Guidelines for selecting a Congregational Mission Study Team

Who Does a Congregation’s Mission Study?
A mission study is vital to a congregation’s future, and should be done by a select group of members of the congregation with diverse experiences and skills appointed by the Session.

The Session may:

• Appoint itself to do this study (not ordinarily recommended)
• Appoint an already existing group, such as a strategic planning committee
• Appoint a Mission Study Team specifically for the purpose of gathering data and leading the congregation in its mission study process

Makeup of the Mission Study Team

In appointing members of the Mission Study Team, the Session should ordinarily consider:

• A team of three to five members
• Balanced in gender
• Representative of all ages in the congregation, including youth
• One member from the Session and one from the Diaconate

The following criteria should be considered for those asked to serve in this important task:

• A person with competency in English composition (a wordsmith)
• A person skilled at using computers and graphics
• A person comfortable with statistical analysis
• Persons with a sense of interplay between past, present and future
• Persons actively involved in worship and ministry
• Persons who are long time and more recent members
• Persons who are visionaries

Note: Grace Presbytery maintains an accout with MissionInsite, a robust demographic analysis platform, to aid in your congregation’s development of the mission study. To obtain a login, please contact presbytery staff.

Staff Contacts

Joanna Kim, Director of Ministry Services
Tammy Stepka, Coordinator of Office & Ministry

If your congregation is interested in selling, mortgaging, leasing, entering into an oil or gas lease on, or otherwise encumbering the real property of your church, a request needs to be made to the Board of Trustees to comply with requirements in the Book of Order (G-8.0500, G-8.0701, G-11.0103, sections i, j, y).

The Board of Trustees acts on behalf of Grace Presbytery on routine property matters and reports them to the presbytery body at stated meetings. The sale of real property used for the purpose of worship requires the vote of the body of Grace Presbytery itself, but is funneled to the presbytery meeting through the trustees.

The Board of Trustees meets throughout the year as there are requests to be considered. Detailed information on the meeting schedule and requirements can be found in their manual.

Note: The Book of Order and manual are located in the Document Library.

For further information, or to submit a request, please begin by contacting:

Karen Ebling
Director, Property Management
214.393.5620

The Jubilee Loan Program is a limited loan resource that Grace Presbytery makes available to congregations and new church developments for non-programmatic capital expenditures that are outside of usual one-year budget cycles. Ordinarily, such loans are made only when other loan sources are not available.

Jubilee Loans are considered for repairs, new or replacement equipment, small renovations, such as providing handicap access or meeting building codes, repairing parking lots or a variety of other unexpected expenses.

To apply for the loan the church needs to make a request through its Clerk of Session to the Board of Trustees directly.

All Jubilee loans are subject to approval by the board, upon compliance with general, small loan requirements. Loans to existing congregations must first be approved by the Committee on Ministry; loans to new church developments must first be approved by the Church Development Committee.

Jubilee loans meet the following criteria:

• The aggregate principal amount of such loans outstanding at any one time shall not exceed $100,000
• Each loan must be repayable in equal monthly installments over 10 years at 5% interest
• The loan documents shall contain covenants requiring the congregation to provide the Presbytery with financial information at least annually, and evidence of insurance coverage
• The loan documents shall contain a covenant that any Jubilee Loan shall be repayable in full if the congregation dissolves or becomes a member of any other denomination than the PC(USA)
• A copy of the action of the Session of the borrowing congregation authorizing the loan shall be provided to Grace Presbytery at the time the loan is requested

Requests from a congregation or new church development for approval of a Jubilee loan are to be accompanied by written information from which the board may reasonably conclude that the congregation/new church development demonstrates, both historically and prospectively, a significant commitment to the life, mission, and ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and recognizes and appreciates the unique connectional relationship that exists among individual congregations and more inclusive councils of the church.

For further information about the Jubilee Loan program, including the application process, contact:

Rev Christopher Lee
Executive Presbyter

Emergency Assistance Grants

Purpose – To assist congregations with severe property damage due to unexpected events such as, but not limited to flooding, wind, and fire.

Maximum Grant Amount – Varies based on need up to a maximum of $5,000.

Restrictions on Use – The grant will not to be used to pay for the repair of a pre-existing building concern.

Endorsement Required – Grant applications shall be endorsed by the Session of the church applying for the grant.

Grant Application

Grant Processing

Questions? Contact, Jim Reinarz at jpreinarz@att.net