Update from the Leadership Development Task Force

Dear Trinity Church and friends,

 

Steamy summer greetings to you! We hope this note finds you and yours healthy and well and finding ways to stay connected during this unprecedented time. We’re writing to update you on an effort not related to the pandemic, but instead focused on the future of Trinity. You may remember that at the Parish Annual Meeting in early March, back when we were still gathered in our pews, Morgan announced the establishment of a yearlong Leadership Development Task Force charged with supporting the most impactful and healthiest possible portfolio of ministry at Trinity. We're pleased to say that our Task Force got to work in March and has been actively (albeit remotely) pursuing that charge ever since.

 

As so many Trinity parishioners know, our community is a treasure trove of talent, experiences, and unique perspectives. Yet, some of us have had a nagging feeling that there’s latent potential within our community – that we’re not fully tapping into this wealth of talent to more actively draw parishioners into ministry and deeper into relationship with one another and through one another, with God. Too often the entry points for parish leadership roles are not known, and the expectations for what it means to serve as a leader at Trinity can seem opaque. Intent on drawing more fully from this blessed pool of gifts and graces, we have sought to identify what obstacles prevent new leaders from presenting themselves for service or prevent new leaders’ acceptance of ministry invitations.

 

Toward that end, we've engaged in a few related activities over the past few months. First, in March and April we identified all the current opportunities for leadership at Trinity, whether through committees, ministries, or parishioner groups - over 60 in all - and we surveyed leaders from these ministries to help us develop an overall picture of the number and types of leadership opportunities at Trinity. Second, in May and June we conducted interviews with a smaller group of Trinity's ministry leaders and participants to learn more about the topics affecting the vibrancy and diversity of their ministries. Third, throughout July and August we've been interviewing a select group of innovative church leaders from across the country to gather ideas about ministry leadership and to draw inspiration about how we might engage a broader array of Trinity parishioners in leadership positions. We look forward to sharing what we've learned in a report that we'll present to the Vestry and the parish later this fall. We expect that our work will also be used to inform the Nominating Committee as it develops its slate of nominees. We'd be happy to answer any questions about our work to date and plans for the fall - and we hope you'll feel free to be in touch with us co-chairs via the email addresses below.

 

With blessings,

 

The Trinity Leadership Development Task Force

 

Barbara Dortch-Okara, co-chair - badokara1@verizon.net 

Jill Norton, co-chair - jill.souza.norton@gmail.com

Chris Allen

Kathryn Kempton Amaral

Grace Clark

David McFerrin

Geoff Smith

Pam Waterman