From The Pastor - Nov/Dec Spire

"Looking At The Way We Do Church"

It comes as no surprise to most of us that mainline Protestant denominations like the United Methodist Church have been in decline for the last forty years. The reasons for this are many, and focusing on them is in many ways an attempt to avoid the reality we must face. More than ever before, our denomination is feeling the effects of this slow but steady decline. For some it has reached a critical level

Strategies. These strategies fall into four major categories: small groups for people of all ages with a special emphasis on children and youth, strong effective lay leadership, vital pastors who exhibit strong leadership and worship. What is

being proposed also includes a process for developing a ministry plan that asks some interesting and challenging questions. The anticipated out-­come of this process is some specific goals unique to our situation that will help us to grow.

We are mandated to participate in this program. Personally I think it comes at a good time in thelife of our congregation. It will help us shape the direction we want to go in as we look to the future. One of the struggles is the timing, as certain reporting is to be completed by the end of the calendar year.

To help facilitate our involvement I will be meeting shortly with Carol Bauer, our Lay Leader, and Eric Dannemann, chairperson of the Church Council, to begin to develop our next steps. This