Dear Faith Family Church,
About this time last year, Pastor Paul set forth a post-Covid vision for our church. Since that time, much has happened at FFC and in the Southern Baptist Convention more broadly, and so we want to take this opportunity to provide you with important updates on a few fronts.
FFC ELDER-DEACON TEAMS
One of the pillars in Pastor Paul's vision was developing future leaders. To that end, we expanded our elder board at the end of 2021, and earlier this year, expanded our diaconate. Along with these moves, we articulated a new elder-deacon operating model designed to create a more balanced workload, leadership accountability, role clarity, and congregational involvement in our core functional ministries. The goal in 2022 has been to stand this new operating model up, and we are pleased to report that we are on track in this regard.
The elder-deacon teams presented their current state assessments to the Leadership Team in April, followed up by their future state assessments in July. The next step is to formulate a three-year action plan in October to which leadership will be held accountable going forward. The good news so far is that there does not appear to be a need for any major overhauls to our core functional ministries. Most of the recommendations have to do with restarting ministries paused by Covid (e.g., ushers), clarifying teams' roles where there might be some overlap, and expanding teams to ensure adequate coverage and avoid burnout (e.g., audio/visual team). In some cases, formal transitions of leadership responsibilities from Judy to our deacon teams are already in motion.
Moreover, to reduce the complexity and the manual nature of many existing ministry leadership tasks, we are investing in a new church management software platform that should be up-and-running by the end of 2022. Finally, we are happy to report that Judy said she is already starting to feel the ease of pressure, so we believe we are on the right path and grateful that our elders and deacons have embraced their expanded roles. That said, many opportunities to serve in our ministries still remain. If you are interested in a particular area, please contact the appropriate elder or deacon. We also plan to hold a ministry fair one Sunday in October, where you can see in one place all of the needs across our core ministries and get involved.
SUCCESSION PLANNING
We also understand that many questions remain about how and when a leadership transition will practically play out, along with if and when we intend to hire additional staff. Therefore, we want to clarify our current thinking about how our church will select its next senior pastor, along with the long-term staffing plan at FFC.
First, Pastor Paul and Judy do not have any intention of suddenly stepping down from their current roles as senior pastor and church administrator, respectively. However, when that time comes, Pastor Paul has expressed a desire to stay on FFC's pastoral staff in a preaching and teaching role. Likewise, Judy intends to continue serving as music director after she fully transitions her administrator responsibilities.
Moreover, our church constitution and bylaws do not presently provide much detail on the process to call a new senior pastor, other than requiring a church vote. Therefore, to more clearly define our process, we propose amending our church's bylaws to clarify that the elder board will serve as the search committee, and church membership must approve by a three-fourths vote the calling of a candidate for senior pastor. (See the first attachment for the proposed amendment.)
Second, we think our broader, long-term staffing plan must be informed by a long-term strategic plan to achieve our mission as a church, namely, carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples. In other words, we must define our church's specific plan to make disciple-makers and determine the best way to organize ourselves to carry out that plan successfully over time. It would be premature to make major staffing decisions before doing this work. Therefore, we think the next best step in defining our long-term staffing plan is to define our long-term strategic plan, and we are in the process of putting together a team from our membership to kick off this initiative.
YOUTH PASTOR ROLE
For these reasons, we have not sought to immediately rehire for roles as they previously existed.
Instead, we have filled key roles on an interm basis, including Glenn Ebersole, who graciously stepped in as interim youth pastor last August. Glenn quickly provided a clear mission and plan for the youth ministry, and with the support of a gifted team of volunteer youth leaders, including George Cancro, John Coe, Ashley Ebersole, Nicole Fluet, Ethan Reed and Joe Vogelpohl, our youth group has been envigorated and has experienced substantial growth.
As mentioned earlier, it will take some time to determine our long-term staffing plan, and its implementation will depend on continued membership growth. In the meantime, we desire to build on the resurgance of our youth ministry and promote its stability so that FFC can continue to reach the younger generation. Therefore, Pastor Paul has decided to remove "interim" from Glenn's title, and Glenn is now the youth pastor serving in a part-time capacity. Moreover, we are blessed to have Glenn and Ashley working together as a ministry team, as they both have a passion to serve our teens, along with significant experience in youth ministry and a godly influence. While this change in Glenn's title does not represent a material difference in the day-to-day operation of our youth ministry, it does provide a measure of ongoing stability in its leadership as we work out the longer-term staffing plan.
