For way of review, or grounding: 

Document:  http://www.united-church.ca/files/communications/news/generalsecretary/090206_calledtobechurch.pdf

Excerpt:

As a church, we are called to "be church." We are called to arrange our affairs in ways that allow us to faithfully live and work in ways that show our love for one another as beloved children of God. As we struggle to name our vision and to live the vision through our actions, we remember that God’s people have struggled thus through all the ages of humankind.

*Prayer from Call to Purpose

In this spirit we pray:

God of all creation,

We offer you our thanksgiving for a time rich with connections,

Among each other and with you.

We thank you for moments when we have experienced what it is to be united

even in our differences.

Help us to grow as a listening, discerning, learning people.

Help us to give up patterns and structures that enslave us and others.

Help us to acknowledge our fear

And lean into your hope and your courage.

Help us to grow in our trust in each other and in your Spirit.

Fill us with your grace and with your wisdom,

With your patience and with your love.

Propel us into your future,

Rooted in the richness of our past.

In Christ we pray.

Amen

Suggestion to spend time with this prayer, prior to responding

core is love

Peace

Joel

*The Squirrel contemplates how to arrange its affairs.

lol, ez...me thinks you may have caught a nuance that wasn't intended.

I must admit, i end up in a virtual loop every time I ponder this thread...what is the core.

Faith is at the core, but is a faith that is well-rounded, it includes a call to walk with others...to not naval-gaze on our diversity, but instead, relish the diversity that we have that opens doors to the world....and to continue to grow in that diversity, welcoming all to walk with us...either as partners or as part of our faith community.

When I think justice, i recognize without the grounding in faith, i am just part of another social justice org....but, without social justice..then I am not living the call to mission....and....without diversity and community, then, i am limiting the gifts folks bring, yet diversity isn't the goal....it is just one of the ways we do it.

*The Squirrel gives a non-nuanced bump ;)

The  doc asks us:

1. How do we name our vision of living God’s mission as The United Church of Canada steps into the future? What is core and essential, what touches the “heart” of the United Church? The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada

My answers= We are called to call people together, to make disciples of Jesus Christ, to grow in faith and understanding, to bless this world by sharing God's abundant blessings. We may or may not buildings to accomplish this, we may or may not need paid accountable ministers either. We will need theologians, both professional and lay who can speak to the emerging context.

2. What kind of leadership do we need in The United Church of Canada? How do we find and support the leaders we need?

We need leaders who teach the Bible, our tradition, theology, the practice of the faith, so people can be committed intentional Christians who live their faith in the world.  It is our task to relearn the language of faith, witness and evangelical invitation which is appropriate in this post-modern world. We need to learn the concepts of process/relational/emergent theology which can address the issues of today with a helpful vision of possibility. Commit to a new era of theological intentionality- no more 'anything goes'. Education, not administration is paramount. You don't need permission to be a Christian- you only need passion.

3. What opportunities and challenges face The United Church of Canada with a smaller membership and living in a changed and changing Canada?

We are stilled called to be partners in the Missio Dei. We are called to be witnesses to God's abundant grace which can bless everyone in this diverse country.

4. How do we keep opportunities for rebirth and new growth in a climate of reduced resources, and what responses emerge for you when you consider the impact of Mission and Service Fund givings over the past 30 years?

The M&S Fund is not the primary engine of innovation for our church. It is the imagination of the local congregation which is. The M&S Fund merely supports those congregations answer the call of the Spirit.

What wondrous things is God's Holy Spirit calling you to do today?

heh, you answered all 4!  You are definitely getting the A++ in the class.

Now if only JAmes had posted his answer before I had to preach yesterday.  That would have been helpful

ok, I am going to continue on with revjames..and move on to question 2 in this thread.

. What kind of leadership do we need in The United Church of Canada? How do we find and support the leaders we need?

I would concur that we need people of faith, who are passionate....to me that is a given...yet, that isn't all we need.

We need leaders who can look at the structures & methods  in the church and see which have been in place since 1925,or 1950 or even 1975, and can look at what is good at structures/methods available in 2000 and adept.

