SILVERWOOD MENNONITE CHURCH

SPIRITUAL GIFTS DISCERNMENT COMMITTEE (SGDC)

INTERIM APPROACHES FOR THE INITIAL SGDC WORK

03/22/07

For this year of transition to our new structure, the SGDC
needed to begin its work also in a transition phase.
The Committee was a member short until Leah Miller was
affirmed as Vice Chair of the Board and thus on the SGDC.
Also, the Committee’s full philosophy statement needs yet
to be developed. At the same time, the new pastoral team
that will later also have some influence is still being formed.

Our initial work of nominating people for the Board and
Commissions has thus included these approaches and understandings:

1. Due to the transition, and the urgency time-wise,
it was deemed necessary to begin our
work immediately, despite being a member short,
not having all members’ passions and gifts
discerned or known to us, and not having our
philosophy statement completed.

2. We are entering a new phase of congregational
life with a new structure and, we believe,
a somewhat different way of doing gift discernment.
Accordingly, we expect this will also be somewhat
symbolized by different persons in leadership and
Commission member roles, to include some persons
from younger generations in some of the leadership roles.

3. The transition, combined with our new structure,
provides significant flexibility to discern and use gifts
and passions, allowing for changes as we go along.
Since we are on a calendar year basis, with one year
terms, this first year will be short year for all commissions.

4. We consider much of the work of the Commissions
to be to oversee or coordinate ministry or service within
their area. Commissions will not do all the work themselves.
We recognize the dynamics may vary a bit between Commissions.

5. We consider the doing of ministry as priority.
Thus, in some situations the exercise of needed
ministry will take priority over serving on a Commission.

6. To the degree available and known, we have
tried to give priority to assessed and identified passions
and gifts in nominating persons for Board and Commission roles,
recognizing that some persons have appeared to
not have been very active in the congregation’s
transitional process. Also, some multi-gifted persons
could function well in several areas. In any case, we
will strive to balance these factors with perceived
congregational needs.

7. All SGDC members will agree on names of persons
yo become potential nominees for Board or Commission roles.

8. While we may strive for gender and age balance on
Commissions, it will not be an overriding factor just for its own sake.

9. We wish to respect where people are on their own
journeys and ministries. Some persons are already
serving and committed in areas of passion, gifts, or
particular needs. For others, the time may not be right
for involvement using their discerned or perceived gifts.

10. As much as possible, the discernment process
began with selection of Commission chairs with two
SGDC members meeting with prospective nominees.
Other prospective Commission members were contacted
by only one SDGC member due to time constraints.

11. The SGDC may allow temporary gaps on some
Commissions until being able to secure full membership
of persons committed to serve upon congregational affirmation. 

12. No SGDC member began this process with any
expectation of becoming a Commission member.
However, in looking at perceived needs of Commissions
in the context of the transition, and our own gifts and
passions, two members were encouraged and affirmed by
the rest of the Committee to be nominated for Commission membership.

13. While SGDC is presenting nominations for the
Commissions, we also recognize it is possible
that some persons serving on a Commission
could later be discerned for more active, direct
ministries under that Commission, or elsewhere,
requiring new nominations for that Commission,
or that a person could conceivably be serving
in some relationship with two Commissions.

14. We learn there are persons active in the
congregation who are not yet members and therefore
not eligible for Commission membership.  Thus,
we encourage membership which would open
additional opportunities for ministry for them,
thereby blessing the congregation as well. 

15. Our work has focused on adults as the youth
ministry has already been functioning in these areas.

16. Some of the tasks we will need to follow up
later, as able, and before the end of 2007, include:

      a. Continue to identify passion and gifts, we hope for all members.

      b. Identify for each Commission persons, passions and gifts appropriate
          for ministry within their area of oversight.

      c. Complete our philosophy statement.

      d. Participate in at least one training event, or its equivalent.

      e. Assist or train small group leaders and Commissions as needed

          for additional gift discernment.

      f. Identify persons for the 2008 structure in conjunction with the new
         Commissions and Pastoral team.

      g. Each Commission will be assigned a liaison person from the SGDC to 
          facilitate communication, feedback and any necessary processing
          during the year.