pastornews

All Saints seeks Parish Administrator

All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington, Ohio, is seeking a full-time, salaried employee to act as Executive Director of Parish Administration.

Responsibilities

Overseeing a wide range of administrative and financial functions
Supporting pastors
Taking initiative for special projects
Directly supervising a facilities manager, office manager and bookkeeper

Requirements

Schedule that allows flexibility for evening meetings with various volunteer committees, especially those involving the financial health of the church
Strong Christian faith that complements our mission, vision and values
Ability to empower and collaborate with other employees
Ability to implement change
Strong communication skills

Preferred

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business management or finance
Five years of financial, administrative and supervisory experience

A full job description is available here.

June Update

During its regular June business meeting, Congregation Council voted to authorize $1,000 to be sent to Hands on Africa in support of Phil and Erin (Quist) Vestal, who will begin work as missionaries for that organization in July.

Hands on Africa will start a Christian school in Malawi for children on a 1,000-acre farm near the village of Namwera. Currently, Hands on Africa runs an orphanage, a seminary and a health clinic on the farm.

Once they arrive in July, Erin will work in the school and with the local women, and Phil will work with local pastors.

Council Vice President Nick Britt suggested in May that the church provide the $1,000 of the $18,000 the couple needs to fund the trip to show support to Erin, a daughter of the congregation.

In other business, Council:

Officially approved the Ministry Site Profile and lead pastor job description submitted by the Call Committee for a designated lead pastor.
Discussed a proposal to review the church’s technology needs for the coming years. They referred a request to spend no more than $850 to contract with Square One Technology Solutions of Columbus to review those needs and make proposals for improvements. Council will review any proposals and determine how the church should best move forward.
Discussed ongoing efforts to find appropriate candidates for the position of executive director of administration, as Marj Stevenson plans to retire Jan. 31. Personnel Committee member Amy Chapman, Pastor Bonnie Gerber and Council member Tim Huter are overseeing the search.
Reviewed the need to fill the position of facilities’ manager by Jan. 1. Director of Administration Marj Stevenson currently fulfills these responsibilities but will retire Jan. 31.
Regretfully accepted the resignation of Bell Choir Director Becky Trefz, who ended her duties at the end of the current choir year. Members deferred discussion of a replacement until September, when the church’s financial situation is more certain.
Accepted the resignation of custodian Diane Ciconne, who had hoped to leave after her recent marriage but stayed on until the church had found a suitable custodial company to fulfill its needs.

Call Committee: June 6 Statement from chairman

Good morning.

My name is Dale Wirtz and I am here as chairman, representing the nine members of the All Saints Call Committee.

I want to update you on why this committee was created, inform you of our progress and tell you where we plan to go from here.

Why was the Call Committee created?

Since the departure of Pastor Glenn Zorb two years ago, All Saints has not had a Lead Pastor.

In the meantime, Pastor Gerber and Pastor Weaver have faithfully attended to the daily needs of our congregation and were key participants in the development of our Mission and Vision Statements.

These Mission and Vision statement capture the values of our congregation and set a course for our church going forward.

Congregation Council and its elected officers, together with the Office of the Bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod, believe that we require a Lead pastor in whom we place the full charge of implementing our vision and mission and lead the congregation forward.

Finding this person is the sole purpose of the Call Committee.

So what have we been doing?

Before any candidates can be directed toward All Saints from the Synod Office, we are required to assemble a multi-page document called the Ministry site Profile (MSP).

Completing this document required the Call Committee to accumulate and organize a large amount of data concerning the culture and needs of All-Saints as well as describe the people and communities we serve. Developing this document helped make the Call Committee aware of our church’s many ministry opportunities we offer as well as sharpen and define our leadership needs.

This the first document any candidate from the Synod Office will see.

In addition, the Call Committee felt the need to develop a job description for the position of Lead Pastor. Copies of the MSP and the job description are available through All Saints’ Web site (see below). Printed copies are also available following this service on the Narthex desk or from the church office.

Following the Synod’s guidelines, before we receive any candidates from the Synod, we must first determine if either of our incumbent Pastors are to be considered for the Lead Pastor position, and we must make a decision regarding our incumbent pastors and their call to the Lead Pastor position. This process is based upon Synod’s belief that viable candidates for a Lead Pastor position will not choose to interview at a church where one of its existing pastors remains a candidate for the office. This topic was discussed at length among the members of the Call Committee.

The Committee did not feel called to extend an interview with Pastor Weaver, and he also stated that he did not feel called to be Lead Pastor at All Saints.

