Written By: Karl New

At the Annual Vestry Planning Retreat in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, Friday, September 30 – Sunday, October 2, we spent a lot of time discussing and finalizing Goal IV, Strategy A of the Strategic Plan.

Goal IV, Strategy A reads: To provide for an organizational structure that will support the various ministries and initiatives within the parish.

The Vestry recognizes that to move forward with the goals listed in the Strategic Plan and to still maintain the important day-to-day running of the parish, we need to tweak the current structure. The new structure uses 5 basic terms which you will begin to hear on a more frequent basis:

~ Ministry Areas
~ Facilitator/Coordinator
~ Recruit
~ Task Manager
~ Tasks

Ministry Areas Vestry has identified 10 Ministry Areas in the congregation. These Ministry Areas will replace the committee structure we have used in the past. These Ministry Areas will meet and communicate as needed. There will no longer be a Committee Night on the first Monday of each month. The 10 Ministry Areas are:

~ Education
~ Fellowship
~ Finance
~ Stewardship
~ Outreach
~ Property
~ Worship
~ Welcome
~ Library
~ Communication

Tasks Vestry has currently identified more than 30 different Tasks. These Tasks are a combination of both basic parish life functions and Strategic Plan goals. Some are ongoing and some are goal-specific, ending when the goal is accomplished. Each Task is slotted under the appropriate Ministry Area. This system gives Vestry the flexibility to add and remove Tasks to the list as needed. Tasks are designed to create and provide opportunities for members of the congregation to find, use and expand their God-given talents.

Tasks are specific and each includes:

~ Description of the specific Task
~ Time required to complete the Task
~ Necessary or special instructions to do the Task
~ Starting Date
~ Completion Date
~ Contact name for Further Clarification

Facilitator/Coordinator of (F/C) The Facilitators/Coordinators (or F/Cs) are Vestry members who are responsible for updating and coordinating the progress of the Tasks covered by their Ministry Area. They are also responsible for identifying and recruiting individuals in the congregation to share their talents by helping with the completion of specific Tasks. F/Cs replace the Committee Chairpersons under the former committee structure.

Facilitators/Coordinators for the Ministry Areas for 2006-2006, and the number of Tasks under each area are:

~ Education – Lyn Werner – 4 Tasks
~ Outreach – Janet Plum – 3 Tasks
~ Welcome – Karl New and Henrietta Kiel – 3 Tasks
~ Fellowship – Janet Gilman and Bill Millar – 5 Tasks
~ Property – Stan Klotzbach – 2 Tasks
~ Library – Marilyn Zembower – 2 Tasks
~ Finance – Steve Woytowicz – 4 Tasks
~ Worship – Robin Martin – 4 Tasks
~ Communication – Joanna Smith – 3 Tasks
~ Stewardship – Rob Kavash – 1 Task

Task Manager Remember, there are over 30 Tasks presently identified by the Vestry to pursue. A Task Manager is a member of the congregation (that YOU!) who enlists Recruits (see below) as needed; manages, participates in, and reports to the F~ C about one of these Tasks.

Recruits Task Managers will go to the congregation (that’s YOU!) and find Recruits to help complete a particular Task Some Tasks may require only one person, and others may require several people. As a Recruit, you have the option of helping one or more Task Managers complete their Tasks, depending on your skills and the time you have to give.

When you volunteer, the Task Manager will be specific about what is required for that particular Task:

~ Time required to complete the Task
~ Necessary or special instructions for accomplishing the Task
~ Starting date
~ Completion date
~ Contact person for further clarification, if needed

In the past you may have served as a member of a committee. If you enjoyed the work of that committee, you can continue to do that work by serving as a Task Manager or Recruit in that Ministry Area. You will also be able to participate in Tasks from the other Ministry Areas if you have the desire and the time to do so. You pick the Tasks in which you want to participate.

An Example of How the New Structure Works: From the 10 Ministry Areas, we will look at Education (although this is how it will work in all of them).

Lyn Werner has been appointed by the Rector, and approved by the Vestry to be the Facilitator/Coordinator for the Education Ministry Area. Four Tasks fall under that Ministry Area: two involve the day-to-day business of the parish, and two relate to goals from the Strategic Plan.

Lyn will search for four members of the congregation to be Task Managers that will oversee the work of each Task, providing each with a clear outline of the Task that needs to be accomplished:

~ Time required to complete the Task
~ Necessary or special instruction for accomplishing the Task
~ Starting date
~ Completion date
~ Contact person for further clarification, if needed

Lyn will stay in communication with the Task Managers, and provide monthly updates on each Task to Vestry. Lyn will support each Task Manager with that they need to complete each Task in her Ministry Area.

Task Managers will then enlist Recruits from among the congregation to help them accomplish the Task. Once a Task is completed, the Task Manager and Recruits have finished their work. They then have the opportunity to serve as Task Manager or Recruit on other Tasks in any of the Ministry Areas, or take a break if necessary.

Where do you the congregation fit~ The new structure depends on your participation. Discipleship emphasizes Christian responsibility for, and participation in God’s world. This is a topic we will hear more about in the months and years to come. For this structure to work, we need you to participate.

The structure is designed to be flexible for a purpose. It respects your decision to participate based both on your gifts and skills, and on the time available in your life. It will allow you to cross over, extend and share your God-given talents in multiple ministries both in and outside the parish.

What happens next~ Facilitators/Coordinators will begin to find Task Managers; and Task Managers will begin to enlist Recruits to participate in the 30+ specific Tasks. If you see something that interest you, feel free to contact the F/Cs right away. The Ministry Areas with their respective Tasks will be posted in the Narthex for you to look at. We hope this explanation is useful. Please help us as we iron out any wrinkles. This is a work-in-progress. Feel free to see me (Karl New) if you have any questions or comments.