Important Info from the Pastor 3
Dear First Methodist Church Family,
What are we chosen for? The First Methodist Church family is going to spend the next year answering that question. And to help us with that, the Administrative Board has secured the congregational coaching services of Spiritual Leadership, Inc. You can learn more about SLI by going to their website at www.spiritual-leadership.org.
The first task before us is the establishment of a task force that will work directly with our coaches. According to the SLI criteria the team will be comprised of 10-12 individuals who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom like those in Acts 6.3-4. The disciples were seeking a team of people to take over the food distribution to the widows when they said, “Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” (Acts 6.3-4) Participants should have a burning in their bones when it comes to discerning God’s plan for the next season of this church’s life and ministry. Participants are expected to be dependable, responsible, and committed to the church and this process. The task force will also be as diverse as possible when it comes men, women, age, and race.
The group will meet 8 hours a month for up to a year. The team will determine if these will be one 8-hour meeting, two 4-hour meetings, or four weekly 2-hour meetings. In addition, there will be four Friday evening and all-day Saturday events with the SLI coaches present. The first weekend is July 19-20.
The process for nominating someone to serve on the task force is pretty straight forward. All one has to do is notify the pastor of their interest in an email or other written correspondence. There will also be some inserts in the upcoming Sunday morning worship bulletins. Just follow the instructions and drop your nomination in the basket at the identified location. Each nominee will be contacted and sent a simple 1-page application to be filled out and returned to the pastor by the end of the day, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The application consists of the following questions:
1. Please describe your relationship with Jesus.
2. What spiritual gifts do you believe you have for the building up of the body of Christ? How have you used these gifts?
3. Describe your sense of God’s purpose for our church?
4. What is the church’s responsibility to the un-churched community?
5. Please describe a time you served on a team or committee. What were your specific contributions?
The two SLI coaches, a church leader, and the pastor will pray through the applications and select the team members. The application is a standard practice of SLI and accomplishes the following. First, it introduces the nominee to the coaches. And secondly, it provides a more objective process for team selection. The team members will be contacted, and the Administrative Board notified.
You should know the routine from here. Pray. First, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to all of us what First Methodist has been chosen for. Secondly, ask the Spirit to put a fire in our bones for it. And third, ask the Holy Spirit to identify and/or raise up 10-12 individuals who will help the congregation identify a shared vision and an intentional strategy for making mature, Spirit filled, and Spirit led disciples.
Praying for fire in our bones,
Pastor B
What are we chosen for? The First Methodist Church family is going to spend the next year answering that question. And to help us with that, the Administrative Board has secured the congregational coaching services of Spiritual Leadership, Inc. You can learn more about SLI by going to their website at www.spiritual-leadership.org.
The first task before us is the establishment of a task force that will work directly with our coaches. According to the SLI criteria the team will be comprised of 10-12 individuals who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom like those in Acts 6.3-4. The disciples were seeking a team of people to take over the food distribution to the widows when they said, “Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” (Acts 6.3-4) Participants should have a burning in their bones when it comes to discerning God’s plan for the next season of this church’s life and ministry. Participants are expected to be dependable, responsible, and committed to the church and this process. The task force will also be as diverse as possible when it comes men, women, age, and race.
The group will meet 8 hours a month for up to a year. The team will determine if these will be one 8-hour meeting, two 4-hour meetings, or four weekly 2-hour meetings. In addition, there will be four Friday evening and all-day Saturday events with the SLI coaches present. The first weekend is July 19-20.
The process for nominating someone to serve on the task force is pretty straight forward. All one has to do is notify the pastor of their interest in an email or other written correspondence. There will also be some inserts in the upcoming Sunday morning worship bulletins. Just follow the instructions and drop your nomination in the basket at the identified location. Each nominee will be contacted and sent a simple 1-page application to be filled out and returned to the pastor by the end of the day, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The application consists of the following questions:
1. Please describe your relationship with Jesus.
2. What spiritual gifts do you believe you have for the building up of the body of Christ? How have you used these gifts?
3. Describe your sense of God’s purpose for our church?
4. What is the church’s responsibility to the un-churched community?
5. Please describe a time you served on a team or committee. What were your specific contributions?
The two SLI coaches, a church leader, and the pastor will pray through the applications and select the team members. The application is a standard practice of SLI and accomplishes the following. First, it introduces the nominee to the coaches. And secondly, it provides a more objective process for team selection. The team members will be contacted, and the Administrative Board notified.
You should know the routine from here. Pray. First, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to all of us what First Methodist has been chosen for. Secondly, ask the Spirit to put a fire in our bones for it. And third, ask the Holy Spirit to identify and/or raise up 10-12 individuals who will help the congregation identify a shared vision and an intentional strategy for making mature, Spirit filled, and Spirit led disciples.
Praying for fire in our bones,
Pastor B