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The Church Council is the visionary and leadership body of the church. This presentation was given during a Leadership Training event on January 18, 2014 for the Little Kanawha District of the West Virginia Annual Conference. You can contact me for more information or teaching opportunities at www.stevegedon.com
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Church Council
Leadership Development Training
Rev. Dr. Steve Gedon
Church CouncilWho? (people, personalities, problems)
What? (actions, activities, agendas)
How? (practical, resources, timing)
Church CouncilThe executive agency of the charge conference (¶244). This means that between meetings of the charge conference, the church council is the group of leaders who guide and further the ministry of the congregation.
Local Church
Charge Conference
Church Council
Functional Ministries
(Organization)
(Decision)
(Strategy)
(implement)
(support)
Church CouncilThe council exists to create and supervise the strategic plan for an effective congregation. The CC should reflect the character and population of the congregation.
Mission
THE GOAL OF THIS CHURCH is not to create a space for people to conveniently look upon God, but to enable willing disciples to grow, thrive and be shaped into the Image of Christ in thought, actions, and experience.
Mission
THE CHURCH is not a finished product comprised of perfect people, rather people united, shaped and guided by the Word of God and energized by the Spirit of God.
Called to create an environment in which Christian Life can Flourish.
“Ministry is the ongoing attempt to put one's own search for God, with all the moments of pain and joy, despair and hope, at the disposal of those who want to join this search but do not know how.” Henri Nouwen
Church is about Ministry
It is not possible for a Christian to be spiritually mature while
remaining emotionally immature.
Church is a Maturing Process.
Church is a Maturing Process.
“The church will never mature beyond the
leadership.”Peter Scazzero
“Christians are made, not born.”
Tertullian
Church is a Maturing Process.
“[Jesus] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29
Church is a Maturing Process.
PeopleDiscover and Utilize their Gifts,
Talents, Personalities, Experiences and Interests to
become fully Mature.
Personality Profile
Personality Profile
ProsLeader, decisive, authoritative, powerful, clear, concise, timely, visionary, actionVision-Oriented
ConsAuthoritarian, insensitive, demanding, ruthless, destructive, feared, not a great team player, terrible follower, not good listener
ProsOrganized, detail oriented, focused, secretary, priorities, hard worker, busy, agenda, actionTask Oriented, good team player
ConsSolitary, Process over people, achievements, Task Oriented, driven
ProsFunloving, cohesive, energized, excitable, people over projects, friendly, engaging, life of the party Fun-Oriented
ConsEasy to distract, not focused, not dependable, ADD kind of people, distracting, It’s not all about you!
ProsLoyal, sensing, people oriented, emotionally intelligent, emotionally healthy, soothing, comforting, integrity
ConsAnalysis paralysis, consensus or nothing, cannot stand unhappy people, abhors change, takes debate and discussion personally
Consumers“weekend warriors”
Avoid Consultants
Embrace Contributors.
Materialist“what’s the cost?”
Avoid the “Rainy-Day” mentalityEmbrace Blessed to be a
Blessing
ChristianEnergized and excited by
GOD.
Avoid ‘Woe-is-me’ Mentality
Embrace Risk taker.
Meaning: How do we see life and our place in it?
Message: What is our story and how do we tell it?
Mission: What are we here for and what do we do?
Starting Point
Members: How do we connect with people and include them in our movement?
Mobility: How do we command attention in a fast-moving world?
Starting Point
Money: How do we support our cause?
Metrics: What do we measure and what do these numbers mean?
