Planning for the Future of FCCOL

Overview
For some time, the Board of Trustees and the Board of Stewardship have been grappling with a revenue gap in our annual budget, seeking to identify both its causes and remedies. Recognizing that cultural shifts in our society, such as changes in demographics and church attendance, were one of the primary causes, the boards agreed last summer to interview consulting firms that specialized in helping churches adapt to these shifts and continue to thrive.

Based on the interviews, the church decided to work with a firm called Convergence which had a proven track record in helping churches like ours leverage their strengths to adapt successfully to cultural changes.  The end product of this year-long consultation will be a strategic plan the church can follow to grow and thrive in the years ahead.

In addition to hiring Convergence, the church established a team of congregation members called the FCCOL Future Task Force to work hand-in-hand with the Convergence team and keep the congregation informed of the project’s progress and findings.  The task force members include William Belluzzi, Jolene Brandt, Ellen Calkins, Cara Cheung, Laura Fitzpatrick Nager, Carleen Gerber, Beth Hamilton, Steve Jungkeit, John Kiker (co-chair), Jim Matschulat, Sean McCarty, Bob McCracken, Elizabeth Nocera (co-chair), Dan Renn and Tom Sherer.

Initial Phase: Research
The initial phase of the consulting project involved conducting a wealth of research on our congregation and community.  To that end:

• In September and October 2024, Convergence conducted a survey of our congregation members to better understand their demographics, reasons for participating in the church, and dreams for the church’s future. You can read a summary of the survey results here.
• On November 10, Convergence held an adult forum that summarized the survey results. You can watch a video of that forum here.
• Convergence held two adult forums in October that explained how cultural shifts have been impacting congregations nationwide and provided examples of churches that adapted successfully to these changes. You can watch the October 13 forum (Part 1) here and the October 27 forum (Part 2) here.
• In December 2024 and January 2025, the task force conducted focus groups with specific segments of the congregation – including adults under 50 with children, new members, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community – to gain insights into their church experiences. Task force members also interviewed community leaders in Old Lyme to learn what issues the leaders felt were of concern to the community and identify opportunities to work in partnership with other organizations.
• In January, Convergence summarized the combined results of the congregation survey, focus groups, and community interviews for the task force members; and outlined the potential next steps for the task force to consider.  You can read that summary here.

In February, Convergence and the task force will present the results and recommendations to the congregation for discussion and the congregation will be invited to participate in a workshop to agree on the next steps forward.