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Table of Contents

Appendix E

Adult Ministries Council

1. Why Have an Adult Ministries Council?

  • Many heads are better than one when planning ministries to adults: A council allows many people to share their unique ideas, previous experiences, and ways of working with the group. As council members discuss an issue, one idea often sparks another. The result? A more creative and effective ministry.
  • Many hands make the work lighter: A well-organized council shares the workload. Each council member takes primary responsibility for one or two aspects of ministry while helping with the total work. This way, the council accomplishes more without overworking any one person.
  • Using a council strengthens the coordination of ADM: When each ministry Coordinator functions separately, duplication usually results. This includes duplication of emphases, schedules, and work. When an ADM Council plans and works together, they can control or end these problems.

2. How Often Should the Council Meet?

The organizational meeting for the year should take place as soon as possible after the appointment of the new council.
Following this meeting, the council should plan to meet monthly to:

  • Refine and complete plans made in previous meetings
  • Discuss and develop new ideas
  • Work on long-range goals and objectives

3. What Should Happen in an ADM Council Meeting?
The ADM Coordinator chairs all meetings of the ADM Council. The Coordinator should prepare an agenda for each meeting and contact council members to learn what items they want to address. If possible, the agenda should be distributed before the meeting. All recommendations made by the council go to the NDI Board for final approval.

Select someone to record minutes from your council meetings. Keeping accurate notes and records is an important function of the council.

A typical Council meeting will deal with:

  • Prayer for the church, ministries, and one another
  • Assessing the adult needs of the church
  • Verifying the alignment of ADM activities and calendar with the Journey of Grace and the 5 core principles of NDI
  • Planning ways to communicate and equip all ADM workers/disciple makers for their assigned ministry
  • Preparing a budget and oversee disbursement of finances
  • Assigning ministry responsibilities
  • Evaluating ministry and activities.

NOTE:

  • For A Deeper Explanation of Typical Items of Business for Council Meetings please see Appendix B.
  • For A Sample Board Agenda please see Appendix C.