Extended Cabinet meets to strategize and prepare for future

The Extended Cabinet of the Western North Carolina Conference met Monday, June 12^th in Huntersville with Craig Robertson of Spiritual Leadership, Inc. The extended cabinet has been meeting monthly since January working to align the various ministries of the conference, and create strategies for generating new congregations and disciple making systems. During each session, there is time for spiritual formation as a group.  The group shared a variety of “glory sightings” from across the conference of clergy and churches who are exhibiting the Good News of the Gospel.  In light of statistical data pertaining to WNCC churches from the past five years, discussed in last month’s meeting, a number of the stories centered on the work and ministry of small membership churches. This month, the extended cabinet discussed the book, The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals. This is typically a book for business leaders, so much of the discussion revolved around how it can be used in the spiritual/theological context of the Church. The group is beginning to formulate one or two major goals or “vital signs” that the conference will focus in the coming years that will make a difference in our overall vitality and witness.  Beyond that, every team and organization in the conference will be challenged to develop a narrow focus that will enhance the impact of their work. A significant portion of the day was spent on articulating our values as an Annual Conference which reinforced our commitment to the importance of collaboration of clergy and laity; the belief that every church, no matter location or size, can be missional and invitational; and finally, that we trust in our Wesleyan heritage to be a model for effective, spiritual discipleship.