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

Wednesday, March 14, 2001 - Cincinnati, Ohio
 

            The Council of Elders hit the ground running today to begin its current round of meetings. Chairman Roy Holladay welcomed the full Council to the meetings, setting the tone with his opening remarks. On this first day, they listened to reports from the president and the operation managers for Ministerial Services, Finance, and Media and Communications, and worked on modifications to the strategic plan.

Chairmanâs Remarks 

            Mr. Holladay rehearsed the nature of Council service by pointing to the example of Jesus Christ in Philippians 2, asking members to continue their service to Godâs people with full recognition of the responsibilities placed on them by Godâs Word and those same people God has called. This round of meetings is always crucial due to the need to prepare for the General Conference of Elders, scheduled for early May. 

            The chairman asked for reports on the status of the following items of ãold businessä:

á        Task force on hymnal replacement (on the project board, not yet addressed).
á        Modifications to the credentialing form (tabled until a survey on balloting could be completed).
á        Report on cable access TV (included later in the day in the report from Media and Communications).
á        Adjustments to the amendment process (to be brought to the Council later in this session by Gary Antion).
á        Executive session concerns (no detail given in this open session).
á        Festival speaking assignments (to be addressed by Richard Pinelli). 

Mr. Holladay also asked Secretary Gerald Seelig to announce the list of nominees for the Council to be balloted upon by the General Conference in May. The international nominees are Leon Walker and Anthony Wasilkoff. The U.S. nominees are Fred Kellers, Clyde Kilough, Victor Kubik, Les McCullough, Greg Sargent and Larry Walker.

Presidentâs Comments 

            As is customary on the first day of meetings, President Les McCullough gave an overview of the Churchâs position from his vantage point. His report provided the following information:

á        The Good News print run has increased from 80,000 in 1998 to 160,000 in 1999, to 250,000 in 2000 to 345,000 for the current issue. The goal of reaching 500,000 by 2003 is well within reach, given current and planned promotion ideas.

á        Avenues currently adding subscribers include continuing response to the latest Readerâs Digest ad (now nearing 27,000), ãcard deckä advertising mailings, existing waiting room responses, and brochure display efforts.

á        The newest booklet, The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy, had an initial printing of 60,000 copies; 40,000 have already been distributed.

á        New donors and coworkers continue to be added steadily; we now have 2,682 donors and 1,137 coworkers on file.

á        The ABC program has 40 students enrolled this year; most (about 35) are under age 35 (a somewhat younger group on average than last yearâs initial class). Their interest in biblical matters is matched by their interest in how the Church operates in fulfilling its commission.

á        Twenty-eight individuals have expressed an interest in attending ABC in 2002, and one has inquired about coming in 2003.

á        Discussion continues with a nearby college regarding details of accrediting some classes from ABC through its system.

á        Opportunities continue for United Church of God ministers to serve in unique ways; to illustrate, Fred Kellers has recently been appointed pastor (in an oversight capacity) for Ghana, and Dale Schurter for Nigeria.

á        Income patterns lead us to believe the United Church of God will finish the fiscal year, if present trends continue, with approximately $900,000 of income in excess of expenditures. ãI think God is at least somewhat satisfied with what the UCG is doing!ä observed Mr. McCullough.

á        Some have asked about contributing to a special fund for construction of a new home office facility. Once the Council has addressed that issue (separate from acquiring the land, which it has approved), that suggestion can be revisited.

á        Health costs of church employees have stabilized.

á        Response to TV spot ads has been satisfactory.

á        Approximately 28% of Good News subscribers are renewing their subscriptions to date.

á        Our attendance at Holy Days remains steady; but the Church is experiencing a slight decline in regular Sabbath attendance, due at least in part to an aging membershipâs difficulties in attending regularly in the winter months.

á        Church youth programs are moving to incorporate pre-teen camps under the umbrella of central direction (to match liability for any such programs).

á        The proposed 2001-2002 budget the Administration will present at this session calls for three new ministerial hires in the coming fiscal year (these three possible new salaried ministers have not yet been chosen).

