Leadership

The Ad Board is the visionary leadership body responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating the congregation’s mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Rather than micro-managing, the Council focuses on the "big picture," ensuring that every ministry and budget decision aligns with the church's long-term goals.  More information about the Church Council can be access HERE.  

Who Serves on the Council?
The Council is comprised of spiritual leaders who model personal discipleship and act as mentors to the congregation. Membership at First Church  includes:

Executive Leaders: The Chairperson, Pastor, and Lay Leader

Administrative Representatives: Chairperson from the Finance (including Church Secretary and Financial Secretary), Trustees, Missions, and Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations (S/PPRC) committees.

Ministry Leads: Coordinators for outreach, witness, nurture, and discipleship groups - Women's Ministry, Scouting, Librarian, Lay Member to Annual Conference, Mission Team, 

Nominations Leaders: Those responsible for identifying and developing new leadership within the church.

Members at-large: Serving a 3-year term.

Pastors work in four primary arenas—traditionally described as Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service—as worship leader, preacher, and teacher; administrative leader; “keeper” of the vision; equipper of laity; and community minister. Through worship, administration, leader development, and team building, your pastor will work with the Ad Board to develop and implement your congregation’s plan for making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Lay leader(s) serve as advocates and models of faithful Christian discipleship. These key leaders understand what it means to be a part of the ministry of all Christians and that all people are called by God to ministry. Sometimes people associate ministry only with ordination; from a biblical perspective, ministry is the work of the “saints”—those individuals who have experienced the love and grace of God in their lives and who seek to follow Jesus Christ in all that they do. The lay leader helps the council—and by extension, the congregation—identify the needs of the community and discern the spiritual gifts resident in the congregation for responding to those needs.  

This committee is responsible for creating a budget for the ministry of the congregation and for developing a plan to raise adequate funds in support of the congregation’s needs, both routine and special. The financial secretary records income to the church, while disburse- ments are made and recorded by the treasurer. Periodic reports are prepared by the treasurer and submitted to the Church Council for approval. The Finance Committee serves as the consultant to the Church Council on financial matters.

The Board of Trustees is entrusted with management of the property and facilities of the congregation, including the physical plant and grounds, church equipment, and the management of gifts and bequests. Trustees have fiduciary and legal responsibilities for the congregation. Along with the Church Council, the Board of Trustees has the legal obligation to see that the congregation operates within local codes and state laws governing churches.  

The Staff Parish Relations Committee functions somewhat like a personnel office. This required administrative group confers with your district superintendent on all matters related to the pastor appointed to your congregation. SPRC helps develop job descriptions for any full- or part-time staff employed by the congregation, and it participates in the annual evaluation of both pastor(s) and staff.  

The relationship between staff and ministry is critical to the health and vitality of your congregation. The SPRC work together to support healthy teams focused on disciple making. Specifically, the Church Council receives recommendations from SPRC on pastoral and staff salaries, pastoral housing, and other pastoral support needs and acts on them at charge conference.  

The Nominations Committee meets throughout the year to guide the development of the strong leadership needed in the church today to work with the appointed and employed staff. Their job is to find people who will work together for a healthy ministry in our congregation. The nominations and leadership development committee oversees the whole system of identifying, developing, deploying, supporting, and evaluating leadership. The committee does not work in isolation. Collaboration with others is important.  

This team works with all groups in the church to identify, plan, and support mission opportunities both in our communities and around the world. Mission projects are shared with the congregation to involve as many people as possible.  The Missions team worked with local agencies to identify local needs.  The third Sunday of every month is designated as Mission Sunday where information about one of our mission projects is shared.