2015 Annual Meeting Recap

On Sunday, June 7, 2015, the congregation gathered together with enthusiasm to learn about the current state of the church and its continued success in the future. Approximately 180 people packed rooms 20-22 following a lunch in the Great Hall. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Leaders presented updates on our vision, mission, and initiatives, three new council members were unanimously elected, and motions were passed on our 2015-16 budget, expenditure limit, and endowment charter.

A summary of the meeting in detail is below. Official minutes will be made available on our website, following the June Council meeting. Please direct any questions to Council@sotv.org.

Opening Prayer - Pastor Duane Paetznick 

 

Welcome - President Jenny Buckley 

• A word of gratitude to everyone in attendance for valuing this church and its governance 
• Thank you to our leaders on Council, Leadership Teams, and Staff for another year of service 
• Approval of minutes from 2014 meeting

 

Brief Summary of Our Vision - Pastor Chris Smith 

 

Introducing Our Mission and Initiatives - President Jenny Buckley 

• Presented to the congregation in early March 2015
• Approved by Council at its March 19, 2015 meeting

 

How We Live Out Our Vision 

 

Our Volunteers 

Volunteers make our ministry happen. Our staff structure must support their work.

Our Staff 

• Our eventual goal is to have five pastors on staff: Senior Pastor, and pastors in Worship, Learn, Connect, and Care.
• Update on Pastoral Call Process - Presentation by Chair Ellen De Vries
• We are in the process of aligning program staff with Worship, Learn, Connect, and Care initiatives. 
• All staff are being encouraged to focus their time and energy on programming that helps us live out Vision, Mission, and Initiatives 

Our Lay Leaders

• Leadership Teams 
• Highlights from first year
• Emphasis on Welcome Team, and Year of Welcome (2015-16) 

• Council 
• Steve Mueller, Angie Zielinski, and Ann Boekhoff have concluded their time on council, and were thanked for their years of service. 
• William (Bill) Bosch, Chad Dahlke, and Michael Kelly were presented as new candidates for council and were unanimously elected. 

Our Finances 

• Capital Campaign Update and strategy moving forward - Presentation by Scott Erickson, Campaign co-chair
• General and Building/Capital Budget - Presentation by Treasurer Troy Nelson
• Delegation of Expenditure Authority to Properties Team - Presentation by Ken Syverson
• Endowment Charter - Presentation by Chair David Kuhnau

Congregation votes on the budget, expenditure limit, and Endowment Charter all passed.

Treasurer Troy Nelson noted that although the 2015-16 budget is a deficit budget, the resolve of the Finance Committee is that next year’s budget (2016-17) will be balanced.


A motion was made to adjourn, and was seconded. 

God is Calling, Who Will Answer?

Jenny Buckley
Council President

Getting Ready for the Annual Meeting: Part 3 of 5

Call Committee and Process

I love that life in the church is different than what we experience in the rest of our lives. Of course there are similarities: budgets, human resources, staff meetings, maintenance, initiatives, etc. But the traditions and beliefs that guide many of our habits at church, such as the liturgy, music, common prayers, offering, and sacraments, are part of what sets our “company” apart from those in the corporate world. Similarly, the hiring process for a new pastor is very different from what most of us have experienced when hiring new leadership in our places of employment.

In the Lutheran church, we don’t “hire” a new pastor, we “call” a new pastor. This term may be something you have heard, but perhaps don’t fully understand. 

“The Lutheran process of call is unique because it is an effort to discern what God wants for the local church and the whole church in order that the Gospel may be proclaimed and the Sacraments may be administered in accordance with the Gospel” (Call Committee Charter). 

Part of the call process is to form a committee of staff, council, and congregation members to actively participate in the discernment and hiring process. On the other side, individuals who are rostered leaders in the church, pastors and associates in ministry, continually pray for discernment from the Holy Spirit asking questions about where, when, and how God is calling them to serve. The Saint Paul Area Synod (the regional administration of the ELCA) partners with the committee to help identify possible candidates for the church, and in turn, contacts candidates to determine if God is calling them to be open to a new placement.

When Pastor Diane Sponheim heard and accepted her new call to Faith Lutheran Church, the church council requested members of the congregation be recruited to form a call committee. As the nominations team worked on forming a committee, the needs of the church were assessed in light of our mission and a new job description for Pastor of Connect was created.

The Pastor of Connect job description includes many familiar components: preaching, teaching, providing pastoral care, collaborating with and managing staff, etc. However, this role is unique because we are searching for a person who will intentionally focus on strengthening relationships within our congregation and growing/creating new partnerships locally, regionally, and globally. This person will need to be innovative, engaging, and have a heart for building meaningful relationships in and outside of the walls of SOTV.

The call committee has met several times to review feedback received from the congregation about the type of pastor they are looking for and compared that feedback to the job description. The priority of the committee is to find the person God has planned for our church; so, we will take our time, being deliberate in our discussions and interviews, and praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit. The church leadership also asks you to take an active role in this process by praying for the church, the committee, and our next pastor.

If you have suggestions for candidates, or ideas about the type of person you would like to see fill the role of Connect Pastor, please contact the call committee chair, Ellen DeVries, at call@sotv.org.

Next week’s blog with provide an update on the Capital Campaign. Between now and then please feel free to contact the council with feedback and questions at council@sotv.org.

