Discovery Study and Next Steps for Our Building
For several years, FCCBC has been preparing itself for and researching how it can transition to a new model for managing its building and transforming the building into a community space. Some of this work has been slowed by the pandemic, but it continues to be a goal we have been slowly working toward. FCCBC has an opportunity to develop a road map for a way forward into making this idea a reality.
The overall goal is to find a sustainable, long-term plan to transition our building to a different model of ownership and management.
In order to successfully transition the stewardship of our building, we will need expertise to develop a road map to complete this task. We have sought out the expertise of Partners for Sacred Places. Partners for Sacred Places is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia, PA which provides training, grants, special project support, research, consultation and advocacy to faith communities with historic, community-oriented buildings.
A proposal from Partners for Sacred Places included information about the following services:
Discovery Study—an evaluation of finances and programming, seeking strategic opportunities and challenges, gathering data about our contribution to the Battle Creek community and interviews with 30-35 invested community partners
Advisory Task Force and Asset-Mapping—support in the formation of a task force to provide expertise, guidance and support to the process of transitioning our building ownership and management as well as a one-time, three hour event led and designed by PSO staff.
Strategic Visioning Community conversations with Church Council—Six Community conversations with Task Force to create clear goals for the building
Prior to a recent Congregational meeting, the annual budget documents were made available to the congregation along with the proposal from Partners, which was discussed at the Congregational meeting on Sunday, January 30. After a short overview of the proposal, the Congregation split into small groups to discuss with one another. Then, the groups shared back with the congregation what was discussed. The three questions that framed the discussion were: What further information would you like about Partners for Sacred Places and/or this process? What about the proposal seems appealing? What hesitations or fears do you have?
A survey was dispersed to those in attendance, asking for their feedback on the proposal. Each attendee was asked to rank their support of the proposal between 1 (“I do not support this proposal and will not support it.”) to 5 (“I think this plan shows promise and I would support it.”) Those who were not able to attend the meeting were able to watch the meeting like on Facebook or after the conclusion of the meeting. They were also asked to send a short message to church leadership with questions, concerns, and their survey feedback.
The proposal was overwhelmingly positively supported and funds were allocated to engage the services of Partners for Sacred Places. In the coming weeks, there will be a virtual Zoom meeting with the team at Partners allowing church members to bring their questions and to learn more. Then a small group from Council will begin the process of creating a contract with Partners for their services.
If you have any further questions about the proposal or the process, please do not hesitate to reach out to a Church Council member (a roster is available by request or at the Welcome Center) or to Jaimie at jaimie@fccbc.org.