We met during worship on Sunday, February 5, for small group brainstorming of four key questions that came out of our December session. What ministries can serve single moms? How can Saint Peter's help our neighbors who are anxious or worried? How can we invite our neighbors of all ethnicities and races into our lives? Why do you think our neighbors believe that people in the church don’t behave as Jesus would, and what can we do to change that thinking? Read a list of our brainstormed ideas here. We've got lots to explore!

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Over the course of three Sundays in February, 38 people responded to our poll to tell us what skill sets they would like our pastor to have using the UCC's Marks of Faithful and Effective Authorized Ministers checklist. Here are the top four. The first was, far and away, the most important to us.

 

EXHIBITING A SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION AND ONGOING SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

• Loving God, following Jesus Christ, and being guided by the Holy Spirit; living a life of discipleship.

• Praying actively and nurturing spiritual practices.

• Being called to ordained ministry by God and the Church.

• Continuing discernment of one’s call in community.

• Understanding the power of the Holy Spirit at work through the elements of Christian worship to nurture faith.

• Exhibiting a commitment to lifelong spiritual development and faithful personal stewardship.

 

CARING FOR ALL CREATION

• Nurturing care and compassion for God’s creation.

• Maintaining a basic understanding of mental health and wellness.

• Practicing self-care and life balance.

• Providing hope and healing to a hurting world.

• Attending to one’s own spiritual and pastoral care, including engagement in supervision as appropriate.

• Stewarding the resources of the Church.

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WORKING TOGETHER FOR JUSTICE AND MERCY

• Drawing on the ministry of Jesus Christ to confront injustice and oppression.

• Practicing the radical hospitality of God.

• Identifying and working to overcome explicit and implicit bias in the life of the Church.

• Understanding community context and navigating change with a community.

• Engaging in mission and outreach.

• Building relationships of mutual trust and interdependence.

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BUILDING TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS

• Empowering the Church to be faithful to God’s call, reflective of Christ’s mission, and open to the surprises of the Holy Spirit.

• Strategically creating the future of God’s Church.

• Witnessing in the public square to God’s redeeming power.

• Performing necessary and appropriate administrative tasks.

• Working collaboratively with intercultural awareness and sensitivity.

• Encouraging leadership development of self and others through continuing education and lifelong learning.