Local Administration

Pastoral oversight entails regular visits by presbytery/district to ensure United Church ministries and congregations periodically assess their religious life and overall health. According to The Manual, section 332(d),

Such visit will be undertaken in order to offer support, encouragement, and counsel, and thus to demonstrate and to exercise an aspect of the episcopal function of the Presbytery.

When presbytery/district initiates regular oversight visits, the visits offer a big-picture or external view so the congregation/ministry can evaluate its life and work against the impressions and feedback offered by the visitors.

Every United Church congregation is also encouraged to regularly conduct its own self-assessment. Key areas for review include:

• vision and purpose
• spiritual nurture
• community service
• staffing
• governance
• buildings
• money

While ministries will not want to address all of these topics at the same time, it is important to consider all of them at some time. This might happen during regular assessments organized by the congregation or when presbytery/district conducts its regular pastoral oversight visit.

Within any five-year period, a congregation is encouraged to have worked through a complete cycle of assessment concerning all the key areas indicated above. When, from time to time, some form of congregational ministry assessment or visioning process is conducted, these review processes should streamline the work required during changes in ministry leadership or before presbytery/district declares a vacancy.

Your Church Is Unique

This flyer [PDF: 2 pp/137 KB] highlights print resources your congregation can use to help explore questions that are relevant to your context and community, such as:

• How can we make our buildings welcoming?
• What are we doing to reduce our energy consumption?
• How can we increase givings?

Resources

Check the following additional resources and ministry assessment tools:

• Church Buildings
• Congregation Organization Handbook [PDF: 35 pp/297 KB]
• Ministries such as camps, seniors' residences, and chaplaincies: detailed policies and resources for the regular oversight of these ministries are available through the Administrative Standards page.
• Mission and ministry: see Congregational Renewal
• Money: see the information on asset-based stewardship and stewardship development