WHICH MINISTRY TEAM IS RIGHT FOR ME?


We all have different schedules and demands in different seasons of life. Thus, there are many different ways to serve as a leader within the RISE community. One important way is to serve on one of our Ministry Teams. Here’s some information to help you think about which might be the right fit for you in this season of life.

We use the metaphor of a mangrove ecosystem to talk about the different generations of leadership at RISE. When we refer to “mangroves” we are talking about established, deeply-rooted adults in our faith community who provide stability, support, and protection to the ecosystem. By “ecosystem,” we are referring to the emerging young adults (roughly college-aged persons) at the heart of our vision and mission.

RISE Core Leadership Team

This team casts the vision and makes significant decisions for the RISE community. It works to ensure that Ministry Focus Teams are communicating well and working in alignment. The Core Leadership Team will contain 8 to 12 people at any time and should contain equal numbers mangroves and ecosystem leaders OR more ecosystem folks than mangroves. (Ecosystem leaders should never be in the minority on this team).

Members of the Core Leadership Team:

  • Commit for the academic year

  • Should be actively engaged in RISE’s community life and attend worship on a regular basis

  • Meet every other week during the academic year for about two hours at a time (day, location and time TBD). Additional meetings and communications will be needed on occasion

  • Attend a leadership retreat each semester (these may be overnight or one-day retreats)

  • Will also serve on a Ministry Focus Team (to enhance communication and alignment within the community)

  • Will be paired in a mentoring relationship throughout their leadership journey. Each ecosystem leader will have a mangrove mentor, and the two will be expected to stay in regular contact.

  • Should expect to commit approximately 4-6 hours a week on average during the academic year (this includes time spent with Ministry Focus Teams, time with mentors, and other RISE obligations and gatherings).

RISE Ministry Focus Teams

These teams work alongside the Core Leadership Team to fulfill our mission to “mend God’s creation together” in specific ministry areas. Each Ministry Focus Team contains 4 to 8 people at any time.  If possible, Ministry Focus Teams should contain equal numbers of mangroves and ecosystem leaders OR a majority ecosystem leaders.

Members of Ministry Focus Teams:

  • Commit for the academic year

  • Should be actively engaged in RISE’s community life and attend worship on a regular basis

  • Meet regularly (approximately twice a month); the days and times will be established by each team.
    Additional meetings and communications may be needed on occasion to accomplish team goals

  • Will be paired in a mentoring relationship throughout their leadership journey. Each ecosystem leader will have a mangrove mentor, and the two will be expected to stay in regular contact.

  • Should expect to commit approximately 2-3 hours a week on average (this includes time with mentors and other RISE functions/events)

A Quick Overview of Ministry Focus Teams

Outreach

This team is often “on the go.” You’ll find them on campus and in the community quite a bit. Members of this team are motivated to connect with the “friends we haven’t met yet.” Let’s be honest - how are people supposed to know that we exist if we don’t get out there and tell them? Outreach Team seeks to equip and support others so they can make those initial connections. This team also handles RISE’s external communications and oversees our presence on all social media platforms.

Inreach (aka “Care Bears”)

This team is all about creating a community at RISE where people feel valued and cared for at a variety of RISE events. This team will host events that help folks feel more connected and cultivate a spirit of belonging. Care Bears also will respond to those experiencing crisis and hardship in their lives. This team oversees internal communications.

Service

This team has a particularly “hands on” and practical energy; some might also call it the “community service” team. It envisions and implements events that help us “mend God’s creation together” in smaller and larger ways. If you’re someone who loves to serve others (and/or you like to plan service events), this is the team for you! Examples of service team work might include: meal packing events, helping out at a local clothes closet, collecting and redistributing leftover food from the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, and much more.

Spiritual Formation/Worship

This team works to ensure that our community is growing spiritually. These leaders will plan worship experiences, retreats and small group experiences that offer spaces for theological exploration and growth. 

ONE MORE THING…

We also welcome college aged students to serve on the RISE Personnel and Finance teams. If you have a particular interest in finance, fundraising, or Human Resources, and you’d like to journey with either of those teams, let us know!

Now that you are familiar with what leadership at RISE entails, if you would like to begin the leadership calling process, there is just one more step to complete at this time. Click the button below to go to a brief response form that will initiate the process. Note that this is NOT a “you’re in or you’re out” kind of thing - we want to engage in shared discernment and encourage you to listen to your community, yourself, and the Spirit. 

Simply put, we’re asking you to fill this thing out so that we can help you figure out where you will experience the most fulfillment as a RISE leader. Folks tend to be a lot happier when they’re leading from their strengths and aren’t totally stressed all of the time!

After you complete and submit the form, someone from staff will reach out to schedule a time to listen, respond to questions, offer support as needed, and continue the discernment and calling process.