Starting Point
Church Council• Elevate (Inspire) – What can we achieve
together?• Envision (Plan) – How are we going to do
it?• Engage (Do) – When & with whom will it
happen?• Evaluation (Learn) – Outcomes, Lessons,
Improve
Church CouncilElevate (inspire)
Resources, goals, talents, demographics, passions, growth, dreams Create
Excitement
Church CouncilEnvision
Champion, Plan, Resources, Stretch
Church CouncilEngage
Support, Encouragement, Resource, Motivate, Educate, Employ
Church CouncilEvaluate
Learn, Document, Ask, Celebrate, Affirm
Church CouncilImplement
Support, encouragement, enthusiasm
Jeremiah 17
Duties and Responsibilities of the Church Council
Duties and Responsibilities of the Church Council
(¶244) – Organization
(¶251.3) – Role of the Chair
(¶252) – Council Roles & Functions
Duties and Responsibilities of the Church Council
Meet at least quarterly
Be attentive to Ministry before Administration
Use consensus and discernment for decision
making
Duties and Responsibilities of the Church Council
Fill leadership vacancies
Review Membership of the congregation
Recommend salary package for pastor to
charge conference
What is the Church Council?
Church Council is the administrative agency of the charge conference.
Carries out the Mission and Vision of the Charge Conference.
Chair of this group is elected annually by the charge conference (¶251.3).
BUSINESS VS MINISTRYBUSINESS FOCUS
Running the church Burnout/low interest Like secular meetings Short term focus Avoid risks Blame Control, power and decision making stays here
MINISTRY FOCUS
Making disciples Personal renewal Experience God Kingdom focus Experiment Try to do it better Follow God’s lead, empower others to make decisions
Chairperson Responsibilities? Lead the council in
fulfilling its responsibilities as outlined in The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2008, ¶252.
Work with the pastor(s) and other Leaders to fulfill the mission of “making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Hold the BIG picture Build an agenda in
consultation with Pastor Coordinate ministries
among planning groups Follow up decisions (no
micro-managing) Build the group and
develop new leaders
Other Responsibilities
Review the membership of the local church; Fill interim vacancies occurring among the lay
officers of the church between sessions of the annual charge conference;
Establish the budget on recommendation of the committee on finance and ensure adequate provision for the financial needs of the church;
One of the core responsibilities of the council is to “lead the visioning and strategic planning process within the church”
Vision& Strategy
Vision is a capacity to see the system differently.
Vision
One of the most important tasks in formulating a
meaningful vision is to gather information
Vision
Discern what is special about your context
Why has God place your church where it is located?
What are the unique features about your community?
Vision
Who lives in your community? Who goes to your church? What is unique about your church?
Vision
What need can your church meet better than any other organization in your community?
What are the available resources?
Vision
The church council exists to create
and supervise the strategic plan
for your local congregation .
Strategy
Strategic
Twofold function includes both leadership and management. Leadership is the visionary, "big picture" work that assesses critically where your congregation is at the present moment, where God is calling it to be in the future, and what resources will be required to move from your current reality into the desired future.
Big Picture Detail Pictures
Strategic
Management is the essential "detail work" that must be accomplished on a daily basis to make the congregation effective.
Big Picture Detail Pictures
Strategic
ef·fec·tiveproducing a desired or intended result.
synonyms: successful, effectual, potent, powerful; helpful, beneficial, advantageous, valuable, useful; convincing, compelling, strong, forceful, potent, weighty, impactful, sound, valid
Big Picture Detail Pictures
Our MissionMake Disciples of Jesus Christ
Make a Difference in the World.
Our Goals StrategyInspirational Worship ExperiencesIntentional Christian DiscipleshipInvolved in Practical ChristianityInviting Faith Conversations
87% Protestant congregations in US are stagnant or declining
77% of people on church boards said the quality of their spiritual life “went down” while serving
Every group of churches over 20 years old are declining as a group
Decline Churches
Thriving Churches
The Top Ten Essentials for Developing
Thriving Churches
What kills passion?1. Problem-solving syndrome (where there is
no vision)2. Busy-enough now3. No vacancy (no more energy)4. Nostalgia (comfortable in the present…)5. Lazarus syndrome (recovering the
dissatisfied)
10. Passion / Inspiration
9. Core Values
Unhealthy core values that drive churches
(Rick Warren)
1. Tradition (what did we do before?)2. Personality (what does the leader
want?)3. Finance (how much does it cost?)4. Program (what are we already
doing?)5. Building (if you have a room the kids
cannot use …)6. Needy (simply give people what they
want?)
