Campus Master Plan

Belmont United Methodist Church
STRATEGIC MINISTRY PLAN
January 2005

 OVERVIEW 

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” – Jeremiah 29.11 

Belmont United Methodist Church (“Belmont”) is an urban church located in the Hillsboro Village district of Nashville, Tennessee. The church was founded in 1910 as a mission church at its current location on the corner of 21^st Avenue South and Acklen Avenue. Because of its location and commitment to innovative and diverse ministries, the church grew rapidly until the early 1950s at which time it was the largest Methodist church in the state of Tennessee. Beginning in the early 1960s, the church began to experience a long-term decline in membership paralleling urban flight to the suburbs and the growth of newer suburban churches. This gradual decline in membership lasted until the early 1990s, at which time the revitalization of the Hillsboro-West End and Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhoods surrounding the church helped to halt the membership decline and created a significant opportunity for re-growth. 

From 2002 to 2004, Belmont has welcomed more than 150 new members representing over 90 households. An examination of the new membership shows that more than two thirds live in the neighborhood, more than two thirds are married, and that more than two thirds are under 40.  

Due to the character of its members and neighborhood along with its proximity to Vanderbilt University Divinity School and various United Methodist agencies, Belmont has from its earliest days considered itself a “missional” and progressive church. For example, Belmont was one of the first churches in Nashville to integrate and was the site of one of the nation’s first government funded pre-school childcare programs. The current ministry programs of the church reflect the diversity, progressiveness and, most importantly, spirit-led nature of the church membership.   

Belmont sees a core value of its mission as understanding that God has a plan for us to be in the “Village” as opposed to being in the suburbs. The centerpiece of Belmont’s ministry is its choice to continue to serve God’s Global Village from the corner of 21^st and Acklen. 

CURRENT STATUS OF MINISTRY PROGRAMS 

Belmont’s ministries as they have evolved are currently expressed in six missional priorities:

–        Reach out to our local village

–        Nurture our church family

–        Send one another to serve God’s global village

–        Discern God’s will for our church

–        Be good stewards

–        Communicate our plans effectively

These priorities are executed through the four priority ministry teams:

–        Reaching and Receiving

–        Caring and Nurturing

–        Sending and Serving

–        Enabling and Resourcing

A detailed organizational chart of current ministries served by each of these four teams by clicking on the links below:

Reaching/Receiving
Nurturing/Caring
Sending/Serving
Enabling/Resourcing.

PURPOSES OF STRATEGIC MINISTRY PLAN 

The purposes of this plan are:

• To provide Belmont UMC with a vision of future ministries and the facilities, properties, and action plans necessary to arrive at the fulfillment of that vision.

• To integrate the ideas of the 2002 long range planning process, the recommendations of the Campus Master Plan, and the spiritual energy of an ongoing congregational discernment process into a coordinated Strategic Ministry Plan.
• To detail specific action plans for implementing the Strategic Ministry Plan. (The specific action plans will be developed further outside the scope of this document.)

The Plan has been organized by examining each of the four ministry teams and listing Belmont’s perceived strengths in each area. These strengths lead to broad-based strategies for carrying out these ministries. Action plans, which are to be executed in order to fulfill these strategies, are detailed. These action plans are divided into short, medium, and long range in their execution. The action plans lead us to a discernment of what we may need to add or change in order to carry out our missions and ministries. 

Belmont’s Strategic Ministry Plan creates a vision of Belmont as a: 

A church that serves as the center of the community, where the “lights never go out”, where the many cultures, ages and interests in and around Belmont are served and enveloped by the grace of Jesus Christ, where Belmont serves God’s global community from its location in Hillsboro Village, and where a figurative “front porch” welcomes all.

Examination of Belmont’s historical missional approach to ministries coupled with analysis of the demographic trends in its neighborhood leads to a vision of a church community connected to each member and to the unique and vibrant neighborhood in which Belmont is located. The ministerial priorities are centered on the belief that Belmont is called to direct its nurturing, sending and receiving ministries not only to the Hillsboro Village area but also to the many neighborhoods in Nashville and beyond.

