Presbytery Leadership & Committes

Presbytery Leadership & Committees

To understand how the organization of the Presbytery of Lake Michigan is set up, please visit the Presbytery Structure page. To learn about each of the teams or committees in depth, keep reading.

Role of Key Teams

Ministry work within the Presbytery of Lake Michigan involves lots of different tasks. Some of those tasks build relationships and some maintain facilities; some of those tasks help leaders develop skills and some help people within our communities. The new organizational structure delegates tasks to presbytery leaders working in four key areas.

The key teams and their focus include:

Leadership Team

Purpose of this Team

Leads the Presbytery of Lake Michigan.

Members of the Leadership Team

  • Presbytery Moderator
  • Presbytery Vice-Moderator
  • Immediate Past Moderator/LT Moderator
  • Member at Large
  • Member at Large
  • Member at Large
  • Transitional Co-Leader/Stated Clerk
  • Transitional Co-Leader
  • Nominating & Representation Representative
  • CST Facilitator
  • DST Facilitator
  • A & S Facilitator
  • M & O Facilitator
  • Budget & Finance Representative
  • Permanent Judicial Commission (Separate but part of the structure)

 

Areas of Oversight

  • Enables the congregations, teams, commissions, committee and groups within the Presbytery of Lake Michigan to maintain strong organizational foundations as they do Christ’s work. 
  • Strengthens churches by providing policy and procedure guidelines and assistance in the areas of budget and finance. 
  • Offers technology resource and support, enabling congregations to more productively manage administrative tasks and more effectively communicate through various methods including social media.

 

Contact this Team

Click below to contact the Leadership Team moderator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact Leadership Team Moderator

Congregational Support Team (CST)

Areas of Oversight

  • Responds to the needs of the 61 congregations within the Presbytery of Lake Michigan as they strive to be healthy and vital.  
  • Identifies and provides resources to congregations whether they are working to revitalize their ministries or taking care to maintain the health of the congregation. 
  • Facilitates communication between congregations and encourages congregational connection to the presbytery through Church Connectors. 
  • Supports the routine needs of churches through the Commission on Ministry (COM), the Mediation and Response Committees, and the Vital Worshiping Communities Committee. 
  • Includes the Mergers, Unions and Dissolution Administrative Commission. 
  • Serves congregations by through the Vital Congregation Initiative

 

Contact this Team

Click below to contact the Congregational Support Team Facilitator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact CST Facilitator

Dynamic Leaders Team (DLT)

Areas of Oversight

  • Partners with churches to provide opportunities for members and pastors alike to develop their leadership skills since strong, theologically prepared, spiritually mature and adaptable leaders are critical to the health and vitality of congregations. 
  • Encourages development of future congregational and presbytery leaders with a focus through the Youth Strategies Committee on the spiritual and theological needs of young people. 
  • Provides theological and spiritual training for leaders within our congregations through the Commission on Preparation for Ministry and the Leadership Development Committee.
  • Enables leaders to grow their skills through the Justice Ministries Group, the Presbytery Worship Committee and other groups that encourage communication and collaboration.

     

 

Contact this Team

Click below to contact the Dynamic Leaders Team Facilitator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact DLT Facilitator

Administration & Support Team (AST)

Areas of Oversight

  • Enables the congregations, teams, commissions, committee and groups within the Presbytery of Lake Michigan to maintain strong organizational foundations as they do Christ’s work. 
  • Strengthens churches by providing policy and procedure guidelines and assistance in the areas of budget and finance. 
  • Offers technology resource and support, enabling congregations to more productively manage administrative tasks and more effectively communicate through various methods including social media.

 

Contact this Team

Click below to contact the Administration & Support Team Facilitator if you have questions, comments or concerns. 

Contact AST Facilitator

Mission & Outreach Team (MOT)

Areas of Oversight

  • “In Christ, the Church participates in God’s mission for the transformation of creation and humanity by proclaiming to all people the good news of God’s love . . . Human beings have no higher goal in life than to glorify and enjoy God now and forever, living in covenant fellowship with God and participating in God’s mission” (F-1.01).
  • Supports worshipping communities as they answer God’s call to mission in their local communities and the world. 
  • Proclaims the Good News of Christ in word and deed by strengthening Global Partnerships in Ghana and Nicaragua, supporting Ministry Partners/Campus Ministries, and caring for others through the Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
  • Nurtures New Worshipping Communities as God calls the faithful together as particular bodies of Christ. 

 

Contact this Team

Click below to contact the Mission & Outreach Team Facilitator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact MOT Facilitator

Budget & Finance Committee (B&F)

Purpose of this Team

This committee oversees the finances and budget for the Presbytery of Lake Michigan. They make decisions and recommendations for the Presbytery. Then the Presbytery votes at the Stated Meeting.

 

Contact this Committee

Click below to contact the Budget & Finance Moderator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact B&F Moderator

Commission on Ministry (COM)

Purpose of this Team

This commission work to develop and maintain mechanisms and processes to serve as pastor counselor to teaching elders, ruling elders commissioned to pastoral service, and certified Christian educators of the presbytery; to facilitate the relations between the presbytery and its congregations, teaching elders, ruling elders commissioned to pastoral service, and certified Christian educators; and to settle difficulties on behalf of the presbytery where possible and expedient.

 

Contact this Committee

Click below to please contact the Commission on Ministry Moderator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact COM Moderator

Nominating & Representation Committee (N&R)

Purpose of this Team

This committee finds people who are best suited for roles of teams and committee that needs to be filled. The roles on the committee and teams usually are in 1-3 years cycle so this committee ensures that that they are staffed. 

 

Contact this Committee

Click below to please contact the Nominating & Representation Commission Moderator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact N&R Moderator

Commission on the Preparation for Ministry (CPM)

Purpose of this Team

This committee is responsible for guiding members who are discerning the call to ministry and help them through the process to be ordained as Teaching Elders (aka Pastor or minister of Word & Sacrament.

Areas of Oversight

  • Prayerfully discern on helping members of the Presbytery discern their call to ministry
  • Build relationships with sessions and seminaries that support and train inquirers and candidates
  • Direct those under the care of the Presbytery to fulfill their educational, psychological, and theological requirements
  • They make recommendations before the Presbytery at Stated Meeting for those who are under care of the Presbytery for each step along the process: inquirer, candidate, certified ready for call and/or ordination.

 

Contact this Committee

Click below to please contact the Commission on the Preparation for Ministry Moderator if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Contact CPM Moderator

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Next Stated Meetings

The next regular Stated Meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9, 2024, and will be hosted by First Presbyterian Church of Kalamazoo.

 Visit the Presbytery Meetings page of this website and watch the eDIGEST for updated information about how to register for the meeting and where to find the presbytery packet. Decisions about whether to gather in-person or online will be made closer to the meeting date.

The Presbytery of Lake Michigan, 1511 Helen Avenue, Portage, MI 49002 | Copyrighted © 2022