United Church of God, an International Association

Council of Elders Quarterly Meeting Report

Big Sandy, Texas

Monday, February 26, 2018

Chairman Don Ward called the morning session to order at 9:03 a.m. Central, and the meeting was opened with prayer. Eleven Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Rex Sexton joined later in the afternoon because of a delayed flight.

Chairman Ward welcomed everyone to East Texas for the Council meetings. The local congregation did a lot to prepare for these meetings, and appreciation for their hard work was expressed. Dr. Ward also thanked Mr. Kubik for his timely sermon on prayer.

The minutes from the last Council meeting were approved. Then the agenda for the week was approved.

Chairman Ward began the meetings by quoting Psalm:33:4For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. that all of God’s work is done in truth. He emphasized that the reason we are here is the truth. The Church is to be the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy:3:15But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.). We are sanctified by God’s truth (John:17:17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.). We must never let that slip. We must cling to the truth and speak boldly and with conviction, not fearing what man can do to us, but trusting in the Lord. Other things come and go, but we must cling to the trunk of the tree and that pearl of great price.

President’s Report—Victor Kubik [video done]

President Victor Kubik greeted everyone and commented on the hospitality of the Wards and the local congregation. He then discussed some of the following activities that have occurred since the December Council meetings:

• Winter Family Weekend: It is one of the Church’s biggest events in regard to attendance with 1,232. This year’s theme was “In the World, but Not of the World.” Andy Lee gave a wonderful and practical message on the Sabbath on that topic. There were many activities that included an exhibition of talented artists. There were 14 more volleyball teams from the previous year.
• Feast of Tabernacles Conference: The conference was held on Feb. 6-7. Two points of discussion were a better solution for distribution of manpower and the need to establish a stricter policy for establishing Feast sites.
• Regional Pastors: The expanded role of the regional pastors has been very effective and useful in the oversight of our ministry and congregations. A new publication called the Ministerial Communique is now produced quarterly to provide information and advice from the regional pastors to the ministry.
• Studio Construction: The studio construction began about a month ago. The steel structure is up, and ceiling trusses are being welded into place. The studio fund now stands at $841,000, of which the excess over the $719,000 construction cost will go towards equipment and on-camera set expenses, estimated to be about $200,000. We pray that our Beyond Today video production and output will reach a new level of professionalism and impact as a result.
• Visit to South America: From Jan. 17-30, Victor and Beverly Kubik and Mario and Caty Seiglie visited Chile and Argentina on a most remarkable and informative trip. There was also a two-day ministerial and leadership conference for the area.
• Camp Brochure: The camp fundraiser letter this year is a color tri-fold brochure asking for extra help for the camps for new equipment and repairs.
• Church of God International Visit: Chris Rowland and Mr. Kubik visited the Church of God International headquarters on invitation on Friday, Feb. 23, and held a cordial discussion with their leadership.
• Public Appearance Campaign: There will be four upcoming public appearance campaigns coming up in California.
  • Los Angeles—March 4
  • San Diego—March 6
  • San Bernardino—March 7
  • Garden Grove—March 11

President Kubik concluded that there are wonderful things going on in the United Church of God. God has blessed us in the work that He is doing through us.

Operation Manager Reports

Media and Communications Services—Peter Eddington [video done]

Peter Eddington went through some of the following statistics as of Jan. 31 this year:

• Our coworker count is at 6,348 (5 percent higher than a year ago, and 21 percent higher than two years ago).
• Our donor list now includes 7,967 people. That’s a 10 percent decrease over the same time last year, and a 15 percent decrease over two years ago. This decrease is due to our new U.S. magazine subscribers now holding steady at around 250,000 for the past year without increase.
• U.S. Beyond Today (BT) magazine subscribers are at 256,159. That’s just a 3 percent increase over last March. Worldwide circulation stands at 321,554.
• Our 2018 Strategic Plan objective for the BT magazine is to have 250,000 U.S. subscribers by Dec. 31 of this fiscal year, and 300,000 globally. This is a slight decrease over 2017 and requires additional advertising funds to increase.
• The November-December 2017 subscriber development letter from Victor Kubik was sent to 206,807 subscribers. It offered the BT study aid This Is Beyond Today. More than 5,000 responses have been received, along with $58,000 in donations to help further the work of the Church.
• The number of people listed on our U.S. database as members and those who consider themselves associated with the United Church of God(UCG) stands at 12,360. This is the highest it’s been since July of 2011 and a 2 percent increase over the same time last year.
• United News (UN) circulation stands at 16,192—which is the highest it’s been since June of 2003 and an increase of 4 percent over last January, and an 11 percent increase over two years ago. The increases are mostly due to our coworkers requesting a subscription.
• The Church’s BT YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/BeyondTodayTV has had 7.04 million video views, has 26,530 subscribers (a 21 percent increase just since December of 2017), and hosts more than 1,795 videos.

