"The local church is to minister to persons in the community where the church is located, to provide appropriate training and nurture to all, to cooperate in ministry with other local churches, to defend God's creation and live as an ecologically responsible community, and to participate in the worldwide mission of the church." —
Book of Discipline 2012 ¶202
The twenty-six
Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2017-2020, one for each ministry area, cover church leadership areas, as well as areas focused on nurture, outreach, and witness. The booklets are tools that get new lay leaders off to a good start and as a reference resource for all lay leaders. Each booklet includes the basic "job description" for the leader as well as practical "how-to" information important to implementing ministry effectively. Brief and to the point making it a perfect resource for the busy, but spirit-led leader.
Contained on your USB Flash Drive is the complete text of all 26
Guidelines, along with valuable charts, surveys, and other tools your ministry leaders will find helpful. The texts are completely searchable; the forms are in Microsoft Word for adaptation to your situation; and the links to the United Methodist agencies' websites. You also receive
The Guide to the Guidelines, explaining
Guidelines and their use, and
The Guidelines Orientation Workshop. The worship is used to train new leaders of your congregation's committees and teams to help them understand and use the Guidelines for their work in a particular ministry area.
This USB drive is compatible with Windows and Macintosh formats, but you must have the programs required to work with any forms and other tools.
