Faith Lutheran Church Board of Directors Meeting

Transcription

1 Faith Lutheran Church Board of Directors Meeting When: Where: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 6:30 PM FMC Conference Room Facilitator: John DeVantier Planned Attendees: Sue Anderson, Bob Benz, John DeVantier, Dave Johnson, Ken Lederer, Pastor Aaron, Tim Schwann, Kevin Tesch, Pastor Dan, Ruth Weber Absent: Nancy Bekx Guest(s): Vision: Transformed by Christ to live generous and purposeful lives. Mission: Gather, Grow, Go Reference Artifacts: 1. January Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 2. January Financial Report 3. Board Policy Manual Framework DRAFT/DISCUSSION Document Agenda: Topic Presenter 1. Opening prayer and devotion Pastor Dan 2. Approval of Minutes Sue Anderson a. Administrative Board: January Board Meeting 3. Public comment 4. New Business: a. Board Policy Manual Draft Review, Input, and Next Steps Tim Schwan b. FMC Sanctuary Acoustical Improvement Decision Process Pastor Dan \ Pastor Aaron 5. Old Business: 6. Adjournment Next meeting: Tuesday March 21, 2017, 6:30 PM at FMC February 21, 2017 Faith Board of Directors Meeting Agenda Page 1 of 1

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4 B.O.D Minutes January 2017 Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors Faith Lutheran Church, Appleton, Wisconsin January 17th, 2017 The meeting was called to order by facilitator John DeVantier at 6:30 p.m. on January 17th, 2017, at Faith Lutheran Church. Members present: Sue Anderson, Nancy Bekx, Bob Benz, John DeVantier, Dave Johnson, Ken Lederer, Tim Schwann, Ruth Weber, Pastor Aaron, Pastor Dan Absent: Kevin Tesch Guest: None Agenda: - Pastor Dan began with an opening devotion based on 1 st Timothy and led a prayer. - The final minutes of the Administrative Board in December were approved, subject to the correction of Denis Ashauer s first name in the paragraph on volunteers. This was passed by a vote of Pastors Dan and Aaron presented the financial report. December giving and revenue was well in excess of budget and resulted in a year end surplus of $109,650 see attached. This will trigger the 40/40/10/10 distribution formula again that was adopted last year (40% to Trustee rainy day fund, 40% to budget/mission projects, 10% to the district, and 10% for staff bonuses). - Officers for Board of Directors (BOD) elected based on the following votes: President John DeVantier elected on a vote of Vice President Tim Schwan elected on a vote of Secretary Sue Anderson elected on a vote of Treasurer Kevin Tesch elected on a vote of BOD member terms were determined to be staggered as follows: One year term: Sue Anderson, Bob Benz, Ken Lederer Two year term: Nancy Bekx, Dave Johnson, Ruth Weber Three year term: John DeVantier, Tim Schwann, Kevin Tesch Page 1 of 2

5 B.O.D Minutes January Discussion ensued on governance plan and go-forward decision resulted in the following: Meetings will continue to be held on the 3 rd Tuesday of the month Sub Committee formed to include Tim Schwann, Bob Benz, Ruth Weber, and both Co-Lead Pastors to start work on policy manual utilizing the previously submitted straw man manual introduced by Pastor Dan in 2016 as a starting point. Goals to include BOD responsibilities and framework of BOD structure. It was mentioned that utilizing Kevin Tesch for help with change management would be desirable, so that will be pursued in the future. Still to be determined is how the BOD engages the congregation with communication and outreach as well as establishing performance measures of the Pastors and staff. - The BOD still has responsibilities with Ministry Partner Boards with Celebration Lutheran School, Celebration Child Care, and Faith Child Care. The Bylaws of those entities may need to be revised to incorporate new Faith BOD relationship. The BOD is still required to approve members nominated for those Ministry Partner Boards. - The BOD will be given suggestions by the Pastors for a group of up to six people who will form the new Elders who will help counsel and give advice to the Pastors. - A motion was made by Ruth Weber and seconded by Rob Benz to adjourn the meeting, which was approved by a vote of President DeVantier adjourned the meeting at 8:35 PM. Submitted by Dave Johnson Page 2 of 2

