Pastor Kathi McShane 

Everywhere you go around the United Methodist Church these days, people are talking about Re-thinking Church.  This is the theme of the most recent advertising campaign of the denomination (and a wonderful website you can get to by Googling “Rethink Church”).

It’s how our Bishop has characterized the major pieces of legislation that will change the way we do business as the California-Nevada Annual Conference (more on that in my next Visitor Keynote, but you can see more at www.cnumc.org).  And it’s how we might talk about our current proposal to change the way we organize our administrative committees at First Church.

Amy Price and Dave Evans did a wonderful presentation of that proposal at the special Church Council meeting on May 11, and we will vote as a full congregation on this proposal at a special Charge Conference scheduled for Sunday, June 13, just after worship.

Essentially, the proposal reduces the number of committees that meet every month, in favor of a large number of Ministry Teams that will meet as often as they need to, and for just the length of time necessary to accomplish the project or ministry before them.  The overall responsibility for coordinated decision-making and big-picture thinking will reside in a smaller Leadership Team, whose primary purpose will be to make sure that everything we do, in every quarter of our congregation, is aligned with the purpose we speak every Sunday in worship:

 At this time, in this place, let us be
the hands and heart of Jesus Christ for the world.

Communication about what’s going on will happen in a variety of ways, including regular after-worship lunches for the whole congregation, in which every interested person will be able to find out about everything they’re interested in.

Why are we making these changes, when the Church Council system we have now seems to have worked just fine for a long time?

Because it’s good to re-think the way we do church from time to time, so that new thoughts, new people, and new ideas can make their way into the center.

Because we believe this arrangement will allow more leadership opportunities for more people—especially for people who want to be involved, but who don’t have enough time to make the church the center of their midweek lives.

And especially because it’s important for us to remember that our most important work as a church is giving every person the opportunity to engage in the four things that make the church a valuable asset for them:

Worship
Opportunities to deepen faith
Community
Service

The time we spend maintaining and growing the institution of the church is simply a tool for allowing us to offer these things more fully.

I hope you ask questions if you don’t understand this, or if it doesn’t make sense to you.  I hope you will come to the Charge Conference on June 13.  And I hope you’ll think and pray with us for the future of this church—that it will always be ready for the new ways God is calling us to be church.

   With blessings and love,  Kathi