Strategic Process

The strategic process of Holy Cross is important to the future of our church.  We need to become a church on mission.  The Great Commission is to go outside of the walls of the church and spread the word of Christ and His Love for us.  Christ tells us that the gates of hell will not stand against the church.  That means we need to be outside of our 4 walls and in the world and community around us.  If the first followers of Christ did not leave home and spread the world where would we be?

The whole point of the Strategic Process map is for us to Connect with the community around us.  We then will Welcome them into the church.  Where, we help them Grow closer to God and to each other. Then we invite them to join us as we Serve the world.  

In order to be best prepared for our guests we need to create a Welcome Team.  This team is being formed now.  If you would like to be a part of this important ministry please contact Pastor Schack or Dan Johnson.  This team’s primary focus will be on ensuring that ANYONE who comes to our building for any reason is made to feel welcome and wanted.  They will look at all aspects of the building and property, the worship services, signage, publications etc…

But it is important to remember that we all are responsible to do our part to make Holy Cross a place you want to bring people to on a regular basis.  Some things to keep in mind as we strive to be welcoming:

1)      Guest Parking Spots are for Guests.  Sounds simple.  If a potential guest pulls up and is not easily able to find a parking spot it sets a bad tone for their visit.  Please as members of Holy Cross do not park in the Guest spots.  On a recent Sunday I pulled into the church during the 8:15 worship to see almost every guest parking place full.  I was excited to see guests.  But when I went in we only had 1 guest family.

2)      Help us keep Holy Cross Clean.  Everyone can help clean up.  Is the trash full? Take it out.  Does the restroom need supplies either get some and replace the missing items or let someone know. Did you spill something?  Wipe it up.  It is not somebody’s job to keep Holy Cross Clean.  It is everybody’s job to help take care of God’s house.

3)      Be welcoming.  Did someone sit in your pew?  Try worshiping from a different spot.

4)      Dress Code. People coming to church for the first time, do not understand that you “must” dress up for church.  In fact many people do not have Sunday Church clothes.  But God loves them anyways.  Watch out for the little silent messages we send to those who do not dress the way we think they should.  Church is changing.  We need to change with it.

5)      Greet people.  Our building is easy enough for us to get around.  But someone new to the place may not know what a sanctuary is.  If you see someone new stop and see if you can help them.  If they seem to not want help then be polite and over a good morning.

6)      Outside groups.  One of the best tools we have for connecting with outsiders is our building and grounds.  Outside groups use our building on a regular basis.  If you are here when an outside group is please do your best to offer them the spiritual gift of hospitality.  Please remember that they do not know how to do thing around the place.  We are starting to have some success in getting these outsiders to check us out for a path to Jesus.

7)      Offer Coffee. I have told the story of a visit to another church.  I wandered the building for 25 minutes without being greeted.  I walked past the coffee setup 3 times and never was I offered coffee. Nor was there any sign that I could help myself.  We are Lutherans We live on coffee.  It is an easy way to make someone feel at home.

If we want Holy Cross to celebrate another 50 years we need to start focusing on others today.  We all need to understand the importance of connecting with those around us.  The days of build it and they will come have passed.  Connect with those around you and invite them to join you this Sunday.