6 Board Policy Manual Framework DRAFT/DISCUSSION Document 1 message Tim Schwan <timjoann73@yahoo.com> Wed, Feb 1, 2017 at 6:25 PM To: John DeVantier <john.devantier@gmail.com>, Kevin TESCH <kevtes@new.rr.com>, Sue Anderson <prasma@new.rr.com>, Ken Lederer <knlederer68@gmail.com>, Nancy L Bekx <nancy.bekx@icloud.com>, Dave Johnson' <dmjlmj@aol.com> Cc: Dan Thews <dan.thews@faithfv.org>, Aaron Rosenau <aaron.rosenau@faithfv.org>, Ruth Weber <rjwxyz@aol.com>, Bob & Marge Benz <bobmarbenz7@aol.com>, Tim Schwan <timjoann73@yahoo.com> Good evening friends. I m honored to share with you the good work of our Policy Framework Board Committee that we a useful document to share with the full board. We emphasize that this documents needs work and is intended to be useful to us as a discussion document to help further the work of establishing board policies. Our committee met twice for a total of more than four hours of good and hard work. We ve had good discussions and continue to have divergent points of view on a variety of issues (we believe it is a gift to have divergent points of view expressed clearly in order to converge on an agreed set of policies). Please review the attached document closely in preparation for our February 21st Board Meeting. We focused our work on sections 2, 3 and 4, leaving section 1 (Ends and Outcomes) for full Board participation. Aaron did include three examples of what other organizations used for Board End/Outcome policies. In our February meeting, we would like to work sections 2, 3 and 4 and as a full board and resolve those first so we can turn our full attention to Ends/Outcomes. To help in your review, here are some of the questions and concepts we struggled with and debated: 1. What s the appropriate level of detail and specificity for our Board policies? 2. How consistently do we apply the principle of Board focused only on top-line policies while holding the Lead Pastors accountable for all means accountabilities. For example, read 4.2 Financial: The Lead Pastors shall not exceed expenditures that exceed projected total revenue The Lead Pastors shall not exceed the total budget expenditures or any line item total, or create a new line item. Our committee generally agreed that we need We had spirited debate about the need for Is the Board s role to only set a limit for the financial resources that the Lead Pastors have to achieve the outcomes, or would it be more appropriate for us to hold the Lead Pastors to limits by line item in the budget? 3. We generally agreed that we don t need to repeat any of the policies or directives from the Constitution and By-Laws. 4. We debated whether or not the Board should begin this new system of governance with having more controls at a more operational level and gradually turn over more control to the Lead Pastors? 5. Is this a useful way to think about the governance role of the Board and its policy based interaction with the Lead Pastors? a. We used a robust sensing system to listen to the membership; and, b. We agree on what the membership values, needs and wants as the recipients of Faith s ministry; and, c. Here are the outcomes and ends that would would meet the needs of the membership; and, d. Here is the total amount of budget resources you have to meet the ends/outcomes in our ministry; and, e. As you lead the ministry at Faith we will assist you by praying with and for you, hold you accountable to achieve the ends/outcomes policies, consult with you on challenges, opportunities and issues that arise, and provide you with feedback and insights we gain from our interactions with the membership. 6. We discussed the Board s role in congregational meetings. Does the Board own the responsibility of developing any recommendation that requires congregation approval?

7 It s likely that I didn t capture all of the important questions we wrestled with, but I trust that they will surface along with others as we work together on our policiers. Our committee hopes that our work helps us move forward effectively and efficiently in the hard work of establishing our policies as we implement our governance system. We look forward to discussing our work with you when we meet. Feel free to contact any of us if you would like to discuss. God s continued blessings! Tim (On behalf of Ruth, Bob, Pastor Dan and Aaron.)

