Next Steps at GUMC
Ready to Join?
At Germantown United Methodist Church we strive to be the church that Jesus intended—a community of believers who meet together to learn from and follow Christ and spread the message of God’s love. We teach and share. We sing and laugh. We roll up our sleeves, get involved and try to change the world! GUMC is a large church, but not too large. It is a church of open doors, open hearts and open minds. Our congregation covers many generations and includes people at every stage of faith. We welcome those seeking God’s truths, regardless of questions or life experiences. No matter where you are on your journey, God loves you and we welcome you.
We rejoice that you have found Germantown United Methodist Church to be a place where you feel nurtured and challenged to grow as a disciple of Christ. Our membership process intentionally allows you both to grow and to get to know us better. It also allows us to welcome you and come to know you as a part of the GUMC family.
Ways to Join
Profession of Faith
If you are joining by Profession of Faith, which means you’ve never been baptized, your first step is to set up a meeting with one of our pastors. You may set that up by contacting Brenda West at bwest@germantownumc.org or 901-754-7216.
Reaffirmation of faith
You may join by Reaffirmation of Faith, which means you have been baptized in a church, but not on any church roles.
Transfer of Membership
You may join by Transfer of Membership from another Denomination or from United Methodist Church.
Confirmation
Children under 12 who have not been through confirmation are encouraged to go through confirmation in the 6th grade. Contact Chloe Granberry at cgranberry@germantownumc.org for more information about 6th grade confirmation.
Coffee With the Pastors
Coffee with the Pastors is offered four times a year (roughly once a quarter) on Sunday morning during the Sunday school hour, 9:30-10:30, and is open to anyone who would like to learn more about Germantown United Methodist Church. Attending the Coffee does not commit attendees to church membership, but it is an opportunity to meet our ministers (and for the ministers to meet them), to find out more about the life and ministry of GUMC, to ask any questions they might have, and to meet other prospective members.
New Member Luncheons
New Member Luncheons are held two or three times a year at noon on Sunday following our 11:00 worship services. This is a catered meal, and childcare is provided in the nursery for the little ones. This is an opportunity to visit with the ministers, staff, church leaders, and meet other new members of the congregation in a casual setting.
Ready To Serve?
Is God prompting you to become more active in the life of GUMC? Not sure how your talents would best be used to carry out GUMC’s mission statement? A brochure is available at the Welcome Center listing all the Administrative Committees and Ministry Teams, their duties, and the requirements/talents needed to serve. Lay nominations are fast approaching. If asked to serve, we hope this will give you the information you need to make a decision in line with how God is calling you.
Administrative Committees
Any person nominated for an administrative committee must clearly meet two criteria of Church commitment and involvement:
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Be a faithful supporter of the financial life of the Church; giving close to the level of our median financial commitment. The exception here is where one’s income does not allow such level of giving or where the Pastors know special circumstances.
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Be a regular participant in the worship life of the Church
List of Administrative Committees
Committees are administrative bodies defined by the Discipline of the UMC and/or by the local church itself. At GUMC, of our administrative committees, Endowment is a specific decision of our Church. The Church Board, Finance, Staff-Parish, Trustees and Lay Leadership are expected administrative entities.
Church Board
This body is the principal decision-making body of our Church. It meets seven to eight times a year and considers all the key information our leaders need to make wise, prayerful, Christ-centered decisions. The exception to this oversight is that the Board does not have the authority over personnel matters. The staff facilitator of the Board is the Senior Pastor.
The Pastor’s Council
Most large churches have some form of an Executive Committee. This body of designated key leaders is the primary advisory group to the Senior Pastor and the primary filter through which important decisions go before being received by the Church Board.
GUMC has had such a body for many years now. It consists of the key administrative leaders of the Church and a few persons selected by the Pastor. For GUMC the elected leaders serving here are: Chair and Vice-Chair of the Church Board; the Lay Leaders; Chair of Finance; Chair of Staff-Parish; Chair of Trustees; Chair of Endowment; and again, three persons chosen by the Senior Pastor. This body meets monthly. Between sessions of the Church Board, it functions as the primary decision-making body.
The Finance Committee
This committee meets several times a year with the responsibility to manage the financial situation of the Church. These leaders review our budget income, our budget expenses, and our pledge giving per our pledge commitments to insure our financial health remains strong. The committee bears the important responsibility of recommending any changes in budget as the overall financial needs dictate. The staff facilitator is the Executive Minister.
