Elder Minutes – Blog Edition

Highlights from Recent Elder Meetings

1. Staff Searches. Our church is currently involved in two searches.· Senior Lead Pastor. As Pastor Marty prepared to leave, we faced the question of how to replace him, given the church’s current needs. We decided not to look for another Executive Pastor, but for a more senior-level pastoral appointment with a larger leadership role. After discussion with advisors within the Covenant and with our own ministry leaders, we concluded that we should look for a “Senior Lead Pastor,” to provide organizational leadership to our church: to supervise staff, develop ministry leaders and ministries, and oversee administrative systems and functions. The SLP will be an equal partner with Lyle (our “Senior Teaching Pastor”). Both Senior Pastors will be elders and both will report to the whole council of elders. A search is already under way. Please join us in praying for God’s person to be identified through this process.· Worship Arts Director/Pastor. Last summer’s search did not conclude with an appointment to this position. Filling the position remains a high priority. A new search team is in the process of being formed and will commence a search shortly. Pray that God would lead us to the right person.
2. Elder-led Leadership Teams. Last summer we reported the plan to form four “Leadership Teams” to involve both elders and non-elders in various leadership functions in the church. We are pleased to say that all four teams are now “up and running.” The Management Team, the Worship Arts Team, the Shepherding Team and the Ministry Team are now meeting regularly to oversee how the church is functioning in each of these respective areas.
3. Elder Role and Functioning. We are constantly challenging ourselves, and are being challenged by folks in the church, to think proactively about how the elders can give better leadership and support to the body. We want to do a better job of communicating with ministry leaders and with the church as a whole, and of supporting folks in ministry leadership. We are also thinking “out of the box” about the nature of elder leadership, elder terms of service, the elder and deacon affirmation process, and mechanisms of care and support for the elders.
4. Next Steps Team Update. The Next Steps Team has resumed its efforts in looking for the land that God intends for Christ Church to build its future home. It was disappointing to all of us that the land at the intersection of Division St. and Howland Road did not work out as planned. However, we are moving forward, confident in the belief, that God has another piece of land for us.
At our most recent meeting, we reaffirmed what we are looking for. In order to fulfill the Elder’s vision for a central hub for Christ Church, we are in search of a piece of land that meets the following criteria:
• Minimum of 8 buildable acres• Located within a ten minute drive of our current facility• Located on a visible, easily accessible, main road.
We are currently pursuing several new opportunities in East Greenwich, North Kingstown, and Exeter. At this time, however, we do not know where God will lead us. We ask for your prayers, for wisdom and discernment for the team, and for your eyes and ears, to let us know of any land opportunities you may become aware of. (The members of the Next Steps Team are Mike Denci, Caroline Cressman, Mo Cooley, Gordon Cooley, Rob La Rocco, Tim Mullaney, Karl Sauerbray, and Rob Allyn).
5. Spiritual Formation Plan. Last summer we approved in concept a plan for “spiritual formation” for adults in the church. A major objective of this plan is educational. The educational part of the plan has now been fleshed out and a “Bible knowledge curriculum” covering the basics of scripture and theology and spread over a two-year cycle is in the process of being implemented. The Sunday morning Adult Education programs of last fall and this spring are part of that curriculum.
6. Beginning the 2nd Sunday in February, February 11, 2007, and continuing the 2nd Sunday of every month, there will be “Coffee with the Elders”. We will meet from 11:30a.m. – 12:30p.m. at the Women and Infants location across the street from Christ Church. The purpose of the meeting will be to have an informal time of getting to know each other and sharing ideas and thoughts on our life together at Christ Church. If you have any questions please call the church office or one of the Elders.

Faithfully, in Christ
The Christ Church Elders

Comments from Robert

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As we begin this New Year, I would like to resume the Elder Blog not only as an informational resource but a spiritual resource.
As a spiritual resource, I would like to begin by using a passage from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John.

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

“Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

In this chapter, we see a dialogue with a woman at Jacob’s well. This Gospel is so rich in symbolism it is difficult to explore its significance briefly.
In the adult class, Reading The Bible As A Dialogue With God, we explored the importance of reading the text in context and understanding its structure. John chapter 4:1-43 is a very good example of how understanding the structure can highlight the message. The structure, which I will explain in more detail in following blogs, point out that “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth”. This clearly states that worship, true worship, is not to be found in one place, neither in Jerusalem, the Jewish holy place, nor on Mount Gerizim, the Samaritan holy place.
An important element in the vision of Christ Church is the statement to multiply in order to bring The Hope of the world, Jesus, to more lost and hurting people. We will fulfill this vision as we continue to have start up ministries in various locations. In order to accomplish this we need people who are members of Christ Church who are called and gifted by God and affirmed by the church to begin to see how their calling can assist in the accomplishment of our vision.
Christ Church will offer leadership training to identify and support those God has, and is calling to these roles.
Christ Church, with the help of God, will always be a safe, comforting, loving place where people can come and be nurtured and grow in their faith. Yet, as in John 4 it is not the only place where Christ Church will worship in Spirit and Truth.
I look forward to sharing some of the interpretive keys in the Gospel of John and how a deeper understanding of this Gospel can be transformative.

Love in His name,
Robert