Mission/Purpose:
To collaborate with pastoral staff in leading Community Mennonite Church toward God’s purposes within this congregation and beyond ourselves. To serve in partnership with the pastors in providing Christ-centered counsel and encouragement.
Responsibilities:
- Faithfully pray for the pastors and congregation.
- Be visibly present and available as a member of the Pastoral Team in congregational life.
- Identify an area of ministry focus as a pastoral elder in light of individual gifts and abilities. (For example, young adult ministries, pastoral care, churchwide discernment and decision-making, children and youth, rituals in worship, new attenders, etc.)
- Engage with the Pastoral Team’s spiritual discernment and decision-making processes.
- Provide maintenance-level pastoral care and visitation with individuals and/or small groups.
- Serve at the Lord’s Table and in other public leadership responsibilities according to gifts and availability.
- Maintain membership practices (new members, membership transfers, membership withdrawals) aligned with CMC membership covenant.
- Preserve confidentiality of pastoral care issues.
- Share insight into congregational issues from one’s particular vantage point (as a long-term member, as a young adult, as a parent, etc.)
Pastoral Team meets twice each month for 1.5 hours and as needed.
Regular Activities/Responsibilities:
- Jan. Orientation for new Pastoral Elder
- Feb. Membership follow-up
- March. Membership follow-up
- May. Midyear joint meeting with Council.
- June. Pastoral care mid-year review
- Sept. Attend CMC retreat
- Nov. Leadership retreat w/Council
- Dec. Covenant Renewal Sunday
Updated October 12, 2015 by Pastoral Team: Jennifer Davis Sensenig, Jason Gerlach, Dayna Olson-Getty, Dave Graybill, Jan Jenner and Brian Martin Burkholder