8 Board Policy Manual Faith Lutheran Church Appleton, WI Draft framework DRAFT & DISCUSSION DOCUMENT Ends / Outcomes When discussing desired Outcomes, we are describing the purpose of our church. We are concerned with: a) who the recipients are, b) what results we are here to achieve, and c) the cost of those results. As such, these policies do not address means, methods, activities, or specific programs. 1. Ends 1.1 Ends Statement The recipients of Faith Lutheran Church s ministry will be transformed by Christ to live generous and purposeful lives. The generous life includes generosity of financial resources, time, forgiveness, service, and talents. The purposeful life is defined in terms of loving God, loving others and making disciples. 1.2 Recipients To this end and as a Christian Congregation that connects people to Jesus, fulfilling the Great Commission and the Great Commandment of our Lord and Savior, Risen Savior Lutheran Church has established the following Desired Outcomes Whereas Jesus said that we are to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), Faith s ministry will connect people to Jesus in the Fox Valley, in our outlying communities and throughout the world The recipients will be unbelievers, new believers, and those already a part of the Body of Christ. We seek to reach the lost and teach the saved. 1.3 Results EXAMPLE #1. Discipleship Marks defined by the staff at Faith Lutheran Church Recipients of Faith s ministry will love God. As our Lord commands in the scriptures: Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30). Loving God will be marked by (but not limited to): Worship: Personal and public worship is integral to life. Disciples actively work to let go of anything that would replace Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. (Psalm 1:1-3; 122:1)

9 Word: Disciples are sustained by God s Word and gladly submit to its authority. They grow in knowledge of God and the scriptures. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 17:17; Deuteronomy 32:45-47) Prayer: Disciples grow in their relationship with our heavenly Father and learn to rely on Him more fully. They allow time to join Him in conversation and release burdens to His care. (Matthew 6:5-8; Philippians 4:6-7) Gratitude: A disciple lives out of a spirit of thanksgiving and abundance, rather than from a mindset of scarcity; demonstrating contentment with all that God has given. (Philippians 4:12-13; Lamentations 3:21-24; Matthew 6:25-34) Generosity: Disciples are captivated by the work of God s Kingdom and gladly give their time, money, and other resources for the work of the Gospel. (1 Timothy 6:17-19; Matthew 13:44-46) Recipients of Faith s ministry will love others. Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). Loving others will be marked by (but not limited to): Compassion: A disciple is attentive to the needs of others and has the capacity to respond, being intentional in blessing neighbors, from family to the world. (Luke 10:25-37) Servanthood: The disciple s life is defined by the mind of Christ looking not to one s own needs but to the needs of others. (Philippians 2:3-8; Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 10:24) Community: Because God created people to live in relationship with other people, a disciple actively seeks to be an encouragement to other Christians, so that we might be mutually built up in the faith. (Romans 1:12; Hebrews 10:23-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) Spiritual Gifts: Disciples serve their family, church, and community in a manner that maximizes their God-given gifts. (Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:4-7, 11-13; 1 Peter 4:8-11) Generosity: Out of the overflow of God s abundant gifts, a disciple interacts with others with a generous spirit, freely offering forgiveness, attention, and energy in ways that benefit others more than self. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7; 9:6-8; Colossians 3:12-14) As commanded by our Lord in the Gospel of Matthew, recipients of Faith s ministry will make disciples of all nations. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Making disciples will be marked by (but not limited to): Relationships: As a child of God, a disciple seeks to cultivate friendships with the people God has put in his/her life in family, workplace, school, neighborhood, and community. (Colossians 4:5-6; Matthew 5:14-16) Proclamation: A disciple is prepared and willing to speak the truth about Jesus when given the opportunity. (1 Peter 3:15; 2 Timothy 4:2, 17) Investing: A disciple actively and intentionally invests in the next generation of Christians, sharing what he/she has learned through parenting, mentoring, coaching, and/or teaching. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 71:18; 78:1-7; 145:3-7) Impact: Because God makes a difference through every life that He creates and sustains, a disciple regularly seeks ways to use God s gifts to make an eternal impact in the lives of others. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21) Generosity: The world belongs to God the earth and every person in it; so disciples give sacrificially to reach God s lost children, locally, nationally, globally. (Isaiah 58:6-11) EXAMPLE #2: From the Policy Manual at RISEN SAVIOR LUTHERAN, Chandler, AZ:

