We believe in the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives. We are a resurrection people.

Those sentences were repeated several times by delegates to the Diocese of Dallas' annual convention Oct. 14 at the Church of the Incarnation, Dallas. The sentences represent the belief statement and call to action of the diocese's new strategic plan, which diocesan Bishop James M. Stanton endorsed during his annual address.

"We believe and bear witness to the power of Jesus Christ to transform," Bishop Stanton said. "This is a powerful call to each of us at this convention to begin to think in new ways, to be open to the stirring of the spirit of Christ in our personal lives, our communal lives and in the world.

The diocese's strategic plan is the result of eight months of work by committees. Members of the strategic planning committee took delegates through the results of 32 interviews, 11 focus groups, 375 survey responses and demographic trends. The diocese grew 9 percent during the 1990s, but the population within diocesan counties grew 20 percent.

The statistics reveal that things such as growth, attendance and pledging rates are not tied to the size of the church. Big churches - while financially strong - often trail much smaller churches in pledging and attendance rates. High-growth churches also have less-than-average attendance rates.

The strategic planning committee composed a vision statement and four strategies. These goals include: Increasing the number of communicants from 37,787 to 56,681 by 2010, increasing the worship participation from 40 percent to 60 percent of total communicants, and increasing pledging participation from 52 percent to 70 percent of total communicants.

During the next five years the churches of the diocese will sponsor the creation of at least 25 new communities of faith, of which at least five will be new churches, the plan states.

The diocese is also charged with determining one compelling outreach need that all parishes and missions can collaborate and cooperate to meet.

The budget for the diocese was adopted at more than $3.1 million. It contains 80 percent of the asking of the national church and is supported by a decrease of 1.5 percent in assessments to diocesan parishes.

The Church of the Apostles in Coppell was admitted to parish status and a new mission - St. James of Jerusalem in Carrollton - was welcomed by delegates.