8. Balanced Ministry Strategy
Three types of people attend church:
1. Casual (ready to visit)Reached by outreach ministries
2. Curious (ready to grow)Reached by spiritual growth ministries
3. Committed (ready to serve)Reached by equipping ministries
Thriving church systems minister to each stage!
Seasonal waves 1. Christmas2. January 13. Easter4. Mother’s Day & 5. Father’s Day6. Start of school year
7. Intentionally Create New Waves of
People
Front door wavesMarriage conferences, recovery
ministries, having a variety of services (style, location)
7. Intentionally Create New Waves of
People
Message wavesPreaching in series (start on key
days)Postmodern (conversational)
styleTitled for take-home value
7. Intentionally Create New Waves of
People
Staffing wavesBringing on folk who attract new
group of people
7. Intentionally Create New Waves of
People
50% of world is now younger than 16 and 80% become Christian before age 21
6. Prioritize Teen and Children
5. Grow your Staff
Build a staff which builds ministries which build people.
Staff which Attracts Growth
Staff which Supports Growth
Present
Future
People grow and serve best when they know what the steps are
What’s your game plan for discipleship? Spiritual gift implementationBeing “high expectation”
4. Mobilize Laity
Annual parenting and marriage sermons series Those who are not parents or spouses are
educated for other roles in relation to our family ministries
3. Build Healthy Homes
A church can get bigger as long is it keeps getting smaller.
Different spiritual needs are met by different size groups in the church.
2. Prioritize Small Groups
The #1 job of the pastor is to guard the “spirit” of the
church
1. Climate Control
Model emotionally healthy family relationships
Public/personal encouragementCreating atmospheres of grace while
making phonies and critics squirm
1. Climate Control
Thriving or Declining:Building Healthy Church Systems
When churches deal with these factors, they pollinate the church … and create the kind of greenhouse in which seeds can grow and flower.
Called to create an environment in which Christian Life can Flourish.
The charge conference will determine the size of the church council. Members of the church council shall be involved in the mission and ministry of the congregation as defined in ¶ 252.2.
Membership
Council shall include persons who represent the program ministries of the church as outlined in ¶ 243.
Membership
Membership
The membership shall include but not be limited to:
the chairperson of the church council; the chairperson and/or a representative
of : the pastor-parish relations committee; the committee on finance; the board of trustees; the church treasurer; the lay leader; a lay member to annual conference; the United Methodist Men; the United Methodist Women; the United Methodist Youth; the pastor(s). others
Children’s Advocate, Program Ministries,
Membership The pastor is the administrative officer of the
local church and therefore is an ex officio member of most committees (¶ 244.3, 2008 BOD).
Ex officio members have both voice and vote.
Effective Meetings
Preparation: agenda and reports
A time of learning Thoughtful devotional A time of discernment Celebration of Ministry Decision made Actionable Plans Communication planned
Questions
&Answers
Can anyone attend a committee
meeting?
Who is allowed to vote at committee
meetings?
Can paid staff persons vote on the church council or other committees?
Questions
&Answers
Skills for an Effective Church Council Leader
Genuine Christian character who love the Christ and His church
Person who are morally disciplined, are committed to the mandate of inclusiveness in the life of the church
Skills for an Effective Church Council Leader
Loyal to the ethical standards of The United Methodist Church set forth in the Social Principles, and are competent to administer its affairs.
Skills for an Effective Church Council Leader
What does God call us to do and to be?
Disciples (growing & doing)
Clear about our mission (thinking)
Visionaries (prayerful & discerning)
Spiritual Leaders (mentors & guides)
Task of Leaders Lead meeting Listening Delegation Organize Vision-transfer the vision Communicate Motivate Patience Spiritual Maturity
Prioritize Flexible Money Management Risk Taker Researcher Learner Strategize Humility & Accountability
“Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back.”