Jan King & Stan Dueck

Jan King, Coordinator Martinsburg, PA 888-411-4275 toll free 814-793-0024 (or -0031) office jking_gb@brethren.org

Stan Dueck Denver, PA. 717-335-3226 office & fax sdueck_gb@brethren.org

Janice King , the full time coordinator for Area One has been employed by the General Board since January 1, 1998 and resides in Martinsburg, PA. An ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, Jan has a BS in Social Work and Gerontology from Juniata College and has completed work with Oasis Ministries as a Spiritual Director. Jan served the Church of the Brethren for 17 years in a variety of capacities, including Associate District Executive for youth and nurture and as a chaplain/pastor prior to her current position. Jan serves as liaison staff to the Association for the Arts in the Church of the Brethren and is actively involved in development and production of Growing Faithful Disciples, a two year discipleship process for congregations in addition to consulting and resourcing congregations. Jan is available to lead spiritual retreats and women's gatherings.

Stanley Dueck is full time CLT staff, effective January 1, 2000. Stan lives near Lancaster PA. He comes out of Mennonite roots and maintains a strong sense of the Anabaptist perspective with practical ideas on the needs in ministry for the 21st Century. Ordained in the Church of the Brethren, he has eight years of service in congregational ministries. Stan also brings experience from the field of real estate finance and management. He has been active in community ecumenical and interfaith ministries.

If you think that our Area Team might be helpful to your congregational life and ministry please contact us.

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References you can use

“In our wordy world we usually spend our time together talking. It is through a very active verbal exchange that we try to discover each other.

The discipline of community helps us to be silent together. This disciplined silence is not an embarrassing silence, but a silence in which together we pay attention to the Lord who calls us together. It is often the words of Scripture that can lead us into this communal silence.”

1. It can’t be ACCOMPLISHED in a one day retreat!
   
   
2. Board and/or Visioning committee needs to develop a process for input by all members of the congregation. Each person needs to feel some ownership in the finished statement.
   
   
3. In order to know where you’re going, you need to understand where you have been. It is good to develop a time line of your congregation and recall history and stories together of where the congregation has been. Through that story line, it is possible to see patterns and strengths of the congregation, historically. Build on those strengths.
   
   
4. To get to where you’re going, it’s important to identify your core values and beliefs. This process involves the congregation in naming the values and beliefs that have shaped the congregation and continue to be held in high esteem. From these values and beliefs, your future ministry is shaped.
   
   
5. It’s necessary to understand your limitations. Does the size of the building, the parking, the available volunteer corp, etc. affect your future ministry? Are there ways of overcoming obstacles? Are there some limitations you need to work around? Are they/will they, stand in your way? Be realistic with your needs/goals/plans.
   
   
6. A mission statement should be short and a statement people will remember. It should be included with all printed material from the church as a means of identification. Each Commission and committee should set the mission statement before them in all the work that they do throughout the year. The mission statement should help shape the real ministry of the congregation.
   
   
7. While the mission statement should be easy to remember, the goals and objectives of the mission statement will be more detailed. From the mission statement, goals are set by the leadership groups within the congregation.
   
   
8. Design a process for your congregation to collect lots of information before designing a mission statement. The goal is not to “write” a mission statement, but rather, to discern God’s will for your congregation at this time in history.
   
   
9. Design the process to be fun along the way! If it is done well, everyone will understand what is happening, each member will have opportunity for input and those who are word smiths will eventually get to craft the statement. That mission statement then, needs the endorsement of the Board and the blessing of the congregation. Use creative ways to involve the congregation in the process so that it is owned by all.