LONG RANGE
STRATEGIC PLAN
January 2026 through December 2031
INTRODUCTION
As we celebrate this season of remarkable accomplishment, we also recognize that the Spirit is calling us forward once again. The work is not finished. The needs of our city, the challenges of our age, and the opportunities of the Gospel demand fresh imagination and renewed commitment.
If our last Long Range Strategic Plan placed had an emphasis on structure—strengthening our physical campus so that ministry could flourish—then this new plan highlights infrastructure as one of several key priorities. We are asking: What do we need to thrive in the coming decade? How can technology help us connect, care, and communicate better? How do we resource this vision faithfully and sustainably?
This plan is not only about infrastructure. It is also about formation, community, and missional living. Yet we acknowledge that without the right systems, tools, and resources, our ministries cannot reach their full potential. Investing in infrastructure is therefore not a distraction from our congregation’s mission; it is a practical expression of it—a way of ensuring that our call to humbly follow Jesus Christ can continue with strength, clarity, and reach.
We do not shy away from naming this work clearly. People will always differ in their comfort with change, but faithfulness requires both honesty and courage. God is calling us to build upon the foundation already laid, to modernize our tools for ministry, and to equip this congregation to thrive as a church of conviction and compassion for years to come.
Building on the strong foundation of the last seven years, this new Long Range Strategic Plan (2026–2031) dares us to deepen discipleship and care, expand invitation and community, and strengthen the resources needed to fulfill our calling. That call is not just to preserve what has been, but to lean faithfully into what God is making new, trusting that the same grace that brought us this far will carry us boldly into the future as we seek to humbly follow Jesus Christ.
We developed this plan not as an exhaustive list of existing ministries nor an instruction to create new ones. It is instead meant to be a living document that will help us come together around a shared vision of how we are called to participate in God’s mission in the world. It is a call to each of us to deepen our personal connections to God, one another, and the work of the church.
In the coming months, we will hear sermons and share in conversations about our Mission and Values. Each person here will have the opportunity to participate in the resulting work. We humbly pray that this plan will help us build on the strengths of our 168-year history and prepare for our third century of worship and service to Jesus Christ.
Dear First Presbyterian Church community,
In 2017, First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta stepped boldly into a seven-year Long Range Strategic Plan that invited us to live more fully into our mission of Humbly Following Jesus Christ. That plan sought to deepen participation, strengthen relationships, equip servant leaders, launch social entrepreneurship, expand compassionate care, and elevate purposeful engagement. By God’s grace, it is bearing remarkable fruit.
Together, we launched Epiphany, our social ventures ministry, empowering entrepreneurs and sparking innovative approaches to justice and flourishing. We raised $42 million for a transformational capital project, reimagining our campus to better serve both congregation and city. We expanded the reach of our Community Ministries, walking alongside thousands of neighbors with compassion—especially through the extraordinary challenges of the pandemic.
At the same time, members embraced practices of faithful participation in worship, small groups, service, and giving. We built and nurtured global partnerships, welcomed refugee families, pursued affordable housing initiatives, and addressed prejudice and bigotry in our city. We equipped adults and youth alike for servant leadership, launched ventures that promoted empowerment, and expanded our capacity to share content, ideas, and ministry with the wider world. Along the way, our pastoral care deepened, our children and youth ministries flourished, and our church grew as a center of learning, service, and spiritual friendship.
Bob Allin
Frank Brannon
Clancy Buckler
Susan Dimmick
Mark Downs
Lynn Durham
Will Fagan
Ted Fleming
Michele Garren
Rodrick Glass
Mary Katherine Greene
Ralph Jenkins
Wade Miller
Bill Peard
Rob Sparks
Ellen Adair Wyche
Tony Sundermeier, Moderator
Merrill Earnest, Clerk of Session
Mary Claire Allvine
Mariana Betancourt
Weezie Finlay
Henry Grady
Saranell Hartman
Chris Holmes
Natalya Perullo
George Ray
Doug Reid
Elizabeth Richards
Sandy Smith
Tony Sundermeier
Long-Range Strategic Planning Team
Approved by Session on November 18, 2025
AREAS OF FOCUS
At the heart of our plan is a renewed call to grow deeper in Christ. We are investing in the spiritual maturity of our congregation, strengthening the ways we care for one another, and equipping disciples to faithfully navigate the urgent questions of our time. Imagine a church where every member knows their next step of faith, feels genuinely seen and supported, and is empowered to live out their vocation in the world. This is not just maintenance. It’s transformation. The Spirit shaping us into a community fully alive in Christ.
