The Parish Leadership Team is this parish’s version of what most parish term Parish Council. In our context it is the main governance body of the church. It provides sound leadership and decision making for the parish in matters of ministry and the administration of it. The Parish Leadership Team (PLT) works to manage all affairs of the church and gives direction and leadership to the congregation. The PLT in harmony with the Parish Administration Team (The Rector and Wardens) work hard to plan for all spiritual and stewardship needs of the parish. PLT members are half elected and half appointed at an annual congregational meeting called the Vestry meeting that takes place every January. In our parish the Captain of The Parish Leadership Team PLT is our rector.

Members meet monthly on the second Tuesday. PLT members are in most cases are Captains of a Ministry Team in the parish or are their ministry team’s representative to the PLT. There are currently 12 Ministry Teams in this Parish. You can see what they are by viewing the Chart on this page.  There are others members of the PLT that are not currently members of a specific ministry team but offer their gifts to the wider body itself. In November we moved toward this NEW model of parish leadership to more accurately reflect how ministry works at St. Mark’s by-the-Lake. Through the work of the Markus Committee in 2006 it became clear that we have a good number of strong ministry teams that work to make ministry happen and who all strive to maximize the potential of “the priesthood of all believers.” – all parish members. This model of church governance is different that the models prepared for us by Diocesan Canons but does accomplish our Diocesan requirements. In this model the PLT is a place where information can be freely exchanged between ministry teams. PLT meetings are an opportunity to move information from lay ministry to lay ministry. Under this new model meetings are no longer a simple downward dissemination of information from Rector and Wardens to Parish Council members. It is the hope of The Parish Administration Team that this new model will provide a better monthly snapshot of the diversity of discipleship that this active in this church. This became important as we identified a shift in size of this parish. It is clear that we need to maximize every opportunity to communicate. This model which was designed by our rector in consultation with the wardens, allows for that communication. The challenges of being church in the 21^st century are great. It is the belief of the rector and wardens that we have all the tools necessary to meet those challenges. This governance model is an acknowledgement that we are a community that no longer finds 1955 top-down church management effective.   

This parish has a strong and dynamic group of spirited leaders who constitute the PLT. In this setting they have built interpersonal relationships and they are eager to build the Kingdom of God using this parish as a tool in that construction. Our PLT is loaded with people who use their gifts to benefit the whole congregation.