Seeking Church Startup Board (Progressive church) (Ithaca)
no pay
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Hi, I'm Joe — Starting a New Kind of Church, and Looking for a Few People to Help Me Build the Board
I'm a longtime minister and seminary grad, and after years in ministry, I've felt a growing call to start something new: a church network that's progressive, reasonable, and genuinely biblical — not the culture-war version of any of those words, just a faith community that takes love, justice, and honest scripture seriously at the same time.
I'm calling it Affinity Church Plant Network, and right now it's just an idea with a lot of heart behind it. Before it can be anything more, I need a small founding board — people who'll help me think it through, keep me honest, and make sure this gets built the right way from day one.
A little about the vision:
I believe you can hold a serious, thoughtful faith and also fully affirm LGBTQ+ people, care about racial and economic justice, take climate change seriously, and welcome people regardless of where they've landed on doubt or belief. I don't think those things are in tension. I think that's just what following Jesus should look like.
Who I'm hoping to find:
People who care about this vision, whether you're deeply religious, spiritually curious, or somewhere in between
A few hours a month for board meetings, plus some early planning conversations
Any experience with nonprofits, finance, communications, or community organizing is a huge help — but honestly, good judgment and shared values matter more
You don't need to have "church experience." Some of the best board members for something like this are people who left church and have real insight into why
What this actually looks like:
This is genuinely early — we're building the plane while we fly it a little. You'd be helping shape real decisions: what we stand for, how we're structured, how we serve people. Not a symbolic board seat. Real input on something still being formed.
If this resonates with you at all, I'd love to hear from you. Tell me a bit about yourself and what drew you to this post — no résumé, no church résumé, just a real conversation.