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Meet Your Staff Parish Relations Committee
Why should you read this brief article about the responsibilities of Baker Memorial’s Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC)? Well, on a strictly financial level, the SPRC is responsible for determining how we allocate the largest piece of our annual budget. More importantly to all of us as followers of Christ is the fact that the SPRC listens to thoughts and concerns from our congregation, volunteers and paid staff, and it then makes staffing recommendations that it feels will most effectively support the congregation as we seek to grow in faith and number.
Staffing needs at Baker Memorial are not set in stone, and as good stewards of our budget and spiritual needs, we consider every position on an annual basis. Each staff member completes a comprehensive self-evaluation that calls for reflection on his or her accomplishments, effectiveness, and spiritual contributions to the ministry of our church. The self-evaluations are reviewed by the SPRC and then each staff member meets with one or more SPRC members to discuss the evaluation. Changes in staffing take place when a staff member leaves, or the SPRC determines that the needs of the congregation have shifted and a particular position might benefit from someone with different skills. We are blessed with staff members who understand this, and we are grateful that they are all committed to supporting our church as both staff members and disciples of Christ themselves.
This year SPRC has the added responsibility of working with the Northern Illinois Conference during a pastoral change. This involves characterizing the congregation and our greatest needs, meeting with the candidate when they are identified, welcoming them at the beginning of July, and helping them acclimate when they arrive.
We also champion the financial health of our staff members. Did you know that our staff members did not receive salary increases for several years prior to 2023? Thankfully, with prayer, faith, and hard work by our Finance Committee and the Strategy and Administration team, we were able to rectify some of this with the 2023 budget. Your support allows this to happen. Please pray for our staff, our congregation, and the continued work of the many volunteers who make Baker Memorial such a welcoming faith family serving Christ here, near, and far away.
Finally, let me introduce the members of the SPRC. The three team members for 2022/2023 are myself, Debbie Conterato, and Kim Starr. Pastor Mary, Pastor Kim, and our Lay Leader, Cathie Ruth, are also members of the SPRC team. Feel free to connect with any of the team members if you’d like to know more!
Chuck Freiberger, 2022/2023 Chair of Staff Parish
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