20/20 Teams Gear up at Camp Allen
Episcopal News Service. January 30, 2002 [2002-027]
(ENS) The presiding officers of the General Convention--Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and House of Deputies president the Rev. George Werner--have invited 65 people to become part of the next step of the 20/20 mission initiative in the Episcopal Church, under the jurisdiction of the Standing Commission on Domestic Mission and Evangelism.
The groups meet January 28-31 at Camp Allen in the Diocese of Texas.
A 13-member strategy group is responsible for putting forward a "wide-ranging but cohesive set of strategic proposals" regarding 20/20 for the church to consider, while nine program teams are responsible for developing strategic proposals in nine defined areas. The strategy group includes members from Executive Council, the original 20/20 Task Force, and members at large.
The list of participants was carefully chosen to represent the diversity of the Episcopal Church, according to Werner. The program teams include 33 women and 32 men; 40 percent age 39 or less; 16 percent age 16-29; and 33 percent people of color. Most of the team chairs are Gen-X or younger.
"In the year 2020 I will either be 82 plus or 6 feet minus," observed Werner. "The recent census told us that white population will no longer be a majority in every state. Therefore, it was imperative that youth, young adults and people of color were broadly represented through the leadership of the 20/20 movement."
Teams and tasks
The program teams and their tasks include:
Spirituality, prayer and worship: Searching for liturgical resources to "enable the Church to celebrate missional vision and work, and to be a growing, vital part of the Body of Christ in the context of a rapidly changing culture."
Research:Collection and interpretation of data on the Episcopal Church that will support decision-making on mission and growth in a time of rapid demographic change, and hold the church accountable to 20/20 goals.
New congregation development: A national strategy to accompany regional, diocesan and local efforts which should aim to encourage and support the establishment of a significant number of missional congregations in suburban, urban, and multiethnic settings; coordinate and develop resources and expertise on a national and regional level to support diocesan and local initiatives; and identify new congregation models to showcase.
Revitalization of existing congregations: should aim to identify, encourage and support congregations that are poised for growth; elaborate specific strategies to support growth in areas of demographic change; and identify ways that existing congregations in all parts of the church can participate in the work of mission, regardless of numerical growth potential; coordinate and develop resources and expertise to support congregations in moving from maintenance to mission.
20/20 leaders: Identification, recruitment, education and training of the transformational and missional leaders the church needs in the 21st century, who reflect the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and ages found in society at large.
Next generations: Reaching out to people who have been born since 1960, taking into account the multiethnic and postmodern environment in which these generations have been - and even more so, will be - formed.
Funding: finding funds to finance 20/20 work at significant levels.
Communication: communicating the 20/20 vision and work in every corner of the church and beyond, helping to focus both internal and public attention on the Church's gifts for mission.
General Convention 2003: Working to encourage resolutions at General Convention 2003 that will advance the 20/20 vision and strategy; helping to build an Episcopal Church for the new millennium.
"We have invited people from all parts of the church, seeking their Christian commitment, their passion, their experience and their expertise," Werner said. "The nine program areas should indicate that we do not think of evangelism as a narrow tool but broad, comprehensive and compelling. It is vital to areas rural, suburban and inner city alike."