Adapting and Innovating for Bold Discipleship

Strategic Objective:  Renew a vision of leadership based on the call of the denomination—deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice―and align discernment, recruitment, training, and support of ordered and lay leadership, to this vision.

The capacity to create and transform communities of faith requires recruiting, engaging, equipping, and supporting diverse and innovative leadership. Priority leadership activities include:

GC Proposal Number(s)

Priority Activities

Progress

 

With a view to strengthening lifelong vocation and connection to the church for lay people and ministry personnel, review continuing education and leadership development programs currently offered and develop a coordinated, extensive set of training programs.
 
Excellent
 

Intentionally identify young leaders in the church and support their continued development.
 
Good
GCE06; N:ka01 notes

Reimagine theological education through a process that enables schools to collaborate around the ministry needs of the future.
 
Fair
 

Enhance collaborative, innovative, and diverse ministry through experiments in different models and through renewed recruitment and admission processes.
 
Excellent
 

Collaborate with regional council colleagues and theological schools around collaborative ministry models, including Ecumenical Shared Ministry.
 
Excellent
 

Increase the number of youth and young adults moving towards paid, accountable ministry, bridging the gap between First Third ministry and recruitment, including racialized, Indigenous, and queer people, including addressing the compensation model.
 
Awaiting Activation
  Enhance ongoing leadership development for/with ministry personnel, with focus on developing mentorship/accompaniment skills, with a special focus on mentoring for those who want to learn and share church planting skills, including Admission ministers.
 
Fair
NEW03 Create a working group within the Board of Vocation that would review the admissions process for ministry personnel, as well as gather data, with particular consideration of anti-racism commitments, isolation in ministry, financial stressors, structural barriers within the church, and external advocacy around immigration processes. This might lead to an Admission Matching Commission.
 
Excellent

*Progress is determined from percentage completion of planned key results in a given quarter.

For questions on the Strategic Plan, or for a summary of all 2023 Operational Plan Activities, contact planning@united-church.ca .

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