If you’ve got to meet somewhere in the fall, it might as well be Denver!
Today, members of the Network’s Board of Directors are traveling to Denver, Colorado for their annual fall meeting. The vision, direction and policies of the Network are overseen by this Board. Seven individuals are called to serve in this role, and meet for prayer, discernment, visioning and policy setting three times a year.
The Network is an adventure. As both our culture and our change are changing, and as the needs of those who do ministry with those in the first third of life shift, a dynamic board is more essential than ever. We’ve all been to meetings of committees, boards or congregations where there is a certain level of…shall we say…micromanagement. As in “why did we spend $123 more in paper napkins for fellowship between services this year than last year?”
This isn’t that kind of Board. Yes, monitoring of our state and condition are important. And our board manages to have, but not focus its energy on these conversations, choosing instead to focus on asking good questions:
- Where is ministry with young people headed?
- Where is God calling this Network to go?
- What kind of support do adults who work with children and youth need?
- How do we create the infrastructure to move forward with this ministry?
- What should our goals for the next 1 year, 3 years and 5 years be?
The Network is blessed to have a good Board of Directors. They are gifted and passionate people. And at our meeting over the next three days, we are going to be working on (and hopefully coming close to completing) a new strategic plan, on thinking about the new Practice Discipleship Project, and on looking at strategies for growing our Network. Details of these items will come out in upcoming weeks and months.
Please pray for those who serve Christ and the Network through its Board of Directors. They will need your prayers as we delve into these important conversations.
Your Board members are:
- Julie Miller; Denver, Colorado
- Rev. Ben Morris; Detroit, Michigan
- Yvonne Steindal (AiM); Rapid City, South Dakota
- Valerie Taylor Samuel; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Erik Ullestad; West Des Moines, Iowa
- Rev. Larry Wagner; Thousand Oaks, California
- Rev. Mike Ward; Asheville, North Carolina
- Rev. Todd Buegler; Maple Grove, Minnesota (Network Exec. Dir/non-voting member)
- Mark Burkhart (AiM); Chicago, Illionois (ELCA Staff/non-voting member)
You can get more information about the Network’s board, including looking at minute of their meetings, by going to their web page.
Networked in Christ,
Todd
Network is a Verb 