NEW & EXCITING POSSIBILITIES FOR MY STAFF ROLE!


In the June church newsletter, I gave a brief summary of some new staffing ideas that came to me as a result of Janelle’s resignation from children’s and youth ministry. One idea of mine is to combine a new youth ministry position with worship/music ministry (the scope and specific responsibilities of both roles to be determined). I said that I believed a new, younger worship leader would be beneficial as we strategize for the future; someone “up front” on Sundays with a different skill set than mine and a fresh approach to worship. This would clearly demonstrate to everyone - young people, visitors, community, and our “committed core” - that we are serious as a congregation about change, new approaches, and engaging today’s culture.

With weekly worship responsibilities off of my plate, I briefly outlined the areas of ministry that I would like to expand, or move into. At the congregational meeting on July 10, I explained more fully what I would like to do, why I feel these areas are important and strategic for us at this time, and shared rather passionately why I am so excited about being able to oversee these aspects of congregational life and ministry.

But many people missed my June summary and others missed the congregational meeting.

Because I feel that communication, awareness, and understanding are critically important to us here at Hilmar Covenant during this transition time, especially as the pastoral search team begins its work and as the council and staff continue to offer vision and new considerations to the congregation, I want to make sure everyone is clear about my proposal, what it entails, and how I believe it can help propel us forward into that “preferred future” that we all desire for our church.

Let me share the excitement I feel about these new possibilities for my ministry at Hilmar Covenant!


•CONGREGATIONAL CARE: This is a ministry area of vital importance to us right now. I want to reach into our congregation to learn why so many people are uninvolved, uncommitted, and disengaged, especially those who once were more actively involved in the life of Hilmar Covenant. Our membership is 410 - but only about 130 people attend worship, and an extremely small percentage of us participate in any other spiritual growth opportunities during the week. As a congregation, we have not followed up well - or at all - with people who have disappeared from our church. These people are a rich resource of insight and information, especially about the “how's” and “why's” and “what's” that brought them to this point of disengagement. My sense is that we have a large number of “church-damaged” people in our midst, and we don't even know it - or how and why this came to be. These people are also a source for teaching us what changes would help us become a more healthy church once again. I foresee this area taking a great deal of my time and focus in the coming year.

•SPIRITUAL DISCIPLESHIP: Encouraging, modeling, and strategizing for deeper spiritual growth, apart from Sunday worship. This involves a variety of things to help awaken people in today's culture to what a “Christian life” and “relationship with Jesus” is all about, including people who are members of Hilmar Covenant. I want to create opportunities for spiritual discussions, questioning, and learning for different groups of people in various venues, and to help organize specific small groups around biblical, topical, theological, and spiritual themes and interests, with varying degrees of commitment and length. Of course, I will be making prayer an even bigger emphasis in this area of my ministry.


•MULTIETHNIC MINISTRY: I am excited to help us strengthen our commitment and movement into being a more diverse congregation. We have taken tiny, informal steps in this direction already, so we are in a very good, positive, healthy place in this regard! Our Covenant denomination is committed to this aspect of building God's Kingdom too, and predictions of the future only underscore the reality of increasing multiethnic diversity in every part of American life. As we become more multicultural and multiethnic in our communities, strong churches must reflect--and embrace--this priority and reality. To ignore the signs and the warnings will put us in a precarious position as a congregation in the years ahead. We must be intentional in order to move in this direction, and embrace the struggles and discomfort that multicultural ministry entails. The end result, though, will be a huge blessing, to us within the church and to the Kingdom of God - for we will truly reflect His Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven!”


•MISSION: This is outreach ministry - both global and local - which dovetails beautifully into our congregation's commitment to serve our world and our community in tangible, practical, meaningful ways. Again, strong churches in the future will live much more of their “life” outside the four walls of their buildings. A workshop leader at this year's Midwinter Conference put it this way: “There is a world that is crying out for more embodied Christ following on the streets than bodies of Christ followers in church buildings.” This also affirms the full gospel of Jesus, which is always about one's faith and one's actions. The Persecuted Church, human trafficking, Feed My Starving Children, school chaplaincy, Celebrate Recovery, volunteering at the Children’s Center, service through Turlock Gospel Mission, Hilmar Helping Hands, Merced County Rescue Mission--these connections and commitments can be developed and expanded to offer our congregation more ways of fulfilling another of the Covenant's affirmations: Compassion, Mercy, and Justice.


