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 Administrative Board Reviews Its Purpose

There are three primary purposes of the Administrative Body of Brighton First. The most essential purpose is to guide the church, holding all programs, ministries, missions of the church accountable to the mission and vision of our church, "Know God. Love God. Serve God". Two other purposes of the board are to act on behalf of the Church Conference (meeting of all church members) when it is not in session and to approve the annual financial budget of the church.

As the name implies, the Administrative Board, is called to do administrative work. It votes to fill church officer positions when the church conference is not in session. It reviews a monthly treasurer's report and adjusts budget when necessary. The Administrative Board, which meets 9 to 10 times per year, also hears reports from chairs of committees and boards, as well as the lead pastor.

If not careful, the Administrative Board can lose sight of its primary task, and spend the majority of time during meetings hearing reports of what has happened and what is planned in the near future. This does not leave time and energy for the group to thoughtfully consider the church's mission and to hold church ministries and missions accountable to it.

Over the last few months, John Phillips, the Administrative Board chairman, has been asking church officers to submit written reports for the review of the board before the meeting. In theory, this will cut down on the time given to reports during the Administrative Board meetings. There is time on the agenda for clarifying questions and for the required actions of the Administrative Board, but the majority of the time can be given to accountability to mission and vision.

At the March meeting of the Administrative Board, its members discussed a format for making sure our church is accountable to its mission, its primary function for each meeting. It is only when we join together in clearly pursuing one goal, to make disciples for Jesus Christ through knowing God, loving God and serving God, that we will move forward as a unified, vital church.

Essentially, the Administrative Board will be moving for an administrative body that hears reports of the current work of the church, to a body that reviews progress through measurable goals and expects long term goals and accomplishments to share one vision and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to our community and beyond. Please pray for the Administrative Board as it makes this transition.

Brighton First Administrative Board Reviews Its Purpose

There are three primary purposes of the Administrative Body of Brighton First. The most essential purpose is to guide the church, holding all programs, ministries, missions of the church accountable to the mission and vision of our church, "Know God. Love God. Serve God". Two other purposes of the board are to act on behalf of the Church Conference (meeting of all church members) when it is not in session and to approve the annual financial budget of the church.

As the name implies, the Administrative Board, is called to do administrative work. It votes to fill church officer positions when the church conference is not in session. It reviews a monthly treasurer's report and adjusts budget when necessary. The Administrative Board, which meets 9 to 10 times per year, also hears reports from chairs of committees and boards, as well as the lead pastor.

If not careful, the Administrative Board can lose sight of its primary task, and spend the majority of time during meetings hearing reports of what has happened and what is planned in the near future. This does not leave time and energy for the group to thoughtfully consider the church's mission and to hold church ministries and missions accountable to it.

Over the last few months, John Phillips, the Administrative Board chairman, has been asking church officers to submit written reports for the review of the board before the meeting. In theory, this will cut down on the time given to reports during the Administrative Board meetings. There is time on the agenda for clarifying questions and for the required actions of the Administrative Board, but the majority of the time can be given to accountability to mission and vision.

At the March meeting of the Administrative Board, its members discussed a format for making sure our church is accountable to its mission, its primary function for each meeting. It is only when we join together in clearly pursuing one goal, to make disciples for Jesus Christ through knowing God, loving God and serving God, that we will move forward as a unified, vital church.

Essentially, the Administrative Board will be moving for an administrative body that hears reports of the current work of the church, to a body that reviews progress through measurable goals and expects long term goals and accomplishments to share one vision and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to our community and beyond. Please pray for the Administrative Board as it makes this transition.

Update on Mission Alignment Audit

Deb de Laski Smith and Mary Jane Welton agreed to audit the ministries of Brighton First for mission alignment. They sought to answer the question, "Do the programs and ministries, committee and activities, missions and worship of Brighton First align with our core values, our mission statement and our vision?"

To gather information they designed a survey and asked that leaders of all committees, programs and ministries to complete it. With over 50 responses sent in, Deb and Mary Jane, now begin the work of studying each ministry for mission alignment.

Deb de Laski Smith was on hand at a recent Vital Church Initiative Implementation Team to discuss preliminary findings. She noted that the majority of the survey respondents were able to align their ministries with the core values of Brighton First. However, she determined that in some cases the lack of response to questions about mission alignment may have to do with misunderstanding. Deb suggested that there be training sessions where church leaders could discuss what it meant, in their area of ministry, to demonstrate the mission of "knowing God, loving God and serving God."

Mission alignment is essential as Brighton First moves forward. Our mission is to make disciples for Jesus Christ through knowing, loving and serving God. All that we do must be led by our mission. Our vision is to be a church that knows God, loves God and servers God by offering relevant and inspiring worship, providing learning opportunities for all ages to grow as disciple of Jesus, transformational ways to serve in Christ's name and opportunities for building meaningful relationships and community.

For ministries that are not currently aligned with our mission, we will work to help the focus to be on knowing, loving and serving God to create disciples. For ministries that cannot fit with our vision, we will celebrate and retire them. Our hours of service, talents, skills and financial resources are precious. We want to make sure that we are using these valuable resource so that more people will come to know, love and serve God through Jesus Christ.

Update on Mission Alignment Audit

Deb de Laski Smith and Mary Jane Welton agreed to audit the ministries of Brighton First for mission alignment. They sought to answer the question, "Do the programs and ministries, committee and activities, missions and worship of Brighton First align with our core values, our mission statement and our vision?"

To gather information they designed a survey and asked that leaders of all committees, programs and ministries to complete it. With over 50 responses sent in, Deb and Mary Jane, now begin the work of studying each ministry for mission alignment.

Deb de Laski Smith was on hand at a recent Vital Church Initiative Implementation Team to discuss preliminary findings. She noted that the majority of the survey respondents were able to align their ministries with the core values of Brighton First. However, she determined that in some cases the lack of response to questions about mission alignment may have to do with misunderstanding. Deb suggested that there be training sessions where church leaders could discuss what it meant, in their area of ministry, to demonstrate the mission of "knowing God, loving God and serving God."

Mission alignment is essential as Brighton First moves forward. Our mission is to make disciples for Jesus Christ through knowing, loving and serving God. All that we do must be led by our mission. Our vision is to be a church that knows God, loves God and servers God by offering relevant and inspiring worship, providing learning opportunities for all ages to grow as disciple of Jesus, transformational ways to serve in Christ's name and opportunities for building meaningful relationships and community.

For ministries that are not currently aligned with our mission, we will work to help the focus to be on knowing, loving and serving God to create disciples. For ministries that cannot fit with our vision, we will celebrate and retire them. Our hours of service, talents, skills and financial resources are precious. We want to make sure that we are using these valuable resource so that more people will come to know, love and serve God through Jesus Christ.