March 2, 2005
Dear Saints:
2005 is going to be a year of change, opportunity and challenge!
We are moving into a historic time in the life of our Fellowship and we are
certain that God will continue to bless us as we journey together. At the Board
of Elders meeting in February, we had a wonderful chance to recapture the vision
that God placed on the heart of our Founder and Moderator, Rev. Troy D. Perry.
Troy reminded us again of his personal struggles, his triumphs over bigotry and
hatred, and his unswerving knowledge of God's unconditional love for him and for
each of us.
Of course, it is Troy Perry's original vision that has inspired us for 37
years. As we approach a new era of ministry in MCC, it is imperative that we
revisit our vision and prepare ourselves to move forward in a powerful way.
As part of the two-year process of writing a Strategic Plan, the Board of Elders
has listened carefully to the feedback given by each of you through guided
conversations, surveys and the draft Strategic Plan presented at each of the
regional conferences in 2004. The result of this listening process is that we
have begun to craft a new Statement of Vision that reflects all that you have
shared with us about whom you believe we are and will become! This new MCC
Statement of Vision sets forth the original purpose of our movement in a new and
exciting way. The Board of Elders is energized and inspired by this Statement of
Vision, and we are sure that you will be too!
MCC Statement of Vision
We are a mission with a church! We are not tied to location but are
broader than any church or creed. We are called to bear witness to the gift of
joining sexuality and spirituality. We are called to resist exclusion and join
Jesus Christ in doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God.
We are all committed to hearing feedback about what works and what doesn't and
in taking those steps to align our actions with our mission. The current draft
of the Strategic Plan will go through a further feedback process before it is
finally presented at the General Conference in Calgary in July. Having a
Strategic Plan for our denomination will be a first for MCC!
At this meeting, the Board of Elders received the final report from our Interim
Executive Director, Kerry Lobel. Kerry challenged MCC to fully embrace its role
as a powerful voice for change and as spiritual leaders on the world stage. We
can and do make a difference. We need to do so much more to combat injustice and
to free the oppressed. The Board of Elders would like to thank Kerry for all her
outstanding work with us.
We were delighted to welcome Rev. Dr. Cindi Love as the new Executive Director
for MCC. Cindi gave an uplifting and thought provoking presentation, setting out
some of the issues that we need to address over the coming months and years, in
order to fully answer the call that God has given us. These include financial
stability and how the denomination can better serve the local church through
better use of the resources we currently have. Cindi reminded us that God has
called us for this time and for this purpose.
The nominee for the position of Moderator, Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, joined us
for some of the meeting in order to see the work of the Board of Elders and to
hear from the incoming and outgoing Executive Directors. If elected, Rev. Elder
Wilson's installation as Moderator will be in late October.
Successful church planting is a vital part of our work together. The Board of
Elders has agreed the criteria to be used for awarding grants from the Church
Planting fund -- funds raised through the 1% extra tithe being paid by many
local churches. This is the first time in MCC's history that we have funds
specifically allocated to church planting!
Regional Elders have a distinct role to play in the development of any church
plant and can guide church planters and local churches through MCC's church
planting process.
As spiritual leaders of our movement and in being good stewards of the resources
we share, we recognize the importance of being accountable. Two different
accountability processes are being established to make sure that each member of
the Board of Elders is ministering appropriately and effectively. In each
process, there will be input from a variety of people who have knowledge of the
individual Elder's work, such as local church clergy and lay leaders, HQ staff
and other Elders, through the use of purposely designed questionnaires. Each
process will take place this year.
The first process, 360 Feedback, will be used to look at leadership
competencies, such as communication skills, ongoing learning and building shared
vision. This feedback will be used by each Elder to create a Personal
Development plan, which sets out goals in specific leadership areas. These plans
will be shared with the Board of Elders and with the appropriate elective body -
that is, the region, or the General Conference. 360 Feedback will take place
every two years. A second process, 360 Performance Evaluation, will concentrate
on work performance related to work plans, budgets and outcomes and will take
place annually. These two processes will support Elders to develop in their role
and will also ensure accountability to the people they serve. This is another
"first" for our Fellowship! We hope to be able to develop these tools further to
offer local church leaders
The local church remains our primary way of transforming lives in Christ's name.
The Board of Elders was blessed by three of the local congregations in Florida.
We would like to thank Revs. John Middleton and Jim Merritt of Joy MCC, Orlando
and Rev. Geoff Leonard Robinson and Mr Steve Leonard Robinson of MCC Key West,
who led us in morning devotions and shared the ministries of their local church
with us. We would also like to thank Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson and the Church of
the Holy Trinity MCC, Sarasota for welcoming us to Sunday worship.
This Board of Elders' meeting was a time of great blessing for us. We are moving
forward together, rejuvenated in the sure knowledge of our shared call and
shared vision. We pray that each of you will experience this resurgence of joy,
of purpose, of hope and a future - we are a mission with a church! Amen.
/signed/
Board of Elders
Metropolitan Community Churches
www.MCCchurch.org