SBC SEXUAL ABUSE REPORT
In May, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (of which FFC is a member) published a list of hundreds of pastors and other church workers it described as being “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. It revealed sexual abuse that has happened at every level of SBC churches, along with efforts by some denominational leaders to deny or conceal credible charges of sexual abuse. A logical question to ask in light of this horrific report is, "what is our church’s response?" Therefore, we want to share with you what your elders have discussed and actions we have taken.
First, we take this issue seriously, and we want to create the safest environment possible for our church family. We believe that starts with us as leaders because sexual abuse is more likely to be overlooked at a church where its leaders are ensnared by their own sexual sins. As elders, we are committed to holding each other accountable for our personal behavior, even if it means getting uncomfortable with each other.
Second, we have reviewed our own policies and procedures for church workers (whether paid staff or volunteers) and believe they are robust. (If you would like to review our Policy & Procedure Manual, copies are available on the door of the church office.) However, as there is natural turnover in church workers, along with the human tendency to forget things, we recommend mandatory annual refresher trainings on our policies and procedures for all church workers going forward.
Finally, while we believe our policies are robust, we also think it would be prudent to establish and communicate a protocol for reporting sexual abuse at FFC, along with a protocol for how we handle sexual abuse reports at FFC. As part of this protocol, we propose to amend our bylaws to provide more clarity on how any accusations against a pastor (both staff and laypastors) will be handled. (See the second attachment for the proposed amendment.)
Hopefully, these will merely be measures of preparedness that we never need to utilize. As Southern Seminary President Al Mohler wrote in the wake of the report’s release, "Moving forward is only possible if the SBC members face this issue honestly, receive this report soberly, express genuine remorse and demonstrate genuine repentance."
* * *
Thank you for taking the time to read this important update about our church family. Our intent is to put forth both proposed amendments for congregational approval at a special meeting after the worship service on October 2. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please do not hestitate to reach out to us.
IN CHRIST’S LOVE,
Paul Andrews, senior pastor
Jason Featherman, elder
Andy Fluet, elder
Bob Kuehl, elder
Raul Pineiro, elder
PROPOSED AMENDMENT #1 TO FAITH FAMILY CHURCH BYLAWS
Under Church Officers and Ministry Teams, Section 1. Church Officers (1) Senior Pastor, add:
Calling of a Senior Pastor
Should the office of senior pastor be vacated by retirement, termination, or death, the remaining elders shall serve as a search committee for said office. They shall have full authority to select prospects for the office and present them to the church body for a vote. They shall also have authority to approve the prospect’s fitness and qualifications for the office and the process for determining said qualifications.
The calling of a Senior Pastor shall come before the congregation at a specially called business meeting; notice of which having been given at two successive Sunday services. A three-fourths majority vote of qualified members present shall be necessary to confirm and extend the call. The method of voting shall be determined by the Board of Elders.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT #2 TO FAITH FAMILY CHURCH BYLAWS
Under Church Officers and Ministry Teams, Section 1. Church Officers (1) Senior Pastor, delete:
"He may be removed from office upon a two-thirds majority vote of the body. Except in instances of gross misconduct the church will compensate the pastor with not less than one twelfth of his total annual compensation. The termination shall be immediate and the compensation shall be rendered in not more than thirty days."
Under Church Membership, Section 3. Discipline, add:
Accusations against the Senior Pastor or a Lay Pastor shall be considered in the following order:
About this time last year, Pastor Paul set forth a post-Covid vision for our church. Since that time, much has happened at FFC and in the Southern Baptist Convention more broadly, and so we want to take this opportunity to provide you with important updates on a few fronts.
