The Transitional Task Force (TTF) would like to welcome you to our new online meeting space! We wanted to create a space to discuss ideas, changes, and motions coming before the Presbytery. This blog will be maintained by the TTF and discussions will be managed by a variety of people, depending on the reason for the discussion.
For this, our first blog post, we want share some specifics about the transitional work that is ahead of us. For the next six months, the TTF will focus our energy and attention on building a culture of trust by:
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Presenting a clear structure for the Presbytery
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Crafting a model for Presbytery meetings
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Engaging the community in mission
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Creating a communication plan
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Developing relationships with specialized ministers
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Partnering with our seminaries
We realize these six areas are fairly comprehensive and we have identified several specifics tasks toward accomplishing this work. Now, we want to hear from you. What do you think about these six areas? What area is most interesting to you and why? How would you pray for these focus areas? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
And before we sign off – our moderator, David Hallgren has reconstituted the former Leadership Transition Team to be a search committee for our nex Executive Director. Please say a prayer for their work!
In just a few days, we will celebrate the coming of Jesus to live and love in our world. Might we trust that God continues to live and love in our world today through our work and worship together. Merry Christmas!
Presbytery of New Brunswick BLOG 
TTF, Thanks for creating this blog. Open communication will be a boon to NB Presbytery.
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Wonderful! Merry Christmas!
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Thank you for allowing us to hear and communicate from and with this important Team. Have a wonderful Christmas and look forward to a terrific 2016.
Doodie Meyer
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Thanks. Merry Christmas!
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if one looks at the methodology and structure of how Presbytery meetings have historically been organized I think the single word to describe it would be ossification. Both in terms of investment, buy-in from the churches and to an extent commitment from TE/RE to support such. The current structure and paradigm needs to be broken and reconstructed from the bottom up. Some suggestions.
-Break the 5PM-10PM meeting structure. Move it to either Saturdays AM or weekdays, have an AM and afternoon meeting times as well.
-Given the size of the Presbytery and getting smaller in the future, one should have no more than 3 or 4 “business” meetings a year, if that. Presbytery should be deconstructed to regional or local association or fellowship groups where the bulk of the work of the Presbytery should occur. if Presbytery is about relationships or quality of, that is non-existent to most TE/RE today.
– Seek economies of scale. Merge mission and cooperative programs to a more regional footprint with other Presbyteries.
– Ask the question. What value is the PNB or what value added does it bring to the table. And if the answer is neither cost effective or efficient, then the prognosis is rather poor in my opinion.
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Hi Peter, thanks so much for your comment. I think your thoughts of very much those of the TTf, particularly those who have served us for the past year. They’ve been swimming in all of the suggestions you’ve mentioned. You can definitely expect to see us trying new times in the near future. And we are really excited about some new models of doing business, a fairly large change to how the meetings are structured. And the “economies of change” I think you’ll see already in motion as so much of the typical committees have simply gone away. We are at a place of building something new not rebuilding something old.
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With respect, I’d use caution in thinking about weekday meetings. It is hard for ruling elders who are still in the workforce to attend weekday meetings and for families with children living at home to attend Saturday morning meetings. It would be similar to asking teaching elders to come to Saturday supper-and-evening meetings. As a retiree whose children have been living elsewhere for 20 years, I can meet just about any time, but surely we want younger ruling elders to be a source of growing energy in the presbytery. What about a Sunday afternoon meeting culminating in dinner? We could all participate in worship together on the Sabbath!
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Thanks for keeping the conversation going. The task force did a survey recently about the time for meetings. There was good response and the feedback will be helpful in moving forward. Many would like us to consider Saturday meetings. I don’t believe a weekday would be in the best interest of our ruling elders though. You’re right there.
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