Church Council
The Council is the governing body for Cherokee Park United Church. Both the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) take seriously the shared leadership role of pastors and lay leaders. The people who assume this leadership role at Cherokee are committed to nurturing a healthy, dynamic, and active congregation. Members are elected for three-year terms and are eligible for a second term. In addition to regular monthly meetings, Council members annually join with other church leaders in a leadership retreat. Monthly Council meetings are presently facilitated by a Moderator and and Co-Moderator elected by the Council. The pastor participates in and reports at Council meetings.
Lay Ministry Team
An important dimension of life at Cherokee Park United Church is the premium placed on the faith filled action of the congregation. The Lay Ministry Team is charged with matching the opportunities for ministry and service at Cherokee with the gifts and interests of individuals. Lay Ministry is sensitive to the needs of those who simply need a place to worship and rest. At the same time one of the strengths of Cherokee Park United Church is the high level of involvement and participation of members. There are many different ways in which people may use their unique gifts and talents. Two members of the Lay Ministry Team come from the Council and usually serve two consecutive years. One representative from the congregation is elected by the congregation for a three year term each year at the church’s annual meeting.
Our Wider Denominations
On June 2, 1968 the congregations of St. John’s United Church of Christ and Cherokee Heights Presbyterian Church merged to form one congregation known as Cherokee Park United Church. Today members of Cherokee Park United Church are considered members of both the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The congregation supports mission programs of the two denominations on a 50/50 basis.
The church is a member congregation of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. Cherokee Park United sends representatives to Presbytery meetings to vote on Presbytery matters, focus on congregational vitality, and to relate to the larger structures of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The church also is part of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ. Church representatives attend the annual meeting of the Conference each June. Information is shared, conference decisions made, and resolutions to the UCC denominational meetings voted upon.
Cherokee Park United benefits from the resources of both our denominations. The church tries to follow guidelines and rules of both wider churches in our congregational life. Because the Presbyterian Church has more structure, CPUC may seem to function more like a Presbyterian Church. As a local church, CPUC has its own bylaws and policies. The church seeks to blend the independent spirit of the UCC and the order of the Presbyterians in our governance.