FFC ELDER-DEACON TEAMS
One of the pillars in Pastor Paul's vision was developing future leaders. To that end, we expanded our elder board at the end of 2021, and earlier this year, expanded our diaconate. Along with these moves, we articulated a new elder-deacon operating model designed to create a more balanced workload, leadership accountability, role clarity, and congregational involvement in our core functional ministries. The goal in 2022 has been to stand this new operating model up, and we are pleased to report that we are on track in this regard.
The elder-deacon teams presented their current state assessments to the Leadership Team in April, followed up by their future state assessments in July. The next step is to formulate a three-year action plan in October to which leadership will be held accountable going forward. The good news so far is that there does not appear to be a need for any major overhauls to our core functional ministries. Most of the recommendations have to do with restarting ministries paused by Covid (e.g., ushers), clarifying teams' roles where there might be some overlap, and expanding teams to ensure adequate coverage and avoid burnout (e.g., audio/visual team). In some cases, formal transitions of leadership responsibilities from Judy to our deacon teams are already in motion.
Moreover, to reduce the complexity and the manual nature of many existing ministry leadership tasks, we are investing in a new church management software platform that should be up-and-running by the end of 2022. Finally, we are happy to report that Judy said she is already starting to feel the ease of pressure, so we believe we are on the right path and grateful that our elders and deacons have embraced their expanded roles. That said, many opportunities to serve in our ministries still remain. If you are interested in a particular area, please contact the appropriate elder or deacon. We also plan to hold a ministry fair one Sunday in October, where you can see in one place all of the needs across our core ministries and get involved.
SUCCESSION PLANNING
We also understand that many questions remain about how and when a leadership transition will practically play out, along with if and when we intend to hire additional staff. Therefore, we want to clarify our current thinking about how our church will select its next senior pastor, along with the long-term staffing plan at FFC.
First, Pastor Paul and Judy do not have any intention of suddenly stepping down from their current roles as senior pastor and church administrator, respectively. However, when that time comes, Pastor Paul has expressed a desire to stay on FFC's pastoral staff in a preaching and teaching role. Likewise, Judy intends to continue serving as music director after she fully transitions her administrator responsibilities.
Moreover, our church constitution and bylaws do not presently provide much detail on the process to call a new senior pastor, other than requiring a church vote. Therefore, to more clearly define our process, we propose amending our church's bylaws to clarify that the elder board will serve as the search committee, and church membership must approve by a three-fourths vote the calling of a candidate for senior pastor. (See the first attachment for the proposed amendment.)
Second, we think our broader, long-term staffing plan must be informed by a long-term strategic plan to achieve our mission as a church, namely, carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples. In other words, we must define our church's specific plan to make disciple-makers and determine the best way to organize ourselves to carry out that plan successfully over time. It would be premature to make major staffing decisions before doing this work. Therefore, we think the next best step in defining our long-term staffing plan is to define our long-term strategic plan, and we are in the process of putting together a team from our membership to kick off this initiative.
YOUTH PASTOR ROLE
For these reasons, we have not sought to immediately rehire for roles as they previously existed.
Instead, we have filled key roles on an interm basis, including Glenn Ebersole, who graciously stepped in as interim youth pastor last August. Glenn quickly provided a clear mission and plan for the youth ministry, and with the support of a gifted team of volunteer youth leaders, including George Cancro, John Coe, Ashley Ebersole, Nicole Fluet, Ethan Reed and Joe Vogelpohl, our youth group has been envigorated and has experienced substantial growth.
As mentioned earlier, it will take some time to determine our long-term staffing plan, and its implementation will depend on continued membership growth. In the meantime, we desire to build on the resurgance of our youth ministry and promote its stability so that FFC can continue to reach the younger generation. Therefore, Pastor Paul has decided to remove "interim" from Glenn's title, and Glenn is now the youth pastor serving in a part-time capacity. Moreover, we are blessed to have Glenn and Ashley working together as a ministry team, as they both have a passion to serve our teens, along with significant experience in youth ministry and a godly influence. While this change in Glenn's title does not represent a material difference in the day-to-day operation of our youth ministry, it does provide a measure of ongoing stability in its leadership as we work out the longer-term staffing plan.