STRATEGIC MINISTERIAL PRIORITIES (STRATEGIES AND STRENGTHS)

 The Strategic Ministry Plan is broken down further to each of the four Ministry Priority Teams.   

1.      Reaching and Receiving 

Matthew 14:18—“ ‘Bring them here to me,’ he said.” 

The primary strategy of Reaching and Receiving is to be the center of community for the Hillsboro Village area. This ministry envisions a Belmont with abundant opportunities for all ages to find a community, spiritual or recreational activity to pursue. 

General themes and strengths applying to Reaching and Receiving include:

-          Belmont is seen as a “warm” place

-          Respectful worship

-          Spiritual formation

-          Belmont imparts a sense of belonging

-          Integrity of love 

2.      Caring and Nurturing 

Matthew 14:16—“Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ” 

This ministry emphasizes a formal entry point for new members and regular visits of both new and current members through “porches,” or places to enter easily, whether they be music ministries, small-group meetings, one-on-one mentoring, recreational opportunities for children or new Sunday School classes.  

General themes for Caring and Nurturing are:

-          A strong sense of community

-          Connections

-          Teaching the faith

-          Life-long learning

-          Sustained Christian living 

3.       Sending and Serving 

Matthew 14:19-20—“Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” 

Micah 6:8—“What does the Lord require of you but to do justices, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

This ministry’s mission is to reach out in service to those who are in need in God’s global village. The goal is to reach out near and far. 

Belmont’s commitment to Sending and Serving includes:

-          Many missional opportunities

-          Many opportunities for service

-          Long heritage of mission work

-          Close association to UMC agencies

-          Long history of advocacy 

4.       Enabling and Resourcing 

Matthew 14:18—“ ‘Bring them here to me,’ he said.” 

Matthew 14:13—“Jesus had compassion on them and healed their sick.” 

Enabling and Resourcing will be accomplished through examining the best alignment of resources with current and future needs. Belmont will have physical plant, staffing, and financial resources used efficiently so as to support enhanced ministries. This group will enable the congregation to understand the hungers and needs of those we serve. 

Themes to be found in Belmont’s Enabling and Resourcing efforts include:

-          Positive financial trends

-          Physical plant in need of modification/updating to meet modern ministry needs

-          Strong staffing additions made in last five years

-          Size of facility will support growth

ACTION PLANS FOR THE FOUR MINISTRY PRIORITY TEAMS 

Based on the mission statements and strengths noted in the previous section, more specific actionable items are listed below for each ministry. The responsibility for insuring the development of these items into Action Plans will fall with the appropriate Ministry Teams and programmatic church staff as directed by the Senior Pastor and Administrative Board. The Senior Pastor in conjunction with the Executive Committee of the Administrative Board will develop an appropriate system for measuring progress (short, medium and long term) toward these goals on an annual basis. 

These Action Plans will include not only development of appropriate ministry plans and staffing models, but also a Plan to insure that Belmont’s facilities are the best they can be for executing these plans. 

1.    Reaching and Receiving 

Matthew 14:18—“ ‘Bring them here to me,’ he said.” 

Goals

• Provide a variety of worship opportunities and community education
• Provide community events for our neighborhood
• Provide technically appropriate (computers, etc.), big (can accommodate dinners or meetings for 400+), accessible, spiritual and warm meeting spaces for all
• Make recreation available to persons of all ages at all times of day and year
• Serve a role for referral and advocacy
• Reach out to potential members
• Service the varying needs of persons in our community
• Provide community events for our neighborhood

Short, Medium and Long Term Action Plans

2.      Caring and Nurturing 

Matthew 14:16—“Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ” 

