Cluster Meetings

Our Mission Design calls for the Clusters to meet at least twice a year. I know that the Ministers and Commissioned Lay Pastors in all the Clusters are now meeting at least on a semi-regular basis, and some are meeting very regularly. I, for one, don't want that to change. But what we are hoping for in the new Mission Design is for closer connections between the churches. The Cluster meetings we are calling for will be for all members of the churches in each Cluster.

Why should we meet in this way when we already have so many meetings? Here's why:

1.To meet people from the other churches in the cluster so we can have a sense of who else is in our area
2.To celebrate what is going well in our churches
3.To share difficulties we are having right now
4.To encourage each other
5.To explore how we might work together
6.To worship together

As you think about it, you may come up with more and better reasons. When you do get together, here is a suggested agenda. You will need someone to host the meeting: call people together at the appointed time, welcome them, start off the process, and bring the discussion to a close at the appointed time. I suggest that a meeting like this should take no more than 90 minutes, and that the ending time should be stated in the invitation.

1.Gather
1.Have food available as people come in. Nothing brings people together quite like eating.
2.Have name tags. Consider color-coding the tags so that people can be identified by churches
2.Open with prayer
3.Introductions; use some kind of get-acquainted activity.
4.Go around the room; each representative share one thing that they are excited about in their church. It's OK to pass, but be prepared to come back to those who pass, as someone else's sharing may trigger an idea.
5.Go around the room again; each representative share one thing they are concerned about in their church
6.Open the floor up to general discussion: how can we encourage each other? Are there things we could do together?
7.Set a place and time for the next Cluster meeting. Possibly recruit a planning team of no more than three or four people to come up with a theme and agenda for that meeting.
8.Close with a short worship service of Scripture, prayer, and singing. This is important; too often our “meeting prayers” are short and perfunctory. It's essential for us to take time to worship together.

Feel free to adapt this agenda to your own needs. For example, you may have a specific project that your Cluster is interested in and you may want to take time to present that and get feedback.

One more thing: an agenda is a servant, not a master. When we invite the Holy Spirit in, we don't always know in advance where that Spirit will take us. Be open! God is doing new things in the Presbytery of Prospect Hill, and we have a great opportunity to be part of them.

Richard Francis, Moderator, Mission Coordinating Team