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The World Church Leadership Council met from December 5–11 at the Temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. The Leadership Council dedicated three days to quorum time. The council used the rest of the week for budget work, updates on finances, the identity document, and other council business.
Meetings focused on how to prioritize the budget for the next fiscal year. The WCLC does not set the budget, but it does give background for the Budget Planning Committee’s more-detailed work. This year, the Budget Planning Committee is the World Ministries Coordinating Team, a strategic group that has broad perspective because of its membership.
The World Ministries Coordinating Team takes the guidance of the Leadership Council and works with the overall budget. Then directors decide how best to use their section. This method is flexible to adjust to changes and opportunities, and it offers a framework to tie the church’s income to carrying out its mission. The goal is to align what the church says it is about and how it uses its people, money, time, and energy.
The council reviewed the last draft of the identity, mission, message, and beliefs document. The Presidency met during quorum time to make final changes. After going through translations and layout, the Presidency sent picture versions and text versions to all staff.
What is the best way forward? The church is dealing with change. Technology, funding from different sources of income, the cultures of the church, and church structure all have been through important changes in the last few years. The council discussed how best to keep mission in focus as we adapt.
The council reviewed the two main parts of our mission: holistic evangelism and signal communities of justice and peace. How will the overall work of the church support and connect those two parts? Those goals receive support from lifelong discipleship formation, leadership development, Disciples Generous Response, funding for mission, assignment of personnel, and everything else the church does. As leadership continues to work on the budget, discussion continues.
The Expanded World Church Leadership Council met last December. Part of its review of that experience was that it did not want to meet in the American Midwest in winter! Members would not have been surprised by the snow that fell during the council meetings. The next EWCLC will meet in April 2009.
—Andrew Shields reporting
World Church secretary
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