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OUR CHALLENGES & HOPES FOR THE FUTURE

SPIRITUAL LIFE AND IDENTITY

We are open to a church that is less rote and more alive; where worship, preaching, music, and formation genuinely empower people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. We desire to be a community that remains welcoming, sacred, and rooted in Gospel hope, inviting people to bring sincere devotion as well as sincere questions. We realize we need help in letting our light shine more outwardly personally as well as corporately, instead of hiding our charisms under a bushel (Mark 4:21).

GROWTH, VITALITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY

As with so many congregations today, we would love to see growth in membership, our Sunday worship attendance, and more children, youth, and young families. There are a core group of people sharing the workload and leadership and we seek to raise up new leadership. We seek to increase our generosity of time, talent, and treasure, with stabilized finances and true viability—or, if that proves impossible, a thoughtful plan that stewards the endowment faithfully. We have a dedicated, experienced Finance Committee and our financial practices have been very careful and thoughtful, even as we continually spend more than we receive in pledges. We have noted that many of those who are no longer active were not as committed financially, although many of our long-time retired members moved out of the community during the pandemic as the housing market was in their favor. Still, we have a renewed sense of vibrancy, energy, and joy in the life of the congregation at this moment in time. We enjoy each other and our fellowship has grown stronger.

COMMUNITY, INTEGENERATIONAL, AND INCLUSIVITY

We hope our church will again span generations, where older members mentor younger ones and youth and children have robust opportunities for worship, learning, service, and fun. We desire to be a place where people feel welcome, known, supported in hard times, and inspired to participate actively in parish life—not just attend. We regularly participate in Wilton Pride and Wilton’s Summer Sidewalk Fair, representing St. Matthew’s with a visible tent while handing out fun objects like beach balls and frisbees with our logo.

OUTREACH, JUSTICE, AND BEING A BEACON OF HOPE

We are active in social justice and outreach to the community. We hope to be a congregation that looks beyond its walls: bringing church into the community, listening to what neighbors need, and using our assets to help others rather than merely to keep the doors open. We seek deeper engagement in service, justice, and reconciliation—through partnerships like Braver Angels, interfaith work, and educational offerings––and through expanding the use of our building for the good of the town. Our hope is to be a visible beacon of hope and love in a stressed, polarized world, open to other faiths and committed to meaningful connection rather than adding more noise.

LEADERSHIP AND SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

We desire a magnetic, intelligent, spiritually grounded priest to serve as our rector who will draw people in but with the clear understanding that renewal cannot rely on one person alone. We have experienced leaders but desire a culture where more members step up to share leadership, shape the church’s future, and discern with clergy how God is calling St. Matthew’s to thrive in new ways in an ever-changing world. Concern has been expressed that many of our leaders are over-worked and in jeopardy of burn-out.

OUR STRENGTHS

  • Our worship and music (choir and organ)

  • A devoted, caring, welcoming congregation, strong and dedicated leaders, and core group of active young adults that enjoy being with one another. 

  • Strong desire to help those in need locally and globally through service and mission/outreach. 

  • A group formed in the Spring of 2025 to vision our future, seeking to build connections with the greater community that will bring St. Matthew’s out of its building to meet people where they are. 

  • An attractive, well-cared for physical plant (built in 1970s): beautiful sanctuary, excellent organ, flexible space for worship and gatherings.

  • A unique partnership with Wilton Presbyterian Church in which we jointly share our buildings and some support staff (but with separate sanctuaries and worship service) as well as other interfaith connections within Wilton.

  • 10 acres (jointly owned with Wilton Presbyterian Church) offers new possibilities for community engagement.

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OUR CHALLENGES

  • Finances. There has been a decline of pledges over the past few years. The difference between our operating income from pledges and other fundraising and the total operating expenses of the church is being funded by distributions from our endowment. 

  • An aging congregation with few children or youth to sustain a Church School or youth program.

  • Grappling with the reality of cultural shifts to secularism and away from traditional church worship.

  • While we pivoted to worship and created opportunities to socialize online quickly at the onset of the pandemic, many did not engage. When we reopened, which was later than other area churches, many felt we were too cautious and strict in our policies and left for other churches or simply found other activities had replaced St. Matthew’s. 

  • Concern over leadership burnout.

Some Statistics

St. Matthew's 2025 Annual Report to our Annual Parish Meeting on February 8, 2026 can give you more details of our past year, including staff, committee, and financials reports.

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