Leadership
UMC
KINGDOM KIDS
Sorelyss McGinty, Linda Randolph,
Marcia Hudson, Caitlin Hartley, Delroy Stewart
Corinne Ware:
Discover Your Spiritual Type
Vital Worship
Worship is a time when the body of Christ
comes together to celebrate the Lord.
Psalm 133:1-2
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s
people live together in unity
It is like precious oil poured on the
head,
running down on the beard, running
down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of
his robe.
Sugar Hill UMC
Latino Gathering
Vital Churches focus on
increasing the effectiveness of
Lay Leaders (understand their
role and carrying these roles
out effectively
Vital churches always provide
training for all their laity
leaders.
Why? Because leaders always
function better when they
know what is expected of
them and receive training to
enable them to adequately
perform these tasks.
When you combine the words
Clergy and Lay, you get
“CLAY.”
God can work with clay!
Gene Sheffield
The function of the Lay Leader is
vitally important to the church.
The Lay Leader serves as the primary contact between the laity and the
clergy. For someone who has never held this position before, the
thought of being Lay Leader can be overwhelming. These feelings
make us feel inadequate for the task. We not only need training, but
also to be reminded that God has all the power we need and that he
equips those he calls. He has given us His Holy Spirit, Living water, who
lives in us. Even knowing this, we sometimes feel like our earthen
vessel is just dirt with holes in it and muddy water is leaking out. When
Clergy and Laity work together we are reminded that Heaven is God’s
throne and earth is His footstool. Anything that might overwhelm us is
truly under His feet. Together we allow God, the potter, to repair our
Leadership Triangle
Mike Selleck shared during
our training class
Mike Selleck shared with us this Leadership
Triangle which shows how the closer one gets to
the top of the triangle, the less room there is to
dodge or hide from tasks and responsibilities.
Leaders who have not received sufficient training
to feel they really understand their role and know
how to carry out the functions expected
frequently want to hide from their responsibilities
and when questioned often become defensive.
Because the Lay Leader is very close to the top of
the triangle, it is very important that he or she feel
confident to carry out the duties and
responsibilities of the role.
Training booklets for each of the
Admin. Council Committees
The duties of the Lay Leader are described in The Discipline 2012, but more
information is needed to feel confident. Jodeco Road UMC have purchased books
that explain the purpose and function of each of the committees that make up the
Administrative Council.
The Griffin District Leadership Committee annually provides training not only for
the lay leaders but also for many of the various committees that function within a
church. This training is provided for the entire district and is usually held at
Griffin First UMC.
Booklet given to Lay
Leaders who attend District
Leadership Training
The United Methodist Church does not
stand alone – it is a Connectional
Church!
Meets regularly with the pastor
Serves as a lay member of annual conference
Attends committees
Compiles and distributes
Maintains records
Speaks on behalf of Congregation
Supports the church with finances
VITAL
CHURCHES
HAVE MORE
SMALL GROUPS
FOR ALL AGES
• The church in times past did not
thrive around
concept
• A
the
small
group
different Christian Education
model
must
be
used
to
accommodate the mega church
phenomenon
St. James UMC, Alpharetta
DEMOGRAPHICS
 The only Black Church in the Atlanta-Roswell District
 3,000 members
 Average attendance of 1,000
 2 Morning Services
 Community primarily white middle to upper class
families with children
 St. James 98% African-American
 Socio-economic tenor mirrors the White community
“We embrace , Equip and Empower
people to go and make disciples for
Jesus Christ”
 Creative
 Relevant
 Inviting
SMALL GROUP
STRUCTURE
• Renamed our “Sunday School” model to be “AM
Sunday Bible Study Courses”
• Adults and children who strive to increase their
knowledge base do not want to come to church to
go to school, however are open to gain more
knowledge, even theological.
.
• Christian Education Tracks
• Diagrams
• Prayer for direction
• Paths for all ages and stages
• Market the paths to Christian growth in a way that
entices the body of believers to grow to be disciple
makers.
• We have intentionally created opportunities for common groups to
congregate such as:
• Mighty Men of Valor Bible Study
• UMW Sister to Sister Bible Study
• Stewardship Workshops
• Seenager Bible Study
• Couples Bible Study
• MasterLife Bible Study
• Disciple Bible Study
• Youth Ministry Advisory Council
• Survival Kit for Adults and Youth
Thriving Outreach Program
SMALL GROUP
STRUCTURE
Small Groups provide the following:
• Intimacy
• Confidentiality
• Sharing opportunities
• No time restraints on how long it takes the group to get to the same
level of growth
• Familial connections
• The opportunity to realize that every member of the body is connected
to each other and are a necessary part of the body of Christ.
These things can only be accomplished effectively in small group
dynamics.
As the church recognizes the need to become relevant
using the tool called “small groups”, combined with the gospel of
Jesus Christ and prayer, creative ways to draw all men unto Christ,
can result. Then the Church of Jesus Christ can grow into an entity
that will change the world, even if only in the corner where each
of us abides, in Him.
Thank You!