Deepening Discipleship and CarE
We believe God is calling First Presbyterian to be a church of wide welcome and strong belonging. By cultivating a culture of invitation, nurturing young families, building authentic community across geographies, deepening our global partnerships, and strengthening our Community Ministries, we are creating a home where all generations and all people can flourish. Imagine a community where every member sees themselves as a bearer of good news, where young families find a vibrant spiritual home, where digital and physical gatherings knit us together across Atlanta and beyond, and where our friendships with global partners expand our witness to the ends of the earth. This is the joy of the Gospel made visible in community.
Expanding Invitation and Community
Strengthening Resources for FPC Atlanta’s Ministry and Mission
We believe God is calling First Presbyterian to be a church of wide welcome and strong belonging. By cultivating a culture of invitation, nurturing young families, building authentic community across geographies, deepening our global partnerships, and strengthening our Community Ministries, we are creating a home where all generations and all people can flourish. Imagine a community where every member sees themselves as a bearer of good news, where young families find a vibrant spiritual home, where digital and physical gatherings knit us together across Atlanta and beyond, and where our friendships with global partners expand our witness to the ends of the earth. This is the joy of the Gospel made visible in community.
BUILDING THE IMPLEMENTATION TEAMS
To bring this Long-Range Strategic Plan to life, First Presbyterian will establish three Implementation Teams — one for each strategic bucket: Deepening Discipleship and Care, Expanding Invitation and Community, and Strengthening Resources for FPC Atlanta’s Ministry and Mission. These teams will serve as the hands and feet of the plan, guiding our goals into tangible actions.
Each team will be built through a process of invitation and self-referral. Current members and current or past Ministry Leaders, Elders, and lay leaders of the congregation who feel called to contribute their gifts, experience, or passion in a particular area will be encouraged to put themselves forward. At the same time, Session, staff, and lay leaders will extend personal invitations to those whose skills and perspectives can enrich the work. This dual approach ensures that our teams reflect both the Spirit’s stirring in individual hearts and the discernment of the wider community.
Every Implementation Team will also include dedicated staff investment. Ministry staff will serve alongside lay members, not only as administrators but as partners in vision and practice. Their presence will ensure alignment with ongoing ministry, provide necessary support, and help translate big ideas into daily ministry realities.
Together, these Implementation Teams will be collaborative, prayerful, and action oriented. They will embody our belief that the work of the church belongs to all of us — staff and members together, as we seek to become the church God is calling us to be in this next season of ministry. Formally, these teams will be ad hoc committees of the Session.
Each Implementation Team will consist of 9-12 members, representing a balance of church officers, long-time members, and newer participants.
Every team will include at least one ministry staff person whose role aligns with the team’s focus, ensuring direct connection with ongoing church operations.
Teams will be intentionally diverse across generations, backgrounds, and gifts.
Size & Composition
Members will serve 3-year terms, renewable once, to provide continuity while allowing fresh perspectives to join over time.
Teams will meet regularly (monthly or bi-monthly as needed) to pray, discern, design, and oversee implementation of the goals.
Terms of Service
Members will serve 3-year terms, renewable once, to provide continuity while allowing fresh perspectives to join over time.
Teams will meet regularly (monthly or bi-monthly as needed) to pray, discern, design, and oversee implementation of the goals.
Staff Investment
Deepening Discipleship and Care
– Implementation Team Scope of Work
This team will lead the work of strengthening the spiritual life and care of the congregation, with three core priorities:
Invest in Spiritual Maturity of the Congregation
Develop and launch a unified discipleship framework guiding all formation ministries.
