RECAP FROM THE
SEPTEMBER 8th CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
Your Council’s September 8th meeting was dominated by discussion of the Ministry Site Profile (MSP) and related topics. After many months of hard work, the MSP group was ready to submit their draft document for Council review. The major topics we discussed included:
Finances as of 8/31/2020:
-
Our income and expenses are mostly in line with the 2020 budget approved in January
-
We had approved upgrades to the sound system in the sanctuary, which resulted in additional maintenance expenses of $3,500 in August.
-
Our General Offering fell by over 20% for the month of August. Historically August is a down month and with no in-person services due to Covid, we weren’t overly concerned but will watch this closely.
A subcommittee was formed (Pastor Karen, Scooter Benson and Sue Weimer) to consider names for the 6 person Call Committee. They will be looking for a representative mix of perspectives; members with children, youth, elders, new members, established members, etc.
Lengthy discussion was given to future staffing requirements. The council is recommending a full time pastor and a part time administration position.
- Our financial situation does not allow us to have both a full time pastor and full time admin position.
- Our finances will only allow us to seek a full time pastor with no more than 5 years of experience.
- A survey of areawide ELCA churches revealed that congregations of similar size to JLC had part time admin positions however all had direct volunteer member involvement, especially in the financial areas. We will need to step up to cover duties currently performed by our full time admin position.
The recommendation to make changes in staffing was especially difficult because of the direct impact it has on Jan D. She has been a valued and trusted presence in our office for almost 9 years. She has been invaluable especially during this transition period but the council felt that the church needs a full time pastor to lead us into the future. We are not proposing any immediate changes however the MSP requires a decision regarding full or part time pastor position. Please keep Jan in your prayers as she begins to access her future employment options.
--Sue Weimer, Council President