Our Leadership Board had its first meeting on Monday January 22nd. We began the meeting with a reminder that where we focus our attention determines what we are capable of seeing. We streamlined our Leadership structure in part so that less people would be required to serve on our administrative committees and more members would be freed up to do the vital work of ministry. But perhaps even more importantly, we did so to ensure that there is a group of church leaders focusing their attention on the overall mission and vision of the church. If we don’t develop a clear and shared set of goals and priorities aligned around our mission, it will be impossible to know if we’re making the most faithful decisions for how we accomplish that mission.
Most of our meeting time was spent becoming familiar with the various reports and documents for which the Board is responsible. But the heart of our conversation was centered on figuring out how clear we are about what our mission is and getting a sense of where we can start the work of fulfilling that mission. The United Methodist Church’s mission is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” We have a great statement on the website meant to define our particular way of fulfilling that mission - “Loving the city with the heart of Christ.” We reiterate that statement all the time in worship. And I know it is a statement that many of our church members believe is the heart of all that we are called to do.
What we have to determine is 1) whether this statement is clear enough that we have a shared understanding of what we mean when we say it, and 2) whether this is the statement around which we are ready to explicitly align the whole work of the church (budgets, priorities, goals, teams, staff, etc). If the statement is clear and we’re ready to reaffirm it, our work will focus on how to make the kind of people who love the city with the heart of Christ. And if that’s not the right framing for our part of God's mission, then we must determine how to discern a more accurate statement.
The process of finalizing a decision will be led by the Board, but the Board will not make any decision alone. You’ll have opportunities for feedback and input along the way, beginning with our first Leadership Board Town Hall on Sunday February 25th. We’ll gather in Rothwell Hall at 9:45am and the conversation will begin promptly at 10am. You’ll have a chance to hear more about what the Board is discussing and a chance to ask your questions or share your concerns.
It may take all of the next two years to fully discuss and reaffirm (or rewrite) our mission statement - but the work of the church will not slow down while the big picture comes into focus. While my attention and last few updates have been focused on the Board, I want to remind you that the work of the Board is meaningless if it does not encourage, inspire, and make possible the hands-on work of ministry that we are all called to as a church. In service of that further work, the Nominations Committee is working to clarify a list of all current ministries taking place and the leaders of those ministries. Be on the lookout for updates and/or information requests from that group in the next month or two as we develop the work of that crucial group.
Finally, you can always access all public records from the Board by going to fumcbeaumont.org/board or you can stop by the office and view a hard copy of those records. Included in both places is a list of all of our elected leadership (the Leadership Board and our Nominations and Leadership Development Committee). And please check out the Spire, our worship bulletins, and/or get on our email list for regular updates on all the many upcoming activities and opportunities for service.
I am so grateful for all that you have done for generations to love the city with the heart of Christ! And I feel so lucky to help guide us through the process of laying a solid foundation for generations to come.