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 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 where you are headed (the mission) 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 every local United Methodist church is 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.)

What Is My Job?

As a trustee, you will supervise and maintain all property belonging to your congregation so that the ministries of the congregation can be effective. You will work closely with the church council to respond to God's call.

What Are My Basic Responsibilities?

The trustees together have several legal and administrative functions. They are to:

• oversee, maintain, and supervise all local church property.

• report annually to the charge conference on the state of the church's property, equipment, investments, and resources.

• receive and administer all gifts made to the congregation; make certain that all trust funds of the congregation are invested properly.

• ensure that the articles of incorporation of the congregation are kept up-to-date, if applicable.

• be responsible, in conjunction with the pastor, for all use of the church buildings and grounds.

• maintain adequate insurance coverage on all church property and develop appropriate risk management policies.

• submit to the committee on finance the annual budget requests for insurance, property maintenance and improvement, and new property purchases.

• be accountable to the charge conference and to the church council.

Much of the work of the trustees is governed by specific requirements of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church. You should obtain a current copy from your pastor or from Cokesbury (phone 1-800-672-1789).

What Does the Chairperson Do?

• Guide the work of the board of trustees throughout the year, planning the agendas and presiding at meetings. The chairperson also creates an environment in which the team members nurture and care for each other.

• Provide advice and direction to the board and others based on detailed knowledge of the disciplinary and legal requirements related to church property.

• Keep close communications with the pastor in the church council (or main administrative groups).

Your Biblical Grounding

The primary purpose of the church building and facilities is to enable the vision and ministry of the congregation. Good stewardship, common sense, and prudence dictate that the church, parsonage, facilities, property, equipment, furnishings, and other physical property be well maintained. A physical plant that is "well-groomed" and attractive is much more welcoming, safe, and hospitable than one that shows signs of benign neglect. We honor God when we care for what has been entrusted to us, but we must be careful that the property does not become an item of worship in itself.

There are numerous biblical passages that refer to the building and trappings of the tabernacle, temples, vestments, and rituals of the community of faith. The exquisite detail, in Exodus 26 for example, of how the tabernacle was to be constructed, indicates its significance as a setting for worship. Exodus 35–39 describes the tabernacle-to-be and the joy of the people in being able to contribute so abundantly to its construction and contents that they had to be asked to stop giving. (What a wonderful problem to have!) Furthermore, Exodus 35:30-36 names two artisans, Bezalel and Oholiab, whom God had filled with "divine spirit, with skill, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft" to be able to do the stone cutting, carving, and metal work according to God's excellent and inspiring standards. As a further gift, they are also described as masters who had the teaching skills to apprentice other workers. There is no question that the physical site of ministry is important to God and to the community of faith.

Trustees themselves may not have every one of these artistic skills, but are nevertheless entrusted to see to the proper keeping of God's house as a way to honor God and to facilitate (literally) the ministry of the local church.

How Do I Relate to Other Groups in My Church?

The chairperson of the trustees, or a designated representative, will work with other officers or committees within the church. This may be done through the church council, by attending one of the other committee's meetings, by inviting a representative of the other committee to the trustees' meeting, or in specially arranged settings.

THE CHARGE CONFERENCE

The charge conference is the primary governing body of your church. It sets the policy and direction for all work and ministry of the church. As a trustee, you were elected by the charge conference to act as its agent in caring for the physical resources of the church and for all legal matters. The trustees shall report at least annually to the charge conference about the state of the church's property, equipment, investments, and resources in their care.

In all matters, you will receive guidance from the charge conference (¶2529, the Book of Discipline) before acting for the church. The charge conference may give you broad limits within which to act, or it may give you specific assignments in your stewardship of church facilities.

You might receive these assignments from the charge conference:

• incorporate the local church

• develop a policy (to be approved by the charge conference) to be used by the church in purchasing, leasing, selling, mortgaging, constructing, remodeling, repairing, and maintaining any and all church properties

• develop policies for the use of your church building, facilities, grounds, vehicles, equipment, and furnishings

• develop a covenant or other agreement with short- and long-range "tenants" (groups or individuals that use the church and its facilities on a regular basis)

• develop a policy for the acceptance or rejection of bequests, gifts, or trusts.

THE CHURCH COUNCIL

If you are the chairperson of the trustees, you, or a trustee representative, are a member of the church council (¶252.5.e, the Book of Discipline) and are responsible for taking the recommendations of the trustees to the church council for approval and action. You are also responsible for taking recommendations and directions of the council back to the trustees. Other trustees may serve on the church council because of other offices they hold. If additional representation from the trustees is desired, one or more members may be elected to the church council by the charge conference as members at large. The church council is responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing the church's program for ministry. Many aspects of this program take place within the buildings for which you are responsible. You will work cooperatively with the council to develop plans for providing buildings and equipment to support that program of ministry. When developing a building-use policy for the church, you will coordinate with the church council.

THE COMMITTEE ON STAFF/PASTOR-PARISH RELATIONS

The committee on staff/pastor-parish relations (S/PPRC) (¶258.2, the Book of Discipline) is responsible for all appointed and employed personnel related to the church. The primary purpose is to ensure that all employees receive fair and impartial consideration for salaries and benefits and that a common and consistent set of personnel policies is adopted and used.

As a trustee, you may provide day-to-day supervision of persons related to your work, such as the church custodian or building manager. You will work closely with the S/PPRC to maintain the parsonage(s). You may also assist in the development of comprehensive personnel policies, including a sexual misconduct or harassment policy.

THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

The committee on finance (¶258.4, the Book of Discipline) is responsible for raising, managing, and distributing the necessary funds for ministry in the church. The board of trustees will prepare an annual budget and present it to the committee on finance. That committee in turn will evaluate your request, along with all other requests, and then make a recommendation to the church council for action. There shall be a trustee representative, selected by the trustees, on the committee on finance.

The trustees are generally empowered to spend money that has been budgeted, as they deem necessary and without further permission. It is prudent and considerate, however, to notify the committee on finance and/or the church treasurer when you anticipate a large expenditure since it may affect the cash flow of the whole church budget. When an expense exceeds the budget or was not accounted for in the budgeting process, it is crucial to consult with the committee on finance and the church treasurer before committing funds.

THE CHURCH BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

The expanding responsibilities for administration, along with increasing state and federal regulations, are creating a need for additional staff to handle the business affairs of the church. The work of a church business administrator allows the staff of the church to spend more time on pastoral and spiritual duties.

The church business administrator functions as part of the total church staff and is usually responsible directly to the senior pastor. Some duties often assumed by the administrator are financial, office, property and food service management, and assisting appropriate boards and committees with their work. Churches interested in learning about the role of the church business administrator should contact the United Methodist Association of Church Business Administrators (UMACBA) and the General Council on Finance and Administration (www.gcfa.org).