INTRODUCTION
Over the past 145 years, WPLC has worked alongside our God to care for all of creation. Based on your feedback from early 2024, it is clear that we are positioned to further strengthen this foundation by empowering individuals of all ages to lead ministries, responding to injustice, and reaching further into the community. This work will ensure that as the A Place for All renovations are completed, we have firm foundation to reach further into our community and thrive for generations to come.
Join us as we strengthen foundations for God’s work.
Table of Contents
- 2024’s Progress
- 2024’s Ministry Evaluation
- Priorities and Goals
- How We Succeed
- Questions and Feedback
2024’s Progress
Let us celebrate our successes since our goals were last set! Click here to see our “Cultivating Connections” goals.
Since last year, we:
- Expanded children’s ministries and prepared to launch youth programming
- Increased children and youth engagement at social events, fellowship, and volunteer opportunities, including some focused events including bowling with the children and youth.
- Are on-track to launch a youth group with a theological reflection component during worship by the end of 2024, similar to Sunday School.
- Expanded our Sunday School offerings to weekly throughout 2024’s program years.
- Deepen Fellowship Opportunities
- Implemented creative ways of fostering social connection during post-service fellowship, which included conversation questions on the tables and moving the coffee station to improve traffic flow from the sanctuary.
- Continued to offer Second Sunday Socials to offer a robust time of fellowship over a meal on the second Sunday of the month.
- Expand Engagement
- Revised the bulletin communication methods to focus on our six key areas of ministry (worship, inviting, service, education, general operations, and fellowship).
- Will connect volunteers of all ages with new and existing engagement opportunities using the results of the Time and Talent survey by end of 2024.
- Have continued our Sunday-centric programing, including Second Sunday Socials and Third Sunday Teachings.
- Have anti-racism training onsite for all staff, council, and members.
- Kept pastor and staff’s salaries aligned with inflation.
- Made significant strides toward a Comprehensive Building Plan
- Completed design/development work and began permit document phase for construction
- Organized, launched, and successfully held a congregation-wide capital campaign
- Raised over 75% of our goal through mid-September with continued grant submissions and community engagement through year’s end
- Financially supported the Lighthouse Foundation and Reconciling Works
- Utilized the Gathering Garden for fellowship time, meetings, and events.
- Worked with Wicker Park Lutheran Building Friends to host movie nights open to the community.
As a passionate, Christian community, we are committed to nurturing and building up the body of Christ through welcoming, creative, and diverse ministries.
WPLC’s Mission
2024’s Ministry Evaluation
In early 2024, the congregation shared feedback on our collective ministry over the last year. We received 45 responses this year. Each response was read multiple times and the comments were complied to develop 2025’s goals. Below is a summary of the responses we received.
To be a thriving Christian presence in metro Chicago, recognized as offering spiritual and social resources in our community.
WPLC’s Vision
2025 PRIORITIES & Goals
Priorities
- Priority A – Engage with our community in inclusive, diverse, creative, and hospitable ways both virtually and in person.
- Priority B – Equip and empower our community to be agents for justice.
- Priority C – Improve space use opportunities, facilitate congregation growth, and provide more inclusive accessibility (virtual and physical) to our facilities by implementing a comprehensive building plan.
Why are We Using “Priority” to Describe Our Three MAin Goal groups this year?
In previous years, we listed each priority as a “long-term goal.” Upon Council review, each one is actually more of an on-going focus that may never be completely fulfilled. Thus, it felt imprecise to call them “goals.” Rather, Council feels that using “priority” best communicates these efforts and articulates the nuance.
Priority A
Engage with our community in inclusive, diverse, creative, and hospitable ways both virtually and in person.
Why is this important?
- Helps us realize our vision to “be a thriving Christian presence in metro Chicago, recognized as offering spiritual and social resources in our community.”
- Empowers us to live out our purpose to reach all people as stated in the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28).
- Roots us in our focus to worship God through lives of prayer, praise, thanksgiving, witness, and service (see C4.02.a. of our consti
t ution).
