Council of Elders Report: February 13–16, 2023

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United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Quarterly Meeting Report
Milford, Ohio
Monday, February 13, 2023

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Brian Shaw and Scott Ashley joined online via Zoom.

The minutes from the December 2022 meetings were approved. The week’s agenda was discussed and approved.

President’s Report: Rick Shabi

President Shabi began his presentation by reminding the Council of the scripture that inspired his presentation at the December 2022 meetings, Proverbs:24:27, “Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house.” He then shared a few personal thoughts about the last few weeks and said that this scripture captures exactly what he and the administration have been doing.

He then introduced the new operation managers and mentioned they have been working well together:

  • Council appointed Barry Korthuis as treasurer during the December meetings and Mr. Korthuis has stepped right into the job assisting in the development of the 2024 budget that will be presented later this week.
  • Steve Myers was approved as Ministerial and Members Service Manager. Mr. Shabi commented that Mr. Myers has been doing a great job. He and Mr. Myers have been collaborating about the needs of Ministerial and Members Services.

Mr. Shabi mentioned that as he and the administration have engaged into the work of “Building the house,” two scriptures have motivated him and set the theme for this morning’s presentation; Psalm:127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…” and Psalm:69:9, “Zeal for Your house has eaten me up…”

He added that these words serve as a reminder that if we’re to be a successful in the work that Jesus assigned the Church, we must continually seek God for direction. We must want to do God’s work and be able to have everyone excited about it as well. We must never forget to ask God for what He wants done, His will, and never replace that with our own.

Mr. Shabi then gave an in-depth update on the many projects that he and the administration have completed, as well as other projects that they continue to work on.  

  • Operation Plan for FY24:
    Mr. Shabi is pleased that, as a management team, they have worked together in a united fashion. It has challenged their thinking about why we do the things we do as well as to seek God’s guidance every step of the way.
  • Built a budget that reflects the new initiatives and directives for the next year.
  • New Home Office Weekly Update format:  
    This was developed and introduced in January as a tool to communicate with the members about what’s going on in the Work, what’s going on at the home office, and what’s going on internationally. All of us have a part in this Work and need to feel a zeal for what God is doing. Keeping everyone informed will help in people praying for the Work and being involved in it. 
  • With the Operation Plan complete, administration has begun implementing and working on the operational directives which had previously been presented to the Council in December. Mr. Shabi then spent a few minutes outlining the following plans:
  • Educational Programs for both the ministry and membership
  • Regional Conferences with pastors
  • Focus on spiritually enhancing the Feast of Tabernacles
  • Learning from the UYC program and seeking ways to implement that excitement within our teens throughout the year
  • International Areas - Education, training, and sharing information with them
  • Ambassador Bible College – Taping of the Acts class has proven to be a good project and will continue next year
  • Media Department:

Peter Eddington continues as Operations Manager of this area of the work. Mr. Shabi commented that he and Mr. Eddington have had many discussions reviewing the methods and means of preaching the gospel, as well as reviewing and developing the metrics that can be used to monitor the effectiveness of what is being done. “Where have we been, where can we go, what are we missing” are questions being asked as it pertains to preaching the gospel and the various means of communication available to us today.

