United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Meeting Report

Thursday, September 14, 2000 - Cincinnati, Ohio

            Thursday, the Council of Elders spent the morning session reviewing Ministerial Services presentations on several topics. The afternoon session was entirely devoted to an executive session dealing with domestic and international manpower issues, remuneration issues, and discussions on ordinations and credentialings.

Ministerial Services

            Ministerial Services manager Richard Pinelli introduced the first topic from this operational area, dealing with recommendations to the president and explanation of Operation plan details. Basing suggestions on the Ministerial Workload and Remuneration Task Force report from January of this year, Mr. Pinelli outlined the specific plans Ministerial Services has to implement most of the task forceÇs proposals. This involved spelling out goals in each of the next three fiscal years, ending in June 2003. Details covered such diverse areas as maximizing use of existing manpower, ministerial assessment and review, a ministerial candidate program, educational programs for the ministry and their wives, consideration of regional boundaries, continuing regional conferences, and honing festival site assignment by carefully analyzing church demographics. Details of recent and proposed moves were brought out, as well as education plans developed through the Ministerial Services area of operation.

            Dave Evans brought to the Council a revision of the proposed policy for selection of Feast sites. After minor adjustments, the Council unanimously approved the policy (all Council members being present).

            Church Counsel Larry Darden took the floor to address various legal specifics. These included discussion of the church policy on ministerial housing allowance (due to recent changes in application of the law), policies on church buildings (in light of HoustonÇs recent completion of its church hall), and legal insights into the policy for attendance at services and functions of the United Church of God. A copy of the legal document deeding the Houston church hall to the UCG was handed out. The policy on attendance was unanimously adopted after minor amendments. The ministerial housing allowance policy will need further rewriting before being reviewed for passage.

            The last area under open discussion today dealt with further defining the ChurchÇs policy on church-owned buildings (meeting halls). Mr. Pinelli gave an overview history of the progression of events since the inception of the United Church of God, up to and including Houston. All agreed that Houston was an exception to the usual pattern in our congregations à namely, that renting facilities is far more cost-effective in meeting our needs, including the mission of the Church to preach the gospel. Preliminary wordsmithing on a revised and much more precise policy began, but will need to be continued later in this session of meetings, and possibly on into the Tyler meetings in December.

            One chief area of concern successfully hammered out involved the degree of the CouncilÇs involvement. ÑThe Council bears the ultimate fiduciary responsibility in the Church,â Donald Ward stated. Victor Kubik, Les McCullough, Aaron Dean, Peter Eddington, Richard Pinelli, and others concurred. Mr. Kubik pointed out that the Council is already directly involved in areas it considers important, such as approving all ordinations and credentialings. The Council felt this area to be of similar weight and importance, and intends to be involved in the process, which must of course begin with congregational analysis of local needs. The collaborative process will need to progress through the administrative areas to include Council review of each individual situation. Further work on the actual policy itself is yet ahead.

            The afternoon session of the Council was devoted to executive session.

-Doug Johnson

© 2000 United Church of God, an International Association