Lydick United Methodist Church Role and Committee Descriptions Last updated:  March 21, 2012

Overview

This document contains an unofficial description of the roles and committees active within Lydick United Methodist Church.  For a more formal description or additional questions, please contact the Leadership Council or the pastor.

Lay Leader

Works with the pastor and serves as the primary advocate for lay ministry within the church.  Gives leadership to Laity Sunday.  Encourages lay speaker training, special service and mission opportunities, etc.  Also serves, as possible, on several church teams:  Finance, Staff-Parish, Nominations, Early Childhood Ministries, Nurture, and Leadership Council.  Serves a 3 year term.  May succeed themselves.

Lay Member of Annual Conference

Serves the church and Bishop by representing the church (along with the pastor) at Annual Conference sessions in June and a Pre-Conference briefing locally in May.  Interprets the Annual Conference decisions to Lydick Church.  Advocates for full payment of apportionments.  Also serves, as possible, on church teams:  Finance, Leadership Council, and Staff-Parish.  Serves a 4 year team.  May succeed themselves.

Alternate Lay Member

Serves in case Lay Member is unable to fulfill his/her duties.  May serve a 3 year term or be nominated annually.  May succeed themselves.

Treasurer

Maintains an balances the church’s financial records, including writing checks.  Cannot handle church donations.  Makes monthly detailed reports of church financial conditions, in consultation with pastor.  Due to the complexity of the skills required, the Treasurer’s position may be held as long as the Leadership Council deems the job is being managed efficiently and in cooperation with the needs of the church.

Early Childhood Ministry Board

Oversees the Early Childhood Ministry (aka Day Care) of Lydick Church.  Annually approves the ECM budget.  Meets 6 time per year. 

Education Team

Oversees the Christian educational ministries of the church for all age groups.  Meets 4 times per year, plus meeting as needed Vacation Bible School team (which may include some who are not of Education Team).  Members serve 3 year term.

Endowment Fund Committee

Manages church’s endowment fund.  Decides recipients of endowment’s “Paul Lacy Scholarship fund” and other fund disbursements.  Meets at least 2 time per year.  Members serve a 3 year term.

Finance and Stewardship Team

Oversees the financial condition of the church.  Coordinates an executes the annual stewardship campaign, compiles and presents a tentative annual church budget for final approval by Leadership Council, after results of annual stewardship campaign:  this budget seeks to balance projected donations and expenditures.  Manages any special church-wide fund drives.  Provides for counting, depositing, and keeping records of donations;  all in accord with United Methodist rules.  Meets 6 time per year.

Nominations Team

Identifies, develops and monitors the slate of Christian servant leadership for the congregation.  May meet as needed during the year to nominate replacement leaders/team members, but usually meets during the fall, concluding at least a month before annual Charge Conference.  Solutions of prospective servant leaders is usually done by telephone, but may not be done by email.  Members of the Nominations team are not to be asked to serve a position while attending a Nominations Team meeting:  that is to coercive.  Spouses/partners of prospects are not to answer “yes” or “no”  for the prospect.  Most newly elected officers and team members will begin their service the next January 1.  Pastor’s suggestions for prospects must be approved by a majority of present Team members.  Leadership Council makes the final approval before Charge Conference or between Charge Conferences.  All 9 at-large members (in 3 year classes of 3 each) must be full members of Lydick UMC.  They may not succeed themselves at end of their 3 year term, but may return after rotating out once.  Only 1 person per household may serve.  No staff members or their immediate family may serve on Nominations Team.

Nurture and Missions

In the nurture portion, we sponsor “nurturing” events in the church.  We plan activities, such as game nights, movie nights, ice cream socials and the occasional dinner, like pot lucks and the lasagna dinner with the purpose of providing a social occasion for church members to interact, have fun, and get to know each other better.  We are also responsible for the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts that are handed out.  In the mission portion, we review and lists of organizations asking for our help, those we’ve helped in the past, and other worthy projects we know about.  Then we decide who we want to support through noisy offerings, special offerings, cash donations, fund raisers or volunteering.

Parsonage Team

Oversees the care and maintenance of the parsonage and its property, in consultation with pastor & spouse.  Meets twice a year:  in the spring and in the fall (at least a month before Charge Conference) with additional meetings as needed.

Staff Parish Relations Team

Seeks how best to staff the church to fulfill its mission of disciple-making.  Serves especially to support the effectiveness of pastors ministry.  Annually evaluates the church’s ministries.  Annually researches and recommends changes to pastors $ staff salary support levels (including ECM Director).  Listens to congregations’ positive & negative comments about pastor, and, when appropriate, relays this information to pastor;  helps pastor to resolve issues as needed.  Sometimes recommends to Bishop that there be a change of pastor.  Responsible to hire aned fire staff, but not pastor (The Bishop, in consultation with the ten Indiana district superintendents, appoints a postor to a UM church, then move pastor when appropriate and as possible).  Meets at least 6 times per year (plus as needed).  District-led training for staff-parish team members must be full members of Lydick Church.  No staff or their immediate family members can be on Staff-Parish Team. Only 1 person per household may serve.  Members serve 3 terms.  They may not succeed themselves, but can become a Staff-Parish member again after rotating off once.

Board of Trustees

Oversees the care and maintenance of the church building and its property.  Oversees the work of the church custodian.  Receives bequests to the church and manages their disbursement(s) and allocation to the varied church funds:  bequests are not automatically transferred into the Endowment Fund.  Trustees also serve as board members of “Lydick UMC, Inc.” as it conducts needed corporation business.  Meets at least 6 times per year.  At least 6 of the members must be full members of Lydick Church.  At least 3 of the members shall be women.  There must be no restriction to their possible re-nomination and re-election when their 3 year term ends.

Website Team

Manages the church website to promote knowledge of the church in the community and communications with our church.  Serves 1 year term.

Welcoming Team

Oversees the warm welcoming and assimilating of visitors into total church life.  Its ‘Caring System’ assures no one “falls through the cracks.”  Meets 6 time per year.

Worship Team

Oversees and helps the pastor plan the fresh worship experiences of our church.  Meets 6 times per year.  Serve 3 year terms.  May succeed themselves.

Youth Council Team

Oversees youth program and helps Youth Director set policies.  Meets quarterly with Youth Director to fully schedule upcoming youth group activities.  Organizes who will be at youth meetings and activities with Youth Director, thereby adhering to church’s “Child Protection Guidelines.”  Gives counsel to Youth Director.  Meets 6 times per year.  They serve 1 year terms.  May succeed themselves.

Leadership Council 

In consultation with the pastor, it shall set church policies, oversee church-wide fundraisers, receive reports from teams about planning and implementing programs, and administer and organize the church’s life together.  It shall seek to guide the church to maintain its Mission and Vision.  In consultation with the Staff-Parish Team, it shall annually evaluate the church’s ministries for effectiveness.  Each fall it shall approve a general budget for the new year and elect leaders based on the Nominations Team’s slate.  Meets 6 times per year.  Membership consists of church team/committee/board leaders, plus officers, plus At-Large members who serve 3 year terms and may not succeed themselves as At-Large members of the Leadership Council (they may be elected to other leadership positions that by virtue of office return them immediately to the Leadership Council).