  • Social Media and Web Presence – Mr. Shabi mentioned that we have to be relevant in today’s world. We give people hope through the Word of God without compromising, gently leading them to see that the Word of God is as relevant today as it was in Christ’s time.
  • Beyond Today TV – New four and five-program series are being recorded to air back-to-back beginning in Mid-April with the following subjects; Joseph’s birthright, focusing on the crown in England and the identity of modern-day Israel (Darris McNeely), Satan’s deception in the Christian teachings of the world (Steve Myers), and the unknown Jesus (Gary Petty).
  • TV Ads – There are plans to buy TV air time on various networks for 30/60 second ads that will feature key comments from the Beyond Today program designed to draw attention to our teachings. Those ads will direct people to watch Beyond Today at ucg.org, YouTube, and at the Beyond Today channel.
  • Social Media Campaign – Mr. Shabi mentioned that social media (Facebook and Instagram) are key areas to consider when it comes to reaching young adults, both in and outside of the Church. There are many out there who are interested in the Bible, committed to what it teaches, and looking for direction. We must put forth the effort to reach them and give them what they are searching for. There is a force behind why they are responding the way they are – they want to go deeper into the scriptures. They want conversation centered around the Bible and are looking for truth. We must fill that void using the type of communication channels they are engaged in, such as Facebook, Instagram, and podcast formats.
  • “Magnified” – Mr. Shabi noted that this short film series is a first step in the effort to reach young adults outside the Church, which is the target audience of this project. It has been successful so far, but we realize we must effectively communicate to our members what we are doing and who is the target audience when we introduce these new methods of preaching the truth.

 He also wanted to acknowledge that our young media team has been instrumental in the development of this new series. Mr. Shabi mentioned the talent, zeal, and energy that he has witnessed with our talented media crew.

  • UCG.ORG Website – Mr. Shabi emphasized that the website is a crucial tool in our commission to “preach the gospel and prepare a people.” He added that there is no better way to reach people around the globe. What’s present there must be relevant, focused on the truth, be updated regularly with refreshed content. He added that the project of a complete upgrade of the site, which was begun over a year ago, is running behind in schedule, but we were able to “refresh” the old site, so it could be a more effective tool until the overall new website would be completed later this year.
  • The “refreshed” website was launched Friday, February 10, 2023. It is dynamic and will allow us to highlight the many resources that have been perhaps overlooked or forgotten over the years.  Mr. Shabi and Mr. Eddington took ten minutes to demonstrate the new features found on the refreshed ucg.org website and encouraged everyone to take some time to visit and tour the site. 

As he began to wrap up his presentation, Mr. Shabi noted that everything seems to be going well and that he loves being here at the home office. He added that he personally feels energized and hopes everyone feels the same. He ended the presentation by saying, it’s God who gives, our job is to yield and follow Him.

Operation Managers Reports:

Ministerial and Member Services (MMS)—Steve Myers

Mr. Myers began by quoting Colossians:3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” He added that all thanks and honor must always go to our Father in heaven and commented about how thankful he is for the tremendous opportunity presented to him to serve God and His people. He mentioned that we are so blessed and have been given the financial and human resources to accomplish His work. He then presented an update of what has taken place since the last December 2022 meetings.

  • Winter Family Weekend - December 23–27, 2022
  • This was the first WFW since COVID-19 and it was a great success. This year’s theme was “Your Next Step” focusing all to strive to “reach the mountain top” on this spiritual journey and to take the next step in our calling toward fulfilling God’s great purpose. Steve added that this WFW was very much spiritually focused.
  • Sabbath morning featured music from two musical groups with four seminars focusing on our theme.
  • Sabbath Services: Sermon by Mr. Shabi - 700 in person with over 1,800 online connections.
  • Sunday – Tuesday: hundreds of members played basketball and volleyball, Bible seminars were also well attended in the conference center.
  • The giant inflatables were a hit with the children and the adults.
  • The weekend exemplified “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm:133:1).

    Northwest Family Weekend - December 23–27, 2022

  • Took place in Portland, Oregon with nearly 200 brethren in attendance.
  • Sabbath included adult and teen Bible studies followed by church services in the afternoon.
  • Dances spotlighted Saturday night.
  • Sunday featured Bible seminars along with volleyball, basketball, children’s games and fellowship.

    Winter Camp 2022

  • Largest Winter Camp ever.
  • 116 campers/56 staff/8 mini campers.
  • Theme: “Becoming Sons and Daughters of God.”
  • Blessed with beautiful weather all week that allowed for all of our activities to run as planned

    Deaths

  • One Elder: Bill Robinson (January) Columbia, Maryland.
  • Two Elder’s Wives: Phyllis Knochel (February) Central Illinois and Carol Morgan (February) Show Low, Arizona.