The Staff-Parish Committee
In essence, the Staff-Parish Committee is the personnel committee of GUMC, overseeing with the Senior Pastor the staffing needs of our Church. The staffing budget of GUMC is the largest single part of our annual budget and this committee, working with the Pastor and the Finance Committee, prepares and monitors this key area. The staff facilitator of the Board is the Senior Pastor.
The Board of Trustees
The Trustees are responsible for the care and well-being of our GUMC property, the facilities, and the grounds. They are entrusted with essential matters like property and facility upkeep, insurance for our property and our equipment, and working with our facilities staff for the multiple needs we face year to year. While the Lay Leadership suggests appropriate leadership for this body, the committee chooses its own chairperson. The staff facilitators are the Executive Minister and the Campus Manager.
The Endowment Committee
The Endowment Committee is charged with the oversight and management of the GUMC Endowment Fund. Members are selected because of their investment and/or financial expertise and background. This committee chooses its own chairperson rather than receiving a recommendation from the Lay Leadership/Nominations Committee. The staff facilitator is the Executive Minister.
Ministry Teams
Person nominated to ministry teams should be faithful and regular in giving to the Church and worship attendance. Where there are special circumstances affecting this frequency, such can be considered by the Lead Pastors.
List of Ministry Teams
Ministry Teams are charged with the venture of developing programs and plans in the areas of ministry and mission focus. The local church is called to make disciples for Jesus Christ, and these groups help us live that calling through various Christ-grounded offerings and experiences. They are invited by the Discipline but determined by the local church. As listed below, each ministry team is vested with the opportunity and responsibility to develop programs and opportunities in their respective areas.
Children’s Council
The Children’s Council works with our children’s ministry staff to dream, plan and develop the overall and extensive children’s opportunities at GUMC. This group is a significant advisory team for Lisa and the staff team. The staff facilitator is Natalie Adkinson, Director of Children’s Ministries.
Christian Education
The Christian Education ministry team works with our Christian Education Director to develop a comprehensive and spiritually enriching plan of adult Christian Education. This work covers supporting and guiding Sunday School offerings, planning special programs, and enhancing our Bible study-spiritual growth possibilities. The staff facilitator is Mary Groh, Director of Adult Education.
Health and Recreation
Through our Owings Life Enrichment Center, we sponsor a full-scale recreational program that consists of state-of-the-art equipment, classes, personal trainers, sports activities for all ages, and life enrichment offerings. This ministry team also discerns church-wide programs that help persons reflect upon body, mind, and spirit health. The staff facilitator is Gordon Kelly, Director of Health and Recreation.
Missions
This ministry team is responsible for managing and communicating the extensive mission outreach commitments of GUMC; in the community, in the region, and globally. This group also oversees the significant mission budget of GUMC. The staff facilitator is Rev. Mimi White, Associate Pastor.
Older Adult Council
This group guides the many offerings for Senior Citizens in our church and for the community. GUMC, through this active team, provides numerous programs, activities and outings which enrich persons in the later years of life. The leader is Luci Cromer.
Generosity Team
This team annually develops and manages our financial stewardship campaign toward the raising of contributions for our church budget and for our many ministry and mission offerings. The costs of a large church with so many programs and possibilities require that each member does his/her best in faithful financial stewardship. The staff coordinator is Rev. Scott Alford, Executive Minister.
Worship
The Worship Ministry Team works with our Director of Music on the varied aspects of meaningful and enriching worship, as well as; those elements of our sanctuary and worship experiences needing special attention, such as flowers, decorations, ushers and greeters, acolytes, etc. The staff facilitator is Todd Wilson, Director of Music.
Youth Advisory Council
This advisory group works with our youth staff to ensure a spiritually grounded, mission-focused, and Biblically inspired youth ministry. The group helps our youth directors develop programs, studies, activities, fellowship experiences, and mission opportunities that help sixth through twelfth graders grow in commitment to Jesus Christ. The staff facilitator is Chloe Granberry, Director of Youth Ministries.
Serve with Children's Ministry
Head HERE to see serving opportunities in Children’s Ministry
Care Ministries
To discover how you can serve others visit our CONGREGATIONAL CARE PAGE
Hospitality
The Hospitality Team invites all Sunday School classes, GUWF Circles, UMM, and all other groups and individual GUMC members to join us in providing a warm welcome for our guests and members each Sunday morning.
