Beginning January 1, our congregation began to "function" with a new leadership structure. Instead of the election of vestry members, people who would serve on committees, we elected a council only. These nine elected leaders plus the pastor serve as the board of Ascension Lutheran Church. This is not a decision that came about quickly, but was recommended by the Long Range Planning team a couple years ago. The purpose is to strategically put us in a place to move forward in mission.
In addition, the work of the congregation, the management will be lead by the council, but the workers will be the disciples of the congregation acting on their passions and utilizing their spiritual gifts. This concerns some, because in the past it has assured people will be on the committees to do the work. However, sometimes people just knew we needed someone and said they would do it, without having a real passion. This leads to burnout. Plus it was a system put in place to maintain things, not so much dream and move forward in mission.
As a council, we plan to listen to the congregation, community, and God to discern direction. We can't continue to do everything well all at once. We want to use the resources we have-time, talent and financial, to provide what God intends for our mission.
We know we will face challenges, and one of those is the reality that we don't have a set plan on how everything will work. This is also an opportunity, because we can try things and get into place a procedure that works. It will also likely help us discern what things are not necessary to the mission of the church. My prayer is that the congregation will be patient, prayerful, and understanding. We need to be nimble, adaptable--and keep our vision on boldly making Christ's vision known.
