The Committee's initial work was to become familiar with the history of the Presbytery and, then, to look at the Presbytery and its member congregations as they are today. Having examined the challenges and opportunities to be addressed by the Presbytery and its member congregations, the Committee concluded that the priority of the Presbytery must be strengthening and supporting congregations. As we move forward, the Presbytery will develop and provide resources to the congregations and foster the development and redevelopment of congregations as its primary focus.

The Committee engaged in listening - in meetings with congregational leaders and round table discussions at a Presbytery meeting. From these exercises emerged several primary considerations.

The clearest advice focused on the need for more and better communication between the Presbytery and the congregations, and from congregation to congregation. Both clergy and lay persons spoke of the need for the Presbytery to be "in" the local churches, visiting, helping, teaching, learning about needs, and keeping members apprised of the activities of both Presbytery and congregations. Quadrant meetings and linking churches together for a variety of activities received many nods of approval.

What do the comments say about staffing? Should the Presbytery's executive staff person be considered a "broker?" A broker connects people with resources. There were advocates for a set of staff members, all part time, combining their Presbytery work with congregational employment.

What if the Presbytery did away with all committees except those mandated by the Book of Order? Could we find ways to nurture each other, each of us using his/her special gifts? How can the Presbytery celebrate its strengths, the strengths of its people? Perhaps the committees of Presbytery should mimic the committees that work in the congregations, e.g., Mission, Christian Education, Stewardship.

Facing the church -- and, more particularly, the congregations of Lehigh Presbytery -- is the need to change, to adapt to the modern paradigm. Attendance, membership, and financial support are headed downward. The demands of a fast-paced, dynamic, and, at times, frenetic culture take the place of commitments to church that characterized an earlier generation of Americans.

Alan C. Klaas, in "A Fork in the Road: Emerging Trends in Judicatory Operations," states the following good advice. "There is no such thing as 'tweaking' the existing systems to help them function more effectively. Stopping the slow, downward spiral means a new direction, newparadigms, and renewed focus in these different times. Those standing at the `fork' are thankful to those who have gone before and now can show the way."

This proposal does not answer all of the questions that arose from listening to the congregations and the commissioners to Presbytery. Rather, the Committee asserts that the Presbytery is in transformation, as are many, if not most, of its congregations. Transformation takes time and energy. The Committee proposes that the process be continued with a new structure and staffing model that will enable further transformation to take place.

In "Finding the Path in the Wilderness: Middle Judicatory Case Studies and Learnings" Gil Rendle of The Alban Institute provided keen insights that assisted in the development of this proposal. As the Presbytery considers this proposal, the Committee encourages " reshaping our thinking and assumptions [to] enable us to design and align our efforts of ministry in new, powerful, and creative ways -- even when we find old practices that we can appropriately include and continue."

The Committee on Future Structure and Staffing

Mission - Vision - Core Values

As the work of the Committee on Future Structure and Staffing progressed, the Committee recognized the need to articulate again the vision and the mission for the Presbytery. This proposal is shaped by a vision for strengthening and supporting congregations in response to God’s call, and by a mission that sets forth these priorities under a new structure.

At the same time, the Committee discerned the following core values as guidance for the work of the Presbytery in the future.

Lehigh Presbytery is called by God to nurture its congregations as they grow in every way into communities whose head is Jesus Christ, so that they will go out to make disciples, baptizing and teaching in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to witness, through their actions, to the love of God (cf. Ephesians 4:15 and Matthew 28:18-21).

The focus of Lehigh Presbytery is to nurture its member congregations. To that end, the Presbytery will

• gather as communities for worship, spiritual renewal, and Christian fellowship;
• focus the energies of its staff and lay leadership on congregational transformation and leader development;
• participate actively in ministries and mission that seek to make disciples for Jesus Christ, to address the needs of all God's children, and to show God's love in mission.

Core values guide our decisions, relationships, and activities as a community of faith. The Presbytery recognizes the following commitments to action as core values:

• develop effective communication;
• affirm partnership/collaboration;
• nurture mutual trust;
• pursue openness to new ideas and initiatives;
• encourage each other in risk-taking/boldness; and
• challenge individuals to discover their gifts.