Call Committee Update 6/8/2016

June 8, 2016

Dear Members of Christ Lutheran Church,

In the spirit of fellowship and open communication, we wish to provide the following additional information about the Call Committee’s recommendation to the Christ Lutheran Church Council on May 30, 2016.

As you know, the Call Committee was tasked in December 2015 with bringing a recommendation for a Lead Pastor to Christ Lutheran Church. Throughout this process, we sought your support with your prayers and God’s support through His spirit. We have felt blessed by both.  We know God’s presence has guided us throughout this entire process, and particularly in the recommendation of Pastor Eric.

We would like you to share in this excitement and invite you to meet Pastor Eric and his family this weekend! On June 11 and 12, he will join us in worship.  After the 5:00 pm service on June 11, Pastor Eric will share a brief devotion with those in attendance.  In addition to our regular services, we will have a meet and greet at 7 pm on Sunday, 6/12.  These are wonderful opportunities for you to meet and welcome Pastor Eric and his family.  We sincerely encourage you to attend one of the services/gatherings this weekend so that we can all become informed partners in the effort to call Pastor Eric as our new Lead Pastor.

The PowerPoint presentation used by the Call Committee to recommend Pastor Eric to the Council is available by clicking here.  It provides highlights of some of Pastor Eric’s core competencies.  Should you wish to listen to sermons Pastor Eric has preached at his current church, Love of Christ, in Mesa, AZ, you may go to the following link (click on his picture and then click below the picture to listen to a sermon).   www.loveofchristchurch.net/social-media-player.php

It is with sincere and faithful service to the future of Christ Lutheran that the Call Committee makes this recommendation for our new Lead Pastor.  We have been led throughout this mission by the work the congregation did during the transition phase of this process.  We are enthusiastic and exhilarated about this call and feel wonderfully blessed that Pastor Eric shares in this presence of God and excitement!

We continue to support Pastor DJ, and value his time and ministry at Christ Lutheran.  As a Call Committee, we believe that Pastor Eric and Pastor DJ would make an excellent team for worship, ministry, and growth of the congregation. This decision, however, must involve a period of mutual discernment by both Pastors. We are willing to suspend the call process for a second pastor until they have had adequate time to discuss and reflect, and determine next steps.

We understand that change can often bring a level of anxiety. In this respect, the Call Committee is open and very willing to meet with members of the congregation to discuss the process behind the recommendation and to answer questions.  Our goal is to be collaborative, fair and faithful to the process.  Please reach out to any of us should you feel the desire for conversation. We can be reached at clc.lay.leadership@gmail.com or at our telephone numbers listed in the Church directory.

Thank you for your continued support.

Stephanie Foster, Claire Cantrell, Kristen DeBeer, Carl Douhan, Steve Hoemann, Greg Kleen, Brian Martin, Steve Schaeberle, Margie Versen, Mike Williams

Call Committee Update 6/7/2016

Dear Members of Christ Lutheran Church:

On behalf of Council and the Call Committee, I am providing the following update on the call process and related procedures for calling our lead pastor, and to answer general questions regarding next steps, Pastor DJ’s status, and the opportunities to meet Pastor Eric this coming weekend of June 11-12, 2016.

A Busy Week in Review. The last week has been incredibly busy and exciting at the same time.  The Call Committee met with Council on Monday, Memorial Day, May 30 to provide a full briefing on their unanimous recommendation to call Pastor Eric as lead pastor.* The Council is fully supportive of the Call Committee moving forward with making their recommendation to the Congregation.

The Call Committee hosted a meet and greet for Pastor Eric on Thursday evening and 73 members of the Congregation were able to attend.**  The Call Committee made a presentation on the reasons they are recommending Pastor Eric as lead pastor, based upon the 5 key points of emphasis that the Congregation provided to the Transition Team during the transition process.   Members of the Congregation were able to ask him questions for an hour, and then meet with him afterwards to talk with him on a casual basis. Overall, I thought the meeting went very well, and he was warmly received.

