To help guide our congregation through the ramifications of the dissolution of the Komo Kulshan Cluster (effective December 31, 2015) the Vestry of St. Paul’s asked several members of our congregation to form an advisory body to assist in its decision making.
This group, known as the Planning Task Force, consists of the following members, whose contact info is provided should you wish to communicate directly with them.
Task Force Members
Michael Boss (michaelboss@mac.com; 360-399-7927)
Cathey Frederick (mamaotter45@gmail; 425-358-0545)
Janet Stein (Vestry Reprsentative)
Clark Todd (boxwoodfarm@comcast.net; 360-424-7423)
Darcy Wells (darcyandsteve@aol.com; 360-661-4788)
Vicki Wesen (vwesen@frontier.com; 360-422-8693)
Planning Task Force meeting schedule
September 16
September 21
October 5
October 16
All meetings well be at 2 pm.
This blog is intended to serve as a running update on the Planning Task Force’s activities and discussions. Your thoughts and questions are devoutly encourged. We’re all in this together!
Planning Task Force Meeting — September 15, 2015
Attending
Michael Boss
Cathey Frederick
Janet Stein (Vestry Representative)
Clark Todd
Darcy Wells
Absent
Vicki Wesen
Our meeting began with a prayer for wisdom offered by Clark, and a brief discussion of the group’s title (St. Paul’s Planning Task Force), its purpose, and its relationship with the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Role of the Task Force
As a Vestry member, Janet spoke on its behalf in communicating its expectation that the Planning Task Force will provide the Vestry with a plan for ending the Cluster and dealing with its consequences — starting with the calling of our priest, since Helen was hired by the Cluster and not by St. Paul’s. It was noted during this discussion that Helen’s position regarding the Task Force was that it was needed to help our congregation move forward, and that it would play a critical role in advising the Vestry.
In her role as Vestry Representative, Janet will serve as a liaison between the two groups to directly communicate their needs in support of one another.
Charge to the Planning Task Force
In discussing the role of the Task Force, we referenced a prior communication from Vestry member Shirley Scott, who had stated in a September 11 email that:
The vestry has approved the following outline of tasks we would like you to undertake this fall and make your recommendations to the vestry in time for us to fill our clergy position by Jan. 1.
• Make recommendation on how/whether to fill our rector position as of January 1, with input from the congregation and diocesan approval if needed.
• If a part-time rector position is recommended, describe what that would look like. If full time position is recommended, how would that be funded.
• Recommend the process for filling the rector position.
• Make recommendation on possible sharing of clergy with Resurreccion and how that would work, in consultation with congregation and Resurreccion.
• Examine and recommend possible changes in staffing, i.e. office, janitorial, music director.
• Examine building usage and make recommendations, and perhaps later review preschool options.
The Planning Task Force spent over an hour discussing the above tasks and how it might best advise the Vestry, and drafted the following to deliver to Janet Stein following the meeting’s adjournment.
Initial Recommendation
The Task Force recommends that St. Paul’s calls a part-time priest to begin January 1, 2016.
Work Plan
To meet the first four objectives laid out for the Task Force, we constructed the following work plan:
• Obtain Margaret Bird’s financial analysis resulting from Cluster dissolution. (CT to contact Margaret)
• Determine how $7000 excess from recent campaign is to be used. (CT to contact Margaret)
• What is the role of the Diocese in the process of naming a new rector for both congregations. (CT to invite Don Zimmerman to discuss Diocesan role)
• How will money and time be shared for part-time priest in each congregation? (Consult with Don)
• Construct a part-time job description so our expectations for a part-time priest are understood. (Cathey)
• Integrate the two job descriptions with Resurreccion and St. Paul’s. (Task Force)
• Craft questions for the Vestry’s interview process for part-time rector. (Michael)
• Discussion of Sunday service schedule options. (Darcy & Michael to meet with Helen).
Planning Task Force Meeting — September 21, 2015
Attending
Michael Boss
Cathey Frederick
Janet Stein (Vestry Representative)
Clark Todd
Vicki Wesen
Absent
Darcy Wells
Since Vicki was unable to join us for the initial meeting of the Planning Task Force, the first part of the meeting was spent in catching her up on the group’s activities and initial recommendations to the Vestry (see notes from September 16 Planning Task Force Meeting).
The group was unanimous in its decision to focus its efforts over the period of its scheduled meetings on addressing the first four objectives outlined in the original email from Shirley Scott. Toward that end, the meeting was spent reporting on the Work Plan accomplishments, as follows:
- Cathey was able to find an online source for writing Episcopal clergy positions based on models from a variety of congregational backgrounds (small town, suburban, downtown, etc.). Using this information, she and Vicki will work together on a job description based on sharing a part time priest with Resurreccion.
- Discussion of the job description process led to the broader discussion of what the Vestry has charged the Planning Task Force with doing. Although the instructions from Shirley Scott did not specifically task the group with specific clergy recommendations, the Task Force consensus was that our recommendations would be based on Helen serving both St. Paul’s and Resurreccion, depending on what the Diocese is willing to support.
