Potential Benefits and Difficulties

Potential Benefits:

Enables a small congregation to maintain worship, pastoral care and Christian witness in a situation where closure may have been seen as the only option.
Helps people get a fresh flexible vision for worship and mission in the community.
Develops people’s faith and leadership gifts.
Engages people in the life of their church and community.
Works well in both ecumenical and Presbyterian situations.
Draws on the experience of other churches.
Frees up congregational finances for mission.
Provides a strong foundation for growth.

LMT members may overwork themselves instead of facilitating the gifts of others.
The time taken to discern that this is an appropriate model and get permission from all the parties may be too long.
The decision may be too late to save the congregation.
The Resource Minister may try to run everything rather than provide teaching and training for the LMT and other leaders
There can be role confusion between the LMT and the Parish Council and the Parish Council may feel that the LMT is making decisions without wider consultation.
It takes too long to manage changes in the LMT and provide them with training and authorisation from the Presbytery.
Issues of communication and conflict resolution may be too difficult to handle.
Confusion may arise when a member of the LMT leaves