CHAPTER 1
Called to a Ministry of Faithfulness and Vitality
You are so important to the life of the Christian church! You have consented to join with other people of faith who, through the millennia, have sustained the church by extending God's love to others. You have been called and have committed your unique passions, gifts, and abilities to a position of leadership. This Guideline will help you understand the basic elements of that ministry within your own church and within The United Methodist Church.
Leadership in Vital Ministry
Each person is called to ministry by virtue of his or her baptism, and that ministry takes place in all aspects of daily life, both in and outside of the church. Your leadership role requires that you will be a faithful participant in the mission of the church, which is to partner with God to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. You will not only engage in your area of ministry, but will work to empower others to be in ministry as well. The vitality of your church, and the church as a whole, depends upon the faith, abilities, and actions of all who work together for the glory of God.
Clearly then, as a pastoral leader or leader among the laity, your ministry is not just a "job," but a spiritual endeavor. You are a spiritual leader now, and others will look to you for spiritual leadership. What does this mean?
All persons who follow Jesus are called to grow spiritually through the practice of various Christian habits (or "means of grace") such as prayer, Bible study, private and corporate worship, acts of service, Christian conferencing, and so on. Jesus taught his disciples practices of spiritual growth and leadership that you will model as you guide others. As members of the congregation grow through the means of grace, they will assume their own role in ministry and help others in the same way. This is the cycle of disciple making.
The Church's Vision
While there is one mission—to make disciples of Jesus Christ—the portrait of a successful mission will differ from one congregation to the next. One of your roles is to listen deeply for the guidance and call of God in your own context. In your church, neighborhood, or greater community, what are the greatest needs? How is God calling your congregation to be in a ministry of service and witness where they are? What does vital ministry look like in the life of your congregation and its neighbors? What are the characteristics, traits, and actions that identify a person as a faithful disciple in your context? This portrait, or vision, is formed when you and the other leaders discern together how your gifts from God come together to fulfill the will of God.
Assessing Your Efforts
We are generally good at deciding what to do, but we sometimes skip the more important first question of what we want to accomplish. Knowing where you are headed (the mission) and knowing what results you want (the vision of your church) are the first two steps in a vital ministry. The third step is in knowing how you will assess or measure the results of what you do and who you are (and become) because of what you do. Those measures relate directly to mission and vision, and they are more than just numbers.
One of your leadership tasks will be to take a hard look, with your team, at all the things your ministry area does or plans to do. No doubt they are good and worthy activities; the question is, "Do these activities and experiences lead people into a mature relationship with God and a life of deeper discipleship?" That is the business of the church, and the church needs to do what only the church can do. You may need to eliminate or alter some of what you do if it does not measure up to the standard of faithful disciple making. It will be up to your ministry team to establish the specific standards against which you compare all that you do and hope to do. (This Guideline includes further help in establishing goals, strategies, and measures for this area of ministry.)
The Mission of The United Methodist Church
Each local church is unique, yet it is a part of a connection, a living organism of the body of Christ. Being a connectional Church means in part that every local United Methodist church is interrelated through the structure and organization of districts, conferences, and jurisdictions in the larger "family" of the denomination. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church describes, among other things, the ministry of all United Methodist Christians, the essence of servant ministry and leadership, how to organize and accomplish that ministry, and how our connectional structure works (see especially ¶¶126–138).
Our Church extends way beyond your doorstep; it is a global Church with both local and international presence. You are not alone. The resources of the entire denomination are intended to assist you in ministry. With this help and the partnership of God and one another, the mission continues. You are an integral part of God's church and God's plan!
(For help in addition to this Guideline and the Book of Discipline, see "Resources" at the end of your Guideline, www.umc.org, and the other websites listed on the inside back cover.)
CHAPTER 2
What Is My Job?
As a trustee, you will supervise and maintain all property belonging to your congregation so that the ministries of the congregation can be effective. You will work closely with the church council to respond to God's call.
What Are My Basic Responsibilities?
The trustees together have several legal and administrative functions. They are to:
• oversee, maintain, and supervise all local church property.
• report annually to the charge conference on the state of the church's property, equipment, investments, and resources.
• receive and administer all gifts made to the congregation; make certain that all trust funds of the congregation are invested properly.
• ensure that the articles of incorporation of the congregation are kept up-to-date, if applicable.
• be responsible, in conjunction with the pastor, for all use of the church buildings and grounds.
• maintain adequate insurance coverage on all church property and develop appropriate risk management policies.
• submit to the committee on finance the annual budget...