    Now tracking online attendance numbers/connections (Local and out of area)

  • Member Survey results received and ready to be presented this week

    Upcoming:

  • Festival Coordinators meetings are scheduled to take place on March 6 and 7.
  • Two Feast of Tabernacles sites need to be locked down.
  • Not all sites have coordinators assigned.

Mr. Myers ended his presentation by sharing his thoughts of the Operation Plan, directives for focusing on education for both our ministry and membership, and the international areas requesting help in education and training as well.

Media and Communications Services—Peter Eddington

Mr. Eddington began by quoting Mark:16:14-15, “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; …And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” He added that this admonition serves as a description of what the department has taken. He then presented the following results from the media department.

End of January: Church Media Statistics

Here are some public proclamation figures as of January 31 this year, due to God’s gracious blessing.

  • U.S. Beyond Today magazine subscribers for the March/April issue is at 286,743. That’s 6.2 percent higher than last March. Worldwide circulation stands at 335,690 which is 5 percent higher than a year ago.
  • The November-December 2022 subscriber development letter from Rick Shabi was mailed to a total of 184,842 subscribers. It offered our booklet “Tools for Spiritual Growth.” The February coworker donor letter will be sent out shortly.
  • United News circulation stands at 18,703—which is 1 percent over last January, and a 4.3 percent increase over two years ago. The increases are mostly due to our coworkers requesting a subscription.
  • In 2022, the Church’s Beyond Today YouTube channel had 833,334 video views, with an average view time of nine minutes, 42 seconds. The most watched BT TV videos in 2022 were:

 

    • The Lost Tribes of Israel: Why They Matter                         13,574
    • Russia and Bible Prophecy                                                     10,358
    • Shocking Teachings of Jesus: The Kingdom of God             10,153
    • The Moment After You Die                                                     9,403
    • The Ten Commandments: From Obedience to Virtue             9,202

 

Indicators of Reader and Viewer Engagement

One indicator of reader engagement is the number of pieces of mail in various categories. Here are the totals for 2022:

  • White mail letters and questions                        26,086 (29.6 percent more than 2021)
  • Internet literature requests                                 222,913 (3.2 percent more than 2021)
  • Beyond Today magazines printed.                     1.96 million (2.9 percent more than 2021)
  • Home office mailroom outgoing mail                           308,829 (12.2 percent more than 2021)
  • Donation mail pieces                                         54,138 (20.2 percent less than 2021)

 

 
Roku App Advertising Results

For the 2022 calendar year the BT program airing through Roku had the following results:

  • 39,275 channel installs.
  • 115,699 unique viewers.
  • 147,505 channel sessions.
  • 501,413 sessions by new viewers (12 percent more than the same time last year).
  • 91,512 videos watched.
  • 59:89 average minutes on channel.

 

These views and channel installs are only for Roku. We are also running Beyond Today television programming on Apple iOS devices, Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, LG TVs and Samsung TVs.

Treasurer and Financial Services Report: Barry Korthuis

Mr. Korthuis presented the recent financial statements. He mentioned that it’s evident, and very encouraging to report, that God continues to bless UCGIA financially. In preparing the financial statements he was reminded of what we read in Philippians chapter 4 where Paul acknowledges the generosity of the faithful followers there and by the riches and glory of Christ Jesus. He noted that General Contributions and Holy Day offerings are up 9.4 percent for the seven month fiscal year-to-date period ending 1/31/23, and 5.8 percent for the trailing 12-month period ending 1/31/23, respectively, as compared to the same prior year comparative periods, while total income is up 1.5 percent for these same reporting period comparisons. He also noted that some expense categories will likely continue to exceed budget through the remainder of the fiscal year given significant inflationary price accretion.

