June 11 Community Meeting Highlights
After brief comments and a land acknowledgement from Dan R. to open the meeting Ken shared about our vision.
Ken – Our vision for ministry has not changed and the LT does not see a need to change it. However, how we pursue our vision and where we see God working among us during this current season of ministry is changing. Over the next few months we will be seeking to listen to God, His Word, and the Holy Spirit speaking through elders & members of our community. Please join with me in asking God to clearly show us where he wants to work among us to fulfill our vision during this next season of ministry.
Dan transitioned the meeting to a discussion about developing a broader leadership model. He referenced some results of the survey we conducted earlier in the year, showing that the ECC community had a good understanding of what the LT does and it’s clear, they do things that are outside the role description and Biblical understanding of an elder.
Several other ideas from the survey were shared that everyone seems to be in agreement on:
- Hire more staff, specifically w/ children and youth.
- Leadership responsibilities should be shared more broadly and expanded to include “deacons”
- Train/mentor younger leaders
- Keep working on good communication.
We have hired two new part time staff, so the next area of importance seems to be a need to consider inviting more people into defined leadership roles which will allow the elders to focus on pastoral concerns and shepherding. Dan shared how this is not a new idea and it’s also seen in Acts 6 as the early church dealt with similar issues.
Dan gave multiple examples of the types of roles a “deacon” model would include. A few of those were: Finance, facilities, Outreach, landscaping, prayer team, etc.
After a few questions, Dan divided the group into small groups to discuss these questions:
- What do you like about a deacon model of leadership?
- Any concerns? Questions?
- Please offer any suggestions or things to keep in mind as we move forward.
Finally, each group took turns sharing ideas they discussed and most of what was shared was abbreviated and transcribed. For a full copy of those sheets the ideas were written on, please email Tatiana Crespo and she can offer a copy of those items.
