Our church is engaged in the Crossroads Method for Renewal and Growth of the Church, created and developed by Church Development Systems of San Francisco. Our first workshop session was titled, "Discover Your Spiritual DNA." The church, as described by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:12, 24, is essentially an organism rather than an organization. Paul wrote that the church "has many parts, just any other body does. . . . God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable."

All living things grow. As with a living body, the church is composed of cells (teams and small groups) arranged in systems to promote the health of the entire body by reflecting a healthy "spiritual DNA." Just as the systems in a human body promote health, so the systems in the body of the church support the health of that organism. This new way of perceiving the church represents a "paradigm shift."

The Vision Team is designed to be a cross-section of the congregation, a representative "cell" which contains the full DNA. So far in our process, it has been apparent that some things are basic to each of the members of the group, and that these seem to represent an accurate sample of our parish.

In the first workshop, we examined our core values, those which were agreed upon by the Vision Team. These were chosen by prioritizing a long list of values and choosing the primary values from this. We then worked on defining these values carefully and clearly. We pray for God's direction and guidance in this process, and the goal is to discern, as best we can, the will of God for St. Paul's.

During the Crossroads Method process, our Vision Team will develop a "strategic map" for our church built on a strong foundation of our core values. Out of these, the Team can create a mission that reflects our identity and purpose. Similarly, we will "dream" or envision our future as a faith community. This "dream" is called a "vision," and our task as a church is to bring our vision into reality.

We can move in the direction of our vision by drawing upon what we do best in ministry -- our core competencies. This may mean that we have an opportunity to bring about creative change which reflects our mission and vision. While the Vision Team will do the initial groundwork, the responsibility rests with us all. With the assistance of our pastor as vision caster, we can become what God has called us to become. We, as a church, can, as Mother Teresa once expressed it, "do something beautiful for God."

Our church is a living organism, and all healthy things grow. The most significant growth a church can experience is spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is one of our core values as discerned by the Vision Team.

One important system that contributes to growth is the welcoming system. This system, as with all organic systems, reflects the spiritual DNA of our church. At the core of this DNA are the mission, vision, and values of our church, and these are also at the nucleus of the welcoming system.

Our Vision Team will look at whether our present welcoming system is producing the results the church intends. We will scan our system, and make a strategic decision as to the direction we wish to go in the future. The Vision Team will choose tactics that reflect an understanding of how best to serve the needs of newcomers. This requires understanding what newcomers are seeking, and how the church can facilitate their search for meaning. One of the changes in the way we welcome people is a simple as removing the front gate on Sunday morning, so that newcomers (and long-time members) do not need to struggle to try to open the child-proof devices.

The Vision Team will be discussing other helpful changes in our welcoming system. Our church will always be welcoming to all people. However, based on time, talent, and resources, it may be that we can meet the needs of only some newcomers in a quality way. Once we have a clear sense -- a profile -- of those whom we can serve with quality, we will intentionally plan special Sundays or events intended to communicate those things that the church offers that could be of particular value to newcomers.