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 also 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 your task (the mission of disciple making) 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 all United Methodist churches are 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.)

The Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee

The ministry entrusted to this committee is in its name: relations. In every size congregation, the Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (S/PPRC) must focus on building strong relationships between the staff and the congregation, and between the congregation and the district superintendent (DS). Finding a balance between building relationships and handling administrative tasks can be difficult, so the ministry of this committee is crucial for this aspect of a vital and effective congregation. You have been elected to this committee for Kingdom work: We pray in the Lord's Prayer that God's will be done and Kingdom come. Strong relationships lead to ministry that impacts Christian disciple-making so that God's will may be done for the transformation of your community and our world. This Guideline will outline the specific administrative tasks of the S/PPRC and describe the ministry of building relationships through communication and attention to caring for the staff and congregation.

The administrative function of the S/PPRC includes both leadership and management. Leadership is the role of "keeping an eye on the big picture." Even in the midst of meetings, celebrations, or crises, the S/PPRC members must remember they are part of the body of Christ with a mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. On the S/PPRC, you operate under God's leadership. Keeping an eye on the big picture means putting aside personal positions and desires in order to move closer to God's vision.

Management is the role of tending to daily activities so that details are taken care of and strategies are implemented. Large churches may have staff for day-to-day staff oversight. In some organizations, staff management functions are taken care of by a personnel office or human resources department. Management includes holding both staff and congregation accountable for carrying through with plans and promises, and dealing with both the celebrations and disappointments inherent in any human family and church.

Your ministry of administration and relationship building, plus leadership and management, is a big responsibility. This Guideline suggests practical ways to manage your responsibilities by assigning tasks to a quarterly calendar, though you may organize in whatever way makes sense for your context and church. Adapt the suggestions for your community while always keeping the big picture in mind.

United Methodist congregations give the Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee the responsibility for administering the relationship between staff, congregation, and the district superintendent so that the mission of the Church moves forward. This summary of specific tasks for the S/PPRC is listed in (¶258.2g) in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church (with added suggestions from the Task Force on Clergy Health and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women).

• Encourage, strengthen, nurture, support, and respect the pastor and staff and their families, including advocating for a healthy work/life balance.

• Promote unity in the churches.

• Confer with the staff on the effectiveness of ministry and impediments to effectiveness, including conflict of interest, and sexual misconduct.

• Confer with the staff about effective use of their gifts, skills, time, and priorities.

• Conduct annual staff evaluations.

• Teach the congregation about itinerancy, steps into ordained ministry, the value of diversity in staffing, and the ministerial education fund.

• Write job descriptions for staff.

• Confer with staff about continuing education and spiritual formation.

• Confer with the district superintendent about the clergy leadership for the congregation.

• Recommend staff positions to the church council.

• Create written personnel policies and sexual misconduct policies for the congregation.

• Consult on matters of staff support including housing, vacation, insurance, pension, and other matters outlined in the Discipline.

Administrative Responsibilities

The S/PPRC has three primary responsibilities related to administration: pastoral and staff evaluations; maintaining a connection with the district superintendent; and communication among pastor/staff, congregation, and DS. Responsibilities related to personal support, benefits, and policy will be considered in another section.

ANNUAL STAFF EVALUATIONS

Your district superintendent will ask annually for your recommendation for the most appropriate appointed leader for your community. In most instances, you will be asked to complete an evaluation form. This Guideline recommends annual evaluation of all staff based on setting expectations at the beginning of the year and working with staff through the year to meet or modify the expectations. See the first and fourth quarter calendar suggestions starting on page 17.

CONNECT WITH YOUR DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT

The district superintendent relies on the S/PPRC for information about the ministry needs in the mission area where your church is located and the leadership gifts needed to carry out the ministry. In the United States, bishops and cabinets are increasingly describing appointments as "mission fields." You are the connection for the DS to understand both the community surrounding your church and also the vision of your congregation for reaching out in ministry to that community. The chairperson of the S/PPRC should initiate a relationship with the district superintendent. This Guideline has suggestions in the section for the chairperson's ministry responsibilities.