Design and implement an annual spiritual growth self-assessment (launch by May 2026) to measure congregational maturity and provide personal tools for members to assess their faith journey.
Use self-assessment results to shape programming and provide annual reports that inform pastoral care and ministry planning.
By 2031, aim for at least 75% of respondents reporting measurable growth in being grounded in worship, growing in faith, or giving in service.
Deepen Pastoral Care and Ministry Coordination
Implement a next-generation data system that enhances how the church connects, cares, and communicates.
Form a task force by March 2026 to evaluate database solutions, with full rollout by September 2026.
Hire a Database Manager to steward the system and support ministries.
Ensure this system serves theological and pastoral purposes: helping members feel known, leaders respond wisely, and the congregation live as a more connected, Christ-centered community.
Equip Our Community to Engage Urgent Vocational, Ethical, and Civic Questions
Create a small-group formation program that integrates Scripture, theology, and ethics with participants’ vocational and civic lives.
Launch pilot cohorts in 2028, expanding to at least four ongoing groups by 2029.
Train mentors to lead covenant-based groups that emphasize theological reflection, vocational discernment, and ethical witness.
By 2031, enroll at least 60 participants, equipping them to live as articulate, compassionate Christian witnesses in their daily lives.
Overall Charge:
The Implementation Team will weave these efforts into a coherent movement toward deeper discipleship and care. They will prioritize alignment across ministries, measure progress through self-assessments and participation, and ensure that every member is equipped to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the world.
Expanding Invitation and Community – Implementation Team Scope of Work
This team will lead the work of widening FPC’s welcome and deepening belonging, focusing on four key areas:
Foster a Churchwide Culture of Invitation
Launch and sustain Rooted, a six-week invitational experience for de-churched and unchurched adults (pilot in 2028).
Equip and train lay leaders as inviters and table hosts.
Embed invitational practices into every ministry, event, and communication.
By 2031, aim for 75% of active members reporting confidence in extending invitations and 50% of new members joining through direct personal invitation.
Nurture Young Families
Strengthen nursery and early childhood spaces with hospitality, safety, and developmental formation.
Launch a family engagement calendar with quarterly all-family events, intergenerational programming, and service opportunities.
Elevate the Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry role to full-time (by 2026) to provide sustainable staffing.
Provide relational bridges (such as buddy families) to connect newcomers, broaden the volunteer base, and ensure parents feel supported as disciples themselves.
Build Authentic Community and Form Disciples Across Geographies
Expand digital ministry beyond worship streaming to cultivate genuine online belonging.
Pilot digital small groups and online classes by 2027.
Explore digital membership, embed online touchpoints into all ministries, and enhance discoverability of worship content.
By 2031, aim for at least 50% of regular online worshipers to participate in one other ministry offering and establish at least three ongoing digital groups.
Deepen Local and Global Partnerships
Strengthen relationships with Global Mission partners to connect local discipleship with worldwide witness.
Integrate global perspectives into worship, formation, and outreach, ensuring that our community’s growth is rooted in Christ’s call to the ends of the earth.
Deepen our Community Ministries partnerships in Atlanta, so that our local witness of compassion and justice is woven into the same fabric of mission as our global work.
Overall Charge:
The Implementation Team will help FPC embody a culture where invitation, family nurture, digital ministry, and Global Mission are seamlessly interwoven, creating a community of belonging that reflects the wide embrace of the Gospel.
Strengthening Resources for FPC Atlanta’s Ministry and Mission – Implementation Team Scope of Work
This team will steward the church’s financial, technological, and operational infrastructure to sustain and expand the ministry and mission of the church.
Grow a Culture of Generosity
Launch a Generosity Council (by 2027) to integrate stewardship, planned giving, and financial discipleship into the life of the church.
Reimagine the annual stewardship campaign with peer-to-peer engagement, clear giving pathways, and transparent sharing of ministry impact metrics.