Ready to Give?
Generosity Statement
We are called to joyfully and gratefully share our blessings to transform lives for God’s glory. We believe that the discipline of generosity helps us to live out our calling to invest in our church’s ministry, to love others, and impact the world. God calls us to be faithful stewards and share the many blessings He has provided for us.
Text GIVE to 901-910-1220
Venmo us @GermantownUMC
Estate PLanning
Fewer than half of all American adults have a will. If we are serious about and committed to our church while we are alive, then providing for our church when we are gone makes sense, too. A bequest of property, financial instruments, savings, accounts, and other resources may be of benefit to your estate, allowing more of what you have acquired in this life to continue the work of the church and leave more for your loved ones as well.
Whatever decisions you make, please make them in consultation with a qualified planner. Also, please remember that for a gift to be counted as a charitable contribution in 2024, for tax purposes, it must either be received by the church by December 31, postmarked by December 31, or transacted online by December 31. Making these decisions and putting them into place early will help ensure that your contribution is credited to you. Your financial decisions can help to advance the kingdom of God. Together, and through God’s abundant grace, we are creating Disciples and changing lives. Thank you for all you do
Qualified Charitable Distributions
You may wish to look at changes created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Giving through qualified IRAs is a strategy that is now even more important than before for many of our members who are at least 70 ½ years old at the time of this writing.
Online giving can be done in either or both of two ways:
- Direct Debit Giving is used to automatically transfer funds from your checking or savings account to the church’s bank account.
- Credit and Debit card Giving lets you make offerings using a credit or debit card or another bank account. Text GIVE to 901-910-1220 and you can make an easy payment via your phone at any time.
Getting started is quick and easy! Just follow these 3 easy steps:
- Head to our Giving Tab
- Choose the Fund you would like to support
- Fill out the contact information and debit/credit card information
Appreciated Securities
Because we believe in being good stewards of what God has entrusted to us, we encourage you to thoughtfully consider the advantages of giving appreciated stock to Germantown United Methodist Church.
By giving appreciated stock to a charitable organization such as GUMC, you avoid paying capital gains tax on the increased value of the stock. Because you are giving to a charitable organization, your gift is deductible for the market value of the stock at the time it was given.
Please ask your financial advisor if this is a viable option for you.
Appreciated Securities are a Win-Win:
- GUMC receives a gift as good as cash that will be used for God’s work.
- Donors receive a charitable tax deduction equal to the fair market value of the stock and avoid capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the stock.
- A reminder: You can accelerate your tax deduction and, at the same time, significantly help GUMC by giving stock before year-end in payment of your pledge for next year. The church will earn interest on the deposited funds and will be able to use your contribution for next year’s operating expenses. You, of course, get to take credit for the gift against any tax liability for this year.
Steps to Give Securities to GUMC
1. Notify Sharon Panis at 901-758-6530 or spanis@germantownumc.org.
2. Notify your broker to transfer a specified number of shares of stock to Germantown United Methodist’s account at Merrill Lynch. To do this, please complete and send the Stock Gift Form – for Broker (pdf) to your broker.
Please note that Germantown United Methodist policy is to immediately sell all stock gifts and deposit the proceeds from the sale into the church bank account.
Core Values
Gratitude & Joy
We are thankful for the many blessings God has given to us, and it is with great joy that we share these blessings. We seek to not only experience God’s blessings but to participate in growing His kingdom. [2 Corinthians 9:7, 11]
Stewardship
We know that the source of everything we have is God, and we are meant to be faithful stewards of the abundance we have been given. Our goal is to live a life that reflects His gifts with our financial resources as well as our time, talents, prayers, and witness. [1 Chronicles 29:12]
Heart & Soul
We seek to be Spirit-led, open-hearted, and open-handed as we work to live generous lives. Growing in generosity is a pathway along our spiritual/faith journey. When we follow this path, our heart is in God’s kingdom, not in this world’s. [Matthew 6:21, 24]
Impact
We know that God can perform miracles and, just like the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, our generosity can multiply to impact those here at home and throughout the world. By using our resources to touch lives outside our church, we make a difference in the way others see and feel the impact of His love firsthand. [Acts 4:34-35]