United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Meeting Report
May 17, 2005 - Cincinnati, OH

Following immediately on the heels of the just completed annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders, Clyde Kilough called the Council of Elders meeting to order on Tuesday morning. Mr. Kilough acknowledged the reelection of Jim Franks, Aaron Dean and Joel Meeker and greeted Larry Salyer, who was elected to the Council and will begin serving on July 1.

The first order of business was consideration of the minutes of the last session of meetings in San Antonio, Texas, on February 23 through March 3, 2005. The minutes were approved as presented by secretary Gerald Seelig.

During the day, the Council took care of several items of business, including the approval of an adjustment to salary ranges, clarification of the terms of committee chairmen, a discussion about the president serving on the Council and a review of the GCE meeting.

Salary Range Adjustment

Treasurer Tom Kirkpatrick provided the Council with a budget report covering July 1, 2004, through May 13, 2005. Since Dr. Kirkpatrick had given a detailed report during the GCE, he did not elaborate on this particular report. He did point out, however, that the report shows that year-to-date expenses are exactly on track with the budget.

At Dr. Kirkpatrick's request, the Council unanimously approved a resolution to adjust the Church's salary ranges to reflect the cost of living adjustments of the past few years. Dr. Kirkpatrick described the adjustment as a "mechanical process" necessary so that employees will remain within their salary ranges.

In addition, late in the day the Council unanimously passed a resolution instructing the president to conduct a study of compensation of all employees in order to focus on adjustments that may need to be made on their behalf.

Media Center Update

Peter Eddington gave the Council an update on the construction of the home office media center. When completed, the project will include three new office areas in addition to the recording studio. A contract has been signed and construction should begin sometime next week. Mr. Eddington pointed out that the costs for the construction and equipment are within the budget.

Studio equipment will include four cameras, one of which will be mounted on a small crane. Advanced editing software will allow a finished production to be completed by two or three employees. Videos will be recorded on DVDs in high-definition format, from which a standard definition product can also be provided. On a new multimedia Web site, smart streaming software can be used that can determine the capabilities of the customer's computer, so video can be delivered at an appropriate speed and format.

Within the next two months production meetings will be held to finalize the format and style of the program. The plan is to create 36 to 40 programs per year, with production anticipated to begin in September 2005.

Terms of Committee Chairmen

Leon Walker proposed a resolution that would clarify the term for which Council members serve as the chairman of a committee. Mr. Walker commented that since there has not been a policy, those who chair a committee have continued to do so as long as they are reelected to the Council. Bylaw 8.8.2 allows the Council to adopt rules for the governance of committees.

The proposal is that the term for the chairman of a Council committee will expire at the same time as his term as a Council member. If he is reelected to the Council, he can also be reelected to serve as the chairman of a committee, or the committee could select another committee member as chairman.

After some discussion and clarification, the resolution was passed with 10 Council members voting in favor and two abstentions (Mario Seiglie and Aaron Dean).

President Serving on the Council

Mr. Kilough, newly appointed president of UCG, introduced a discussion of the president serving as a member of the Council of Elders.

Mr. Kilough emphasized his desire to serve the Church in whatever way is most effective. He pointed out that while the presidency will be his singular focus, much of that effort will involve a close working relationship with the Council. He asked the Council for their thoughts and suggestions as to principles he should factor into his decision whether to remain a member of the Council.

Mr. Walker commented that the bylaws allow any officer of the Church (including president) to be a member of the Council of Elders. He voiced that Mr. Kilough's decision should be based on experience rather than hypothetical possibilities and suggested that Mr. Kilough remain on the Council for at least a session or two to see how it works out. Mr. Walker expressed his view that Mr. Kilough would be more effective as a voting member of the Council than as an observer. He added that, to lighten his load a bit, Mr. Kilough might be excused from committee work.

Mr. Franks pointed out that on more than one occasion proposed amendments to prevent a president from serving on the Council had failed to pass, indicating that the GCE is not in favor of such a restriction. He also stated that committee work need not be a factor since the committees determine their own workloads and can manage how much additional work they would ask of Mr. Kilough.

Doug Horchak expressed that presidential duties will be better fulfilled by Mr. Kilough's continued presence on the Council. He pointed out that the question is not a conflict of interest but a matter of workload. He encouraged Mr. Kilough to continue on the Council.

Richard Thompson added that it would be best for Mr. Kilough to also be on Council committees so he would be part of discussions that lead to recommendations and decisions.

Mr. Dean pointed out that it is not mandatory for a Council member to be on a committee—but that he thought it would be especially appropriate for Mr. Kilough to be on the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Mr. Kilough thanked the Council for their input and stated that he will take the time necessary to make his decision.

Selection of Council Chairman

Following a break for lunch, the Council went into executive session for the purpose of selecting a chairman to replace Mr. Kilough as he assumes the presidency. The Council selected Robert Dick as the chairman. Mr. Dick will assume that responsibility effective May 18, at the close of this week's meetings.

Review of GCE Meeting

David Register, chairman of the GCE Planning Task Force, reviewed the results of the exit survey taken at the end of this year's meeting.

Mr. Register stated that there were 225 elders and 175 wives in attendance in Cincinnati (almost exactly the same as in 2004) and 62 attendees filled out the exit survey. Of those who responded, 95 percent expressed that they were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the conference and 95 percent plan to attend again next year. He also pointed out that 85 percent of those who attended the meeting on Sunday stayed for the workshops on Monday.

Mr. Register and the Council were very encouraged and pleased that the GCE was highly successful. The Council discussed several aspects of the meeting and how they might be strengthened in future conferences, including:

• Consideration of using a larger facility for the Sabbath service so that more can attend.
• Reports by international representatives.
• The tributes to deceased elders and wives.
• The chairman's reception.
• Council of Elders Q&A session.

Mr. Kilough thanked the task force on behalf of the Council and asked Mr. Register to make recommendations for any changes or additions to the task force for next year's planning. He also asked Mr. Register to consider continuing as chairman of the task force.

Presentation of Gift to the Dardens

As an expression of their gratitude for years of service to the Council, Mr. Dean presented Larry Darden (Church counsel) and his wife, Carolan, with a special gift—a beautifully framed photograph of the couple, taken during the San Antonio Council meetings in February.

Committee Assignments

As a result of changes to the Council—Mr. Kilough stepping down as chairman, Mr. Dick taking the responsibility of chairman and Mr. Salyer joining the Council—several committee assignments need to be considered. The Council discussed these changes and deferred its decision on the final configuration of the committees until the meeting on May 18.

Executive Session

The Council concluded its work for the day in executive session for consideration of ordination and credentialing requests.

Don Henson
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© 2005 United Church of God, an International Association