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This is a continuing series of informational updates on the new parish leadership structure that begins in October.
This October, we will begin a new way of being together as a parish through a new leadership structure that supports:
Born out of the LumenUs strategic planning project, this new leadership structure builds on our many existing strengths and includes some cultural and structural changes:
A similar leadership model has been used successfully by many area parishes, some for more than a decade. Examples include Pax Christi in Eden Prairie, All Saints in Lakeville, Guardian Angels in Oakdale, St. Thomas More in St Paul and St. Odilia in Shoreview, where our Parish Director, Tom Schumacher, worked for 10 years.
Today, the work of Lumen Christi gets done by hundreds of volunteer parishioners working on various ministries, committees and task groups. This can range from being members of a committee, such as Adult Faith Formation, to performing liturgical ministries such as Eucharistic Minister, to teaching Faith Formation classes to performing in the Handbell choir. In fact, we have identified nearly 100 ministries and committees in our parish, many of which have additional activities under their umbrella!
All of that will continue in the new leadership structure.
These existing committees and ministries will be aligned under one of the six new Ministry Councils. The intent is to have the committees’ and ministries’ planning and budgeting done with more direction from the Parish Council on broader parish goals and more input from the various ministries.
What else remains the same?
Fr. Paul will continue to be guided by the trustees and Parish Council in his role of Canonical Administrator of church and school.
Highland Catholic and Lumen Christi will continue to run as separate corporations initially, though one of the Strategic Plan goals is to unite the two. A first step to that end is to bring the school into the new structure by creating a School Ministry Council, which will have a representative on the Parish Council and participate in the same planning and budgeting process as the rest of the Ministry Councils.
What changes?
We recognize that we are entering a new journey, and will build a new culture and leadership structure as we go. It won’t be perfect at the start and will take time to evolve and mature. But we are confident that we will emerge a stronger parish living our values and our mission “To be the light of Christ in the world.”
NEXT WEEK: The 6 New Ministry Councils and How They Work
The new organizational structure is designed to accomplish the work and mission of our parish by connecting all of us more deeply to God, our faith and each other. The new structure builds on the current structure of the many existing committees and ministries, organizing all of them by six ministry areas:
These areas will each have a Ministry Council comprised of six parish leaders and one staff liaison. These Ministry Councils, which have not existed before, will be charged with implementing the vision and goals of the parish for their respective area of ministry. They will be the link between the work of the various committees under their purview and the Parish Council.
The Parish Council, which exists today, will continue, though with modifications. The Council will include a representative from each of the six Ministry Councils plus three at-large members, the Pastor, Trustees and Parish Director. The Parish Council will be charged with providing strategic direction and leadership for the parish including oversight of the annual planning process.
All parish ministries, through their respective Ministry Council, will be guided by the same set of mission, values and goals. Additionally their plans and needs will be shared with all parish leadership at the monthly Leadership Night meeting where members of the six Ministry Councils and the Parish Council will gather for a meal, hear insights from Fr. Paul on the state and future of the parish, and share cross-ministry information before attending their own meetings. This consolidation of meetings into one night is intended to create a leadership culture centered on transparent, predictable communication and a longer-term, more visionary look at the parish.
Leadership Structure with Ministry Councils and Parish Committees
As we have mentioned previously, much time, effort and prayer has been spent over the past three years to reconfigure the work of our parish in a manner consistent with an intentional and deliberate relationship with God and each other, our mission and our values. A significant part of that reconfiguration involves our parish council and the creation of six ministry councils: Faith Formation, Finance, Parish Life, School, Social Justice, and Worship. These councils will offer direction to the various committees aligned under these councils to work in a manner consistent with our parish aspirations. The councils’ work will begin in the fall of 2015.
To begin that work, each of us is now being asked to begin to consider those among us who might be called to share in the work of the parish and ministry councils – whether ourselves or others. Any of us can be considered for this work regardless of whether or not we have previously served or are now serving in leadership roles.
This process of deliberate consideration is often referred to as “discernment.” Discernment has a rich history in our church and indeed many other venues throughout history. In fact, we may recognize that we have practiced this discipline of discernment in our lives, and as believers, for a long time — and often in our most important decisions. For our purposes, we define discernment as identifying the voice of God in our lives as His disciples, and, in this case, to describe the process by which we as a parish will identify the servant leaders of those councils. The use of the term and the conversation it invites is intended to be more conscious and visible.
By asking parishioners to “discern God’s call” to serve on the parish and ministry councils, we are asking all of us to begin to prayerfully consider:
Our gifts and those of others
The availability of ourselves and others to serve
Whether there is a voice calling within us to more fully serve God and each other
During the next several weeks, we will offer more information about assessing our gifts and the other components of our discernment for service on our councils. Thank you for being a part of this prayerful journey.
As we have mentioned previously, much time, effort and prayer has been spent over the past three years to reconfigure the work of our parish in a manner consistent with an intentional and deliberate relationship with God and each other, our mission and our values. A significant part of that reconfiguration involves our parish council and the creation of six ministry councils: Faith Formation, Finance, Parish Life, School, Social Justice, and Worship. These councils will offer direction to the various committees aligned under these councils to work in a manner consistent with our parish aspirations. The councils’ work will begin in the fall of 2015.
To begin that work, each of us is now being asked to begin to consider those among us who might be called to share in the work of the parish and ministry councils – whether ourselves or others. Any of us can be considered for this work regardless of whether or not we have previously served or are now serving in leadership roles.
This process of deliberate consideration is often referred to as “discernment.” Discernment has a rich history in our church and indeed many other venues throughout history. In fact, we may recognize that we have practiced this discipline of discernment in our lives, and as believers, for a long time — and often in our most important decisions. For our purposes, we define discernment as identifying the voice of God in our lives as His disciples, and, in this case, to describe the process by which we as a parish will identify the servant leaders of those councils. The use of the term and the conversation it invites is intended to be more conscious and visible.
By asking parishioners to “discern God’s call” to serve on the parish and ministry councils, we are asking all of us to begin to prayerfully consider:
Our gifts and those of others
The availability of ourselves and others to serve
Whether there is a voice calling within us to more fully serve God and each other
During the next several weeks, we will offer more information about assessing our gifts and the other components of our discernment for service on our councils. Thank you for being a part of this prayerful journey.
Within the week, each parishioner household will receive a packet of materials describing the formal nomination and discernment process that will culminate in determining the servant leadership of our parish and ministry councils. The process will include informational sessions in late September and a Final Discernment Night on October 12. On that night nominees for these councils will be considered and selection will be made by consensus for members of the councils. From the time of the mailing to the completion of the information sessions, all of us will be asked to submit nominees for the various councils. Nominees should meet the following criteria:
In the meantime, should you have any questions, please contact Tom Schumacher email, or 651-698-5581. We look forward to your nominations as we form our parish anew. Again, thank you for being a part of this prayerful journey.