Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY

May 18, 2016

Southeast Christian Church has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings in 1962. The new campus has a 9,100-seat sanctuary and 770,000 square feet under roof. With a staff of 340 employees, Southeast serves over 15,000 members and guests each weekend at 3 separate worship services. For a number of years they have hosted leadership conferences attended by some 3,500 pastoral and lay leaders from around the country.

According to Mike Smith, Southeast’s Human Resources Director, a ministry this size has many challenges. “We have a large and sophisticated organization. However, in our almost 40-year history, we had never really taken the time to do a comprehensive strategic plan until last year – and given the complexity of the ministry issues we were dealing with, we needed a strong partner to help us through the strategic planning process, so we enlisted the help of The Covenant Group.”

Mr. Smith continued, “Leadership at Southeast perceived the vast opportunities presented by our growth; but, we were also aware of the scriptural mandate to be good stewards of our resources. We believe that we are called to perform every ministry task with excellence, and we just couldn’t do that if we spread our efforts too thin. Going through The Covenant Group’s strategic planning process was essential in helping us assign priorities and focus our resources to the most productive ends.”

Brett DeYoung, Administrator at Southeast, added that the planning process required diligence, but yielded fruitful results. “Len helped us identify a large number of tactical initiatives. Having that many objectives can be overwhelming, so we were best served by having each ministry area pick their ‘Top 5’ immediate strategic initiatives. Identifying these issues was made possible by The Covenant Group’s research driven process. The congregational survey data was immeasurably beneficial.”

Mike Smith agreed that the process produced lasting positive changes. “I believe there’s a much higher degree of trust and cooperation among the staff. We are behaving less as independent operators, and more as a cohesive team. We’ve realized positive development in areas such as staff accountability, work processes, budgeting and our ability to prioritize our objectives effectively. The Covenant Group gave us a solid and thoughtful product, one that was definitely worth the money.”

Results

Consensus on mission, vision, goals, strategies and core values

Comprehensive, 80-page report detailing each ministry’s key initiatives

Residual benefit of increased trust, cooperation and productivity

“I really support The Covenant Group’s strategic planning process because their approach encourages staff-based support with board buy-in, and I felt that was important given what we were trying to achieve. The outcome is an effective plan that builds consensus and provides a clear sense of direction.”
- Jennifer Scott, Director of Development - The Cabbage Patch Settlement House

“The Covenant Group is highly competent, very experienced and knowledgeable. They provided a broad perspective by equipping us with useful data…and best practices in the field. All in all, they are excellent.”
- Dan Jones, CEO - 21st Century Parks

“The campaign has truly been a miracle. People were committed from the beginning, but…even raising $650,000 seemed like a stretch. To nearly double that amount is incredible! When the plan they developed allows you to hit a goal like that, it builds such a sense of community. The momentum built by the campaign is spilling outside the walls of our church and benefiting others in the process.”
-Father John Hollowell - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church

“For those of us who don’t do this everyday, The Covenant Group instilled confidence in us. They helped us get through the fear and apprehension by providing us with a process, training and motivation. They taught us and helped us plan in a way that was for the better. We have built lasting relationships with donors and we will continue to steward these relationships long into the future.”
- Sue Finke, Director of Institutional Advancement - Covington Catholic High School

“No one anticipated we could raise this amount. Even the Archdiocese is surprised. The funds raised represent about 15 times our annual giving. But it’s not just the financial results. People stand around talking more than they did before the campaign. There is also a renewed and energized spirit among the parishioners. It’s the most exciting thing to happen in our parish in the last 100 years.”
- Gary Libs, Campaign Co-Chair - St. Mary of the Knobs Catholic Church

“The Covenant Group’s process involved a lot of people in our congregation doing small tasks … that built ownership. They took our vision and put it into a concrete plan. They helped us understand the importance of making our vision clear and laid out the steps to make the vision a reality. Their process built consensus and showed people how they could help. Their methods are based on a solid theological foundation that includes key documents, prayer support, and requisite training … all of which were invaluable.”
- Daniel Montgomery, Pastor - Sojourn Community Church

“Everything The Covenant Group did to help us…in the initial stages was helpful…the development of the case statement; our materials; the training of our Board members; strategies; all these steps laid the foundation for eventual success. They brought such a high level of professionalism, a wealth of experience and a strong track record of integrity and success… just being associated with The Covenant Group helped us.”
- Nancy Doctor, Development Director - Wellspring

“The structure The Covenant Group provided was excellent. It allowed our members to use their God-given talents to benefit the church community They helped us develop a plan and identify key leadership candidates to chair the effort, as well as engaging between 80 to 100 people to carry out the work of the campaign. It was truly a whole congregation effort and The Covenant Group helped facilitate that. They helped us reach our full potential as a congregation.”
- Ron Poisel, Pastor - Christ Lutheran Church

Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY

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