Guide to the Guidelines 2017–2020

1 G U I D E L I N E SGuide to the Guidelines 2017 2020 How to Use the Guidelines and Orientation WorkshopCokesbury The United Methodist Publishing HouseBarbara Dick, General 17/26/16 10:46 AMguide to the Guidelines 2017 2020 Copyright 2016 by CokesburyAll rights Methodist churches and other official United Methodist bodies may reproduce up to 500 words from this publication, provided the following notice appears with the excerpted material: From Guidelines : Guide to the Guidelines 2017 2020. Copyright 2016 by Cokesbury. Used by permission. Address requests for quotations exceeding 500 words to Permissions Office, Abingdon Press, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37228 or of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data This book is printed on acid-free 978-1-5018-3011-2 Unless noted otherwise, paragraph references to and quotations from The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church and The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church are to the 2012 editions.

2 Copyright 2012 The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission. All Scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are from the Common English Bible. Copyright 2011 by the Common English Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. quotations noted NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights IN THE UNITED STATES OF 27/26/16 10:46 AMOnline ContentsIntroduction to the Guidelines ..5 The Mission of the ChurchThe Ministry of the Local ChurchThe Purpose of the GuidelinesHow to Use the GuidelinesGuidelines Orientation workshop ..9(Launch your new ministry teams each year with this training session on putting the Guidelines to work.)

3 Fit the workshop to Your ContextHelpful HintsPlan AheadOpening WorshipLearn TogetherClosing WorshipResources ..20 Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2017 2020 UMC Agencies & Helpful LinksAll 26 Guidelines (In searchable Adobe PDF format, with helpful links to UMC boards and agencies, and other resources)Adult Ministries: Help Adults Love God and NeighborAdvocates for Inclusiveness: Value and Empower All Persons for Full Participation in Church and CommunityChildren s Ministries: Help Children Grow in FaithChristian Education: Plan for Lifelong Faith FormationChurch and Society: Advocate and Witness for Peace and JusticeChurch Council: Connect Vision and Ministry in Your ChurchChurch Historian: Remember the Past and Inspire the FutureCommunications: Tell Your Church s StoryEvangelism: Share the Good NewsFamily Ministries: Support Families for Faith and ServiceFinance.

4 Handling God s Money in the ChurchHigher Education & Campus Ministry: Connect with Students in Schools,Colleges, and Campus 37/26/16 10:46 AM4 | Guidelines for Leading Your CongregationLay Leader/Lay Member: Connect Your Congregation and Your AnnualConferenceMen s Ministries: Expand Your Ministries to Men in Your Church andCommunityMinistries with Young People: Empower Youth and Young Adults in MinistryMission: Share God s Transforming Love with the WorldNominations and Leadership Development: Leadesr Are the Key to ChurchVitalityPastor: Spiritual Leadership for the Church in MissionPastor-Parish Relations: Connect the Pastor, Staff, and CongregationScouting and Civic Youth-Serving Ministry: Build Effective Scouting Ministryin Your ChurchSmall-Group Ministries: Christian Formation through Mutual AccountabilitySmall-Membership Church: Serve with Significance in Your ContextStewardship: Raise Up Generous DisciplesTrustees: Manage the Resources of the CongregationWomen s Ministries: United Methodist Women Faith, Hope, Love in ActionWorship.

5 The Gifts of God from the People of GodSupplemental Resources and HandoutsGuide to the Guidelines -Orientation01-Mission and MinistryGuide to the Guidelines -Orientation02-Cycle of DiscipleshipGuide to the Guidelines -Orientation03-AC Resource List (PDF and Word formats) Adult01 Hope with Adults ChartAdult02 Settings for Adult Faith Formation and DiscipleshipAdult03 Comprehensive Plan for Teacher DevelopmentAdult04 Measuring Effectiveness ChartAdult05 Next Steps WorksheetChildren01 Collaboration Cycle for PlanningChildren02 Curriculum & Resource Select ChecklistChildren03 Children as VitalChildren04 Evaluation CycleChildren05 Evaluation FormChildren06 Parent Evaluation FormChildren07 Safe Sanctuaries ChecklistEvangelism01 Hospitality AssessmentFamily01-Ministry Survey SampleFamily02-Ministry Planning GridFamily03-Ministry Evaluation Form Sample Nominations01 Bible 47/26/16 10:46 AMGuide to the Guidelines | 5 Introduction to the GuidelinesThe Mission of the ChurchThe United Methodist Church has identified as its mission.

6 To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (The Book of Discipline, 120). Each local church interprets and fulfills that mission within its own context, according to the God-given human and material resources available and the needs of the surrounding The United Methodist Church, we envision transformation occurring through a cycle of discipleship (see the Discipline, 122). With God s help and guidance, we reach out and receive people into the body of Christ, help people relate to Christ through their unique gifts and circumstances, nurture and strengthen people in their relationships with God and with others, send transformed people out into the world to lead transformed and transforming lives, continue to reach out, relate, nurture, and send disciples.

7 Every ministry area and group, from finance to missions, engages in all aspects of this cycle. When you begin to consider all of the work you do as ministry to fulfill God s mis-sion through your congregation, each task, report, and conversation becomes a step toward transforming the world into the kingdom of Ministry of the Local CongregationParagraphs 201 202 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church define a local church and its function: 201. Definition of a Local Church The local church provides the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs. It is a community of true believers under the Lordship of Christ.. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the church exists for the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers, and the redemption of the world.

8 202. The Function of the Local Church The church of Jesus Christ exists in and for the world.. The function of the local church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is to help people to accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to live their daily lives in light of their relationship with God. Therefore, the local church is to minister to persons in the community where the church is located, to provide appropriate training and nurture to all, to cooperate 57/26/16 10:46 AM6 | Guidelines for Leading Your Congregationin ministry with other local churches, to defend God s creation and live as an ecologically responsible community, and to participate in the worldwide mission of the a world of increasing divisiveness and polarization, the church has both the oppor-tunity and responsibility to witness to and model an even better way, the way of God s love (see 1 Corinthians 12:31 13:13).

9 The Purpose of the GuidelinesEvery ministry group and leadership role in the church exists to ensure that the local church is functioning well to equip people to live as faithful disciples in the world. These Guidelines offer insight and instruction for the servant leaders who have agreed to help Guide that crucial work and to coordinate their efforts for the common good of the congre-gation and the community. There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in is just like the human body a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many.. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it.

10 You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 12, 26-27)The Guidelines will help church leaders (and ministry groups) begin to learn about the individual ministries of your congregation and the ways that all ministry functions, groups, and leaders work together to fulfill the church s mission. The Guidelines cover twenty-six distinct ministry areas or functions of congregational life, some of which are required by our Book of Discipline (bolded in the following list): Adult Ministries Advocates for Inclusiveness Children s Ministries Christian Education Church & Society Church Council Church Historian Communications Evangelism Family Ministries Finance Higher Education & Campus Ministry lay leader/ lay 67/26/16 10:46 AMGuide to the Guidelines | 7 Men s Ministries Ministries with Young People Mission nominations and leadership development Pastor Pastor-Parish Relations Scouting and Civic Youth-Serving Ministry Small-Group Ministries Small Membership Church Stewardship trustees Women s Ministries WorshipYour congregation may include some or all of the ministries listed; you may use dif-ferent titles or language to describe ministry groups, functions, or roles.