10 1.3.1 Recipients of Risen Savior s ministry will live a life of worship. A life of worship will include, but not be limited to: Weekly worship attendance with regular reception of the Lord s Supper Daily devotional time committed to at least 15 minutes each day to read from God s word and come to Him in prayer Recipients of Risen Savior s ministry will know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, rely on the grace of God alone for their salvation, and be committed to a life- long pattern of spiritual growth. This is the main pattern of growth but shall not be limited to: Read, study, and reflect on God s word Know and live by the basic tenets of the Christian faith as articulated in Luther s Small Catechism Give joyfully a percentage of their income back to God Give willingly of their time using spiritual gifts and talents that God has given them Participation in fellowship opportunities Recipients of Risen Savior s ministry will serve God and their fellow man. Serving will include, but not be limited to the following: Participation in serving the needs of those inside and outside the church Participation in Congregation-wide events that benefit the community in which we live Recipients of Risen Savior s ministry will courageously connect people to Jesus. Connecting people to Jesus Christ will include, but not be limited to the following: Passionately sharing their faith with those who make up their circles of influence at work, play and home Seeking and supporting opportunities to share the message of salvation with those in the state, the nation and around the world. EXAMPLE #3: From the Policy Manual at Pastoral Leadership Institute: 1.3 Results: PLI trains and invests in multiplying missional leaders who will: Discover Good News Relationships (Their Story) Readiness (My Story) Representation (His Story) Enter New Territory Posture Pockets and Places People of Peace Navigate Cultural Change Vision for Mission Aligning Forward Movement

11 Build Team of Leaders Develop Personal Character Identity Courage Humility Pursue Life Rhythm Following Jesus Rest and Work Marriage and Family Shift Missional Ownership From pastor-centric to people-centric From Cozy Culture to Empowered From Adding to Multiplying 1.4 Cost Faith members will seek to be good stewards of the resources that God provides for His work among us and will use proven financial strategies that will maximize the gifts received, but never put the Congregation at an unreasonable financial risk.

12 Board Self-Governance These policies describe the standards of behavior and means of operating as a Board. They clarify governing rules, Board responsibilities, officer roles, and the use of committees. 2. Board Self-Governance 2.1 Board Qualifications (Competencies, Knowledge, and Experience) Possess knowledge, understanding and experience with Faith ministries in order to represent the interests of the members of congregation Possess the ability to engage others in dialogue regarding vision, ministry challenges and opportunities, and the role of the Board, Lead Pastors, staff and members of Faith in governing and leading the congregation Actively support the Values, Mission and Vision of the Congregation Willing and able to represent the membership of Faith as a whole in ways that respect the diverse characteristics and interests of individual members. 2.2 Governing Process The Board shall exercise its governing authority as a whole. No individual Board Member shall exercise such authority except as instructed by the Board The Board will develop ends/outcome policies to guide and evaluate the performance of the Lead Pastors. The Board, working with the Lead Pastors, will monitor a strategic plan to accomplish the ends/outcomes polices The Board will provide regular feedback and advice on performance to the Lead Pastors. A formal performance review will be conducted by the full board by its July meeting As a fiduciary of the congregation, the Board will: a. Establish policies limiting the Lead Pastors financial authority, budget development and control of assets. b. Annually, by the August meeting, establish the Lead Pastors compensation based on performance review and salary guidelines. c. Annually, by the end of the September Board meeting, set the budget amount for the upcoming fiscal year. d. Annually, by the end of the October Board meeting, approve the budget for recommendation at the Congregational meeting. e. Monitor the fiscal soundness of the Congregation. f. Receive and review annual audit report The Board will change and refine established policies as needed to reflect the values of the Board and the changing context within which the Congregation functions Prior to its December meeting, the Board will conduct a review and evaluation of its governing process, relationship and communication with the membership, supervision of the Lead Pastors, and its development and implementation of policies.

