Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church
Warren, OH
STRATEGIC PLAN
Take a look at our Strategic Plan
Why Statement
To love one another through Christ and inspire a joyous life with purpose.
Mission Statement
The Mission of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church is to nurture a welcoming and loving community that worships the Holy Trinity and grows spiritually in the Orthodox faith.
Core Values
Faith
Love
Philanthropy
Outreach
Integrity
Education
Four Main Strategic Areas of Focus:
Stewardship and Engagement Ministry
Ministry Head Coach: Nick Cassudakis
Religious Education Ministry
Ministry Head Coach: Nita Hendryx
Parish Facilities Ministry
Ministry Head Coach: Anthony Payiavlas
Parish Culture Ministry: Leadership, Welcoming, Outreach and Inreach
Ministry Head Coach: Georgia Marousis
Strategic planning defines our direction and strategy,
and allocates our resources to achieve our goals.
Why Strategic Planning?
Strategic Planning is, first and foremost, Biblical and Christ-centered. At the very end of our Lord’s ministry on this earth, He gave His Apostles a clear strategic plan as to how they were to achieve his vision by saying: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.”
In Jeremiah 29:11-12 we hear: “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for well-being, and not for calamity, in order to give you a future and a hope. When you call out to me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.”
The Book of Acts, written by St Luke, has been described as: ”…a blueprint for reproducing the specific details and aspects of the Church…However, it is of great importance for understanding the organization and structure of the Church…” And in the rich Holy Gospel, we find Christ’s clear strategic direction and plan given to his Apostles: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The world has changed dramatically since our Lord’s time on this earth and even since the Orthodox Church first arrived in the United States. And the speed of change is accelerating.
All the data inevitably leads to the conclusion that to thrive in the current millennium, our Parish must consider the existence of rapidly changing, practical realities without abandoning the truth and essence of our Orthodox Faith and Holy Traditions. Most notably of these is the timeless teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In other words, there can be no indifference. If we are not moving forward, we are drifting backward.
One of the common challenges of strategic planning for a diverse parish is the need to fully appreciate and meaningfully address the issues experienced by our parishioners. Thus, the Parish’s Strategic Planning Team was comprised of very diverse representatives of our Parish who primarily focused on the opportunities, needs, and challenges of all our parishioners and Parish-level ministries. It remains incumbent upon all who serve our Church to listen to and focus on the unique needs of our faithful and those seeking Christ. We believe this Strategic Plan does that.