Blessings,
Jenny Buckley-Church Council President

How the Mission Reshapes Our Pastoral Staff

Jenny Buckley
Council President

Getting Ready for the Annual Meeting: Part 2 of 5

Structure and Pastoral Staffing 

With the departures of Pastors Diane and Mary, many people have been asking, when are we calling a new pastor and who that will be? First, let me remind you that a Pastoral Call Committee is in place and working hard as it goes about the task of calling a new pastor. As the committee does its work, the question that the council, leadership teams, and staff have been discussing is, “How can we support the vision and mission with our pastors, staff, and programs?”

As explained last week, the mission of Shepherd of the Valley (SOTV) is, “we exist as a community to discover, grow, and live into our individual relationships with Jesus Christ.” The four core ministries of worship, learn, connect, and care have been identified to support this mission.

Council and staff are beginning the process of evaluating everything we do as a church to determine where we are aligned with our mission and where there are currently gaps. Our resources, whether they be time, manpower, or money, will be best spent when they are invested in the priorities identified by our church.

Another area of discussion has been the pastoral staff model that our mission suggests. Council and staff agree that in order to implement our mission with fidelity, we need five full-time pastors at SOTV. In this structure, there would be a senior pastor that carries the vision and mission forward and then there would be one pastor assigned to each of the four core ministries of our mission.

This means that in addition to the senior pastor, we would have a pastor of worship, a pastor of learning, a pastor of connect (fellowship and service), and a pastor of care. Of course, all SOTV pastors would continue to collaborate in all areas of our mission. However, by aligning one pastor with each of the four core pillars of our mission, we will ensure that our resources are being used in the best ways and we are living our vision and mission with integrity.

Currently, we have three full-time pastors and a part-time interim pastor. Our priority is to call the Pastor of Connect first while also investigating the process for calling a Pastor of Worship.

Next week, I’ll explain the call process and update you on the work of the call committee. As always, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact me via the council e-mail: council@sotv.org. 

Blessings,
Jenny Buckley-Church Council President

Getting Ready for Our Annual Meeting

He is Risen! What a glorious time of year! Each day as the sun shines longer and the temperatures begin to rise, I feel a bounce return to my step and a lightness in my spirit. There is such hope and promise with the return of spring.

Over the past year, I have been privileged to be a part of many meetings focusing on the life and mission of Shepherd of the Valley. After each gathering, my heart soars with excitement about all the great things God is doing right here in Apple Valley.  

Our Annual Congregational Meeting will occur on Sunday, June 7th at 12:30 pm. All are invited to attend. A free lunch will be served from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm - please RSVP for lunch. Between now and then we will be writing a blog series about the state of our church. There has been a lot going on at SOTV and we want to take a little time each week to give you an update.  

Here is a list of topics we will cover before June 7th. Please follow along each week and then join us on June 7th to hear more about how God is working in and through us at Shepherd of the Valley.   

May 7:   Our Vision and Mission

May 14: Structure and Pastoral Staffing

May 21: Call Committee

May 28: Capital Campaign
June 1:  Endowment Fund

June 5:  Finances

Thank you for partnering with us as we live our vision of inviting all people to experience the welcome, transformation, and sending of Jesus Christ.

Blessings,

Jenny Buckley - Church Council President

Paul Keller - Church Council Vice President

Congregational Dialogues: Input for Call Process

The Associate Pastor Call Committee met for the first time to review the nature of their work together. Team members are: Ellen De Vries (Chair), Eric Bartosh, Bruce Feld, Michael Schaeffer, Kim Schilling, Cheryl Seely, Arlen Wilson, Nikki Zeches, Jennifer Maxwell (Director of Operations) and Jenny Buckley (Council President). They are very excited about the work ahead of them.

The Call Committee wants to hear from you. All are invited to attend either of the following Congregational Dialogues, to give their input:

• Saturday, April 11 at 5:00 pm in the Chapel
• Sunday, April 12 at 11:00 am in the Music Room

You can also reach out to any committee member or send an email to call@sotv.org with your thoughts, questions, or comments.

After gathering input from the congregation in April, they will move forward in working with the St. Paul Area Synod in the call process and keep you informed along the way. Thank you for your prayers and support as the committee does this important work.

Introducing Our Call Committee

In February, Council voted to appoint a Pastoral Call Committee, to fill the vacancy on staff following the departure of Pastor Diane Sponheim to become the pastor of Faith Lutheran Church.

Members interested in this important commitment were invited to submit an application to the Nominations Leadership Team before February 22, 2015.

The Nominations Team received twelve applications, reviewed, and appointed eight candidates, including a chairperson. A scoring system was used factoring the following attributes:
SOTV Involvement/Experience; Hiring/Interviewing Experience; Team/Committee Work Experience; Leadership Skills; Flexibility/Reliability; Prior Call Experience; and Motivation for the Work.

The Call Committee is: 
Ellen DeVries, Chair
Arlen Wilson
Bruce Feld
Michael Schaeffer
Nikki Zeches
Eric Bartosh
Cheryl Seely
Kim Schilling

In addition to these members, Pastor Chris Smith, Jennifer Maxwell, Director of Operations, and Jenny Buckley, Council President, will also serve on the committee.

The Call Committee begins its work in March to gather information from the congregation, work with the Church Council, and receive and evaluate candidates from the Saint Paul Area Synod. Prayer, discernment, and SOTV’s vision will be at the heart of the work of the Committee. The Committee will also provide regular updates to the congregation. If you have questions or concerns, please contact council@sotv.org.

Thank you to everyone who applied!

We have openings on many of our leadership teams. If you're interested in joining any of these teams, please complete an application and e-mail it to nominations@sotv.org.

The Nominations Leadership Team is LaVon Dennistoun (Chair) Duane Paetznick, Vern Bloomquist Chad Dahlke, Chris Ice, and Christian Loger.