Help/FAQs
About the Mission Strategy process
- What is the Mission Strategy process?
- How can I participate in the process?
- Who is coordinating the process?
Help with this site
- What role does this site have in the process?
- What gets posted here?
- How often is this site updated?
- Who maintains this site?
Help with interacting online
Other questions?
If you have other questions not addressed here, chances are someone else is wondering the same thing. Contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
About the Mission Strategy process
What is the Mission Strategy process?
At the 2007 Diocesan Convention, the Bishop’s Commission on Mission Strategy (BCMS) presented the results (the BCMS report) of the work they’d been engaged in for more than a year, gathering historic and current data and receiving input from congregations and other diocesan entities. That report identified the current reality of the Diocese: that we have been in numerical decline for the past 40 years, and that previous attempts to reverse that trend had all failed. As reported by Leonard and Lindsay Freeman, the BCMS report also “built upon key statements about Identity and Purpose which emerged out of the diocesan-wide conversations, and articulated four overarching Goal Recommendations, with twelve supporting initiatives,” beginning with spiritual transformation and renewal, to bring about our fuller participation in God’s mission in Minnesota, in which we believe we have a unique role.
The report’s near-unanimous approval at the 2007 Convention led to the creation of the Mission Strategy Network (MSN), tasked with working throughout the Diocese to implement the recommendations of the report. The MSN is working under the oversight of Bishop Jelinek and Diocesan Council and in partnership with them in their work.
How can I participate in the process?
Check back here regularly.
The materials posted here reflect the current areas of activity in the process both at the grass roots and in the core leadership. See the answer to “What gets posted here?” for details about the different areas of this site. You can keep up-to-date with the work on a give goal by visiting that goal’s dedicated page, reachable by the tabs at the top of every page.
Sign up on the Diocesan social network site and join the Mission Strategy group there.
The social networking site allows you to connect with other people in the Diocese who are working on Mission Strategy in various ways, and hosts forums where everyone is welcome to discuss the process.
Who is coordinating the process?
The Mission Strategy coordinators are responsible for facilitating the implementation of the BCMS Report. The coordinators are made up of a core team working together with a consulting team and the leadership of the task teams for each goal. A current membership roster is available here.
Help with this site
What role does this site have in the process?
The materials posted here reflect the current areas of activity in the process both at the grass roots and in the core leadership. (See the answer to “What gets posted here?” for details about the different areas of this site.) As the implementation process develops, this site will also be heavily linked into the Mission Strategy group on the Diocesan social network site, which provides space for people to interact online and discuss the process.
What gets posted here?
The home page highlights the latest activity in the process. This includes updates from the Coordinators and each of the goal teams, links to blog posts about the process, particular threads of discussion in the forum, notices of upcoming meetings, and any other materials relevant to the process. Not everything gets posted on the home page, but if you want to get a sense of where the current activity is, the home page will tell you.
Each goal also has its own page, reachable from anywhere on the site by the four tabs at the top of the page. These pages list similar things to the home page, but go into more depth on the activity around each of the four goals. Some things that appear on the goal pages won’t rise to the home page, so if you’re interested in one goal in particular, check back on that page regularly.
Regular updates from each of the core teams (coordinators and goal teams) are also available on a dedicated page for each team. The updates for each goal are linked from that goal’s page, as well as in the sidebar under ‘updates.’
How often is this site updated?
Whenever a new update is released from any of the task teams; whenever a particularly active discussion, or one of potentially broader interest, is happening in the forums; whenever one of the dedicated bloggers posts a new entry; whenever a meeting is announced—this site will be updated. In short, check back often!
Who maintains this site?
The coordinating team includes people responsible for drawing out highlights of the current work being done. The current member responsible for this work is Kevin Bullock, in partnership with the rest of the leaders in the process. If you’re involved in an area of Mission Strategy work that you think is of broader interest, please contact us so we can highlight it here.
How do I participate in the forums?
Sign up for the Diocesan social networking site, using the instructions here.