Pastor Chris' Letter October 2017

Dear Trinity Family,
On this date one year ago, I told you all of our plans as a church to switch our leadership to a more streamlined model. From this time we have combined all three of our primary committees (Finance Committee, Staff Parish Relations Committee, and Trustees) into one board that assumes the administrative functions of the church. This newly assembled board has been learning, discerning, and leading since November of last year, and they have done a great job in working on guidelines, procedures, and setting a solid financial structure. The members of this team are Tim Holcomb, John Blume, Larry Allen, Barb Bower, Dian Lute, Phyllis Weber, and Rachel Welch-McGuire. If you get a chance, take time to thank this group for their hard work of learning and building this amazing group.
As I have mentioned before, this board allows us to streamline the process of leadership and allow more people to be involved in the ministry of making disciples. This has enabled us to begin reviving teams that help us to do the work of the church. The first of these teams was the team that calls themselves the TLC (Tender Loving Care) Team who take care of the building and grounds.  They have done a great job planting flowers, cleaning up the north side of the church, spraying weeds, and mowing the grass. (They are in the process of doing many other projects around the building.) The other team that has begun working is the prayer team that has begun the process of rebuilding the prayer room.  They are thinking about how the church can intentionally be in prayer for our church, our community, and our world. This change in leadership has allowed us to have more and more people on these focused teams that work on the ministry of the church.
When I originally shared our idea about this trimmed down committee, I shared that whatever our structure is, it should have four key pieces to lead the church forward. We have a structure that:
· has clear lines of authority, so that everyone knows who is in charge of what;
· privileges decision-making above simple reporting, so that God's people can move forward in ministry;
· empowers laity to do the work of making disciples rather than sitting in incessant meetings; and
· empowers the pastor to attend to the work of Word, Order, Sacrament, and Service.
So I ask with these goals in mind that you continue to pray with me for the leadership of the church. The other thing I ask is that, if you would like to be a part of this board, contact the church so that you can apply for a position.  These board members rotate off so no one gets burnt out and so leadership and vision remain fresh. For those who are interested in joining the board, I will run a short study on the function of the board and the mission and vision of the church. If interested please talk to me or contact the church office. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at the church office or through email at chris@trinitychurchum.org. I believe and have experienced how this change in leadership has helped us build new leaders and to more effectively live out our mission to be and make disciples.


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