St. Timothy's Episcopal Church Mid-Year Review. St. Timothy's is a new Episcopal Church serving the southern Collin County communities of Murphy, Wylie, Parker, Sachse, east Richardson and the Firewheel area.
4. • Established on July 15, 2012
• Kimbroughs parachuted-in Fall 2012
• Held first Bible study in October 2012
• We had 5 members in January 2013
• We had 18 members in January 2014
• We now have 63 members (some are pending)
• We held periodic worship in our home
• We met every Wednesday night from February
2013-August of 2014
• Family Fun Day Outreach in June and October
of 2013
• Receiving Diocesan financial support from
2013, 2014 and 2015
6. As our Core Team worked together we followed a
launch plan which recognized:
• Rapid rate of growth and development in
Sachse, Wylie* and surrounding areas
• Area underserved by liturgical churches (no
Episcopal or Anglican Church)
• People living here less connected** and are
seeking community
* Wylie was the 10th fasted growing city in the United States from 2000-2010 according to the U.S.
Census Bureau. Wylie grew 173% during that decade.
** Key finding from Community Surveys conducted from Sept. 2012 – Nov. 2012
7. Why start a new Episcopal church now we asked?
• The communities of south central Collin County have been a strategic location that
the Diocese of Dallas.
• A clear calling and vision of both the planting pastor and his spouse to birth St.
Timothy’s together.
• The ratio of churches to overall existing population in less than 1 church per 1800
residents in our target area plus well-planned and predictable upward population
growth.
• Infrastructure - the George Bush Toll Road (Hwy 190) that enables increased
commuter and resident traffic flow as well as the ‘Blackland Corridor’ connecting
Greenville (St. Hwy 380 and St. Hwy 78)
• The proximity of Wylie and Murphy to the high-tech demands of Dallas area and
particularly Telecom Corridor /high-tech employers.
• Absence of any Episcopal or Anglican Churches in these communities. The closest
Episcopal Church is 11.2 miles away.
8. Launch
We launched nine months ago – August 24, 2014
• Held 2 preview services
• Online ad campaign:
• Facebook and Google Ads
• Newspaper inserts
• 49K Direct mail pieces
People are making connections, new friendships
are forming and people are growing in the
knowledge and love of the Lord.
10. Parish Type Avg Sunday Attendance
Family 5-75
Pastoral 76-140
Transitional 141-225
Program 226-400
Resource 401+
Strengths
Typically located in smaller town of suburb
Function like a family does
Often a few interrelated families
Pastoral care and one-on-one relationships are strong
Stability
Weaknesses
Low expectations – “we like it small and intimate!”
Resistance to getting bigger – “who are all these new people?”
Sizing Up the Congregation
11. Growth & Visibility
• There are lots of doors into the church but the
front door is still Sunday.
• A mediocre sermon isn’t going to drive people
away but mediocre music or not engaging will
• Outwardly focused and inwardly ready
• Inwardly ready – always ready to receive
others
• Outwardly focused – ready and willing to
invite others while staying visible in
community
12. Visibility (Currently)
• Newspaper Ads (Murphy Monitor,
Murphy
• Website
• Facebook
• St. Timothy e-News
• Diocesan and Episcopal Church website
• Sponsorships:
• Wylie Chamber of Commerce
• Rotary Club of Wylie
17. Visibility
• Keep an Eye Out for Ways we can be
visible in the Community - Murphy
Maize Days, Fall Fest, Boo on Ballard,
Christmas Parade
• Post pics to FB –events, services,
holidays, baptisms, etc.
• Tell others about the church
• “Like” St. Timothy’s FB page
• Invite others to like the page
• Tell others about the church and Invite
18. We’ve had a strong start
• Sunday attendance is stable and slightly growing
• Membership has increased 101% in the last 9 months
• Our overall visibility has increased
• We have a good facility which will meet our needs as a
family-sized mission
• We are financially sound and are on a good footing to be
financially independent in 2016.
• We are committed to Wylie and the surrounding
community with a purchase of 21 acres of land on which to
build
• We’ve just added Dennis Kinzler as our Music Leader
20. Guiding Principles
Living for Jesus: That’s our starting point. St.
Timothy’s is a church first and foremost made up
of imperfect people who, nonetheless, are
committed to an active and ‘lived-out’
relationship with God and who therefore seek to
live as disciples under his Lordship.
Values: Commitment, Submission, Faith in
Action ~ Philippians 1:21
21. Learning from Him: Equipping ourselves by God’s
Word and in prayer in order to be externally-
focused disciples who make disciples. As students
of the gospel we are always to be learning so that
we can live effectively for Jesus and lead and
encourage others to live in the same way.
Values: Discipleship, Mission, Leadership
~ Matthew 11:28-28, John 8:32
Guiding Principles
22. Guiding Principles
Loving Others: Discipleship is life-long learning that
extends beyond just being biblically literate.
Discipleship is lived-out faith and for St. Timothy’s
that means we are to adopt an ever-present mindset
of actively reaching out in love to others with the
life-giving Gospel in those arenas where we find
ourselves day in and day out.
Values: Love, Servanthood, Evangelism
~ 1 John 10-11
23. Expectations
Reliance on the Holy Spirit, Prayer and the
expectation that God is going to do Great Things
with us, and in us and through us.
24. Moving Forward to 2016
Grow deeper through Study…
Sunday mornings @9:00
During the week
This Fall
Through Prayer…
Common Prayer Tradition
Through Service and Mission…
25. Moving Forward to 2016
• Partner with the Wylie ISD – start small – point person
• Hire a part-time discipleship coordinator/admin in the Fall
• Expand the musical team
• Increase visibility at events always be on the look out for
partnerships
• Expand Children’s and Start Youth Group this Fall
• Promote our teachings and sermons better online
• Seek affordable sponsorships
• Leverage our land – Cross Raising, Rib-cutting, VBS
Discussion
Notas do Editor
Although we are focusing on God’s call to work, work is only one element of life. God calls us to belong to Christ in every element of our lives.
Our jobs are not necessarily the most important aspect of our calling or our service in Christ’s work of redemption. First, we must remember that work is not limited to paid work. The work God leads us to may be unpaid work, such as raising children or caring for a disabled family member or tutoring students after school. Even if we are called to paid work, God probably doesn’t call many of us to jobs that would prevent us from also serving others through unpaid work.