•RELEVANCE: Our congregation has said it is committed to “relevance;” to thinking and acting and reaching out in ways that are meaningful and engaging to those around us who have no background or interest in Christianity, the Church, Scripture, and so forth. We cannot be afraid to change our methodologies and approaches in order to reach those who are not or may never be drawn to traditional “church;” to the forms, routines, activities, patterns, and familiar things that are meaningful, enjoyable, and comfortable to us inside the Church but are irrelevant and of no interest to those in our increasingly post-Christian culture. To be unleashed into relevant ministry in all of these areas of our congregational life is absolutely thrilling to me!

•MUSIC??? It will, of course, be impossible for someone to come in and continue all of the music and worship responsibilities I currently lead and cover children’s, youth, college and young adult ministries. I am very happy and willing to continue in music ministry in various capacities as needed, depending on the musical skills, priorities, and interests of the person who comes as our youth/worship leader and the span of youth ministry responsibilities that this person is called to lead. Certainly youth ministry will be the major emphasis of the final job description. Choir, bells, special instrumental musical offerings, and seasonal concerts and/or presentations are parts of the wider worship/music ministry area that I would love to continue to be involved in.

Some of you may be asking, “Why is Dan interested in changing his ministry roles? What’s happened to make him want to move out of leading worship?” Most of you know how I have grown more passionate about spiritual discipleship, prayer, congregational health, multiethnic ministry, mission (both global and local) and service since my first mission trip to Mexico in 1999. That was one of the most transforming experiences of my life. A step was made in the direction of having me strengthen these areas of Christian life and ministry in 2006 when my job description was altered. I believe that by capitalizing on these areas of ministry at this time that God will help us move toward that healthier “preferred future” that I mentioned above. All of these are areas that the Covenant is also currently pursuing for effective ministry in today’s culture. Finally, giving attention to these areas of ministry will help us address four of the five Veritas challenges identified for our congregation in 2009.

Transition times open up opportunities to re-think, re-prioritize, and re-structure many aspects of church life and ministry. One of the purposes of this time is to deal with past issues and concerns that need to be addressed and resolved so the congregation is in a better, healthier place when the new pastor comes. Then he or she does not have to confront these things and deal with resistance and conflict. Instead, the new pastor can dig in and help us continue to move toward being a “healthy missional church,” unfettered by old baggage that would otherwise weigh us down. Transition times are also opportunities for people to be challenged with new approaches and understandings; to think “out of the box” and lean into fresh approaches and priorities for ministry in order to be a church that is fulfilling its purpose and mission in today's world. This is tough to do, but a “must” if we want our church to be around in the future.

One way to shake things up and show that we are serious about being a church that is responding to the needs of today (both inside our body and outside in our wider community and world) is to re-align staff and leadership responsibilities to respond to the realities facing us.

This is what I am suggesting with my proposal. As I have developed this vision of ministry for myself in recent weeks, prayed about it daily, consulted with others, and visualized a million scenarios of what could transpire through these ministry roles, my energy and excitement have gone through the roof! I believe that by making these areas of ministry a high priority at this time, God will enable us to experience a fresh, energizing movement of His Holy Spirit, renewing us as a congregation, enriching our spiritual “soil,” making Hilmar Covenant an attractive church to people, drawing them to Christ and enabling them to put down deep spiritual roots that will transform their lives.

What do you think? Let me know! Text me, e-mail me, call me up, stop by the office and chat with me, send me your suggestions, questions, and concerns. Everything is fluid right now; ripe with potential and possibility! I want to be responsive to your considerations as a congregation too. Together, let’s explore new emphases for effective ministry in the Name of Jesus, our Savior.

Pastor Dan