Meet Pastor Eric:  June 11-12.  Pastor Eric and his family will be with us this coming weekend, and we are scheduling meet and greet opportunities after the Saturday service, after Sunday services in the Fellowship Hall, and also on Sunday evening, June 12 at 7pm where he will also be giving a short devotion.  I hope you can attend so that you can meet Pastor Eric and ask any questions you may have for him.

Our Love and Support for Pastor DJ is Steadfast.    Pastor DJ is still our called Associate Pastor and he will remain so for the foreseeable future.  There is no requirement in DJ’s letter of call that he resign when a new Lead Pastor is called.  We love Pastor DJ and we hope that he stays and continues his ministry and service to Christ Lutheran.  Pastor Eric and Pastor DJ met for three hours on the evening of June 1, and will have additional opportunities to talk in the coming week.  We are supportive of Pastor DJ taking the time he needs to reflect and discern, as he explained in his note to the Congregation last week.

Importantly, our love and support for Pastor DJ is not mutually exclusive to trusting God and the Holy Spirit in this call process, and trusting and supporting our Call Committee and their recommendation for Pastor Eric as Lead Pastor.

We can do both, and I hope that we are each guided by prayer, discernment, and trust in God as we move forward. We must be prayerful and mindful of the bigger picture and God’s plan for Christ Lutheran as we learn more in the coming week about Pastor Eric and the opportunities before us as a Congregation.

Application Status/Process. Through this entire transition and call process, our ultimate “Boss” has remained the same: God Almighty from heaven above.  Now, the Call Committee is recommending a lead pastor to guide us along the way and in concert with God’s will and ultimate plan for Christ Lutheran.

From a process and procedures standpoint, it is important to note and understand that from the call process perspective, Pastor DJ’s application for Lead Pastor has been released by the Call Committee and he is no longer a candidate.  In the event that the Congregation does not achieve a 2/3^rd majority for calling Pastor Eric, then the Call Committee will be starting the process from the beginning with a new slate of candidates to interview.  Under this scenario, per the Office of the Bishop call process and procedures, Pastor DJ and Pastor Eric would not be candidates on a going forward basis.

The Call Committee’s Work.  The Call Committee has worked very hard through this entire call process – interviewing a total of 12 Candidates.  The Call Committee listened to the congregation to determine the characteristics and attributes the congregation wanted in our next Lead Pastor, and stayed true to this input.  Their presentation detailing the basis for their recommendation for Pastor Eric as lead pastor is very thoughtful, reflecting a tremendous amount of prayerful and deliberate discernment as it relates to the needs, mission, values and priorities that the Congregation articulated during the transition process.

The Council fully supports the Call Committee in their efforts.  As Council President, I trust their discernment and fully appreciate that they have worked hard to bring the best Lead Pastor candidate forward to the Congregation based upon the feedback the Congregation provided during the transition process.

Council deliberately chose a very diverse group of individuals, with diverse viewpoints, to represent the Congregation through the Call process.  It is very significant to me that the Call Committee is presenting a unanimous and enthusiastic recommendation for calling Pastor Eric as Lead Pastor.  I have asked the Call Committee to be available to do presentations to small groups and to answer questions regarding their process and recommendation.   They will be providing additional details in the coming days.

Town Hall Meeting – June 16.  After hosting Pastor Eric this coming weekend, June 11-12, we are going to hold a Congregation “town hall” meeting on Thursday evening, June 16 at 7pm for an additional opportunity for discussion and information sharing in advance of the special meeting on June 19.

Special Meeting – June 19.   Our special congregation on Sunday, June 19, will occur at 10:30am in the Sanctuary in between the 9:30am and 11am services.  We will conduct a short discussion and vote.

Thank you for your continued devotion to Christ Lutheran Church.  As a community, now it is time for prayer and reflection, as well as positive and collaborative discussion.  I ask that we all continue to work together as a community and congregation through the coming weeks and remain guided by God and the Holy Spirit.  Please do not hesitate to contact me at bretsumner@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

Onward and Upward.

