fellowship,” says Brandon. Kim Heath Mason, a member of the “Common Grounds” class for young adults, says she and her husband joined because of the “strong sense of identity and the warm welcome” they received.
The efforts to offer a welcome to the community have led to some fun moments of hospitality.
Embracing others in Jesus’ name and meeting their needs has become the heartbeat of Heritage Baptist Fellowship. “Heritage is church that loves God with head, heart, and hands.” says the Rev. Jake Hall.
The church covenant claims a promise to “minister to one another and to the community” by meeting physical and spiritual needs. Heritage lives out this promise by partnering with organizations in Cherokee County. All generations, from grandparents to preschoolers, work together to fill backpacks for “Give a Kid a Chance.” This summer event provides school supplies, clothing, physicals, and haircuts so that children can begin each school year with a great start. Last summer, Heritage once again agreed to trust God, stepping out on another ministry: the church agreed to become the North Canton site for MUST Ministries’ Summer Lunch Program. As a summer lunch site, the fellowship hall was filled each weekday with people packing, loading, and delivering lunches to children in need throughout Cherokee County. Teams from other churches dropped off boxes of sack lunches; people from the community stood alongside Heritage members to make ham sandwiches and load vans. Each week, 5000 sack lunches passed through the doors of this 150-member church. Many missional moments in the life of Heritage, including an annual Holiday Bazaar to raise funds for local and global missions, have made member Mary Free understand that, “We’ve found our way. Our focus now is missions. We’re raising a generation of children who know they are called to serve others for God.”
(reprinted from CBFGA “Revisions” newsletter, by Erin Hall 2011)
“I believe we are in a time of renewal. . . a time for fresh wineskins, like those Jesus mentioned in Matthew 9:14-17. May we be challenged to follow Christ's call to creativity.”
Nathan Brandon
Co-Chair Strategic Planning Group
“Neither is new wine put into old wineskins . . . but new wine is put into fresh wineskins”
~ Matthew 9:14-17
