Leadership Board
Servant Leaders in Action.
Meet The Leadership Board
We are grateful for the dedicated individuals who serve on our Leadership Board, guiding our church with wisdom, faith, and a commitment to our mission. Each member brings unique gifts and perspectives as we seek to fulfill God’s call in our community.
Our board operates on a rotating schedule, with members serving in designated “classes.” This structure ensures continuity while allowing new voices to join in leadership. Click the link below to learn more about our current board members:
Guiding Principles
The Leadership Board for Chelsea First has unanimously approved the “guiding principles” that will broadly guide how the church will operate as it moves closer to full implementation of the simplified accountable structure adopted in in 2024.
The guiding principles say, in part that Chelsea First is a “vibrant, intentionally inclusive, justice-seeking faith congregation.”
The guiding principles are the permission-giving policies, procedures and practices that protect and allow the ministry of the church to function on a day-to-day basis within healthy boundaries. They outline areas of responsibility for the Leadership Board as well as key areas of local church operations.
Adopting the guiding principles by May was one of the initial, first year goals established by the Leadership Board under the streamlined simplified accountable structure for church operations.
The document, approved at the board’s May 13 meeting, can be read in full by clicking the link below.
If you are interested in serving, have a question or comment, we’d love to hear from you!
If you are unsure of how or where you would like to serve, you are invited to fill out the “Gifts Inventory”. The Gifts Inventory can reveal skills and talents you’d like to share or explore with the church family. It will also let leaders know the ways that you want to engage and volunteer.
Leadership Board Information
The next regular meeting of the Leadership Board will be October 14 @ 6:30-8 pm in Room 207. Meetings are open to the public.
The Chelsea First Leadership Board held its monthly meeting on September 9th during this initial year of using the simplified accountable structure of church governance that was adopted in January. Building on the success of the recent Town Hall meeting, the board reviewed feedback and discussion points from the breakout sessions.
“We established and shared the goals for the coming year during the town hall,” said Mike Vanderspool, chair of the Leadership board: creating a culture of hospitality, encouraging church members to pursue their own faith journeys and taking a deeper dive into the demographics of the congregation and the surrounding community to better inform future initiatives. “With additional feedback from the congregation at the town hall, we made progress during September’s meeting to establish ways to measure success, build accountability, and encourage adoption from the church audience.”
Chelsea First
Our church culture
Chelsea First United Methodist Church (Chelsea First) is a Christ-centered congregation with a positive, open, and engaging spirit. We are a church for everyone, at all seasons of life, and bring a grounded, engaged, and supportive approach to Christian worship while working passionately toward making a positive impact in our community.
© 2025 Chelsea First UMC
CONTACT US
Chelsea First UMC
128 Park St., Chelsea, MI 48118
📞 (734) 475-8119
✉️ info@chelseaumc.org
📍 Get Directions
STAY CONNECTED
Follow us on: