A YEAR OF LISTENING
We are excited to share work that so many of you helped bring to life! After 18 months of listening, prayer, and reflection on who we are and where God is calling us, the Vestry has approved St. John’s mission, vision, and values statements. This is a milestone worth celebrating. We are grateful for everyone who contributed and proud of what we have shaped together.
Throughout this process, the Mission, Vision, and Values Team gathered input from parishioners and staff through worship, our 2025 retreat, listening sessions, individual interviews, and surveys. Your stories, hopes, and questions helped shape these statements. Thank you to everyone who participated and to the team for their thoughtful and faithful work.
Rooted in our call to follow Jesus, our mission names our shared purpose, our vision describes the community we hope to become, and our values guide how we live and serve. Much of what these statements describe is already alive at St. John’s. They also invite us to keep growing in faith and love, making room for one another, and joining God’s work in the world.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Our next step is to develop a strategic plan: a practical guide to how we will put our mission, vision, and values into action over the next several years. This will include supporting ministries that are thriving, identifying needs we could better meet, and considering where God may be calling us to try something new.
Clergy will lead this work with input from staff and ministry leaders and with the Vestry’s guidance and support. Together, we will choose manageable goals, identify the people and resources needed to carry them forward, and decide how we will assess our progress. We will share more as the plan takes shape, including opportunities to participate.
We look forward to living into this shared calling together. If you have questions about our mission, vision, and values or the planning ahead, please reach out to Rob, Aaron, or any member of the Vestry. We welcome your questions and ideas as we take these next steps in our life and ministry at St. John’s.
WITH GRATITUDE FOR OUR Mission, Vision & Values Team
We give thanks for the care, patience, and prayerful attention of our Mission, Vision, and Values Team throughout this 18-month process. Co-chaired by Robin Burdick and The Rev. Aaron Jenkyn, the team included Mark Andrew, Lacey Bangs, Brooke Bassett, Tom Gruen, Susan McPherson, Madeline Nassif, The Rev. Rob Stevens, Mary Stubbs, and Anna Kay Vorsteg. Together, they listened closely to the congregation’s stories, hopes, and questions and helped put into words our shared purpose and calling. Their faithful work has given St. John’s a foundation to guide our ministry in the years ahead.
Questions about the process?
Contact The Rev. Aaron Jenkyn at associate@stjohnsnh.org