THREE-WAY COMMUNICATION

Strong relationships help build clear communication channels, mutual caring, and deep trust among people so that the congregation lives out an inspiring, meaningful ministry that forms disciples who make a difference in their community and in the world. Good communication, like building relationships, always involves two parties. The S/PPRC is the link that facilitates the communication among staff, congregation, and district superintendent. The committee speaks clearly and plainly about the hopes and dreams of the congregation to the staff in concrete, practical ways so that the staff knows how to spend their time. Also, the committee reminds the congregation of the hopes and dreams they have expressed and how the staff is working toward these goals.

Who Is on the S/PPRC?

The Book of Discipline requires every congregation to have a committee on staff/pastor-parish relations (in a multi-point charge, each congregation shall have at least one member on the S/PPRC). The staff/pastor-parish relations committee members are proposed by the committee on nominations and elected by the charge or church conference. The Discipline provides for a rotation system to ensure continuity on the committee. It requires that at least five and not more than nine members be elected for terms of three years each, in three classes. One member must be a young adult and all members must be professing or associate members of the church or charge. Members of the committee may succeed themselves for one three-year term.

The S/PPRC should be the most diverse group in the church. Each person should represent or relate to various constituencies in the church. This built in diversity will generate deep conversation about leadership qualities. At the same time, committee members will develop skills for communicating with church members about leadership.

In addition to elected committee members, the Discipline also requires that a lay member of the annual conference and the lay leader be members of the S/PPRC. These leaders are exempt from the three year term. No employee of the church or a member of the pastor or staff member's immediate family may serve on the committee, nor may any affiliated ordained clergy persons. Only one person from an immediate family residing in the same household shall serve on the committee. S/PPRC members must be laypersons, other than the appointed staff. The S/PPRC of a charge where there is more than one church must have at least one representative from each church. The committees of charges in a cooperative parish shall meet together to consider professional leadership.

S/PPRC members should be Christian spiritual leaders who demonstrate regular worship attendance, small group participation, Bible study, and regular generous giving. These practices are essential for committee members to bring integrity to the leadership of this ministry.

The committee shall meet at least quarterly. Additional committee meetings may be called by the bishop, the district superintendent, the pastor, any other person accountable to the committee, or the chairperson of the committee. It may not meet without the knowledge of the pastor or the district superintendent. In addition, the committee shall meet in a closed session, and all information shared in the committee shall be confidential. Read the definition of "confidentiality" in the glossary, noting the distinction between confidentiality and secrecy. When the pastor or any member of the staff who is under consideration is not present and that person's employment is to be discussed, that person must be informed prior to the meeting and immediately thereafter be brought into consultation either by the committee or the district superintendent.

The First Responsibility of S/PPRC Members

The Discipline uses five pages to list the responsibilities of the S/PPRC. However, this section first addresses the character and habits of committee members. "People serving on this committee must be engaged in and be attentive to their Christian spiritual development so as to give proper leadership in the responsibilities with which the committee is entrusted" (¶258.2).

The apostle Paul wrote to church officials and officers in the congregation he started at Philippi, offering this instruction: "I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices" (Philippians 1:9, CEV). May you offer this prayer for each other.

This first responsibility may be the hardest part of your leadership because you will constantly be pulled toward administrative tasks. Both the staff and congregation will turn to you frequently to resolve an issue, heal a misunderstanding, solve a problem, or create a new ministry position. You will also have requests from outside the church such as visits and phone calls from the district superintendent or issues related to the staff involvement in the community where your church is located.

You must resolve, both individually and corporately, to hold fast to this first responsibility. In doing so, you model Christian leadership for the staff and for the congregation. Develop your personal spiritual practices and commit together to pray and listen for God's guidance during meetings.

Many district superintendents recommend the book Watching over One Another in Love for the S/PPRC (see Resources). Get copies of this book for each member of the committee, then read and discuss a few pages each time you meet.