Some other items Mr. Eddington talked about were:

• UCG Annual Unique Website Visitors: The number of unique visitors to UCG.org during the 2017 calendar year (measured quarterly) was 9.31 million—the highest yet, and a very encouraging 23 percent increase over 2016 and a 349 percent increase over 2011 when we launched the new UCG.org.
• Video Recording Studio Updates: You can get regular construction updates by following us on Twitter at twitter.com/UCGmedia.
• Beyond Today TV: Negotiations are finalized with WGN-America that will replace our slot on the Word Network. Our audience has become saturated on Word, and it’s time for a change. Beginning on April 6, 2018, we will have the 8:30 EST/PST time slot.
• UCG.org Website Index: If you go to bing.com and type site:www.ucg.org in the search box, you will see that Microsoft/Bing has indexed 215,000 pages from UCG.org. For comparison, just nine years ago in 2008, Google had indexed 6,180 pages.
• Huge Print Advertising Campaign: A huge print advertising campaign is underway in the United States where 80 million BT magazine and study aids are being advertised. Throughout January, February and March, 80,000,000 advertisements featuring BT magazine and our Bible study aids will reach households from coast-to coast in the United States.

Ministerial and Member Services (MMS)—Chris Rowland [video done]

Chris Rowland summarized some manpower changes since the last meetings in December:

• Leroy Cole and Mark Mickelson retired from employment at the end of December.
• Paul Moody was named pastor of the congregations in Spokane, Kennewick and Kettle Falls, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho, beginning Jan. 1.
• Lewis VanAusdle and his wife, Lena, have relocated to the New York City area, where Mr. VanAusdle serves as an associate pastor for the congregations in New York City, Northern New Jersey, and Hartford, Connecticut. He will continue his previous role as pastor of the congregation in Lilongwe, Malawi.
• Earl Roemer, pastor of Anchorage and Soldotna, Alaska, congregations will retire this summer, after 52 years of ministerial employment. Mr. Roemer will continue to serve as international senior pastor for Hong Kong.
• David Dobson and his wife, Denise, will transfer this summer from Huntsville, Alabama, to Alaska, where he will pastor the Anchorage and Soldotna, Alaska, congregations, as well as continue to serve as international senior pastor for the Philippines.
• After Mr. Dobson’s transfer, Gary Beam will pastor the congregation in Huntsville, Alabama, in addition to his current assignment of Birmingham, Alabama, and Tupelo, Mississippi.
• Rick Beam and his wife, Angela, will transfer from Paducah, Kentucky, to Rome, Georgia. Rick Beam will pastor the congregations in Rome, Georgia, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Gadsden, Alabama. Rick Beam will replace Paul Burnes, who has been serving as interim pastor for the Rome congregation.
• After Rick Beam’s transfer, Doug Collison will pastor the congregations of Paducah, Kentucky, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Henderson, Kentucky, and Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Mr. Collison and his wife, Dianne, have been in that area for the past year as he has been serving as an assistant pastor.
• Five elders have died since the December meetings:
  • Maurice Benson, an elder in Beloit, Wisconsin, died on Nov. 12.
  • John Hull, an elder in Reno, Nevada, died on Dec. 22.
  • Steve Kirk, an elder in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who had the distinction of being the oldest living elder of the UCG at the age of 97,died on Feb. 12.
  • Burk McNair, a retired pastor in the San Antonio, Texas, congregation, died on Dec. 5.
  • Dick Stitt, an elder in Medford, Oregon, died on Jan. 6.
• Completed events:
  • Festival coordinator meetings on Feb. 6-7. There were a handful of newer coordinators and assistant coordinators that came into the home office for orientation and training, while the rest of the meetings were held by Web conference.
  • Leadership Workshop in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 11 had 95 Church members from the Northwest region in attendance.
  • Two-day regional conference for the ministry in the Northwest region was held Feb. 11-13, with 56 ministers, wives and widows in attendance.
• Upcoming events:
  • Two-day regional conference will be for the South Central region held Aug. 5-7 in Big Sandy, Texas.
  • One-day leadership workshop on Sunday, Aug. 5, for Church members in the South Central region.
  • Southwest conference will be in Temecula, California, from Dec. 9-11.

