Shepherd Of The Hills 2009-2010 Ministry Plan

Goals God Enabled Us To Achieve In 08-09:

• Continued development of Bible-based curriculum, including training modules
• Continued development of classes, seminars, ministries, etc. as opportunities for outreach (women’s support group; workshops on stress, relationships, finances; “Fireproof” Bible class on marriage)
• Continued development of fellowship groups (started Senior group and 20s/30s group)
• Established a Publicity Team to create more community awareness of the gospel and our ministry
• Developed job descriptions for all service positions
• Recruited members for service roles with “Everybody Is Somebody In The Body Of Christ” emphasis
• Further developed and expanded shut-in visitation ministry
• Expanded the parking lot
• Established a Donation Sales Committee
• Studied staffing needs and determined need to call a second pastor
• Began to develop a master plan for site expansion

Key Issues Addressed In The Planning Process:

• The need to add staff and expand our facilities as soon as possible
• The need for helping people to get to know each other and strengthening relationships
• The need for and blessing of a greater number of members growing in faith and in relationships with each other through Bible Classes and Sunday School
• The effect on the church of growing godlessness in our culture
• A 15% reduction in offerings at SOTH from last year to this year
• A 20% reduction in synod income, resulting in the possible reduction of up to 38 faculty and staff members at our ministerial schools and over 35 called workers in our home and world mission fields
• The need to provide Stephen Fund assistance to members in financial distress
• The need to complete the filling of open positions on congregation committees, teams, and groups
• The benefit of outreach to our community via canvasses and member mission trips
• The blessings and opportunities of 124 unchurched individuals or families who visited in the past year
• The opportunity for further development of Senior and Support ministries
• The need for leadership training for congregation leaders
• The value of having a WELS Lutheran elementary school and the feasibility of an area LES

Summary Of Key Goals For 09-10

• Utilize a guest pastor once a month to provide short-term relief for staffing needs, while developing plans for a two-pastor ministry with an emphasis on senior, support, and family ministry needs.
• Utilize a Facility Expansion Recommendation Team to finalize a facility expansion plan and anticipated costs of each phase.

• Encourage members to deepen faith and be equipped for service through Bible Study and worship.
• Form a Fellowship Development Team to research and promote creative avenues for building the fellowship life of the congregation and for outreach to the community, especially utilizing small groups.
• Expand outreach via community canvasses, mission trips for youth and adults, and a welcome center
• Continue to improve operation of our ministry with leadership training for all leaders, development of a communication/technology team, and a standardized annual planning process.
• Utilize a guest pastor once a month to provide short-term relief for staffing needs, while developing plans for a two-pastor ministry with an emphasis on senior, support, and family ministry needs.
• Address reductions in financial support with a priority-based budget based on anticipated offerings
• Explore the feasibility of an federation-supported area Lutheran school
• Make our facility more energy efficient, develop a plan for maintenance/replacement of equipment, update our inventory list, and plan for necessary improvements

Shepherd Of The Hills 2009-2010 Budget

Economic realities have led us to propose a budget with a cap of $280,000, in keeping with anticipated offerings. This budget is a reduction of $35,000 from the budget for 08-09 and reflects cuts in several areas of ministry, but was achieved primarily by the eliminating the line item of parking lot debt repayment ($3,100/mo. in 08-09). We did not reduce tuition support, as we have decreased support from 100% to 75% to 50% the last several years. We did not reduce synodical support ($43,000) because of 1) the critical need for synod support at this time, with the likelihood of severe cuts in missions and ministerial education, 2) the direct impact on the preaching of the gospel and saving souls related to support for our synod, 3) the need for long term viability of the synod, since synodical schools train our future pastors and teachers, and 4) God calls us to a Christ-like attitude of selfless love that puts others first:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!  (Philippians 2:1-8)

This reduced budget does not mean we intend to do less ministry. We see this as an opportunity (maybe even a wake up call) that there is more we all can do to share the good news of Jesus with our time and with our abilities.  Our ministry plans reflect lots of opportunities for us to share the good news of Jesus with those in our community via canvasses, support ministries, expansion of group ministries, in service roles under our Evangelism Board, and in personal witness. We will share the gospel with those outside our community through mission trips and through participation in international and domestic student outreach through our WELS Campus Ministry at MSU.

To extend ourselves like this does not come naturally or easily.  That is why we are also encouraging all of God's people to make use of Bible classes and training to be motivated and equipped to use our gifts in service to the Lord and to bring more people the gospel. This, in fact, is a specific goal for our congregation in 09-10.

A special gift of over $110,000 given to the congregation has been received into the Endowment Fund and then loaned to the congregation for repayment of loans. This gift, and the resulting internal loan, will enable us to accelerate re-payment of member loans, save interest costs, and build up the Endowment Fund with the benefit of annual interest income for the congregation and the flexibility of internal loans for future needs.

But there are other needs, such as a second pastor and facility expansion. These needs are limiting our ministry right now and holding us back from achieving plans for expanding our ministry.  So our plan is to ask God's people to voluntarily increase their offerings by $5 per week to achieve retirement of the parking lot expansion debt and enable us to call a second pastor in two years, with the goal of expanding facilities as soon as possible after that. We realize that some will be able to give more than $5/week and some less. But if even 2/3 of our members participate, that means 185 individuals or couples giving $925/week or $48,100/year.

We ask this recognizing that we are in a recession that has caused job losses and reductions in income for many, and uncertainty for everyone. But we also ask this recognizing that our almighty God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20) We ask this recognizing that you are his people, who love him, who appreciate your Savior Jesus, and who are willing to make sacrifices so that his saving love can reach others and give them the joy and peace and life it has given you. We ask this with humble trust in the Lord to bless us beyond what would seem humanly possible.

Proposed Budget 2009-2010

Category	Proposed Budget 2009-2010	Budget 2008-2009
Elders
Administration	$41,562.00	$40,974.00
Benefits	$18,370.00	$19,562.00
Elder Resources	$1,825.00	$3,125.00
Pastoral Support	$73,814.00 (Includes $3,402 for guest pastors once/month)	$71,013.00
Worship	$7,500.00	$7,500.00
Total Elders	$143,071.00	$142,174.00
Education
Sunday School	$2,000.00	$3,700.00
Cradle Roll	$100.00	$100.00
Adult Bible Class	$1,100.00	$2,300.00
Periodicals	$1,900.001	$1,550.00
VBS	$800.00	$2,000.00
Tuition	$39,225.00	$37,865.00
Total Education	$45,225.00	$49,090.00
Property/Maintenance
Utilities	$8,225.00	$5,900.00
Operational Church	$2,600.00	$4,100.00
Maintenance Church	$10,950.00	10,950.00
Total Prop./Maint.	$24,802.35	$23,950.00
Evangelism
Advertising	$3,300.00	$550.00
Bulk Mailings	$525.00	$2,300.00
Outreach	$2,300.00	$5,800.00
Special Programs (CKF, EFK, Soccer/Bible Camp, etc.)	$1,600.00	$1,700.00
Total Evangelism	$7,725.00	$10,350.00
Stewardship
Total Stewardship (includes: synod mission offering, Campus ministry support, offering envelopes, WELS connection video)	$52,620.00 (No payments to Mission/Vision Fund or debt retirement included)	$90,243.00 (Included $37,200 for debt retirement and payments to Mission/Vision Fund)
TOTAL BUDGET	$273,443.00	$315,807.00