First Congregational Church
First Congregational Church: who are they?
First Congregational is a dynamic intergenerational congregation of the United Church of Christ in Appleton, Wisconsin. They’re committed to extravagant welcome, social justice, and transformative service and exploration — not dogma and rules.
They are faithful to scripture and seek to purposefully live the grace of God as witnessed in the life of Jesus Christ.
Strategy + vision
First Congregational Church is engaged in a series of transitions in leadership, in organization, in ministry styles and goals. With robust community assets, they are moving into a model of church that is more community-focused with plans to utilize their property for the needs of the surrounding area.
We worked with leadership to help them articulate their core values and purpose, utilizing this to transform the ways they are organized and engage in relationships. Together, we explored options for property development, and laid the foundation to establish a community hub. To accomplish all of this, we:
led a retreat for leadership
conducted interviews
wrote and hosted a survey and analyzed data
engaged in congregational change through a month on-site
led 3 congregational town hall meetings
conducted interviews of community partners to see how the congregation and its space usage was viewed externally
analyzed the building and property for more efficient and effective usage
worked with a potential developer, and analyzed city planning documents to create building strategy
As part of their month on-site at First Congregational Church, Mieke and Dave both preached.