Goals

• Connect new members/regular visitors
• Staffing model fits ministry plan 
• Staff are intentional about plugging people in
• Express a clear vision of what our nurturing needs are
• Revitalized educational processes
• Take advantage of our location
• Maintain a strong sense of inclusivity and diversity (multi-cultural)
• Provide enhanced small group opportunities for all members of our faith community
• Help our church to discern God’s will for our congregation
• Help our church to understand the hungers and needs of those we serve
• Provide a vehicle by which individuals, small groups, and the congregation can grow in their faith through exploring how God can be at work through them

Short, Medium and Long Term Action Plans 

 3.      Sending and Serving 

Matthew 14:19-20—“Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” 

Micah 6:8—“What does the Lord require of you but to do justices, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

Goals

• Develop and express a vision for intentional and programmatic approaches to Sending and Serving that allows prioritization of the many opportunities available
• Provide diverse and numerous opportunities for ministry service near and far
• Help members of our church family to understand their gifts for mission
• Encourage members to participate in missions in a variety of ways on a daily basis
• Offer training/mentoring for learning how to do outreach service
• Reach out to the homeless and needy of our own community
• Link with and assist other people and other churches in the world
• Help the congregation take part in advocacy issues
• Provide education about cultural, social justice, advocacy and current conditions for all ages
• Provide support for immigrants and refugees who relocate to our community
• Partner with institutions in our neighborhood to do outreach

Short, Medium and Long Term Action Plans 

  4. Enabling and Resourcing 

Matthew 14:18—“ ‘Bring them here to me,’ he said.” 

Matthew 14:13—“Jesus had compassion on them and healed their sick.” 

Goals

• Promote stewardship
• Align staffing with programmatic needs
• Grow the financial resources of the church (Operating funds, Capital Funds and Trust Fund)
• Provide proper spaces for public gathering
• Provide appropriate means to enable people to come to our facilities

Short, Medium and Long Term Action Plans 

 STAFFING MODEL 

The Staff Parish Relations Committee is currently undertaking a study of Belmont’s staffing model to determine if the current model best fits the church’s needs. The results of this study should be consistent with this ministry plan and will be incorporated into this plan as an addendum upon its completion. 

CAMPUS MASTER PLAN 

Many of the action plans outlined in the Strategic Ministry Plan are reflected in the Campus Master Plan as completed by Gilbert-McLaughlin Architects.  The Campus Master Plan will be subordinate to the Strategic Ministry Plan. The SMP will dictate the priorities of the Campus Master Plan. The CMP, as originally presented, is intended as a guide for long range planning. As such, elements of the Campus Master Plan will have different priorities than originally presented in order to reflect the primary conclusions of this document. Implementation of the Campus Master Plan will begin if and when the goals are aligned with the SMP. A goal of major work and fundraising could begin by Spring 2006.

NEXT STEPS

·         Strategic Ministry Action Team to examine and align the Campus Master Plan in conjunction with action plans from the Strategic Ministry Plan. This work will be completed by 1^st quarter 2005.

·         Strategic Ministry Action Team to examine goals and action plans for revisions, additions and prioritization. Strategic Ministry Action Team will be accountable for presenting more detailed plans to achieve short term goals (in 2005) by the May 2005 Administrative Board Meeting. Action Plans for medium and long-range goals are to be presented by the September 2005 Administrative Board Meeting.

·         It will be the responsibility of the four Ministry Priority Groups to implement and execute the Action Plans recommended by the Strategic Ministry Action Team.

·         Staff members assigned to each ministry team will be accountable for insuring that these action plans are executed. (This step may need to wait for one or two of the teams until new staff is in place.)

·         Staff Parish Relations Committee to complete staffing model study by 3/1/05. The SPRC will work to insure that the staffing model is consistent with the Strategic Ministry Plan.

Campus Master Plan Images

Click on the links below to view images of Belmont's Campus Master Plan ((Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

BUMC EXISTING BASEMENT

BUMC EXISTING FIRST FLOOR

BUMC EXISTING SECOND FLOOR

BUMC EXISTING THIRD FLOOR