During the 2022 – 2023 church year the Board discussed and adopted the idea of developing a strategic plan for the congregation to think about our future. The task was assigned to the Governance Committee and discussions began in January 2023.  The Governance Committee established a Strategic Planning Task Force comprised of Kathy H, Linnea N, Joan N and Gregg B to carry out the work. The Strategic Plan and a Blueprint for Strategic Plan Implementation  were formally approved by the congregation on December 1, 2024.

The first Strategic Plan horizon is five years, 2025 – 2030.

Implementation of each of the four issues of the Strategic Plan has been assigned to one or two ministries. However all ministries will work together to complete the goals outlined:

Issue 1 – Building a Sustainable Congregation – Connections Ministry: Envisioning a vibrant, stable, and diverse First Unitarian community. “Sustainable” strives for greater engagement of current members and reaching out to the community to increase membership to approach 300 by 2030.

Issue 2 – Pathways to Spiritual Development – Worship and Religious Enrichment Ministries:  Expanding religious education opportunities with spirituality embedded within all First Unitarian activities, creating well-established pathways for spiritual growth.

Issue 3 – Building a Community Footprint – Justice Ministry: Strengthening current relationships with community groups around the issue of social injustice and identifying new communities we can work with. There will be stronger personal and congregational connections with the nearby UUU and with other Florida UU congregations.

Issue 4 – Communications – Communications Ministry: Developing a standardized, clear communications processes for both internal and external communication. A clear and consistent First Unitarian message will be developed for engagement with the community. Strong marketing support for facility use is also envisioned.

The BOT established a Strategic Plan Implementation Team reporting to the Board, which will monitor and support the ministries in their work of implementing the Strategic Plan. The team will prepare a progress report to the Board each quarter, beginning in September 2025. Team members are  Gregg B, John H, Mary D and Wesley B.