Connect generosity directly to ministry outcomes—helping members see how every gift fuels the technologies, staff, and systems that make ministry possible.
By 2031, increase pledging households by 25%, reduce non-givers by 50%, and grow Planned Giving by 50%.
Normalize generosity as an essential mark of discipleship, not as an obligation but as a joyful participation in God’s mission.
Build the Infrastructure for the Next Generation
Launch a Capital and Infrastructure Campaign to fund the next decade of ministry through targeted investment in both facilities and digital capacity.
Complete Phase 3 of the Campus Master Plan (renovating Fifield Hall, the Tuttle House/Manse, building new youth ministry space, The Preschool, expanding the kitchen, and building Mary’s Café), while simultaneously investing in the technological backbone of our ministry.
Implement a unified technology and database system to enhance how we connect, care, and communicate as a congregation.
Equip staff and lay leaders with modern tools, hardware, and training to ensure ministry excellence and efficiency.
Retire existing debt by 2029 and strengthen the endowment to provide long-term sustainability for both physical and digital infrastructure.
Form a Capital and Infrastructure Campaign Team by 2026 to shape the case, identify leadership gifts, and lead the congregation in prayerful, transparent engagement.
Complete all projects by 2031, ensuring that our resources—both tangible and digital—align with FPC’s mission and strengthen our presence in the city.
Overall Charge:
The Implementation Team will ensure that our investments—whether in technology, facilities, or financial systems—are cultivated not as mere operational necessities but as acts of faith, gratitude, and missional living. This work is not just about keeping the lights on or upgrading computers; it is about building the foundation that allows us to deepen discipleship, expand community, and extend the reach of Christ’s compassion for generations to come.
Goals
Seeking fellowship with God and with one another and led by the Holy Spirit to participate in God’s mission, First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta embraces the following goals and action plans. The Long Range Planning Team intends that the Goals and Action Plans will be understood and implemented with the assumption that the existing excellence in worship, teaching, service, pastoral care, music and the arts, and administration will be preserved and that the Goals and Action Plans are specific objectives for expanded service to God, the congregation and humankind. The following goals will be implemented by 2023:
Deepen Participation
Prioritize engagement in the life of the church in order to strengthen our community and be transformed in our faith.
Relational Priorities
Engage the congregation in fulfilling our relational priorities and ensure that all ministries promote human dignity, personal empowerment, restorative relationship, and just generosity.
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Equip members and friends to be servant leaders in the church and in all spheres of their lives.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Promote individual economic empowerment.
COMPASSIONATE CARE
Provide regular visits and spiritual friendship with all members and friends who are ill, bereaved, elderly, homebound or in need of care.
PURPOSEFUL ENGAGEMENT
Elevate the capacity of the church to be a dynamic center and resource for learning, building relationships, and spiritual growth.
FORWARD THINKING
Reshape our structure, operations and communications to prepare the congregation for our third century of ministry.
Action Plans
Deepen Participation
Prioritize engagement in the life of the church in order to strengthen our community and be transformed in our faith.
Encourage personal involvement in fulfilling God’s mission and accountability to one another in community by embracing expectations for participation at FPC:
Attending worship (in person, online, through radio or television) an average of at least 3 times per month;
Participating in a small group or spiritual/theological formation platform an average of at least 2 times per month (in person or online);
Actively serving in at least one ministry of the church for an average of at least one hour per week; and
Making our church the first and greatest priority in our charitable giving, with an initial goal of giving at least 3% of annual household income and annual incremental increases within one’s capacity to give.
Relational Priorities
Engage the congregation in fulfilling our relational priorities and ensure that all ministries promote human dignity, personal empowerment, restorative relationship, and just generosity.
Discern and articulate a set of foundational principles, commitments, and best practices for faithful engagement with all people.
By May 2017, Session adopts priorities and governing principles.
By December 2017, all existing ministries will seek consistency with missional priorities and governing principles.
Ongoing educational opportunities and leadership training for adults and young people will include these principles.