13 2.3 Board Relationship with the Congregation The Board will develop and conduct a sensing function and process to discover the needs and interests of the membership and keep the membership informed of the health and vitality of the congregation and its ministries Schedule and conduct an annual Congregational meeting. 2.4 Officers The Board will annually in its January meeting appoint officers to the roles and functions outlined in the By-Laws President. The President will work with the Lead Pastors to plan and conduct Board and Congregational meetings and be an authorized signor for Faith bank accounts (legal documents??) Vice-President. The Vice-President will assist in planning for Board meetings and lead Board meetings when the President is absent Secretary. The Secretary document minutes of Board and Congregational meetings and ensure that the official documents of the Congregation are current with approved changes Treasurer. The Treasurer will assure that the fiduciary responsibilities of the Board (defined by section 2.4) are regularly addressed by the Board. 2.5 Committees The Board may from time-to-time use committees, but always consistent with the principles outlined in this section Committees report directly to the Board and have no executive or decision-making authority Committee assignments will not impinge upon responsibilities delegated to the Lead Pastors.

14 Board Staff Relations These policies address how the Board and Lead Pastors relate to each other. In general, the Board speaks with one voice. This means that the Lead Pastors report to the Board as a whole, not to individual Board members, officers, or committees. This also means that the Board works only with the Lead Pastors and does not direct the work of staff or volunteers. 3. Board Staff Relations 3.1 Manner of Delegating Except for assignments of its own work to committees, consultants, or officers, the Board shall delegate authority only to the Lead Pastors The authority of the Lead Pastors shall begin where the explicit pronouncements of the Board ends (Ends/Outcome Statements). Except as required by governing policies or law, decisions of the Lead Pastors do not need approval by the Board. 3.2 Accountability of the Lead Pastors The Lead Pastor(s) shall be accountable to the Board for: Taking all actions and making all administrative decisions he deems necessary to attain the Vision, and are in accordance with the Board s Ends/Outcomes Developing operational guidelines, rules or procedures and making decisions he deems appropriate, as long as governing policies adopted by the Board are observed Compliance of his and staff actions. 3.3 Performance Evaluation The Lead Pastors shall provide periodic statements and overviews which provide information and counsel to the Board on programs, trends, and developments that may affect the Board s work and which report on the Lead Pastors compliance with Board policies. The Lead Pastors shall provide whatever reports the Board requests to monitor progress achieved towards the Ends/Outcome statements Individual Board members shall relate to staff as any other member of the Congregation but Board decisions and policy must be communicated through the Lead Pastors An individual Board member shall make it a priority to inform the staff that he/she is speaking as an individual because the Board speaks as one voice through the Lead Pastors. 3.4 Co-Lead Pastor Conflict While both Lead Pastors will always speak with one voice in all areas of ministry, it is the goal that, unless there is a major concern, one pastor will defer to the other in his area of responsibility When this does not happen or when there is disagreement in areas of shared responsibility, the two different opinions will be shared with the Board of Directors who will then make the final decision. This event will then become part of the Board of Directors regular review process for both Lead Pastors. This could lead to good growth and learning for the future or it could lead to dissolving the co-lead pastor arrangement.

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16 Lead-Pastor Limitations These policies define the out-of-bounds lines what methods behaviors, and actions by the Lead Pastors and other staff are and are not acceptable. Unless restricted by these policies, all other reasonable actions are considered acceptable. These policies are directed to the Lead Pastors; they are held accountable to assuring that all staff actions fall within the boundaries established by these policies. 4. Lead Pastor Limitations 4.1 General The Lead Pastors shall not violate the constitution, policies, or utilize means that are imprudent, unlawful, unethical, unprofessional, or acts that differ from ecclesiastical authority governed by rules of LCMS The Lead Pastors shall not initiate any activities or practices that could hinder any of our partners success Limitations may be revised or added to at any time by the Board The Lead Pastors shall not make any unreasonable interpretation of any policy (ends statements) established by the Board The Lead Pastors shall not recommend or practice any unbiblical teachings. 4.2 Financial The Lead Pastors shall not exceed expenditures that exceed projected total revenue The Lead Pastors shall not exceed the total budget expenditures or any line item total, or create a new line item. 4.3 Personnel The Lead Pastors shall not terminate contract employees or recommend termination of called personnel without documented justification for reasonable cause. 4.4 Facilities The Lead Pastors shall not make any structural changes to buildings, change tenants, cancel leases, or build new facilities.