The Committee has felt called to extend an interview to Pastor Gerber and in a discussion with her she indicated that she has been considering this matter and would like to be considered for the call as Lead Pastor.

So, where do we go from here?

First, we must interview Pastor Gerber as an unopposed candidate. This means that the Call Committee will interview Pastor Gerber first. After the interview, if the Call Committee feels led by the Holy Spirit to recommend Pastor Gerber as lead pastor and Pastor Gerber also feels led by the Holy Spirit to accept the Lead Pastor Call, then our search is over, and Pastor Gerber will be our candidate.

It is then your decision, as the congregation of All Saints, to call Pastor Gerber as Lead Pastor. If it is your decision is to call Pastor Gerber as Lead Pastor, then the Call Committee’s work will be finished.

If either the Call committee or Pastor Gerber does not feel called by the Holy Spirit to proceed further, then it is at that time the Synod will furnish the Call Committee with additional candidates for consideration.

These candidates likely will arrive in groups of three and need to be acted upon collectively before an additional three candidates will be provided.

In addition, the Call Committee will also consider candidates that come forth on their own, as well as those proposed by members of this congregation.

Two things need mentioning. Because pastors who interview with us might risk embarrassment in their home congregations if their interest in All Saints became known, your Call Committee is pledged to total confidentiality throughout the interview process. Please don’t ask us for information; we will not share it. Also, it is worth keeping in mind that at this time our church budget cannot provide for more than two full-time pastors on staff.

As you can tell, your Call Committee’s work is far from done.

Again, copies of the MSP and the job description are available through All-Saints’ Web site and printed copies are also available following this service on the Narthex desk.

The All Saints Mission and Vision documents as also available on the site.

On behalf of the Committee, I want to thank all of you for your prayers, your patience and your understanding.

Find the Ministry Site Profile here.

Find the Lead Pastor job description here.

May update

During its regular business meeting May 10, Congregation Council reviewed two documents from the Call Committee for a designated lead pastor.

The Call Committee submitted the Ministry Site Profile required by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a job description for the position of lead pastor. Both documents can be found on the Web site at www. saintsonhigh.org under Council Corner.
With these documents complete, the Call Committee has begun to compile interview questions for potential candidates, said committee Chair Dale Wirtz. They will include topics such as an overall philosophy of ministry and pastoring and what a pastor would hope to accomplish during their first year in the position.

“We had a really good group,” Dale said. “I think we’re pretty well diversified in our views.”

Nonetheless, the group was able to talk through issues and gain unanimity, he said. All members of the group, even younger ones, had an influence on and input into the discussion. Members of the committee are Dale Wirtz, Tom Counts, Jim Cox, Kim Davis-Hetrick, Brent Isler, Ken Keller, Robyn Ramsay, Margaret Rechel and Bob Tobbe.

In other business, Council:

Heard a report on staff research into the church’s information technology system. Staff is reviewing proposals to update the current system. Council agreed that a team including Pastor Bonnie Gerber, Communications Director Stacy Wendt, Council Secretary Rob Wesley and two members of the congregation with background in technology issues would review the current proposals and report back to Council in June with a recommendation.
Received a proposal from Council Vice President Nick Britt to offer support to All Saints’ member Erin Quist and her fiancé, Philip Vestal, who plan to serve as missionaries in Malawi, Africa, following their upcoming marriage. This year’s Vacation Bible School will donate its mission monies to supporting the effort of buying equipment for playgrounds and sports. However, Nick thought it appropriate for the congregation as a whole to offer a contribution to their year-long missionary effort. He suggested $1,000 of the $18,000 the couple needs to fund the trip. At the suggestion of Parish Executive Administrator Marj Stevenson, Council sent the proposal to All Saints Endowment Committee.

Minutes available

Congregation Council makes minutes of its monthly meetings available for purposes of keeping the community informed about church governance.

A copy of the most recent minutes is regularly posted on the Council bulletin board in the gathering area. In addition, the minutes may be obtained from the church office. Paper copies are available, you may click here to find the most recently approved minutes, or you may contact All Saints to request a copy via e-mail.

Keep in touch

Congregation Council welcomes all those with questions to contact its members directly. You can find the current list of council members here and their photos on the bulletin board in the Gathering Area. Council members are happy to talk and pray with you as we walk together through an uncertain time. Change of any kind is a challenge, but it also provides opportunity. It is important that all of us lift one another up and remain on a positive path as we anticipate and move ahead into the future God has planned for All Saints.

Members also are welcome to attend council meetings to gain a greater understanding of the governance of the church and to speak on concerns they may have.