Goals
- Long-term goal #1: Establish a sustainable and robust children’s and youth ministry by 2030.
- Related short-term goal: Develop a youth group that includes theological engagement during 2025.
- Related short-term goal: Work to subdivide Sunday School into two or more age groups by mid-2026.
- Long-term goal #2: Engage the congregation to develop and empower seven new leaders (someone not currently on Council and who leads a new or current ministry, event, or gathering) by 2027.
- Related short-term goal: Integrate and streamline our various data sources (Church Community Builder database [CCB] and Time & Talent) in a sustainable way for council and staff to directly ask potential new leaders in 2025.
- Related short-term goal: Hold two engagement events led by new leaders (not on Council) in 2025. For example: new ministries, events, or gatherings.
Priority B
Equip and empower our community to be agents for justice.
Why is this important?
- Expands our commitment to justice in our community (see C4.03.f. in our constitution).
- Helps us to live out our mission to be “a passionate, Christian community that is committed to nurturing and building up the body of Christ.”
- Allows us to better engage with our purpose to “challenge, equip, and support all members to carry out the calling” and also, to “respond to human need” (see C4.03.c. in our constitution).
Goals
- Long-term goal #1: Reaffirm our commitment to anti-racism work as a part of our Reconciling in Christ designation with expanded emphasis through 2027.
- Related short-term goal: A congregation-wide campaign to have at least 50 people attend an Anti-racism Committee for Transformation (ACT) event or ACT-sponsored event in 2025. The Council will host a celebration of the successful completion of this campaign.
- Related short-term goal: Work internally and externally to advocate for the ELCA Constitution to better embrace anti-racist ideals by engaging with the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church through 2025.
- Related short-term goal: Ensure all staff and council members engage with “Beyond Diversity: How to Build a Truly Antiracist Organization” training provided by Crossroads Antiracism within 18 months of starting through 2025.
- Related short-term goal: Cover the cost for at least three people to attend an “Introduction to Antiracism” one-day training or help offset costs of attending the “From White Supremacy Toward Liberation: Building Shared Analysis to Transform Institutions” three-day training in 2025.
- Long-term goal #2: Assess staff and pastor salaries to meet market-rate compensation by the 2030 budget. (Note: Current compensation offered to the pastor and church musician are a combined $40k+ behind market-rate pay for similar positions.)
- Related short-term goal: To reduce the market-rate compensation gap by 25% for the 2025 budget.
- Long-term goal #3: Continue progress on Priority C to make the building inclusive and accessible for all.
Priority C
Improve space use opportunities, facilitate congregational growth, and provide more inclusive accessibility (virtual and physical) to our facilities by implementing a comprehensive building plan.
Why is this important?
- So that we might continue to live out our vision to provide “spiritual and social resources in our community.”
- Allow us to be good stewards of our financial and physical resources so that we might best fulfill our mission, vision, values, and purpose.
GOALS
- Long-term goal: Complete Phase 2 of the Comprehensive Building Plan (called “A Place for All”) including all construction and loan payments by the end of 2026.
- Related short-term goal: Navigate the impacts of construction on congregational life through 2026.
- Related short-term goal: Deepen our engagement with Wicker Park Lutheran Building Friends (a separate non-religious, non-profit community group) to best preserve and renovate our building and have an attendance of ten or more across two of their community programs in 2025.
- Related short-term goal: Engage with our space use groups and broader community with an event like an open house or holiday potluck in 2025.
How we Succeed
- Pray that our work might best support God’s vision for the world.
- Support the work by volunteering your time. Remember, these are not council’s goals, these are our goals. Let Pastor Jason (pastor@wickerparklutheran.org) know if you’re particularly interested in a goal.
- Communicate your 2025 gift to support our annual budget during our Giving Campaign in October. Begin to imagine how your financial gifts can help continue what we’re doing and make all these new goals a reality!
Questions or Feedback
You are invited to contact the Executive Committee of the Congregation Council with any questions or feedback on these goals. Please email exec@wickerparklutheran.org to contact the full committee.