Strategic Planning

            Aaron Dean introduced the next topic, which was a proposed addition to the Church Strategic Plan for 2001-2002. 

            As he noted, ãGodâs Plan hasnât changed, the Kingdom isnât here yet, and we have work to do!ä  Part of that work has recently involved contact with other groups of Sabbatarians, whether from a shared background or a separate history. In that light, as chairman of the Council committee dealing with strategic planning, Mr. Dean proposed adding an eighth point to the Strategic Plan recognizing this new development. 

            The Council spent part of its morning making suggestions for wording changes to his proposal. The final result will be balloted on before this session of Council meetings ends, and will be presented to the entire General Conference for its consideration in May. 

Operation Report ö Ministerial Services 

            Richard Pinelli brought the Ministerial Services report to the Council. The department budget is almost exactly on track, having expended 65.7% of its budget by March 1, which is 66.3% into the fiscal year. Major areas of expense are always the same ö salaries, ministerial expense, and local church subsidies. 

            Mr. Pinelli updated the Council on the ongoing projects in this operational area:

á        Management team meetings ö by teleconference monthly; face-to-face twice annually.

á        Regular conflict resolution with pastors, regional pastors, Ministerial Services team.

á        Ministerial conferences (one day meetings to discuss job assessment).

á        Ministerial assignments (six transfers, 12 circuit adjustments, and one new hire this fiscal year).

á        Regional church visits by MS team members and regional pastors.

á        Interface with Personal Correspondence Department.

á        Festival administration (two Coordinators are transferring Feast sites this year).

á        Education Program ö general, youth, ministerial and focused.

á        Continued efforts to even out the workload of the U.S. field ministry.

á        Beginning steps in development of a ministerial candidate program (55 men have been identified by pastors as a possible ãpoolä from which new hires could be made ö these men range in age from mid-30s to early 50s). James Capo is the most recent new hire, and will be moving to Tucson/Sierra Vista, AZ after the spring Holy Days.

á        Resolution of partial salary situation in the ministry (by June, only one man will still be on partial ö ² in this case ö salary).

á        Identify ministers doing an outstanding job, and recognize their efforts in their remuneration. 

In addition to these areas, Mr. Pinelli discussed the new reporting system in place to provide information on ãnew contacts.ä Previously, an average of 107 new contacts were reported in the U.S. field area per month. In January, with a new system in place, 103 contacts from other fellowships were noted, along with 79 ãnewä from contact solely with the United Church of God, primarily through our literature. This sizeable increase appears to be the result of pastors noting contacts more closely, and determining ãhow did you find out about us?ä 

            Mr. Pinelli talked about the slight decline in average church attendance. Pastors are reporting an increasing number of elderly members who find it difficult to attend every Sabbath. This exerts a slight downward pressure on weekly averages, which is what we are seeing. A real increase tends to show up during Holy Day seasons. Church attendance increases from roughly 10,000 average on Sabbaths to about 11,000 for Holy Days (U.S. attendance). 

            Plans are well underway for a series of three-day conferences for regional locations in the United States. Subjects to be covered include upgrading speaking skills, sermon development, help for ministersâ wives, Bible study aids, health and aging of the ministry, job satisfaction survey discussion, focused education topics, Christ-centered leadership, and member assistance. These conferences will follow up on ministerial job descriptions and development of pastoral assessment tools, including self-evaluation, management evaluation, peer evaluation and lay member input. Further plans include development of counseling skills in specialized areas, and detailed work in the General Education area, especially in the history of biblical canonization. 

Operation Report ö Finance 

            Treasurer Tom Kirkpatrick addressed the group next. He gave a detailed report on the financial condition of the United Church of God a little over eight months into the fiscal year. Income to this point is at 71.3% of budget (67.9% into the fiscal year). Expenses are at 71.8%, but as he pointed out, some areas of income are underrepresented (weâve only had four Holy Day offerings out of seven, for example), and some areas of expense are over represented (in the case of prepaid expenses). When all is said and done, he expects expenses to come out very near the budgeted $15.7 million, but if present trends continue, projects income at $16.6 million by June 30. 

