CHURCH RENEWAL

PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM

CHURCH DEVELOPMENT – PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Name of Congregation______________________________________

If there have been changes in pastor or lay contact information, please indicate that below.

(The following information is requested from churches whose initial renewal idea was deemed
appropriate for CDC assistance. This information is designed to help clarify the project by
describing it in detail. At the initial inquiry stage, your congregation included a “Description of
Renewal Idea”. Please review that and include any updates to that description.)

Update – Description of Renewal Idea

CONGREGATIONAL INFORMATION

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONGREGATION

Describe the membership of the congregation in terms of age, life-style, employment, tenure in the
community, etc.

WORSHIP PARTICIPATION
Using information from Annual Reports and Yearbook entries, describe the following for the
previous four years and the current year:
Membership
New Members (including confirmation)
Average worship attendance
Approximate number of first-time worshippers during the year
Number of adults involved in adult education settings
Number of youth involved in youth programs
Number of children involved in children’s programs

FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Indicate the number of pledging units and the yearly amount received from pledges for the previous
four years and the current year. Also indicate if there are other revenue streams (such as
endowment interest, rental income, annual fund-raising project, etc.)

Are you producing annual reports? (Please provide one copy)

Do you have regular financial statements? (Please provide last year’s year end financial
report)
Please describe your stewardship emphasis, program or approach?

FACILITIES
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the current physical plant, including parking. What
other groups regularly use the facilities?
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE SETTING
Describe the neighborhood (or wider geographic area) in which the church is located in terms of
age, employment, economic condition, ethnicity, religious orientation, new residents, etc. Indicate
trends expected in the near future.

VISION STATEMENT OF CONGREGATION

If the congregation has a written vision statement, please include it here. When was this vision
statement adopted?

DESCRIPTION OF CHURCH TO A NEWCOMER TO THE AREA

What would newcomers to your neighborhood need to know to have a sense of whether or not they
would feel comfortable in your church?

HOW THE CONGREGATION DEALS WITH CHANGE

How does the congregation handle change? Give examples.

How are new things introduced into worship, committee work, education programs, mission
opportunities?

All renewal requires change – describe what you expect when the changes in this renewal project
are implemented.

HOW THE CONGREGATION RELATES TO CORE UCC VALUES?

How does the congregation support UCC core values such as Just Peace and diversity, (openness to
different faith journeys, open and affirming, multicultural/multiethnic, etc.)

UCC polity values the autonomy of the local church and the covenant among our churches in the
Conference. Please describe in what ways your congregation participates in the covenant (annual
meeting, committees, camping program, UC News, etc.).

As part of the proposal project, each renewing congregation is asked to set goals and make a
commitment (covering the term of the renewal project – usually 3 years) to OCWM. Please list
your OCWM commitment for each renewal year. Describe other goals for improving your
participation in the church-Conference covenant.

RENEWAL PROJECT

GOALS FOR RENEWAL

Describe your goals for renewal as they are taking form at this time?

OBJECTIVES TO ACHIEVE GOALS

Describe specific objectives that will facilitate the achievement of the goals. Include an estimate of
the financial costs involved with completing the objectives.

PROJECTED OUTCOMES / EVALUATION MEASURES

How will you determine if you have achieved the objectives? What will you use to evaluate what
works? When will you know you have reached your goals?

REQUEST FOR GRANT FUNDS

Specify the amount of grant funds your church needs and how they will be expended. Grants are
typically for three years, authorized a year at a time. Include a year by year breakout being specific
as possible as this will be used as a benchmark for evaluating progress in the project.

POSSIBLE DIFFICULTIES
What are the possible difficulties you would anticipate in reaching your objectives? What would
help reduce the impact of these potential difficulties?

CONGREGATIONAL INVOLVEMENT IN RENEWAL PROJECT

What portion of the congregation is involved in this renewal project? How were the goals and
objectives for the project determined?

CONGREGATIONAL SUPPORT FOR GROWTH

What portion of the congregation will actively support evangelism/development/growth/change?

The undersigned leadership people of the congregation submits this proposal to the Church
Development Committee of the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ on
behalf of _____________________________________ (name of church) on
____________________ (date), recognizing that the proposal, and other materials and discussions
related to this proposal and the renewal itself, may be treated as public rather than confidential
information.

___________________________________ _____________________________
(Pastor) (Moderator or Council Chair)
Print name__________________________ Print name____________________