Current statistics include:

• Average U.S. Sabbath attendance for the past four months averaged just under 7,100.
• 387 elders in UCG.
  • 99 are outside the U.S.
  • 288 are in the U.S.
    • 76 are Church pastors; 10 are associate or assistant pastors
• 4 ministerial trainees
• 194 churches and Bible study groups in the U.S. (Regular Sabbath services have been discontinued for the congregations that were meeting in Hood River, Oregon, and Portsmouth, Virginia.)
• 19 baptisms since the December meeting.

Treasurer and Financial Services Report—Rick Shabi [video done]

Rick Shabi updated the Council on the financial condition of the Church and results of operations since the December Council meetings. As he handed out financial reports for the seven months of the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2018, he reminded the Council of income “trends” that were noted last year during the February meeting, when this year’s budget was being considered, and contrasted those to current year trends. This year, the Church’s income in virtually all categories, including first tithe and offerings, has exceeded budget and prior year levels during every month. The Church is at peace, and the economic climate in the nation is good. In this atmosphere, God has blessed the Church with an increasing income and the opportunity to use those funds however He leads us.

Mr. Shabi alerted the Council that, while consumer and business confidence in the economy and the unemployment rate look very good now, things could change quickly. He cited the recent Wall Street “tremor” in stock market levels, which could be an indicator of impending significant adjustment, and the recent tax law changes, which could affect voluntary offerings, particularly those from donors and coworkers, who comprise a significant portion of our current income base.

The income statement, balance sheet and operating statistics reports were reviewed, and it was pointed out that the current balance in the Video Recording Studio Fund was at $841,000, enough to fund construction, but not yet enough to fund the entire cost of outfitting the studio.

Committee Chairman Reports [video done]

Education Committee—Aaron Dean

Mr. Dean expressed his appreciation for President Kubik’s support for the education of the ministry and members. The education committee has not been assigned any new duties. However, our education programs are still progressing. Since the last Council meetings there have been the following:

• Regional program in Portland, Oregon.
• Three-day education seminars in December in Zambia and Malawi.
• Week-long seminar and ABC sampler in South Africa.
• President’s trip to South America with Mario Seiglie included education and leadership seminars.

Ethics Committee—Mario Seiglie

There are no tasks remanded to the ethics committee. This is always nice and shows we are happy when there is peace.

Doctrine Committee—John Elliott

The Doctrine Committee (DC) receives and manages the review of doctrinal and prophecy papers submitted to it. Thanks to everyone for following the approved process for submitting these papers, which begins with a review by the local pastor. There are at least eight other papers in the review process. Since the December Council meetings, the DC has completed its review of these two projects:

• Project 37—Daniel 7
• Project 47—God and Jesus Christ in Scripture

At the conclusion of a project review, the often-used summary states, “It is a well presented thesis, but Scripture does not provide conclusive proof for it.” The Church has often spent decades studying into the doctrines and positions we have taught. A different understanding is possible, but we will need a solid biblical basis that will resonate with the majority of elders in the GCE. Second Timothy 3:15-17 reminds us of God’s overarching purpose for Scripture. This should be considered when preparing a paper for consideration.

Roles and Rules Committee—Rainer Salomaa

The main item of business for the Roles and Rules Committee (RRC) has been to revise the “Provisional Manner of Amending the Fundamental Beliefs” document. The current provisional document goes back to the late 1990s. There is consensus that a meaningful revision is needed. The document entitled “Procedure for Amending the Fundamental Beliefs” will be presented to the Council this week. It has gone through five drafts, with input from our secretary, a former chairman of the RRC, and the Fundamental Belief Amendment Committee (FBAC).

