Why LCUMC Has a Council on Ministries

Robert V. Phillips, Sr.

Prior to January 2003, League City United Methodist Church was organized with a single administrative and planning council—the Administrative Council.  Its membership consisted of all ministry leaders, the chairpersons of Finance, Trustees, Staff-Parish Relations, other groups reporting to the Council, program staff members, and a group of at-large members.  The Administrative Council was expected to plan and coordinate ministries and to carry out the administration of the church’s program.  With attendance sometimes exceeding 30 people, it was quite difficult to do much real planning and coordination, especially since few of the at-large members had much insight into all ministries of the church.  In addition, hearing reports from the Trustees, Finance, S-PR, etc. on a monthly basis always elicited discussion.  It was not uncommon for meetings to run in excess of two hours.  Sometimes we actually met from 7:00-10:00 p.m.

When a group of leaders attended the Every Member in Ministry (EMIM) Conference at Frazer UMC in Montgomery, we came away convinced that we needed to adopt EMIM at LCUMC.  As we outlined our plans, it became obvious to me that we needed a council dedicated to the planning and coordination of a growing number of ministries.  When I was just starting in the ministry in 1968, the United Methodist Church was just being born.  One of its earliest steps was to create a recommended organization consisting of a Council on Ministries (COM) and an Administrative Board.  One of my first ministerial challenges was organizing a local church with those two bodies.  Once in place, I found the COM to be an excellent body to develop creative ministries and to coordinate ministries among various groups.  EMIM seemed to cry out for this type of body.

I discussed my recommendation with David Whittle, the Ad. Board chairman, and found him to be supportive.  I devised an organizational plan and presented it to our pastor, gaining his approval.  I then presented the plan to the Administrative Board, who adopted it for the next year beginning in January 2003.  I used the 1992 edition of The Discipline as a source for separating the duties and responsibilities of the COM and Administrative Board.  That was the last year in which such an organization was recommended. 

The COM has continued to evolve as our needs and ministries have evolved.  I recommended an initial membership, and that has grown over the past three years.  For example, the COM decided we needed a representative of the mosaic team, and that person was added. 

The COM’s responsibility is to plan and coordinate the ministries of LCUMC, aimed at our goal to “serve, share, worship, and win disciples for Christ.”  Every item we consider must contribute to one of those four items.  We discuss and refer all financial items to the Finance Committee, all trustee-related items to the Trustees, all staff items to the S-PR Committee.  For example, we recommended the hiring of a full-time Youth Director, but the recruiting, selecting, and hiring was an S-PR/Administrative Board duty. 

The COM reports to the Administrative Board.  The Board is the COM’s boss.  The COM depends on a free flow of ideas, and those ideas flow more freely when we don’t have the boss breathing down our necks.  Also, meetings of the COM and the Admin. Board seldom exceed 90 minutes since the two have become separate entities..

The COM should continue to change as the church’s needs and ministries change.  The following are the original responsibilities of the COM as adopted by the Administrative Board:

From the 1992 Book of Discipline, section 258:  The local church council on ministries shall consider, develop, and coordinate goals and program proposals for the church's mission.  The council shall be amenable to the administrative board, to which it shall submit its goals and program plans for revision and appropriate action. Upon adoption of the goals and program plans by the administrative board, the council shall implement and evaluate the goals and program plans which are assigned.

• To study the hopes and concerns of people in our community and the world so that we may determine how LCUMC might serve them and how we might serve one another as Christian disciples and good neighbors.

• To insure that the needs of every age group within the church and the community are being addressed by the ministries of LCUMC.

• To see that every member of LCUMC is given the opportunity to be in ministry and to train and empower volunteers to perform their ministry.

• To propose to the Administrative Board plans for the congregation’s ministry.

•  To support the various ministry groups and committees as they carry out these plans.

• To recommend to the Administrative Board that ministries be discontinued when the need no longer exists or insufficient volunteers are available to perform the ministry.

• To become familiar with, and use appropriately, the resources for ministry provided by the district, annual conference, jurisdiction, and the general boards and agencies of the United Methodist Church.

• To insure that the ministry group and committee tasks are carried out as planned.

• To make recommendations to the Staff Parish Relations Committee (in consultation with the senior pastor) regarding professional and other staff positions needed to carry out programs of ministry.

• To request of the Finance Committee the funds needed to carry out programs of ministry.

• To be accountable to the Administrative Board and the Charge Conference.