Update

It's time for an update!

1. The task force continues to work on developing policy. The documents pertaining to the Elders have been posted on the MMC website in the members section. 
2. We hope to meet with Council in August to share and get feedback on the policies pertaining to them. 
3. Because of our pastoral changes, we had to change our timeline. Instead of starting the pilot in September, we will need to start it in January. The positive effect of this is that we will now have a full year to try out the new structure and make adjustments.

Please remember that your feedback is welcome and appreciated at any time. The best way to communicate is to email any of the task force members: Dawn, Aaron, Bob, or Rhonna. 

December 9 Meeting Notes

On December 9th, the Governance Task Force presented a rough draft of a plan for reorganizing the church governance.

Informational Slideshow - Goals, more detail, and summary of plans.

Organizational Charts

 

Please share your thoughts about the proposed changes, either through our online survey or by talking with a member of the task force - Dawn, Aaron, Bob, Richard, or Rhonna.

What is governance? What is ministry?

In our listening meetings, we have been asked to explain governance and ministry. In this 10 minute video, the author of the book we've been using describes the difference between governance and ministry as well as the overlap between them and how they work together. In a nutshell, governance serves to act on behalf of the mission of the church and empower those in ministry to take action to fulfill the church's mission. 

Listening Meeting Agenda

• Background
  
• Mandate from Elders
• Task Force Members' calling
• Share what about current structure has worked well and where there have been challenges. 
• Core ideas from Governance & Ministry by Hotchkiss
• Whose lives do we intend to change & why?
• Who owns the congregation?
• 6 Core Principles of Good Governance
• Questions and Listening
• Next steps/Timeline

Listening Sessions

In the interest of allowing time for prayerful consideration, we would like to share the questions thatlistening sessions.

we will be discussing at the

Think of the times you were involved in decision-making or planning processes with Manhattan Mennonite Church. These may have been congregational meetings, committee meetings, or a special task force of some kind. Reflect on these experiences.

1. Think about what worked well in these experiences. Was there something you found personally helpful? Maybe a certain process that felt inclusive, or structure that worked efficiently for example. Was there something in this experience that was fulfilling, or exemplifying of our congregational mission? This is an open time to discuss what, in general or personal terms, has worked well with our current governing structure.
2. Think back to your personal experiences and reflect on what did not work well. Was there something you found personally frustrating? Maybe a certain process that was confusing or burdensome, or maybe a structure that was not made clear. This is an open time to discuss

September 26 Meeting Notes

Aaron led in prayer

Blog

Rhonna has worked on, but still it still needs more updates before announcing to congregation.

Suggestions:

• Blog post about holy indifference
• Why each of us felt called to serve on task force
• Dawn will work up the structure & history of the process for the blog.

Promotion:

• Link from MMC website - Richard
• Mennonotes - Dawn/Richard
• Announce in church - Dawn
• Facebook - ?

Vision