–Bret Sumner

CLC Council President

 

* The Call Committee briefed me as Council President on Friday evening, May 27.  Representatives of the Call Committee and Council met with Pastor DJ on Sunday, May 29.

**For some reason, we had email issues with the original announcement, and the CLC email ended up in some people’s spam filters (including my own).  Hopefully, this email glitch has been corrected.

Call Committee Response

Dear Saints of Christ Lutheran,

First,  thank you for the outpouring of support in various media and with various concerns. I really do feel appreciated by you all, and thus I decided to respond to a few concerns that have arisen:

• My family and I are doing quite well.  Of course not being the recommended candidate for the Lead Pastor was disappointing.  On the other hand I am aware of the difficult process that the Call Committee was assigned.
• I  acknowledge the hard work both the Call Committee and Transition Team have done in wrestling with and studying our identity and leadership.
• As is the reality for ALL Lutheran clergy, the sense of call as a pastor is always under discernment.  This is especially a reality for me moving forward.
• I am presently serving among you as the called Associate Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, and that is not changing for the foreseeable future.

Secondly, I publicly thank the Call Committee for their consideration and professionalism in the midst of what is an uncommon situation in our tradition. They were excellent with the tasks placed in their hands and I speak highly about their efforts.

God’s Peace,

Pastor DJ Dent

Call Committee Update

Dear Christ Lutheran Congregation,

Please be advised that the Call Committee has made a recommendation to the Council for a Lead Pastor. We presented our recommendation to call Pastor Eric in a special meeting with the Council last night (5/30).  The Call Committee unanimously feels Pastor Eric will best meet the needs of CLC congregation as our Lead Pastor.

Pastor Eric will be traveling to Highlands Ranch this week to meet with Pastor DJ and staff.  Representatives from the Call Committee and Pastor Eric will be available on Thursday evening, June 2, to answer your questions at an informal “meet and greet” event in the Fellowship Hall.

Another opportunity to meet Pastor Eric will take place on June 11 and June 12 when he will return to Colorado for the weekend.  More details will follow about that weekend’s events.

Finally, as required under Sections 10.02 , 10.03, and 9.01 of the constitution for Christ Lutheran, this announcement also serves to provide notice that Council President Bret Sumner is calling a special meeting of the Congregation for Sunday, June 19 [time TBA] for the sole purpose of the Congregation voting on whether to call Pastor Eric as lead pastor.

We hope that you are able to attend one of the events to meet Pastor Eric on June 2nd, 11th or 12th, and you’ll also mark your calendar for the special meeting on the 19th.

Thank you for your faithful trust in us during this process, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

The Call Committee

 

-Comment? Please send to clc.lay.leadership@gmail.com-

CLC Call Committee Follow-Up

Dear Christ Lutheran Church Congregation,

As a reminder, the CLC Council and Call Committee are hosting an informal “meet and greet” with Pastor Eric tomorrow evening (6/2) at 7pm at the church.  We know that this is very short notice, but there will be another opportunity to meet Pastor Eric, who will be returning to CLC the weekend of June 11-12 with his family.  More details about that weekend’s events will follow.

For background purposes, here is a little biography of Pastor Eric: he has served in ministry in various capacities since 2002. He is married with two children – a twelve-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. He comes from a family of pastors, as both of his parents and his brother have been pastors. His current congregation is Love of Christ Lutheran in Mesa, AZ where he has served since 2011.  Pastor Eric has many skills that impressed the call committee, including his passion for developing relationships, his commitment to excellence in all aspects of the church, and his dedication to following God’s will above all else.

To clarify a frequently asked question, we would like to highlight that our recommendation to call Pastor Eric does not require that Pastor DJ resign.  The next step is a process of a mutual discernment of Pastor DJ and the entire leadership about future staffing plans, but this doesn’t happen overnight, so we ask for your patience and continued prayers.

Thank you for your faithful support. We hope to see you at one of the upcoming “meet and greet” events!

The Call Committe

Call Committee Update!

Our call committee is following the call process adopted by CLC. We are currently considering multiple candidates for the Lead Pastor position, including our own Pastor DJ, who has submitted his profile for the position. 

Interviewing has started and we will continue to update the congregation as we move forward.  Please continue to pray for the call committee as we follow this process to best meet the needs of the CLC congregation. 

Call Committee Selected and Beginning to Meet

Call Committee Selected and Beginning to Meet

The Ministry Site Profile (a document describing Christ Lutheran Church’s mission and our leadership needs) was forwarded to the Office of the Bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod ELCA on Wednesday, December 23.  In five to six weeks from that date, it is anticipated that the names of three to five pastors will be given to the call committee to begin the interview process for Lead Pastor.

In the meanwhile, the Call Committee has already met twice.  On Sunday afternoon, December 13, they had a joint meeting with Pr. Sarah Moening of the Office of the Bishop, the Transition Team, and the church council.  This was the “hand-off” meeting, in which all the involved parties sought to “be on the same page” in relation to the church’s self-study and sense of mission for the future.  Then, on Tuesday evening, December 22, the ten members of the call committee met for their first time alone.  That meeting was a time to begin to get better acquainted, to pray and reflect, to answer questions, and also to choose a chair.  Stephanie Foster was elected as the chairperson.

Who are the folks on the call committee?  The church council elected a diverse group:

Claire Cantrell
Greg Kleen
Kristen DeBeer
Brian Martin
Carl Douhan
Steve Schaeberle
Stephanie Foster
Margie Versen
Steve Hoemann
Mike Williams

Please feel free to contact any of these people with your questions, concerns, and ideas.  It is also important to remember that they will be operating with a high level of confidentiality:  they will not share names of pastoral candidates or impressions about interviewing or other information that could compromise the process for Christ Lutheran Church or for prospective candidates.

The call committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 11, 7:00 p.m.  They plan to talk over their approach to interviewing and to continue to prepare to receive names.  Please pray for their work as the church seeks a Lead Pastor and (shortly thereafter) an Operations Pastor to help lead Christ Lutheran in the coming years.

Call Committee Announcement and Transition Update

December 12, 2015

Call Committee Announcement and Transition Update

Dear Members and Friends of Christ Lutheran Church:

On behalf of Council, I am pleased to announce the Call Committee and provide an update on next steps for the Call Committee and Transition Process.

We had a fantastic and robust pool of nominees to choose from, and we really appreciate everyone that agreed to be considered as a candidate.  On December 8, the Council met to review the Call Committee nominees and make our selections.  As a Council, our goal was to select a Call Committee that included broad representation of the Congregation.  We believe we have achieved this goal, and our Call Committee encompasses a broad, diverse, and in-depth range of expertise and involvement in CLC.

We are pleased to announce the following members will comprise the Call Committee:

Steve Schaeberle (Council liaison)
Claire Cantrell
Steve Hoemann
Margie Versen
Carl Douhan
Kristin DeBeer
Mike Williams
Greg Kleen
Brian Martin
Stephanie Foster

The Council voted unanimously to endorse this Call Committee.

Next Steps:  The Council, Transition Team, Call Committee, Pastor Steve Berke, and Office of the Synod will be meeting on Sunday, December 13, 2015.  This meeting will formally establish the Call Committee and allow the Transition Team and Council to share in-depth findings from our Transition process to help guide the Call Committee’s discernment and interviews for pastoral candidates.

Once the Call Committee elects a Chair, we will submit the finalized Ministry Site Profile to the Office of the Synod.  At that point, the Synod will coordinate with the Call Committee to facilitate interviews. The goal is for the Call Committee to start interviewing by mid-January, if not sooner.

Timing:  Since we are interviewing for two Pastors, it is likely that the entire process may take upwards of one year.  We completed the first phase of the Transition process in about 5 months – much sooner than the anticipated one year, so we are still on-track and ahead of schedule overall.

As a Congregation, we have accomplished a tremendous amount over the past year, and we continue to thrive and grow as a church and community.  We are a strong congregation, a great staff, and wonderful pastors.    The key for us a Congregation is to remain prayerful for the Call Committee for their discernment and reflection on pastoral candidates and the future of our Church, as well as prayerful for CLC, and for pastoral candidates that may be interested in applying for the positions.

Transition Team – Overview of Work Completed:

The Synod estimates that the Transition Team work can take up to one year to complete.  The CLC Transition Team finished their work in approximately four months.  During that time, the Transition Team:

• Conducted surveys and compiled feedback and data from over 250 CLC members;
• Conducted interviews and surveys with approximately 28 small groups at CLC;
• Interviewed CLC Staff and coordinated with Transition Pastor Interns assisting in the process;
• Analyzed survey and interview data to develop CLC Mission and Vision Statement;
• Identified areas of improvement for CLC’s ministries, administration, and operations;
• Studied other Churches going through transition;
• Analyzed CLC financial information and CLC stewardship trends;
• Drafted Ministry Site Profile;

A primary goal of the Transition work is to re-examine CLC from within to identify our strengths and areas for improvement in our ministries, administration, and outreach.  We feel that the Transition Team accomplished this goal and objective, as evidenced by their thorough work and detailed reports and findings.

On behalf of Council, I would again like to thank the Transition Team for the dedication and hard work.

Key Findings and Recommendations from Transition Team and Council:

Pastoral Structure.  Based upon the information and data gathered by the Transition Team, feedback provided from the Transition Team to Council, and Council’s own reflections and discernment, at our Council meeting on October 18, Council agreed unanimously (9-0) to revise the pastoral structure to have: (1) a “Lead Pastor” (akin to Senior Pastor); and (2) an “Operations Pastor” or “Executive Pastor” (supporting the Lead Pastor).

1.  The Lead Pastor (also analogous to a CEO of a company) would be primarily responsible for Ministry, Worship, and Community Leadership.  The Lead Pastor would be the leader of the Congregation; to lead Christ Lutheran Church (CLC) in implementation and accomplishment of CLC’s Mission and Vision Statement.

2.  The Operations Pastor, also called an Executive Pastor (akin to the Chief Operating Officer of a company), would be primarily responsible for Operations, Administration, Finance, and Staff Management to support the Lead Pastor, and to support the implementation and accomplishment of the CLC’s Mission and Vision statement.   These functions would also include working in tandem with the Lead Pastor on ministry evaluation, goal setting, strategy, development, and mentoring of lay leaders within the Congregation. The Operations/Executive Pastor’s responsibilities would be complementary to and supportive of the Lead Pastor’s functions.  Both pastors are to be centered in Word and Sacrament, and to share in preaching (approximate 70/30 split), teaching, worship, pastoral care, and faith formation.

Core Values, Missions and Ministries:  Through its extensive survey work, interviews, and information gathering, the Transition Team identified several primary themes from the congregation for affirming and strengthening the mission of CLC.  These core values and themes are presented below:

• Maintain and Enhance a Lutheran Heritage of Worship
  • Conduct worship in a manner that welcomes all participants regardless of church background
  • Affirm and strengthen the diversity of worship at CLC
• Practice Holistic Caregiving for Health and Wellness
  • Continue to develop and expand pastoral care and visitation
  • Recruit and train more lay leaders
• Form Faithful Disciples
  • Expand “faith stepping stones” to become a more holistic household ministry
  • Expand small groups and cross-generational opportunities
• Increase Stewardship Awareness and Develop a Unified Vision
  • Support continued development of stewardship committee to oversee year-round emphasis on the spiritual and faith components of financial stewardship
  • Form a budget decision-making process that facilitates directing generosity primarily to the core missions of the congregation
• Further Service and Outreach Through Local Mission
  • Develop proactive plans to outreach and minister to over-65 members and community
  • Identify opportunities to serve in Douglas County and Denver-focused ministries
• Implement a Team Model of Leadership
  • Enhance team culture at CLC through pastoral leadership, staff and lay members
  • Implement regular evaluations and planning sessions between pastors, staff, and lay leaders
• Enhance Relationships in Affiliation with the Rocky Mountain Synod and ELCA
  • Educate congregation about our partnership with Synod in mission in ELCA
  • Develop plan to systematically increase benevolence giving

Areas of Improvement.  The Transition Team identified the following for areas of improvement to strengthen CLC’s mission, vision, ministries, outreach, and service to members and the community:

• Enhance unique ministry needs across lifespan and generational demographics;
• Expand concept of faith stepping stones for children/youth/family ministries;
• Enhance adult education and small group opportunities;
• Focus stewardship on spiritual education and faith to increase holistic sense of mission; and also develop mission and budget planning in a manner that is broad-based and engages more CLC members;
• Refine Pastoral leadership structure to enhance opportunities for improvement in CLC administration, operations, planning and strategic decision-making;
• Increase mission support to and through the Rocky Mountain Synod and ELCA.

Please do not hesitate to contact me, a Council member, or Pastor Steve if you have any questions or would like to discuss.   My email address is bretsumner@hotmail.com – please put CLC in the subject line. Thank you.

Onward and Upward,

–Bret Sumner, CLC Council President

Preview of Transition Findings and Recommendations

November 7, 2015

Preview of Transition Findings and Recommendations

Dear Members and Friends of CLC:

On behalf of Council, I am providing the following preview of the Transition Team’s findings in advance of the presentation to be provided at our annual Congregation meeting on Saturday at 6pm on November 14.

Annual Meeting on November 14 – Please Attend!   Council and the Transition Team will be presenting our findings and recommendations of the Transition work at CLC’s annual congregation meeting scheduled for Saturday evening, November 14.  Please plan to attend to learn more!

Transition Team – Overview of Work Completed:

The Synod estimates that the Transition Team work can take up to one year to complete.  The CLC Transition Team finished their work in approximately four months.  During that time, the Transition Team:

• Conducted surveys and compiled feedback and data from over 250 CLC members;
• Conducted interviews and surveys with approximately 28 small groups at CLC;
• Interviewed CLC Staff and coordinated with Transition Pastor Interns assisting in the process;
• Analyzed survey and interview data to develop CLC Mission and Vision Statement;
• Identified areas of improvement for CLC’s ministries, administration, and operations;
• Studied other Churches going through transition;
• Compiled demographic information for CLC and surrounding communities;
• Analyzed CLC financial information and CLC stewardship trends;
• Drafted Ministry Site Profile;
• Met with Council to present findings and recommendations.

A primary goal of the Transition work is to re-examine CLC from within to identify our strengths and areas for improvement in our ministries, administration, and outreach.  We feel that the Transition Team accomplished this goal and objective, as evidenced by their thorough work and detailed reports and findings.

This effort has required a notable amount of listening, transparency, patience, tolerance and discernment on the part of the Transition Team, and the Congregation as a whole.  We are grateful to the Transition Team for its faithful dedication and commitment.  We thank all members of the Congregation and staff for their invaluable contributions to this important process.

Preview of Key Findings and Recommendations:  Through its extensive survey work, interviews, and information gathering, the Transition Team identified several primary themes from the congregation for affirming and strengthening the mission of CLC.  These core values and themes are presented below:

• Maintain and Enhance a Lutheran Heritage of Worship
  • Conduct worship in a manner that welcomes all participants regardless of church background
  • Affirm and strengthen the diversity of worship at CLC

• Practice Holistic Caregiving for Health and Wellness
  • Continue to develop and expand pastoral care and visitation
  • Recruit and train more lay leaders

• Form Faithful Disciples
  • Expand “faith stepping stones” to become a more holistic household ministry
  • Expand small groups and cross-generational opportunities

• Increase Stewardship Awareness and Develop a Unified Vision
  • Support continued development of stewardship committee to oversee year-round emphasis on the spiritual and faith components of financial stewardship
  • Form a budget decision-making process that facilitates directing generosity primarily to the core missions of the congregation

