Position Descriptions

Ministry at Gum Spring United Methodist Church

January 2011

Ministry at Gum Spring UMC is organized into four areas: Hospitality; Faith Development; Worship & Prayer; and Mission, Service, and Witness. These four are supported by the resource ministries of Staff-Parish, Finance, Trustees, and Lay Leadership Committees. The Administrative Council oversees the activities of the church. It includes representatives from the four ministry areas, the resource ministries, the pastor, Council chair and vice-chair, lay leader, lay member of Annual Conference, United Methodist Women, and a recording secretary.

Each of the four ministry areas has a Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator. They are members of the Administrative Council and provide “high-level” reports to council on activities, ministry, and progress on goals. The Assistant Coordinator is nominated to the Lay Leadership Committee. The Coordinator is responsible for leadership of activities in ministry area. The term for this position is two years: One year as Assistant Coordinator then one year as Coordinator.

We also have a booklet that you may find useful. Click here for a pdf version.

Click on a position or area to get a full description.

For a complete document, (PDF) click here.

Hospitality – Congregations offer the invitation and embrace of Jesus Christ, the gracious welcome that creates genuine belonging that brings people together in the Christian community. Churches characterized by radical hospitality are not just friendly and courteous. Instead, they exhibit restlessness because they realize so many people do not have a relationship to a faith community. They sense a calling and responsibility to pray and work to invite others and to help them feel welcome and supported in their faith journeys. Congregations surprise newcomers with a glimpse of the unmerited gracious love of God that they see in Christ. Radical Hospitality goes to the extremes, and we do it joyfully, not superficially, because we know our invitation is the invitation of Christ. (Romans 12:9-21)

The components of Hospitality include: welcoming; greeting & ushering; Orientation for newcomers; fellowship opportunities for newcomers; newcomer engagement; hospitality; communication and training to the congregation about hospitality.

Faith Development – Transformation comes through learning in community. Congregational leaders that practice Intentional Faith Development carefully consider the full life-cycle of members and look for ways the church forms faith at every age. They look for gaps, opportunities, and unmet needs to round out their ministries and ask how they can do better. They train lay people to lead small groups, teach Bible studies, and coordinate support groups. They realize the power of special topics and interests to attract unchurched people, and they advertise and invite beyond the walls of the church. They form affiliation groups such as grief or divorce recovery, substance abuse, parenting, and more. They explore new ways of forming learning communities: blogs, chat rooms, e-mail Bible studies, and downloadable materials. These pastors also participate in forms of community with other pastors or laypersons to help deepen their own relationship with God. All youth and children's ministries include teaching and experiential components that stretch compassion outward beyond the walls of the church. Faith mapped in childhood provides pathways that shape lifelong commitments. (1 Corinthians 9:19-24)

The components of Faith Development include: Christian education & formation; age-level ministries (children, youth, young adult, seniors, singles, couples, families); Bible studies & small groups; Lay Speaking ministries; communication and training to the congregation about faith development.

Worship & Prayer – In passionate worship, people are honest before God and one another, and they are open to God's presence and will for their lives. People so eagerly desire such worship that they will reorder their lives to attend. Passionate worship motivates pastors not only to improve their preaching, but also to learn continually how to enhance content and technique for effective worship. Worship is something alive that requires continuing care, cultivation, and effort to keep it fresh. Pastors should willingly review and evaluate their own work and invite feedback. The motivation for enhancing the quality of worship is not only about deepening our own faith, but also about allowing God to use us and our congregations to offer hope, life and love to others. Worship and prayer are God's gift and task, a sacred trust that requires our utmost and highest efforts. (John 4:21-24)

Components of Worship & Prayer include: worship; logistics; seasonal themes; worship arts; new services; prayer in christian life & worship; communication and training to the congregation about worship and prayer.

Mission, Service, and Witness – This involves work that stretches people, causing them to do something for the good of others that they would never have considered doing if it were not for their relationship with Christ and their desire to serve Him. These churches not only solicit and encourage ordinary service to support the work of the congregation, but they also consciously seek to motivate people to more extraordinary service. They lift examples in preaching and teaching. Risk-taking missions and service is also part of the formation of children and youth. These churches collaborate with other churches, other denominations, civic organizations, social agencies, and non-profit groups. They actively invite and welcome newcomers, visitors, and the unchurched into mission activities to help them in making a difference in the lives of others. As congregations move beyond their comfort zones and follow Christ into more adventurous encounters with people, God's Spirit changes them, changes others, and changes churches. (Matthew 25:14-30).

The components of Mission, Service, and Witness include: Mission trips; shared ministries; missions giving strategy; evangelism; generosity; other kinds of learning experiences that help people engage their faith with real issues and needs in our world; activities, experiences, modeling lifestyles, and interactions that help others see, hear, and relate to Christ through us; communication and training to the congregation about mission, service, and witness.

Resource Ministries

Unless otherwise stated, ex officio members have voice and vote.