Notes on General Responibilities

1.      SUPPORT AND CARE:

• Be available for Circuit staff and seek help if need be
• Be sensitive to needs and situations
• Provide support rather than make inappropriate demands
• Be aware of special arrangements which are necessarily needed for World Church/American Interns
• Offer listening/supportive role to Minister/Lay Employees
• Be available if necessary to intercede between Minister/Lay Employees and local church
• Participate as appropriate in the Circuit Staff review process

2.     OFFER HELP TO INCOMING/OUTGOING MINISTER/LAY

         EMPLOYEE

• Prepare welcome pack
• Discuss welcome or farewell service with Superintendent
• Publicise events and arrival well in advance
• Make contact with sensitivity
• Consider particular circumstances with young families/retirement
• Make time for social contact

3.     CIRCUIT STEWARDSHIP: TEAM WORK

• Let each Circuit Steward work with one or a group of churches
• Try to attend services and events as well as Church Councils
• Let your role be known within the congregation
• Exchange information with other Circuit Stewards
• Allocate one Circuit Steward to work with one Minister/Lay Employee

4.     ATTEND MEETINGS

• Make an effort to attend Synod and any specially arranged District meetings
• Work with Superintendent/Leadership Team to make meetings more efficient and effective
• Ensure proper preparation for meetings
• Share with other Stewards attendance at meetings

1. CREATE A SENSE OF CIRCUIT COMMUNITY:
   • Organise Circuit Day for all churches to worship together
   • Circuit Fundraising/event/retreat/quiet day
   • Be present and make yourself known
   • Join Circuit review sessions

6.      THE WORK EXTENDS BEYOND THE CIRCUIT BOUNDARIES:

• Participate in area Circuit Steward meetings
• Keep abreast of Methodist Recorder and sister church publications
• Surf Methodist web site
• Keep informed of Synod, Conference and Connexion decisions/policies
• Ministers as well as Circuit Stewards have responsibility to disseminate information from District and Connexion
• Be aware of ‘other mother church’, if your Circuit has LEP churches

7.      ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY:

• The Circuit Meeting has overall responsibility
• Be aware of where to get advice on matters of: property, lay employment, safeguarding, finance, charity (see Handbook page 23)
• Ensure records of Circuit business are maintained and accessible
• Never be afraid to ask for guidance from District or another Circuit
• Keep an up-to-date Synod Directory at hand (see Handbook page 23)
• For any matter of discipline, confer with your friendly District Chair

8.     CIRCUIT VISION:

• Live by Kingdom Values
• Share spirituality
• Organise review/discussion/consultation/vision days
• Keep the work/mission/vision of the Circuit under constant review
• Be alert to changing patterns of ministry within the Methodist and wider Church
• Prayer

9.       PRACTICALITIES:

• Let one member of the team take responsibility for Circuit finances
• Let each Circuit manse have its own Manse Steward
• Let one member of the team take responsibility for co-ordinating all property matters (all manse and church building matters)
• Ensure you offer adequate support and information to your successor (possibly using this handbook as your transition checklist)
• Use CPD (see page 23)

(LEP)  :         Local Ecumenical Partnership

(CPD):         Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church

Quote: ‘I would have become a Circuit Steward sooner if I’d known it was possible to share the responsibilities around the team’