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New members join ministry team |
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When people join Trinity Lutheran Church, Pell Lake, they don't just become new members, they join the congregation's ministry team. The Rev. Brian Metke, pastor of Trinity, says that expecting all members to be involved in a ministry is part of the congregation's focus on the priesthood of all believers. "My job as pastor is to equip the saints, empower the saints," he says. New members become involved in a ministry through a very intentional process, which includes an interview with Trinity's ministry coordinator, Edith Draper. Before the actual interview, Draper presents new member classes with a "spiritual gifts" survey. Prospective members also do a personality inventory and list their hobbies. During the interview process, Draper helps each individual look closely at their top three spiritual gifts. "She reminds them that whatever ministry they work out together, it is something they already really enjoy," Metke said. "When they leave the meeting with her, they're really up." Metke says that helping people get into the right ministry for them helps avoid burn-out. "People get frustrated if they don't have the right gifts for a ministry," he says. Once a new member is involved in a ministry at Trinity, they're not forgotten. Draper meets with each new member after six months to see if the ministry is the right fit. Thank-you cards are also sent. While all new members who have joined Trinity in the past year are involved in a ministry through the new member process, just about half of the old members have a ministry. "Everybody will eventually be on board with this within two years," Metke says. Metke also hopes that in two years the ministry coordinator position will be full-time. Currently, it's a half-time, volunteer position. "My goal is in the year 2000 we'll hire her half-time," he says. "In two years it would become a full-time position." While church growth at Trinity is prompting some talk of hiring a second pastor, Metke says, "I would rather have a full-time ministry coordinator. This is the key position to the future of our church," he says. To learn more about Trinity's ministry coordinator, contact Draper at (414) 279-3052. |
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