We Determine NCC's Future Together

Dear faithful church members and friends,

After our Transition Minister is chosen, we’ll have as our goals over the next year, and beyond

• to rebuild trust in the pastoral role where trust has been lost and 

• to move forward making important decisions together that will directly affect the future of the church. One of these decisions that we’ll work on together is developing a unified vision of the church’s mission and ministry. This vision most appropriately will relate to the demographics of the wider Laguna Beach community and our church’s immediate neighborhood.

All of us seek a level of comfort in church, and that level of comfort needs to be considered as we move ahead with plans for our transition time. Our wise and realistically developed plans will create a bright future. This means working toward a consensus that evolves out of sincere prayer and sincere intention to accommodate, when possible, the needs of all parishioners (not just our own personal comfort levels).

As one applicant for the Transition Minister position said, “We’ll need to listen, communicate, and have empathy,” and these are all things that are our loyal members know how to do.  Another applicant said to me recently, “Doing things the same way, creating the same results, is not much of a future.”

The bright future of the church is dependent upon our ability to work wisely and caringly together under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth and the Transition Minister. The search team is seeking a transitional leader who will, among other things, help us improve the way we work together and develop our skills in listening, communication, and empathy. We as lay leaders and parishioners have a very important role in creating our future together. 

 

The Transition Minister Search Team

Author of this post

Reverend Thomas Kugler Member "Thomas is a retired university teacher, chaplain, and parish minister. He has an ongoing practice in counseling and spiritual direction, and teaches qi gong and meditation."