FORMING A MINISTERS COUNCIL                                               MC295

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Ministers Councils exist in most of the Regions of the American Baptist Churches.  In a few Regions, the Ministers Council has been served by the Council of the surrounding state convention or Region.  In the past few years, some of those Regions have chosen to form their own Ministers Council:

• to meet more clearly the needs of their clergy,
• to be better represented within the ABC, and
• to strengthen the professional church leaders in their Region.

 

HOW IS A NEW MINISTERS COUNCIL FORMED/RECOGNIZED?

 

"A constituent Ministers Council may be recognized as a constituent council by the Ministers Council Senate when it:

1. is organized consistent with the Mission Statement, ByLaws and the purposes of this body.
2. is structured with at least a recognized President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Senator(s), and
3. agrees to collect dues (national and local), and submit reports to this body."

   The Ministers Council ByLaws, ARTICLE IV, Section 3

 

This is intentionally simple, so that each local Council will create the structure that is appropriate to their needs and local purpose.

 

The ByLaws of the Ministers Council define the purpose as being:

 

"To build up the Church of Jesus Christ by sustaining and improving the professional church leadership of the American Baptist Churches in the USA."

"To achieve this purpose this body shall:

1. establish and maintain professional and ethical standards of the Christian ministry'
2. give support to the members of this body and be an advocate for them in their professional associations;
3. interpret the appropriate roles of professional church leadership to the constituent parts of our denomination and to the local American Baptist churches;
4. encourage the recruitment and nurture of candidates for the various church vocations;
5. provide a means for expression and debate by members of this body on issues that affect the professional leadership of the American Baptist Churches in the USA;
6. cooperate with the appropriate units of the American Baptist Churches in the USA in matters of mutual interest and concern, including:  1) recruitment, 2) placement, 3) compensation, 4) continuing education, and 5) counseling."         

                       The Ministers Council ByLaws, ARTICLE III - PURPOSE

 

WHY FORM A MINISTERS COUNCIL?

 

There are two primary answers to this question, and several other minor ones.  The two primary reasons relate to the practice of professional ministry:

 

....the Ministers Council can be a help in strengthening, supporting and encouraging those in ministry in a particular area,

....the Ministers Council is the way in which professional church leaders can seek to have an impact on their denomination.

 

The local program of the Ministers Council is shaped by and for the clergy in that particular Region or area.  The Council is a vehicle by which the professional church leaders can take some control of their professional lives, moving towards growth, support, and encouragement.  While local clergy groups can meet these same needs, being a part of the Ministers Council makes some resources available and causes some issues to be raised which otherwise might be avoided.  Through the network of the Ministers Council, a local Council can find ideas and support from other colleagues in ministry around the ABC.

 

The Ministers Council is the recognized representative of those in professional leadership in the ABC.  When the denomination seeks the opinion of clergy, they turn to the Ministers Council.  In a denomination which has limited the role and impact of clergy, the Ministers Council is the most likely vehicle for increasing the impact of clergy within the ABC.

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