Church Organization

In recalling my own history with our church, it has not been that long ago that I had no idea who or how the church operated. So to that end, I’d like to explain our governing structure here at St. Charles United Methodist Church (SCUMC).

Gwen Keller
Ministry Coordinator

Pastor

The Minister of our church is positioned here by the Louisiana Conference who appoints ministers to churches every spring for a year beginning in July. Annually, appointments are reviewed and decisions are made as to who will serve where, to best suit the make-up of all churches in the state of Louisiana. 

Nominations and Leadership Development Committee

All other jobs at the church are chosen at the church level by a committee of up to 9 people led by the pastor, better known as the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee.  

Lay Leader

The lay leader is responsible for communication between the local church and the community. He serves on the Church Council, Finance, Nominations and SPRC committees. Dave Lambert is the Lay Leader for 2019.

Lay Member to Annual Conference

The lay member of annual conference has a primary focus of linking the local church to the connectional United Methodist Church and God’s worldwide church. Our Lay Member is Pam Waguespack.

Church Council

Besides the Pastor, the Church Council is another dominant source of presence overseeing the operations of our church. This group of leaders guides and furthers the ministry of the congregation. They envision, plan, implement and annually evaluate our congregation’s ministry and mission. It has also been known as the Administrative Council and/or Council on Ministries. 

Committees/Teams

Committees that lead our church include a chairperson, appointed by the Nominations/ Leadership Committee, and groups of up to 9 members serving for a 1 to 3 year commitment.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is responsible for identifying, perfecting and managing the finance system for the congregation by raising, managing, and dispersing the finances of the mission and vision of the church. View the Resource pages for more information.

Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC)

The Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee duties include focusing on building strong relationships between the staff and the congregation, and between the congregation and the district superintendent (DS). 

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees supervises and maintains all property of our church.  View the Resource pages for more information.

Children's Council

Our Children’s Council oversees the ministries of children from nursery to 5th grade.  View the Resource pages for more information.

Outreach

The Outreach team invites all who are interested in sharing the love of our Lord Jesus through evangelism and communication. 

Worship

The Worship Committee’s members meet to ensure a worship experience.   View the Resource pages for more information.

Congregational Care

Our Congregational Care Committee, nurtures and cares for all who worship at St. Charles.  View the Resource pages for more information.

Missions

This committee’s charge is to inspire and excite people about God’s mission by creating awareness and educating our congregation and community about global as well as local missions. View the Missions and  Resource pages for more information.

Adult Education

Our adult education team ensures many classes are offered throughout the year with many opportunities to study scripture.

Other Groups and Organizations

Other committees who are represented at Council meetings include our Scouting Representative, Jamie Napolitan and Matthew 25:35 Food Pantry Director Mary Anne Schindler.

There are many others who serve our congregation in various capacities from running our stewardship campaign, to leading  prayer ministry, singing in our choir, performing in our praise band, tending to family ministries and caring for our congregation, teaching Sunday school, working the sound booth, and recording the history of our church. 

 

Whether it is participating  in an outreach program or manning a hospitality tent, contacting visitors, going door to door to place flyers, or  leading a Bible study in sharing your faith; we need you. All who have a heart for sharing the Gospel are welcome.

If you feel drawn to help with any of the areas of leadership in our church, be bold enough to ask. It is sometimes nice to be asked, but it also can be a responsibility to volunteer if you have the time and or talent to help shape the ministries of our church. Speak to Gwen Keller our Ministry Coordinator, and she will assist in finding an opportunity that's a good fit for your talents. 

So you are overwhelmed with life at this time. Your job takes you out of town; you just had twins and are up half the night, and can’t manage one more responsibility. There are two very important ways you can assist with our ministries. One is pray for various ministries and the people who lead them. Also, let those serving know how much you appreciate what they do to make us a church who is fulfilling the Great Commission as stated by the United Methodist Church, by making disciples for the transformation of the world.