Presbytery Long Range Planning Task Force

This past Tuesday evening I participated in the first meeting of our Presbytery’s Long-Range Planning Task Force. This Task Force was appointed by the Presbytery Council.

When I started as the Organizing Pastor of Chain of Lakes Church I told myself I wouldn’t participate on any Presbytery committees for three years—I believed and still believe that dedicating my life to starting a Presbyterian Church constitutes sufficient Presbytery work. However I decided to participate on this group because I believe some changes need to happen in the Presbytery. I wrote about a few of the changes that need to happen in a post dated January 11.

Besides me, the people participating on this Task Force are Carol Anderson, Julia Carlson, Jerry Ganfield, Phil Gebben-Green, Jin Kim, Andy Lindahl, Karen Morey, Phil Park, Jo Rinnggenberg, Kara Root, Chaz Ruark, Ward Sessing, and Joann Simser.

Our team is being led by Karen Morey of Results Coaching, resultscoaching.us. She is taking us through a planning process called Best Year Yet. When Chaz Ruark served as the Interim Executive for Missouri River Valley Presbytery he worked with Results Coaching when that Presbytery did some long-range planning.

For part of the meeting on Tuesday we were asked to talk about our dreams for the Presbytery. Each of us was asked the question “If we were meeting in 2014 to celebrate an amazing 3-year journey, what would the headlines be?”

I shared four responses to the question. I said that:
• We are committed to each other as people and followers of Jesus and this commitment is more important than our own views on theology, ideology, bureaucracy and polity
• We have a new name.
I made the perhaps overly strident remark that the name of our Presbytery, Twin Cities Area, is pathetic. In retrospect I wish I hadn’t used that adjective. Our name isn't pathetic, but it needs to be changed. When I preached at Chaz Ruark’s installation at the Presbytery meeting in November 2008 I suggested the name I would like, Hope Presbytery.
• That we are developing and re-developing new faith communities
• We have a set of values that bind us together

Our next meeting will be a day and a half retreat in June.

One of our assignments for the retreat is to respond to the question, “What did we [the Presbytery of Twin Cities Area] accomplish in the past year?” We were told that we can ask that question of anyone we want. So I am asking you, this blog reader, to respond to this question.

This is your opportunity to help shape the direction of our Presbytery. Please share your response in the comments section of this blog. I will bring all responses to the Retreat.