We need leaders who are trained in change management, including motivation / facilitation / conflict and communication so that when they address those items above, they can actually get them implemented

We need more than one leader in a church space...so that we can help people live into their calls

We need leaders who can reach into the community, who can help congregations get out of their own inward looking and look outwards

we need leaders in presbytery who can handle folks who are upset that their leaders are actually leading..and challenging, and things are changing

....gosh...seems obvious...so..what are the challenges..why is it such a struggle.  Have we got to a place where ministers have been beaten down in some cases..and new ones are warned "don't show your joy, don't show your passion".  where they are afriad to step out, for fear of a 360...and they are isolated in their ministry...or feel isolated.

and pinga, we need people in the pews who want the things you have mentioned - that's the catch.

well, wait, i am in the pew.....and so are others who have similair dreams.

When we discussed this at presbytery We basically said we need leaders that are

1.. trained ( lay and clergy)  must have energy with skills to collaborate the needs of all ages

2.. leaders that are revolutionary in thinking - be open to help offered.

Second part

1. We must start recruitment in the Schools of Theology

2. We need to reinforce to these students that there will be a support network in place. Ministers need support for youth and muisc ministry. Shouldn't be expected to do it all by themselves.

3. Theology schools need a program follow up with recently graduated students. What worked, what didn't?

4. Intership program should name goals to be completed. Need set compnnemts in the programs.

We need to move beyond being management and go for being leaders.

From people pleasers to people inspirers.

From playing it safe to being entrepeneurs.

From looking back to the good old days, to looking forward to what God is trying to do tomorrow.

From being pastoral counsellors to prophetic educators.

You won't be succesful in recruiting people into the ministry until the ministry is worth doing. Right now most clergy are telling people NOT to do it.

absolutely.

Let me say, as I head into the program, your list resonates well with me.

I met a young person recently who is a graduate of Emmanual College (our UCC seminary in Toronto) with a Master's of Divinity. Rather than go in to ordered ministry, this person is now thinking a career as a yoga instructor would be more spiritually meaningful. This is what the competition for our committed leaders looks like now.

RevJamesMurray gets at quite a bit of the things I believe are important.

I think that it is very important for the United Church of Canada to stop emphasizing its brand name, and rather, in a more ecumenical fashion call out people to become "the Church" universal [catholic] and to seek out the meaning of "the Lordship of Jesus Christ".  I think too often we are attempting to respond to our own death by denial - changing biblical words that make us uncomfortable rather than trying to get beneath the words and into the depths and complexities of the language of the Bible.  I'm sorry, this is the Wesleyan in me.

The real question, I think, however, is "Who in the Bible reminds us of the United Church of Canada in its current context?"

Realizing who we are biblically can ground us in a tradition that allies itself with insurrection by resurrection.

I'm particularly a fan of narrative theology and when I hear black preachers offer discourse, including MLK about their circumstances I always hear how their particular situation is really part of the unique story of Scripture - when MLK says, "I've been to the mountaintop" and tells us what he sees we know that the story of Moses is his story.  When Harriet Tubman is recalled as "the Black Moses" we are reminded that the enslaved African American people were the Israelites and that these predicaments we find ourselves in lead to a God who, as Jesus says, "brings good news to the poor, freedom to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and proclamation that this is God's year to ACT!"  (paraphrased from Luke 4:18-19)

thanks Kilnerad

After re-reading the Call to Purpose document, it makes some interesting assumptions. We describe our selves as a social justice church, which does community outreach and service. We describe our selves as a community of like minded spiritual people. Yet nowhere does it describe how we have a role to play in shaping such people. Where is the education of the young, the encouragement of adults, to teach what it means to seek justice, to be generous, to be compassionate. We are still in the mentalitiy that we live in a Christian culture which will teach all these things to people before they come through our doors. Where is the teaching, the invitation/evangelism, the discipleship training which is required to raise up such saints? Without this, we will be nothing more than a social service group for adult radicals. Social justice & outreach are the fruits of the spirit. They come second , growing out of the faith filled relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to make disciples first, before we are able to address issues of social justice.