From the Pastor

Dear Friends:

Wanna hear something really fun? Our new organizational plan is almost done! Squee! (What? You have a different definition of fun?)

Here’s what I’m talking about: Last year, as our long range planning team completed its work of naming a vision for our congregation, one thing quickly became abundantly clear: we would never make much progress toward our vision until we made some improvements to the way we organize ourselves to do ministry.

Our current leadership structures—namely, a governing board to make decisions and a cabinet to plan programs, in addition to ministry teams, standing committees, elders, deacons, trustees, and lots of other volunteer roles—have served us well for many years;. We’ve done good work because of the strong and healthy systems we have in place.

But now, as we look to the future, we can see that we need something different. We need to be more nimble, more flexible. We need to stop wearing people out with meetings and start developing new leaders. We need structures that help us do ministry instead of getting in our way.

To that end, the Trustees—whose responsibility it is to oversee major changes like this—appointed a team to look at our bylaws and come up with a better way. That team—Dian Young, Lora McPhail, Mike Wildman, John Flynt, Bill Inmon, and Dawn Steadman—have worked hard and faithfully for the past two months.

It’s a powerhouse team, made up of former board chairs, elders, trustees, youth group leaders, parents, life-long Disciples, and people who have served in nearly every leadership role in the church. In other words, these folks know what they’re doing, and process is in very good hands.

I’m excited for you to see what they’ve come up with. The new structure requires fewer meetings and more opportunities to serve. It lets us be more nimble and ready to go where the Spirit leads us, but it also provides the structure we need to make sure we’re taking good care of our resources and staying accountable to each other. It frees us up from filling “slots” and gives people permission to do the ministry they’re being called to do.

The plan is still very much a work in progress, and we could use your feedback. At the Cabinet meeting on March 11, following worship, the team will present the proposed plan and hear your input and questions. The whole congregation is invited to be a part of this information session, and I hope you’ll plan to be there.

It just might be fun.
Lee