Listening, Prayer, and Discernment Shaped EDSD’s Next Strategic Plan

What do we hope the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego will look like five years from now? How might our congregations grow, our communities become stronger, and our neighbors experience God’s love through the work of the Church?

These are big questions. And answering them requires more than good ideas. It takes listening, prayer, reflection, and the courage to imagine what God is calling us to become.

Over the past year, a Strategic Planning Team composed of lay and clergy members from across the diocese has been doing just that. 

The work began with listening sessions at Diocesan Convention 2025, St. Matthew’s in National City, St. Luke’s in North Park, and St. Alban’s in El Cajon. What emerged fit into three broad priorities: Growing Our Church, Strengthening Our Congregations, and Serving Our Neighbors.

To help frame the plan’s development, Dr. Carsten Henning, a professor at Point Loma Nazarene University and a member of St. James by-the-Sea in La Jolla, led the Strategic Planning Team through a logic-model process. 

The logic model is designed to help connect our hopes for the future with the practical work needed to achieve them. The approach guided the team to answer three essential questions: 

First, the team considered outcomes—what would our diocese look like five years from now if we successfully grew our church, strengthened our congregations, and served our neighbors? The team imagined what meaningful progress might look like in our congregations and communities. These conversations helped identify the changes we hope to see by 2032 and paint a clearer picture of what we are working toward together.

Next, the team explored drivers—what conditions and changes would need to be in place to make those outcomes possible? They considered what might be holding congregations back, where opportunities for growth exist, and what would need to change for our churches to better share the love of Jesus with their communities. These conversations invited the team to look honestly at the challenges facing our diocese and identify the conditions necessary to achieve the outcomes they had envisioned.

Finally, the team identified enablers—what resources, relationships, training, and support would help make those conditions achievable? The team examined what congregations already had available, what additional support might be needed, and how the diocese could help bridge those gaps. Discussions ranged from developing new leaders and strengthening community partnerships to providing practical tools that would help congregations turn the shared vision into action.

By connecting these elements (drivers, enablers, and outcomes), the team developed a framework that outlines our hopes and helps us understand how we can work together to make that vision a reality.

Now, the team is developing the initiatives that could put this vision into action. These new, exciting initiatives are filled with programs, resources, and activities. But the team also recognizes that quality ministries are already flourishing across the diocese, and rather than assuming that every goal requires something entirely new, the team is finding ways of enhancing the existing programs offered by the Diocese, in addition to envisioning new initiatives.

Throughout the process, the team returned to a central question: Where is God already at work, and how are we being called to participate?

Listening sessions brought fresh perspectives into the conversation–the experiences of people from different congregations, cultures, and language communities highlighted shared hopes for stronger youth ministries, meaningful relationships between congregations, and new ways to welcome our neighbors. This led the team to wrestle with practical questions. What does it mean for a congregation to be healthy? How do we help new leaders find their place? What resources do smaller congregations need? How can our ministries of service respond to the actual needs of our neighbors rather than simply what we assume those needs to be?

These conversations did not always produce immediate answers. They led to further questions, revisions, and new ideas. That is just part the process. The goal was to produce a plan grounded in the experiences, gifts, and aspirations of our diocesan community, and that can take time.

The result is an inspiring vision for the next five years of ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. Building on the vibrant work already underway while striving forward to where God is leading us to next.

There is still important work ahead for the planning team. Specific initiatives are currently being developed, resources are being identified, and opportunities are being created for congregations and individuals.

At Diocesan Convention on November 6–7, we will share more information about the  Strategic Plan that is emerging. Delegates and clergy will hear more about the process, the outcomes that emerged, and the future we are beginning to imagine together.

And this is only the beginning.

The next chapter of our church life will not be written by a planning committee–it will be shaped by people willing to try something new, leaders ready to share their gifts, and Episcopalians responding to God’s call to love and serve their neighbors.

To learn more about the next strategic plan in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Diocesan website.