Among other things, the revised version:

• Provides greater details and helps to avoid ambiguity
• Gives more involvement from the Doctrine Committee
• Gives involvement to the RRC
• Seeks to add two more members to the FBAC (which is a committee of the GCE)
• Has term limits for the chairman of the FBAC

Strategic Planning and Finance Committee—Bob Dick

The Strategic Planning and Finance Committee (SPFC) has been busy with the oversight areas of the budget and the annual strategic plan. February has been a busy time. In the December Council meetings full endorsement was given to focusing on outcomes-based strategic planning. President Kubik gave his enthusiastic support for the administration moving forward with outcomes-based strategic planning. The administration will present to the Council their input for the strategic plan this week.

Media and Communications Committee—Scott Ashley

The Media and Communications Committee has been going through its normal responsibilities of previewing the president’s report and operation manager reports as they pertain to media. There are no current projects before this committee.

The Council took a break for lunch and went on a quick tour of the former Ambassador College campus by vehicle.

Review of Strategic Plan and Operation Plan—Bob Dick [video done]

Bob Dick led the discussion as the chair of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee to review the updated Strategic Plan and Operation Plan. All areas were reviewed, and various edits were suggested throughout the document.

President Kubik thanked everyone for all the comments and also expressed appreciation to Chris Rowland, who did so much work on the document.

Presentation of Proposed Budget—Rick Shabi

Following the presentation of the proposed Strategic Plan, Rick Shabi came forward to present the proposed budget for fiscal 2018-19.

He commented that the budget had been prepared in concert with administration, and that all agreed that the proposed budget represents what all areas need to continue to do, and grow, the work during the next fiscal year.

He proceeded to discuss the overall manner by which income and expense projections were determined, then went through each of the major cost centers of the Church: congregational care, public proclamation, international subsidy, Feast of Tabernacles, Ambassador Bible College, legacy and home office. He highlighted new or revised budget items in each area.

The proposed budget was discussed, and questions were asked by Council members.

Dan Dowd asked if there could be a look at the mileage reimbursement and other monthly expenses to assess any updates that could be made to it and possibly changing the two-tier mileage reimbursement structure. Mr. Shabi said it has been a few years since the mileage reimbursement was reviewed, and it could be assessed again.

Mark Mickelson asked about getting the 403(b) matching back to where is used to be. He feels it should be a priority. Mr. Shabi said they would take it under advisement. Chris Rowland said that salary increase, bonuses and 403(b) matching could be reviewed together at the end of the current fiscal year.

As this session concluded, it was noted that the budget will be brought up again on the last day of Council meetings for any further discussion and for a ballot on approval, to send it on to the Council of Elders for their consideration at the May meeting.

The Council adjourned at 5:13 p.m.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Chairman Don Ward called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Central, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present.

The Council began in scheduled executive session to discuss the Council secretary and other scheduled agenda items.

They came into open session at 1:48 p.m.

Review of Elder Ordination Process—Chris Rowland [video done]

Chris Rowland led the discussion going through some minor edits and modernization of the Ministerial Ordination Recommendation Form that continued from the December meetings. The Council discussed it for about 20 minutes with edits and suggestions. It was then unanimously approved by the Council. The updated form can be found at the ministerial website.

Policy Discussion on Elders as Executors and Receiving Gifts—Vic Kubik

Mr. Kubik led the 45-minute discussion presenting an updated policy since the December meetings regarding the topic of elders not being executors or receiving gifts. Mr. Kubik presented his input for the policy. The policy was discussed, and questions were asked.

On Thursday morning, March 1, Chairman Ward remanded this policy of elders serving as executors to the Ethics Committee to review and see if it should be included in the Ministerial Code of Ethics. They are to present their findings in the May 2018 Council meetings.

The Council then went into executive session at 3:22 pm for the rest of the day to discuss GCE speakers and other agenda items.

The Council adjourned at 5:12 p.m.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Chairman Don Ward called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Central, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present.