• Further Service and Outreach Through Local Mission
  • Develop proactive plans to outreach and minister to over-65 members and community
  • Identify opportunities to serve in Douglas County and Denver-focused ministries

• Implement a Team Model of Leadership
  • Enhance team culture at CLC through pastoral leadership, staff and lay members
  • Implement regular evaluations and planning sessions between pastors, staff, and lay leaders

• Enhance Relationships in Affiliation with the Rocky Mountain Synod and ELCA
  • Educate congregation about our partnership with Synod in mission in ELCA
  • Develop plan to systematically increase benevolence giving

Areas of Improvement.  The Transition Team identified the following for areas of improvement to strengthen CLC’s mission, vision, ministries, outreach, and service to members and the community:

• Enhance unique ministry needs across lifespan and generational demographics;
• Expand concept of faith stepping stones for children/youth/family ministries;
• Enhance adult education and small group opportunities;
• Focus stewardship on spiritual education and faith to increase holistic sense of mission; and also develop mission and budget planning in a manner that is broad-based and engages more CLC members;
• Refine Pastoral leadership structure to enhance opportunities for improvement in CLC administration, operations, planning and strategic decision-making; and,
• Increase mission support to and through the Rocky Mountain Synod and ELCA.

Timeline and Next Steps.  Here is an overview of key next steps and a timeline estimate.  All dates are approximate, but Pastor Steve, the Transition Team, and Council are all committed to working as hard as we can to meet these target dates:

November 10 – Council finalizes Ministry Site Profile and related materials for submission to Synod.

November 14 – CLC Annual Member Meeting – Transition Team and Council to provide presentation on key findings and recommendations from the Transition Team’s work.

November 20 – Closing of nominations for Call Committee.

December 8 – Council meeting to select Call Committee.

December 12 – Announcement of Call Committee

Date TBD – Pastor Steve, Office of the Bishop, Council, and Transition Team meeting with Call Committee

Dates TBD – Office of the Bishop to provide Pastoral Candidates, including Pastor D.J. if he is interested in submitting an application, for consideration (usually within 6 weeks of submission of Ministry Site Profile to Synod), and Call Committee begins application reviews and interviews.

Call Committee Nominations.  The nominations period will be open through November 20.  More details will be provided in the CLC newsletter, via the Transition website, and at worship services.

Call Committee Parameters and Selection.   It is a privilege and a holy responsibility to serve on a call committee.  What are some of the commitments and guidelines for participation on such a committee?               All who serve should be committed to:

1. Praying together and seeking God’s guidance;

2. Discussing and discerning frankly and collaboratively with one another;

3. Keeping in mind the wholeness of the congregation’s ministry, mission and vision, and not just one or two constituencies;

4. Being open to considering carefully all pastoral candidates; and,

5. Being conscious and supportive of the present and future mission priorities and needs of CLC.

In addition, Council’s goal in selecting the call committee is to ensure broad representation across the congregation, such as representation covering our different worship services on Saturday and Sunday, representation on behalf of various key groups, demographics, and ministries, such as our Youth, OWLs, and MOPS, as well as representation from newer members of the Congregation (e.g., members for 5 years or less), and more long-term members of the Congregation (e.g., members for10 years or more).

For continuity with the Transition, discernment, and learning process for the past 6 months, we will likely have a call committee member that has served on the Transition Team, as well as a Council representative (possibly as a non-voting observer to provide feedback and act as liaison with Pastor Steve, and Council).

Please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of council if you have any questions or would like to discuss.   My email address is bretsumner@hotmail.com – please put CLC in the subject line to ensure that I can find the message in my inbox.

Onward and Upward.

–Bret Sumner

CLC Council President

Calling the Call Committee! – Transition Update

October 21, 2015

Calling the Call Committee!  – Transition Update

Dear Members and Friends of CLC:

On behalf of Council, I am providing the following update on the transition process and next steps leading up to selection of the call committee.