Engage the entire congregation in the following five priorities:
1. Building relationships with our brothers and sisters in this community and around the world through local and global partnerships and a demonstrated culture of Christian inclusiveness and hospitality. By the end of 2023, we will have created opportunities for 200 new participants to visit one of our global partners and enabled 100% of FPC’s youth to participate in a mission experience every year.
2. Providing care and nurture for the whole person, from physical needs to community resources to job training to spiritual formation and friendship.
3. Engaging in regular conversation and action to identify and address racial and all other forms of prejudice and bigotry in us, our congregation, our city, and the world. Build relationships with our partners and neighbors, create regular opportunities for truth-telling, engage leaders from other congregations and organizations in order to provide opportunities for community education.
4. Pursuing affordable housing for the Atlanta community by:
Participating in partnerships and initiatives that seek systemic solutions on behalf of the 25% of Atlanta’s population living in poverty, and
Supporting at least 200 individuals/families in moving from housing insecurity to sustainable, safe, and affordable housing.
5. Embracing and walking alongside at least 5 refugee families per year, providing financial resources and committing to ongoing relationships.
sERVANT LEADERSHIP
Equip members and friends to be servant leaders in the church and in all spheres of their lives.
By Fall 2017, develop high-commitment leadership curricula to be offered annually to both adults and youth;
Through the curricula, provide general leadership skills and specific leadership opportunities, including:
Leadership at FPC that inspires others and embodies positive change through high-functioning teams;
Leadership in denominational, interdenominational, and interfaith efforts and organizations;
Leadership in the wider community as advocates on behalf of vulnerable persons in systems affecting policy, justice, and access to resources; and
Leadership in civic organizations that promote human dignity, personal empowerment, restorative relationship, and just generosity.
Encourage at least 150 adults and 75 youth to complete the training by 2023.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Promote individual economic empowerment.
By Fall 2017, develop high-commitment leadership curricula to be offered annually to both adults and youth;
By Spring 2017, identify, investigate, evaluate, and prioritize the use of our human, physical and financial resources in entrepreneurial ventures and/or partnerships that provide training and create jobs and profit sharing opportunities for those who are unemployed or underemployed in our community.
By Fall 2019, launch at least one sustainable social entrepreneurship venture.
compassionate care
Provide regular visits and spiritual friendship with all members and friends who are ill, bereaved, elderly, homebound or in need of care.
By Fall 2017, develop high-commitment leadership curricula to be offered annually to both adults and youth;
By Fall 2017, train a multi-generational lay pastoral care visitation team to provide care and spiritual friendship.
Collaborate to ensure that everyone who needs a pastoral contact receives at least one connection/visit per month.
purposeful engagement
Elevate the capacity of the church to be a dynamic center and resource for learning, building relationships, and spiritual growth.
Actively invite adult members and visitors to participate regularly in Sunday School classes, discipleship opportunities, or small groups to increase participation by 100%.
Prepare our children and youth to be Christian servant leaders in an increasingly diverse, secular, and global world.
Create an engaging, fun, and dynamic curriculum and learning environment that forms our children and youth to be lifelong followers of Jesus Christ.
Build a culture of learning that capitalizes on relationships with local educational institutions, promotes scholarly production, and facilitates open dialogue on issues impacting the life of our church, our community, and the world.
Offer at least two public forums per year that draw in leaders of different perspectives on pressing and timely religious, social and cultural issues.
Engage 100 members annually to strengthen existing and pursue new ecumenical and interfaith relationships that focus on mutually enriching service and fellowship activities.
Form a denominational engagement team that places members in leadership roles within the presbytery, synod, General Assembly, and other denominational entities (seminaries, foundations, committees, etc.).
Elevate FPC as a leading source for worship, educational, theological, and artistic content by expanding our capability to capture, curate, and distribute content with a goal of increasing the number of views through digital media channels by 400% by 2020.
Strengthen partnerships with local arts, civic and educational institutions to connect to new and neighboring audiences through performances and exhibitions, programs, and joint service projects.