The Council began in scheduled executive session. They came into open session at 1:15 p.m. to approve a document for editorial and doctrinal review process. The Council passed it by a vote of 11 for; 1 against (Rainer Salomaa). The updated process will replace policy 1.3.2.1.2 in the Pastor’s Policy Manual found on the ministerial website.

The Council went into scheduled executive session at 1:17 p.m. They came into open session at 5:08 p.m.

Festival Transfer Policy—Chris Rowland [video done]

Chris Rowland presented an updated Festival Transfer Policy. The current policy had not been updated since March 2006 and needs to be updated. The updated policy was read and discussed. The updated policy will require an employed elder to go to his assigned site one out of every three years. There will be exceptions, such as when another Feast site has a greater need and an employed elder is asked to go elsewhere.

The Council unanimously approved the policy. The policy (2.6.4.9) will be updated in the Pastor’s Policy Manual found on the ministerial website.

This policy will not go into effect until next year (2019), and those going to their assigned site this year (2018) will count toward their one in three years.

The Council adjourned at 5:25 p.m.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Chairman Don Ward called the morning session to order at 9:00 a.m. Central, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present.

Procedure for Amending the Fundamental Beliefs—Rainer Salomaa [video done]

Rainer Salomaa as chair of the Roles and Rules Committee (RRC) presented the “Procedure for Amending the Fundamental Beliefs.” This procedure has been before the RRC for many years. Input for this procedure was given from secretary Gerald Seelig, Roc Corbett, the RRC and Fundamental Beliefs Advisory Committee (FBAC), which is a committee of the GCE with five members on it.

Mr. Salomaa went through the 10-page document with the procedure given in detail. For 55 minutes the Council discussed it and suggested edits.

Dr. Ward asked if this lengthy document is necessary.

Mr. Salomaa said the process has been reviewed in an attempt to streamline it more, but the steps are all necessary, including the timelines.

John Elliott said it will help to clarify the procedure. He appreciates the detail. It provides the DC chair with a well-defined procedure to follow, which does not exist in the current version.

Dr. Ward commented that the elders need to realize the gravity of this document.

The Council voted 11 for; 1 abstained (Don Ward) for this “Procedure for Amending the Fundamental Beliefs” to be presented to the GCE in May for their approval.

Approval of Strategic Plan and Operation Plan—Bob Dick [video done]

As chairman of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, Bob Dick moved that the Strategic Plan and Operation Plan for 2018-19 be officially approved by the Council, so that each can go on to the GCE in May. Both were balloted upon separately, and both were passed unanimously by the Council.

Approval of Budget—Rick Shabi [video done]

The Budget for 2018-19 was approved by the Council to go on to the GCE in May by a vote of 9 for; 3 against (John Elliott, Mark Mickelson and Don Ward).

Approval of New Assistant Secretary [video done]

The Council unanimously approved the following resolution to appoint Frank Dunkle as the assistant secretary:

Whereas, the Council must appoint a new secretary to replace the current secretary, whose term expires June 2019,

Now therefore, it is hereby resolved that, Frank Dunkle is appointed Assistant Secretary so that he can begin approximately one-year of training by Gerald Seelig until he steps down from his role as secretary on June 30, 2019, at which time, after Council ballot as outlined in Bylaw 9.1, Frank Dunkle will become the Secretary of UCGIA.

Columbus, Ohio Church Building Plan—Vic Kubik [video done]

Mr. Kubik, as operation manager for MMS, presented a new plan for the Columbus, Ohio, congregation. The congregation had originally planned to build a new building, but with the death of John Seifert, new plans are needed. They need to sell the land that was purchased and look for a building to buy.

The Council discussed the new plans, and a resolution was approved to authorize the Columbus, Ohio, pastor, Len Martin, to sell the land with approval of the president and treasurer. The Council unanimously approved the resolution.

August Council Meetings Set

The Council meetings for August were set for August 20-23, 2018.

The Council adjourned at 11:20 a.m.

[video done] = indicates the session was recorded and if posted can be found at: http://coe.ucg.org/videos

-end-

Council Reporter

Shawn Cortelyou

© 2018 United Church of God, an International Association