Role
“The charge of this committee is to identify, develop, deploy, evaluate, and monitor Christian spiritual leadership for the local congregation” (Par. 258.1 of the Book of Discipline).
Relationships
– Reports to the Ad Council to guide them on matters regarding the leadership of the congregation and assist them in assessing the changing leadership needs.
– Recommends to the Charge Conference the names of people to serve as officers and leaders of designated ministries of the Ad Council.
Responsibilities
The Lay Leadership team is typically responsible to:
– identify the gifts and strengths of persons in the congregation
– develop their gifts and skills and nurture them in their mission or ministry roles
– deploy persons according to their gifts and passion in areas of service within the church, community, and world
– evaluate the effectiveness of their service and provide necessary training and support
– monitor the progress of their development and celebrate their accomplishments and service.
We believe these responsibilities fall under the broader category of discipleship, and thus believe that they are better handled by local worship communities rather than a centralized Lay Leadership team. As a result, we are asking Lay Leadership to leave most leadership identification and development to worshiping communities and focus their efforts fully on filling those committees required by the Book of Discipline and our bylaws. These responsibilities:
1) Recommend to the Charge Conference the names of people to serve on Administrative Council (and chair), Committee on Finance (and chair), Staff-Parish Relations Committee (and chair), Board of Trustees, Lay Delegates to Annual Conference, and First UMC Endowment Foundation, Inc., in consultation with current chairs and the appropriate staff members.
2) Affirm the recommendations of each worship community for its leadership team and recommend the names of these people to the Charge Conference.
