Introducing St. David’s Strategic Plan 2026-2028

Introducing St. David’s 2026-2028 Strategic Plan

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Read the full plan here.

Video transcript:

The Rev. Rick Morley: In the late spring, I announced that we were about to undergo a strategic planning process, and today I’m excited to have that strategic plan shared with you. To tell you about the plan is Hal Yoh, the chair of the committee, and Kate Ineson, who is a member of the committee.

Hal Yoh: This plan was developed by using the insights from the Holy Cow Assessment Tool in 2023, as well as feedback from the listening sessions that many attended in 2025 and discernment across all ministry es. This plan seeks to guide the church faithfully into what God is calling us to do over the next three years.

Kate Ineson: So, once we had all of the data from our listening sessions and the Holy Cow survey, we came together as a team to really synthesize the data. And that led to us coming together to a strategic vision for the plan.

Our vision is to be a spiritually vibrant, inclusive, outwardly engaged, and welcoming Episcopal church that fosters worship, multi-generational connection, stewardship, and transforms lives within and beyond our parish with the knowledge and love of God through Jesus Christ.

Our first overarching strategic theme is to inspire a sense of being one body as God’s children.

Hal Yoh: Ensure financial and operational sustainability for today and into the next generation.

Kate Ineson: Our third theme is to design ministry across commissions with and for all generations.

Hal Yoh: Leverage our beautiful and historic grounds more intentionally in ministry.

The plan also includes objectives across all years and focus areas year to year to help us guide into what we want to prioritize first and what we want to get to next.

The Rev. Rick Morley: It’s a simple plan. It’s two pages. It was distilled and honed down to be focused and achievable. We have identified a group of strategic leaders who will each champion the work of each of the four overarching themes. We are also assembling a group of strategic ambassadors made up of representatives of various commissions and ministries. They will bring their own commission’s perspectives, needs, and dreams, and create a collaborative path forward, grounded in the objectives of this plan.

Kate Ineson: The thing for me that makes me most excited about this strategic plan is that it really was built on what’s most important to you, our parishioners. So, our team really looked at what you wanted to see, both maintain in the present, and also see in the future of the church.

And the second thing that really excites me is it is very simple. And that simplicity excites me because it will keep us, I hope, focused on what is most important to our parish for the future.

St. David’s Episcopal Church
Strategic Plan – 2026-2028

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:11

St. David’s is a church on a mission to know God in Jesus Christ and make Christ known to others.

This strategic plan reflects the collective values and priorities of the St. David’s Episcopal Church community as it enters a new season of leadership and opportunity. Grounded in the insights of the Holy Cow! Congregation Assessment Tool from 2023, feedback from listening sessions held in 2025, and discernment across all ministries, this plan seeks to guide the church faithfully into what God is calling us to do over the next three years.

Contextual Realities

St. David’s is a larger church with over 500 giving units among our 1300 total active households primarily from the Main Line and Greater Philadelphia region. Our parishioners consistently express how satisfied they are with St. David’s, but we sometimes struggle with recruiting new or additional parishioners from the congregation for mission and ministry. The parish values worship and music, and desires more meaningful connection. St. David’s strives to make Jesus Christ’s love known using our gifts to nourish local and global partnerships. Given our size and the tremendous blessings God has bestowed upon us, our faith in Jesus Christ calls us to play a lead role in the Diocese and impact the Philadelphia region and beyond through our outreach and mission work. Challenges include the effectiveness and efficiency of operational systems, visibility of opportunities to serve, depth of spiritual vitality, proximity to underserved communities of most need, and engagement of all generations.

Emerging Congregational Priorities

  • Expand opportunities for spiritual growth beyond Sunday worship.
  • Heighten transparency and inclusion in leadership and finances.
  • Increase visibility and impact in the broader regional community.
  • Define a supporting, mission-aligned role for St. David’s Episcopal Day School.
  • Strengthen intergenerational connection and youth engagement.
  • Enhance pastoral care and small group intimacy.

Strategic Vision

To be a spiritually vibrant, inclusive, outwardly engaged, and welcoming Episcopal church that fosters worship, intergenerational connection, stewardship, and transforms lives within and beyond our parish with the knowledge and love of God through Jesus Christ.

Four Overarching Themes

  • Inspire a sense of being one body as God’s children.
  • Ensure financial and operational sustainability for today and the next generation.
  • Design ministry across commissions with/for all generations.
  • Leverage our beautiful and historic grounds more intentionally in ministry.

Imagined Priorities by Year

Overarching Objectives Across Years

  • Continue to foster worship, music, and Christian formation that unites and inspires across all ages and creates a deeper sense of belonging.
  • Focus and increase the impact of outreach and partnerships.
  • Grow a culture of stewardship across all ministries and sustain financial health and operational excellence.
  • Evaluate and reinforce infrastructure and systems undergirding these priorities.
  • Continue to steward our historic property, graveyard, and archives for mission, reflection, and education.
  • Implement annual ministry assessments.

Year 1 (2026): Foundation Building

  • Cross commission planning in each of the four theme areas
  • Welcome/Newcomer/Membership
  • Crisis preparedness and risk management
  • Budgeting by the strategic priorities
  • Digital formation ministry
  • Church and Day School
  • Stewardship program
  • Outreach partnerships impact

Year 2 (2027): Program Development

  • Operational and communications systems
  • Livestream worshippers
  • Lay leadership terms
  • Liturgical options
  • Pastoral care
  • Property priorities

Year 3 (2028): Integration, Refinement, Sustainability, and Growth

  • Sustainability
  • Community needs
  • Next strategic planning cycle
  • Celebrate

Conclusion

This three-year strategic plan invites St. David’s into a renewed season of clarity, collaboration, and courage. Each ministry area is asked to work together to use this document as a guide to develop tactical goals, actions, and metrics aligned with our shared vision. Together, we move forward as one body in Jesus Christ—serving now and in the generations to come.

 

Document prepared by the Strategic Planning Committee—Hal Yoh, the Rev. Rick Morley, the Rev. Thomas Szczerba, Erin Addy, Jim Brunnquell, Ritson Ferguson, Deborah Geffken, Natalee Hill, Kate Ineson, Brian Kirby, Susan Scauzzo, and Ian Wilcox—for presentation to Vestry. Final: September 22, 2025.

Published November 13, 2025.