A key term in the survey every church completed is mission field. Our mission field is our parish, the community we serve. We were asked to evaluate how well we know the people in our mission field, what we are doing now to minister to them, and what future plans we have to reach out. For First Church that is a somewhat complex question. Of course our mission field is the Belltown and Lower Queen Anne areas, the neighborhoods where our new building is located. However, as a downtown church with members from as far away as Renton and Snohomish and a strong commitment to the larger city of Seattle, we recognize that we are in mission to the region as well.

A second important piece of the survey focused on discipleship; that is, what are we doing to lead and support people in becoming disciples of Jesus Christ? In the words of the First Church mission statement, what are we doing to help people "Love Grow Serve"? The final piece asked what we are doing to "transform the world," what are we doing as individuals and as a church to make a real difference in the world, both locally and globally. Powerful, thought-provoking questions, often without simple answers!

The ten-page survey was completed by Sandy Brown, Jackie Putt, David Charcas, and Barbara Moreland, and presented to the Administrative Council at its October 7, 20009 meeting. Below are a few of the conclusions we drew from this exercise.

• We know quite a bit about who are new neighbors are, but not enough about what their spiritual needs might be.
• We have a thriving network of small groups in place in which people - long-timers and newcomers - can create connections and community. We want to continue building creatively on that base.
• Our commitment to ministry to the homeless remains strong, and once our new facility is open there will be opportunities for more of us to become involved in that work. However, we are not particularly good in reaching out in other ways or to mission work beyond our local area.
• We are blessed with dedicated leaders in our congregation, but we need more. We must find ways to identify and develop the gifts for leadership and service among a larger number of people.

What are our next steps? At the district and conference level, information is being collected and analyzed; plans can then be made to assist current congregations in achieving their goals and to identify places where new faith communities might be started. At First Church, we are using this information to formulate specific goals, both for the next year and for the longer term. Stay tuned for more information coming from the Administrative Council after the new year!
Note: Anyone who would like to see the complete self-assessment report is welcome to do so. There are copies in the church office or you can e-mail Barbara at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .