From the Consistory:

Leadership matters and so the Consistory regularly reviews our congregation’s ministry to evaluate if it is bearing fruit. We desire spiritually mature men and women, called and gifted to serve, over the long haul.

Our current practice is 3-year terms for Elders and Deacons with the possibility of a second successive 3-year term.  This practice usually results in the turnover of one third of the Consistory every year which impairs continuity. In light of the current needs, the Consistory voted to create flexible Consistory terms that begin as they do currently (3-year terms) but then can be extended one year at a time for up to five more years.

We believe that this change will allow adequate time to discover the roles and responsibilities involved with Consistory leadership, while also giving additional years to grow as leaders.

Continued service on the Consistory will be by mutual agreement of the board member and the Consistory, with the opportunity to recommit for one year at a time until five additional years have been served. Flexible terms that create room for longer terms allow gifted, called, and passionate leaders to keep serving.

The Consistory also heard a report from Scott Drzycimski about our worship technology ministry. This vital ministry facilitates the support needed for sound, lights, and video that are used to enhance our worship experiences. Scott alerted us to aging equipment that is nearing the end of its expected life and reported on the results of a study commissioned to design and price new audio and video systems. In the next few months, we will consider this need alongside of other spending priorities.

Finally, the Consistory also discussed the Fall Kick-Off and our hope that we will embark on a year-long exploration of how God is calling us to transform our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities. We are prayerfully discerning the ways we can make this call a sustained effort to equip the congregation to follow God’s Spirit in bringing transformation to the corridor.

Please keep the Consistory and staff in prayer as we grow in our ability to equip the congregation to make disciples who make disciples to bring transformation to our world in the name of Jesus! We are praying that every man, woman, and child would have a daily encounter with Jesus in word and deed through us!

~ The Consistory

We want a strong, healthy Consistory of spiritually mature men and women who are called and gifted to serve. We also want long-term stability and intentional development of future leaders. As part of our practice of regular review, the Consistory is exploring ways to better achieve these goals. We believe that the following proposal
will help increase our ability to serve the congregation and community by developing leaders with a greater ownership and influence.

Our current practice is 3-year terms for Elders and Deacons with the possibility of a second successive 3-year term. This practice usually results in the turnover of one third of the Consistory every year which impairs continuity.
In light of the current needs our congregation and community, we recommend flexible Consistory terms that begin as they do currently with a 3-year commitment but then can be extended one year at a time for up to five more years. This will allow adequate time to discover the roles and responsibilities involved with Consistory leadership
while also giving additional years to grow as leaders. Continued service on the Consistory will be by mutual agreement of the board member and the Consistory with the opportunity to recommit for one year at a time until five additional years have been served.

Flexible terms that create room for longer terms allow gifted, called, and passionate leaders to keep serving. Since new Consistory members face a steep learning curve, it is poor stewardship to expend significant efforts to develop board leadership only to lose the benefit because of term limits. Effectiveness is reduced even more with frequent turnover when the ministry and operations of the congregation grow increasingly complex.

Here are some of the benefits of the continuity that comes with flexible terms:
1. Strengthened Consistory with time for deeper relationships.
2. Strengthened leaders with time to grow as Elders and Deacons.
3. Time off for renewal for those rotated off at the time best for them.
4. Allowance for changes in life circumstances while also making room for new leadership to emerge.

The Consistory is discerning next steps in implementing this change. We anticipate voting on this proposal at our July meeting and desire your feedback. Please share your thoughts on this proposal with any Consistory member.
Strong, healthy Consistory leadership is vital for the health of our congregation as we carry out the mission to develop leaders who make disciples in the everyday stuff of life. Maintaining the right mix of experience,  competence, and leadership qualifications among a group of spiritually mature men and women will enable
us to continue to impact our community with the gospel. Pray for wisdom as we seek God’s leading!

Respectfully submitted,
The Consistory