Transition Team Work.

Over the past four months, the Transition Team has worked extensively on surveying and obtaining substantive feedback from the congregation, small groups, and staff to prepare the necessary paperwork (called the Ministry Site Profile) prior to the formation of the Call Committee.  This Ministry Site Profile paperwork is used by the Synod to help identify potential pastor candidates that may be a good fit for CLC for the Call Committee to interview.   A primary goal of the Transition work is to re-examine CLC from within to identify our strengths and areas for improvement in our ministries, administration, and outreach.

To ensure an accurate and thorough Ministry Site Profile, the Transition Team gathered extensive survey data from members and small groups, and worked comprehensively to evaluate and update CLC’s mission and vision statement, and to identify ministries and areas where we have the opportunity to improve and grow as a church and as a congregation.  They have done a tremendous job.

On Sunday evening, October 18, the Transition Team and Council met so that the Transition Team could debrief Council on their work and findings.  After that joint meeting, Council met separately that same night to work on finalizing plans based upon feedback from the Transition Team.  We are ready to move forward.

Timeline and Next Steps.  Here is an overview of key next steps and a timeline estimate.  All dates are approximate, but Pastor Steve, the Transition Team, and Council are all committed to working as hard as we can to meet these target dates:

November 1 – Nominations period opens for Call Committee.

November 10 – Council finalizes Ministry Site Profile and related materials for submission to Synod.

November 14 – CLC Annual Member Meeting – Transition Team and Council to provide presentation on key findings and recommendations from the Transition Team’s work.

November 20 – Closing of nominations for Call Committee.

December 8 – Council meeting to select Call Committee.

December 12 – Announcement of Call Committee

Date TBD – Pastor Steve, Office of the Bishop, Council, and Transition Team meeting with Call Committee

Dates TBD – Synod to provide Pastoral Candidates, including Pastor D.J. if he is interested in submitting an application, for consideration (usually within 6 weeks of submission of Ministry Site Profile to Synod), and Call Committee begins application reviews and interviews.

Call Committee Nominations.  If you are interested in being considered for appointment to the Call Committee, we will be providing forms to submit nominations starting on November 1.  The nominations period will be open through November 20.  More details will be provided in the CLC newsletter, via the Transition website, and at worship services.

Call Committee Parameters and Selection.   It is a privilege and a holy responsibility to serve on a call committee.  What are some of the commitments and guidelines for participation on such a committee?               All who serve should be committed to:

1. Praying together and seeking God’s guidance;

2. Discussing and discerning frankly and collaboratively with one another;

3. Keeping in mind the wholeness of the congregation’s ministry, mission and vision, and not just one or two constituencies;

4. Being open to considering carefully all pastoral candidates; and,

5. Being conscious and supportive of the present and future mission priorities and needs of CLC.

In addition, Council’s goal in selecting the call committee is to ensure broad representation across the congregation, such as representation covering our different worship services on Saturday and Sunday, representation on behalf of various key groups, demographics, and ministries, such as our Youth, OWLs, and MOPS, as well as representation from newer members of the Congregation (e.g., members for 5 years or less), and more long-term members of the Congregation (e.g., members for10 years or more).

For continuity with the Transition, discernment, and learning process for the past 6 months, we will likely have a call committee member that has served on the Transition Team, as well as a Council representative (possibly as a non-voting observer to provide feedback and act as liaison with Pastor Steve, and Council).

Annual Meeting on November 14 – Please Attend!   Council and the Transition Team will be presenting our findings, results, and recommendations of the Transition work at CLC’s annual congregation meeting scheduled for Saturday evening, November 14.  Please plan to attend to learn more!

Please do not hesitate to contact me or a member of council if you have any questions or would like to discuss.   My email address is bretsumner@hotmail.com – please put CLC in the subject line to ensure that I can find the message in my inbox.

Onward and Upward.

Sincerely, Yours in Christ,

–Bret Sumner

CLC Council President

–Bret Sumner

CLC Council President