The start of October marked an exciting step forward in reaching one of the four long-term goals of our newly implemented five-year ministry plan. These SMART (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound) goals address areas of needed improvement and serve to guide Centennial in reaching our vision of “Small enough to know you, large enough to do great things.”
The four long-term SMART goals of Centennial’s five-year ministry plan include:
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Increase our effectiveness in helping people to transform their lives
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Put effective, flexible governance and staffing in place
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Increase stewardship and financial stability
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Support discipleship growth through small groups
Goal #2 is meant to address issues such as long staff hours, unclear policy and decision-making roles, and bottlenecks resulting from “red tape.” Recognizing a need for change, Church Council chartered a governance study team to develop a proposal for modifying Centennial’s existing governance. After approval by Centennial’s Church Council and Charge Conference, a governance structure pilot was officially put into place on October 1st.
The new governance structure is designed to streamline decision-making and allow for more resources to be dedicated to the transformation of lives. Encompassed within this new structure is a new top-level policy manual, which is based primarily upon John Wesley’s three simple rules: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.
With the changes, church committee and team definitions remain largely intact, while roles and responsibilities will be more clearly delineated and differentiated. This structure will help focus and align the tactical decision-making process with the church mission, thus freeing the decision-makers from needing approval by policy-making bodies. For instance, committees and teams will be empowered to make decisions regarding the allocation of their funds and resources without having to go through Church Council, as long as their course of action is in compliance with the new policy and the four SMART goals.
Throughout the next year, this structure will be evaluated to determine if it is helping us meet our goals and if mid-course corrections are necessary. Have questions or ideas? Please contact Senior Pastor Brian Hacklander at bhacklander@centennialumc.org or (651) 633-7644.