- Clark reviewed the financial information that he received from Margaret Bird. Based on the top level numbers in the current financial projections and budget, we believe that St. Paul's can stretch to cover salary and benefits for a .5 FTE priest.
- It was determined from Clark’s conversation with Margaret that the excess donations to the immediate capital fund requirements must remain dedicated to capital funding expenditures.
- In anticipation of Don Zimmerman’s upcoming visit to the Diocese of Olympia with Barb Chaney, Francisco, and Steve Purcer to discuss sharing a priest with Resurreccion, Cathey will communicate to Don that the Task Force is recommending that the position now called "missioner" be filled with a part-time priest beginning January 1. We have a recommendation as to the process; and we have a question as to whether the diocese will have a process that we must follow.
- Janet brought up the possibility of engaging a consultant to help with visioning for the future of St. Paul’s and Resurreccion, based on a meeting that Helen and Margaret had with Diana Bender. After some discussion it was agreed that pending further investigation, using such a resource for leadership coaching and most especially for defining a relationship with Resurrection could be useful, although not critical at this time to the most important task before the Planning Task Force of having a priest in place for January 1, 2016.
- Michael reviewed the changes he recently made to St. Paul’s website, which now has a menu tab devoted to updates on the Task Force activities, based on an annotated version of the meeting notes he is recording. We will need to remind the congregation that they can go to http://www.stpaulsmv.org/whats-happening/ for current information not only on what is being discussed, but also on the result of those discussions in the form of recommendations to the Vestry as the Task Force proceeds.
Planning Task Force Meeting — October 5, 2015
Attending
Michael Boss
Cathey Frederick
Janet Stein (Vestry Representative)
Darcy Wells
Vicki Wesen
Absent
Clark Todd
The third meeting of the St. Paul’s Planning Task Force was attended by Helen (for part of the time) and members of the Vestry, whose primary purpose was to update the Task Force on the recent visit by Vestry members (Barb and Don), Francisco (representing Resurreccion), and Steve Purcer (representing the Cluster). The meeting confirmed the Diocese’s willingness to fund a celebrant function for Resurreccion, and its interest in more formally structuring a relationship between Resurreccion and St. Paul’s. It was also determined that since Helen has already been “vetted” as an Episcopal minister within the Diocese, a formal “call” from St. Paul’s would simply involve following a 10-page procedure.
Vicki presented a very interesting analysis of the difference between “pastoral” and “program” models for the role of clergy, and provided some history on where St. Paul’s has been in the past. Going back to 1998, the Cluster congregations were pastoral or family size congregations with less than 150 active members each. “The role of a clergy person in a pastoral congregation reflects the nostalgia we have for a 1-to-1 relationship with our priest.” In this model, the priest is at the center of everything and works with a small circle of lay leaders.
Vicki noted that under Father Forbes, St. Paul’s was very much in the pastoral model, but that the attitude of a congregation is more the issue than size when it comes to which of these models is most effective, and that the transition from the pastoral to the next size congregation (program) is extremely difficult and stressful for both clergy and congregation. “This was one of the factors taken into consideration as we redeveloped the clergy role in the Cluster.”
A well-functioning program church has many cells of activity, which are headed up by lay leaders. These lay leaders, in addition to providing structure and guidance in the cells, also take on some pastoral functions with the people in their groups. Clergy are still at the center of the program church, but their role has shifted dramatically.
Vicki’s presentation included a set of questions to help clarify whether we at St. Paul’s are closer in spirit to a pastoral or program model, and the general consensus of those attending the meeting was that we are, in fact, transitioning toward a program model, which is critical to defining a job description for Helen, who has been functioning without one since she was called by the Cluster.
The latest Task Force meeting clarified the following issues for the Vestry and Task Force team:
1) Creating a job description that will provide clergy with a structure for success will first of all require that we as a congregation are clear about the model (pastoral or program) that best fits us.
2) Making this determination will require input and engagement at the congregational level.
3) Regardless of the model and job description affecting our congregation’s clergy choice, we will need to launch a Stewardship Campaign as soon as possible to ensure that we have funding for a half-time clergy.
Planning Task Force Update — October 29, 2015
The final Planning Task Force meetings were held on October 16 and October 23. During these meetings, the Task Force reviewed the draft of a “Description of Transition Clergy Model” created by Clark Todd, which was subsequently forwarded to the St. Paul’s Vestry.
The document recommended that the Vestry hire Helen as part time priest, and included an estimate of the funds St. Paul’s would need to raise through a Stewardship Campaign in order to retain her services. The document also provided recommendations as to how the Vestry might best support Helen during the transition from the Komo Kulshan Cluster.
The Task Force had previously elected to hold an additional meeting on October 23rd, which was used to review several different part-time scenarios for Helen, along with estimates of what each scenario would require financially.
The Task Force has also recommended to the Vestry that it initiate a Stewardship Campaign as soon as possible, and presented a campaign strategy outline and draft of a letter to the congregation to help set the process in motion.
We continue to ask you to hold our priest, Vestry, and the Planning Task Force in prayer as we work to discern the best possible path forward for St. Paul’s. Our success will ultimately depend on the participation of our congregation in this process.