            Some areas have been more expensive than anticipated. Booklet production costs, for example, have skyrocketed ö due to literature requests! This is good, not bad, of course! But even in this area, the overall budget result for Public Proclamation of the gospel should come out very close to ãon targetä for fiscal 2000-2001 by yearâs end (June 30, 2001). The assistance fund will be over budget ö but at least we have the ability to help our brethren who need it. More will be proposed for next yearâs budget. 

            Mr. Kirkpatrick suggests using most of the $900,000 expected income (above budget) for all ãone-timeä costs associated with the acquisition of a new home office facility (if approved by Council). This would come to approximately $780,000. 

Operation Report ö Media and Communications 

            Peter Eddington presented his update to the Council to round out the dayâs business, adding yet more results to the dayâs already impressive listing. He reported the following:

á        Print run for the Good News is 345,000 for March/April; we are ãon targetä for averaging 325,000 per issue for the fiscal year, which was the goal.

á        67,800 ãnetä new subscribers have been added this fiscal year (over 100,000 added, less those who chose not to renew).

á        New subscribers have come from a variety of promotions, including the June 2000 Readerâs Digest ad; card deck packages distributed in September 2000, December 2000, and January 2001; waiting room mail-in cards; and newsstand and brochure programs.

á        Through the end of February, over 65,000 pieces of mail have been received at the home office in just the first two months of 2001; this is an increase of 86% over 2000, which was itself an increase of 90% over 1999!

á        The January subscriber development letter (formerly called the semiannual letter) has brought in over 20,000 responses as of February 28, a 16% response.

á        As Mr. McCullough reported, donors now total 2,682 on file, and coworkers 1,137. This represents an encouraging trend of steadily increasing numbers who support the work of the Church, although not themselves being members.

á        TV spot ads brought in 931 phone calls from February 19 through March 2. Columbus, Ohio had the best ãcost per responseä at $10.88.

á        Our latest two ãrenewal cyclesä for the Good News achieved rates of 32% renewal, bringing the overall picture to 28.2% overall.

á        Media budget may ãovershootä by 1% to 2%, due primarily to booklet requests, as noted. We will need to reprint several of our current list of 23 titles in the coming year ö perhaps as many as 17.

á        Fifty-three U.S. congregations, and an additional 78 members are active in the brochure display program. With a cost per response of $3.45, including all printing, mailing, and display costs, this is one of the most cost-effective ways for members to be involved in adding new Good News subscribers to our files.

á        The Good News radio program continues to generate a respectable response. Over 1,200 calls have now been received requesting literature, with the highest response coming to a program on What Happens After Death (112 calls). Many callers ask if weâve ever heard of Herbert W. Armstrong ö they say the material sounds similar to his preaching of years ago. Gary Petty recorded seven new programs last month.

á        Four of the field ministers in the United States are assisting in answering e-mail questions directed to the Church. More than 4,500 messages were received through the Internet last year, with virtually all receiving a reply (as needed). We currently receive about 120 such messages per week, up from 75 a year ago (60% increase). 

Mr. Eddington also gave an overview of services provided through the Media and Communications department. He reported on cable access TV (over 1,200 subscribers added in the past 18 months), noting also the experience ãon cameraä afforded our ministers who have appeared in these productions. The Virtual Christian magazine has generated 250 subscriptions to the Good News in addition to serving interested people in its own format. 

Individuals who complete the 12-lesson Bible study course will shortly be offered further help ö a 12-month tape program involving one tape with two Good News radio broadcasts, plus one tape from the Fundamentals of Belief sermon tape series, per month, for 12 months. 

Mr. Eddington shared ideas for Good News cover themes for the next two years, and booklet plans for the next two to five years. He discussed plans for meetings with Media personnel before the General Conference in May, and suggested (with Council approval) the idea of publishing approved doctrinal position papers on the Church Website. 

This report concluded a very full day of information, as Council members departed with stacks of reports to digest, plus ãhomeworkä for Day Twoâs doctrinal discussion on godly governance.   

-Doug Johnson

© 2001 United Church of God, an International Association