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Mount
Cross Lutheran Church Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America A
Stephen Ministry Congregation John
W. Soyster & Erik Goehner, Pastors |
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Dear Council Member,
After the October 2008 Church Council meeting I
spent some time thinking about the order of our agenda. For a long time we have begun our meetings
with a call to order, devotions, and approval of minutes. And then, before we talk about anything
else, we move to the treasurer’s report.
As we all know, the recent news from this part of the agenda has been
challenging. Is it also setting the
tone for the rest of the meeting? I
wonder. And even if we happen to be
rolling in dough, is starting the main body of our agenda talking about our
finances instead of our larger mission the right way to arrange our meeting?
It is for this reason that I have rearranged our
agenda just a bit and added one new item.
After the minutes are approved, the next item will be the “Report from
the body of Christ.”
Each month a different Council member will be asked
to give this report. Sometime in the
month before your turn, please intentionally interview one member of Mount
Cross and ask them for their impressions of the life of our church by way of
two simple questions:
1) What is the single greatest strength of our congregation right
now?
2) What is the one area of
our church that is most in need of improvement right now?
If you prefer, ask these questions in relation to
the ministry area you oversee. For
example, the Worship & Music Committee chairperson could ask:
1) What is our best practice when it comes to our worship life?
2) What aspect of our worship life is most in need of improvement?”
Please feel free to choose someone you know very
well at Mount Cross, and thus make this job as easy as it can be. Or choose someone you do not know and make a
new friend at the same time as we learn something important about our
church. Also, it would be helpful from
time to time to target both a very new member and a long time member for
different perspectives.
Please explain to the person you interview that
their candid assessment of the life of our church will assist the Council in
their work. Also assure them of
confidentiality; their name will not be used in giving the ‘body of Christ
report.’
Thank you for helping the Council to fulfill one of
its most important functions: “The duties of the Congregational Council shall
include the following: a) to lead this congregation in stating its mission, to
do long-range planning to set goals and priorities, and to evaluate its
activities in light of its mission and goals; b) to seek to involve all members
of this congregation in worship, learning, witness, service and support; c) to
oversee and provide for the administration of this congregation to enable it to
fulfill its functions and perform its mission” (Constitution of Mount Cross,
C12.07.).
Sincerely in Christ,
Pastor John