Brighton First Mission Aligns with United Methodist Mission

I was recently looking through The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church (2012) in search of our denomination's "purpose of the church". (Yes, I REALLY was doing this!) The Mission of The United Methodist Church is on page 91, paragraph 120 in the Discipline. "The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." 

In Paragraph 122, page 92, I found a list of the ways that the local United Methodist church is called to fulfill its mission. 

• Proclaim the gospel, seek, welcome and gather persons into the body of Christ;
• Lead persons to commit their lives to God through baptism by water and the spirit and profession of faith in Jesus Christ;
• Nurture persons in Christian living through worship, the sacraments, spiritual disciplines, and other means of grace, such as Wesley's Christian ;conferencing
• Send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, being and becoming a compassionate, caring presence, and working to develop social structures that are consistent with the gospel; and
• Continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering persons into the community of the body of Christ.

I was struck by how this process reflects the mission of Brighton First. Our mission is to Know God, Love God, Serve God. People come to know God through the witness of believers. We do this by living and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in our lives and welcoming others to join us in faith community.

People come to love God through spiritual practices like worshiping together, participating in Holy Communion, and being in meaningful relationships with other Christians for study and personal connection. These practices nurture the followers of Jesus Christ.

And when we know and love God, we are compelled to serve God, reaching out to be the hands and feet of Christ to people in need.

Ultimately, the mission of Brighton First, is a shared mission with the faithful of our entire denominations. All of our efforts are to invite, nurture and send out disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Brighton First Mission Aligns with United Methodist Mission

I was recently looking through The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church (2012) in search of our denomination's "purpose of the church". (Yes, I REALLY was doing this!) The Mission of The United Methodist Church is on page 91, paragraph 120 in the Discipline. "The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." 

In Paragraph 122, page 92, I found a list of the ways that the local United Methodist church is called to fulfill its mission. 

• Proclaim the gospel, seek, welcome and gather persons into the body of Christ;
• Lead persons to commit their lives to God through baptism by water and the spirit and profession of faith in Jesus Christ;
• Nurture persons in Christian living through worship, the sacraments, spiritual disciplines, and other means of grace, such as Wesley's Christian ;conferencing
• Send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, being and becoming a compassionate, caring presence, and working to develop social structures that are consistent with the gospel; and
• Continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering persons into the community of the body of Christ.

I was struck by how this process reflects the mission of Brighton First. Our mission is to Know God, Love God, Serve God. People come to know God through the witness of believers. We do this by living and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in our lives and welcoming others to join us in faith community.

People come to love God through spiritual practices like worshiping together, participating in Holy Communion, and being in meaningful relationships with other Christians for study and personal connection. These practices nurture the followers of Jesus Christ.

And when we know and love God, we are compelled to serve God, reaching out to be the hands and feet of Christ to people in need.

Ultimately, the mission of Brighton First, is a shared mission with the faithful of our entire denominations. All of our efforts are to invite, nurture and send out disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Brighton First Staff Job Descriptions in Review

The congregation of Brighton First chose to follow the recommendations of a Vital Church Initiative (VCI) Consultation Team in April 2015. Since that time, church leadership has been involved in implementing processes to revitalize and strengthen Brighton's ministry. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), the human resources team for our church, has worked to design and hire new 4 staff members since VCI implementation began. Beginning in May 2016, they began the task of rewriting job descriptions for all staff positions. Their goal, as directed by VCI, is to ensure that we are staffed to move the mission of the church forward.

Writing a job description for the senior pastor
at Brighton First begins with reviewing the
responsibilities of an ordained elder, found in
The Book of Discipline of The United
Methodist Church.

A three-person task force from the SPRC began the work by creating a basic framework for developing all job descriptions. They examined the mission and vision of the church and were informed by present job descriptions, as well as by staff members and immediate supervisors. The SPRC has now agreed to a process and a format. The first round of job descriptions (approximately 8) will be drafted by August. It is the hope of the SPRC to complete the work by the end of 2016 and to use the newly designed job descriptions for evaluation purposes and for future hiring.

Interestingly, there is no job description in place currently for the senior pastor. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church does provide a detailed list of the responsibilities for an ordained elder who is appointed to lead a church. For years, this has been "good enough". There are certain things that we have come to expect of a pastor, including preaching, teaching, and visiting the sick. In the case of Brighton First, there is also an expectation that the pastor will manage the staff. However, that general job description does not highlight specific responsibilities for Brighton First's senior pastor, nor does it indicate what skills and tasks are necessary to lead Brighton First and its unique vision. Russ Ruhnow, the chairperson for the SPRC, will be heading the small group that will develop this senior pastor job description.

Often in the church, job descriptions are formed by the people who are hired to do the ministry. The SPRC has been challenged to step back and ask, "What skills and tasks are essential to carry out the vision for our church?" and to include them in our expectations for staff.

Please keep the SPRC in prayer as they take on this project. 

Brighton First Staff Job Descriptions in Review

The congregation of Brighton First chose to follow the recommendations of a Vital Church Initiative (VCI) Consultation Team in April 2015. Since that time, church leadership has been involved in implementing processes to revitalize and strengthen Brighton's ministry. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), the human resources team for our church, has worked to design and hire new 4 staff members since VCI implementation began. Beginning in May 2016, they began the task of rewriting job descriptions for all staff positions. Their goal, as directed by VCI, is to ensure that we are staffed to move the mission of the church forward.

Writing a job description for the senior pastor
at Brighton First begins with reviewing the
responsibilities of an ordained elder, found in
The Book of Discipline of The United
Methodist Church.

A three-person task force from the SPRC began the work by creating a basic framework for developing all job descriptions. They examined the mission and vision of the church and were informed by present job descriptions, as well as by staff members and immediate supervisors. The SPRC has now agreed to a process and a format. The first round of job descriptions (approximately 8) will be drafted by August. It is the hope of the SPRC to complete the work by the end of 2016 and to use the newly designed job descriptions for evaluation purposes and for future hiring.

Interestingly, there is no job description in place currently for the senior pastor. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church does provide a detailed list of the responsibilities for an ordained elder who is appointed to lead a church. For years, this has been "good enough". There are certain things that we have come to expect of a pastor, including preaching, teaching, and visiting the sick. In the case of Brighton First, there is also an expectation that the pastor will manage the staff. However, that general job description does not highlight specific responsibilities for Brighton First's senior pastor, nor does it indicate what skills and tasks are necessary to lead Brighton First and its unique vision. Russ Ruhnow, the chairperson for the SPRC, will be heading the small group that will develop this senior pastor job description.

Often in the church, job descriptions are formed by the people who are hired to do the ministry. The SPRC has been challenged to step back and ask, "What skills and tasks are essential to carry out the vision for our church?" and to include them in our expectations for staff.

Please keep the SPRC in prayer as they take on this project.