SBC SEXUAL ABUSE REPORT
In May, leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (of which FFC is a member) published a list of hundreds of pastors and other church workers it described as being “credibly accused” of sexual abuse. It revealed sexual abuse that has happened at every level of SBC churches, along with efforts by some denominational leaders to deny or conceal credible charges of sexual abuse. A logical question to ask in light of this horrific report is, "what is our church’s response?" Therefore, we want to share with you what your elders have discussed and actions we have taken.
First, we take this issue seriously, and we want to create the safest environment possible for our church family. We believe that starts with us as leaders because sexual abuse is more likely to be overlooked at a church where its leaders are ensnared by their own sexual sins. As elders, we are committed to holding each other accountable for our personal behavior, even if it means getting uncomfortable with each other.
Second, we have reviewed our own policies and procedures for church workers (whether paid staff or volunteers) and believe they are robust. (If you would like to review our Policy & Procedure Manual, copies are available on the door of the church office.) However, as there is natural turnover in church workers, along with the human tendency to forget things, we recommend mandatory annual refresher trainings on our policies and procedures for all church workers going forward.
Finally, while we believe our policies are robust, we also think it would be prudent to establish and communicate a protocol for reporting sexual abuse at FFC, along with a protocol for how we handle sexual abuse reports at FFC. As part of this protocol, we propose to amend our bylaws to provide more clarity on how any accusations against a pastor (both staff and laypastors) will be handled. (See the second attachment for the proposed amendment.)
Hopefully, these will merely be measures of preparedness that we never need to utilize. As Southern Seminary President Al Mohler wrote in the wake of the report’s release, "Moving forward is only possible if the SBC members face this issue honestly, receive this report soberly, express genuine remorse and demonstrate genuine repentance."
* * *
Thank you for taking the time to read this important update about our church family. Our intent is to put forth both proposed amendments for congregational approval at a special meeting after the worship service on October 2. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please do not hestitate to reach out to us.
IN CHRIST’S LOVE,
Paul Andrews, senior pastor
Jason Featherman, elder
Andy Fluet, elder
Bob Kuehl, elder
Raul Pineiro, elder
PROPOSED AMENDMENT #1 TO FAITH FAMILY CHURCH BYLAWS
Under Church Officers and Ministry Teams, Section 1. Church Officers (1) Senior Pastor, add:
Calling of a Senior Pastor
Should the office of senior pastor be vacated by retirement, termination, or death, the remaining elders shall serve as a search committee for said office. They shall have full authority to select prospects for the office and present them to the church body for a vote. They shall also have authority to approve the prospect’s fitness and qualifications for the office and the process for determining said qualifications.
The calling of a Senior Pastor shall come before the congregation at a specially called business meeting; notice of which having been given at two successive Sunday services. A three-fourths majority vote of qualified members present shall be necessary to confirm and extend the call. The method of voting shall be determined by the Board of Elders.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT #2 TO FAITH FAMILY CHURCH BYLAWS
Under Church Officers and Ministry Teams, Section 1. Church Officers (1) Senior Pastor, delete:
"He may be removed from office upon a two-thirds majority vote of the body. Except in instances of gross misconduct the church will compensate the pastor with not less than one twelfth of his total annual compensation. The termination shall be immediate and the compensation shall be rendered in not more than thirty days."
Under Church Membership, Section 3. Discipline, add:
Accusations against the Senior Pastor or a Lay Pastor shall be considered in the following order:
- Any and all accusations against a pastor must be in writing; signed by the accuser and presented to the Board of Elders.
- The accusations shall then be considered by the Board of Elders for the purpose of biblical resolution. If such resolution is reached in a meeting with the accused pastor to the mutual satisfaction of all concerned, no further action need be taken.
- If accusations cannot be scripturally resolved, those signing the accusations must meet with the Board of Elders and the Pastor. The Board of Elders shall determine if further action is necessary.
- The Senior Pastor may be recommended for dismissal by a majority vote of the Board of Elders. A special congregational meeting will be called by the Board of Elders to present the recommendation. A three-fourths majority vote, by closed ballot, of qualified members present shall be necessary to carry the motion for dismissal. If dismissal is demanded, the pastoral tenure shall terminate immediately. Severance pay shall be determined by the Board of Elders.
