New Wesley Structure
Structure for Faithful Discipleship
Rev. John Bell
The prophet Isaiah reminds the people, “God is making a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19) which means God is constantly creating. This has been evident at Wesley for the last several months. Together, we have stepped out in faith to allow God to “make a new thing” here and now in our midst.
You may recall two years ago we began a process of intentionally discerning where God is leading Wesley church as we seek to fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Out of the discernment process, five key ministry areas were identified and we are well on our way to bringing these areas to life.
It did not take long to identify the difficulties these ministry areas were going to encounter given our current structure for ministry, which has stayed the same for 25 years. Last year at our church conference (which is our annual church meeting) we voted to transition into a new church structure. Following this meeting a transition team was formed to create the necessary documents to implement this new model. As the transition team met over the last several months, they were guided by study, consultation, conversation, and prayer.
This new model is explained in the document A Structure for Faithful Discipleship which will be ready to implement on January 1st, 2016. For our Wesley family this is truly “a new thing.” The document is now available below. The document is lengthy and detailed so we have chosen not to go through the expense of mailing it.
There are important next steps we need to take together in order to continue our walk on this important journey. There will be an informational meeting to review A Structure for Faithful Discipleship on November 8th after each worship service. This will be in the sanctuary and will be an opportunity to learn more about the specifics in the document and ask questions. At our charge conference on December 3rd at 7:00pm we will continue on the journey started a year ago as we receive and adopt A Structure for Faithful Discipleship and elect those who will serve on the first Governing Board.
Anyone interested in serving on the Governing Board may complete the Governing Board Application, which is also available below. Applications will be accepted until October 9th.
I am so very grateful to the transition team that helped complete this process.
The team consisted of Bruce Lindgren, Meredith Lindgren, Kathy Breazeale, Bob McKnight, Shirley McKnight, Emmy Lou John, Wendy Connell, Roger Curless, and myself. I am looking forward to the implementation of our new structure and to the excitement and growth it will bring to Wesley. As I look back on this process which has moved us step by step through many hours of work across the congregation, I believe God is calling Wesley to something new; something that will truly build on our rich history and heritage while moving us in new directions as we serve others.
The prophet Isaiah reminds the people, “God is making a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19) which means God is constantly creating. This has been evident at Wesley for the last several months. Together, we have stepped out in faith to allow God to “make a new thing” here and now in our midst.
You may recall two years ago we began a process of intentionally discerning where God is leading Wesley church as we seek to fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Out of the discernment process, five key ministry areas were identified and we are well on our way to bringing these areas to life.
It did not take long to identify the difficulties these ministry areas were going to encounter given our current structure for ministry, which has stayed the same for 25 years. Last year at our church conference (which is our annual church meeting) we voted to transition into a new church structure. Following this meeting a transition team was formed to create the necessary documents to implement this new model. As the transition team met over the last several months, they were guided by study, consultation, conversation, and prayer.
This new model is explained in the document A Structure for Faithful Discipleship which will be ready to implement on January 1st, 2016. For our Wesley family this is truly “a new thing.” The document is now available below. The document is lengthy and detailed so we have chosen not to go through the expense of mailing it.
There are important next steps we need to take together in order to continue our walk on this important journey. There will be an informational meeting to review A Structure for Faithful Discipleship on November 8th after each worship service. This will be in the sanctuary and will be an opportunity to learn more about the specifics in the document and ask questions. At our charge conference on December 3rd at 7:00pm we will continue on the journey started a year ago as we receive and adopt A Structure for Faithful Discipleship and elect those who will serve on the first Governing Board.
Anyone interested in serving on the Governing Board may complete the Governing Board Application, which is also available below. Applications will be accepted until October 9th.
I am so very grateful to the transition team that helped complete this process.
The team consisted of Bruce Lindgren, Meredith Lindgren, Kathy Breazeale, Bob McKnight, Shirley McKnight, Emmy Lou John, Wendy Connell, Roger Curless, and myself. I am looking forward to the implementation of our new structure and to the excitement and growth it will bring to Wesley. As I look back on this process which has moved us step by step through many hours of work across the congregation, I believe God is calling Wesley to something new; something that will truly build on our rich history and heritage while moving us in new directions as we serve others.
| Nominations Report 2016 |
| Structure for Faithful Discipleship 2015 |