St. Michael's

In 2008 the St. Michael’s Vestry adopted the following Vision Statement for St. Michael’s Church:
Glorifying God through passionate Christian Discipleship.

We believe that commitment to the following five core missional activities will enable us to carry out this vision.

• Meaningful Worship
• Compassionate Service
• Excellent Children’s and Youth Ministry
• Christian Formation and Development of Spiritual Gifts
• Caring Fellowship and Hospitality

It is our conviction that this vision can only be realized when we commit ourselves to an understanding of ministry which affirms that the ministry of the laity is the primary order of ministry in the church. Although the clergy are called to carry out special ministry tasks that are unique to their order, the language of the Catechism should be noted: The ministers of the church are lay persons, bishops, priests and deacons. The clergy are key parish leaders in a parish, but it is our conviction that encouraging and equipping laity for their ministry in both the church and the world should be a key dimension of the ordained leadership.

The major focus of the long range plan, adopted in 2008, was re-organizing our structure so that this commitment to the ministry of the laity can be realized. To that end, the following organizational plan for ministry was developed.

• Gathering Ministry Team – This ministry focuses on our collective worship and celebration activities. Our worship of God should fuel our entire ministry.
• Sending Ministry Team – This ministry involves taking the good news of Jesus into the world. It includes all outreach and evangelism activities.
• Connecting Ministry Team – This ministry involves our various welcoming and hospitality initiatives. Incorporating newcomers and reinforcing our interconnectedness are central to our life together.
• Nurturing Ministry Team – This ministry focuses on Christian formation and spiritual development programs for all ages. Christian education and intergenerational programming come under the purview of this team.

A separate, Vestry-led, Supporting Ministry Team, has been created to support all ministries of the church. The work of this team includes property management, finance, planning, governance and communication.

Two co-leaders head each ministry team. Each team is responsible for carrying out ministry objectives, developed by the team members and reviewed in consultation with the Rector and Vestry. The ministry team leaders meet regularly with the Rector – something like a cabinet or advisory council – and report to the Vestry.

Simply stated, the overarching purpose behind our organizational structure is to increase the level of participation in our shared ministry, develop more leaders and grow our ministries.