Committee Chairman Reports:
Roles and Rules Committee (RRC) - Dan Dowd

Mr. Dowd presented the following updates of the work from the Roles and Rules Committee:

  • The Committee met on January 18th to discuss four outstanding items that have been remanded to them:
  • Present a proposed policy for the Council to be able to remove a message (proposed addition to policy 1.8.5).
  • Present a proposed policy for the readmittance of an elder to the GCE (1.7.6).
  • Review requirements to be on a committee of the Council (simply an update of 14.0 Committee Membership and Termination Dates – and is already posted on the COE Sharepoint website).
  • Updating the elder ordination request form.

 

He added that all of these items have been reviewed and are ready to present to the Council, but due to the busy agenda for the meetings this week, these items have been postponed for discussion until the May meetings. Following these meetings, the Roles and Rules Committee will oversee the annual assessments of the President and Secretary. Both of these assessments will be covered in the May 2023 meetings.
Members on the RRC: Dan Dowd (chair), John Elliott, John Miller.

Ethics Committee - John Elliott

John Elliott reported that the Ethics Committee is in the process of completing two projects:

  • Reviewed a recommendation to reword the Preamble of the Ministerial Code of Ethics. However, no textual suggestion was given, and the EC itself feels the current preamble is okay.  Consequently, this project is considered closed.
  • An instance of attempting to influence the upcoming balloting for Council of Elders nominees recently occurred. The Chairman subsequently sent a message to all GCE members that such attempts are against our approved process.

 

Mr. Elliott then referenced a resolution passed by the Council of Elders on March 8, 1998 concerning “bloc voting.” He then invited the sender of the offending email to contact him in confidence so that Mr. Elliott could hear and address the concerns the author of the email has about our current process, as well as to explain the undeserved harm that these attempts bring.

Members on the Ethics Committee: John Elliott (chair), Mario Seiglie, Rex Sexton and Paul Wasilkoff.

Media and Communications Committee (MCC) - Scott Ashley

Mr. Ashley reports that since the last Council meetings the committee met via a Zoom conference on February 10. They were joined by UCG president Rick Shabi, media operation manager Peter Eddington, and Council Chairman Len Martin.

The purpose of the meeting was to preview, as mandated, the media reports ahead of the quarterly Council of Elders meetings and General Conference of Elders meetings. During the meeting, President Shabi’s comments about media and Mr. Eddington’s report were reviewed. The Media committee members had a number of follow-up questions that were discussed.

He concluded the presentation by informing the Council that the media committee has no other Council mandates or projects at this time.

Members on the Media and Communications Committee: Scott Ashley (chair), Jorge de Campos, Darris McNeely, Brian Shaw and Paul Wasilkoff.

Doctrine Committee (DC) - Mario Seiglie

Mr. Seiglie reports that the DC met on January 17 to discuss the Hebrew calendar paper, Appendix C. It was approved to be reviewed and shared to the COE Site.

He also mentioned that the DC was assigned two additional task which were remanded to the committee during the December 2022 Council meeting.

  • A study of the word “Forsaken” as recorded in Psalm:22:1 and Matthew:27:46
  • The topic of “Remez”

 

Members on the DC: Scott Ashley, Jorge de Campos, Darris McNeely, Mario Seiglie (chair) and Rex Sexton.
Education Committee (EC) - Aaron Dean

Mr. Dean reports that since the December meeting, the Educations Committee zoomed twice to discuss the two items remanded to the committee.

  • The Pastoral Education Survey - Rex Sexton led this section and has presented the product to Steve Myers for his input. The purpose of this survey is to find the areas our pastors feel they need more support, and let MMS and the administration create solutions. We hope this survey can create some names of men who have mentored well and can continue to do so in their field of expertise to a broader base.

 

  • Study Paper on Marriage - Brian Shaw headed this project up and has put his preliminary paper on google drive where the rest of the committee can comment, add or edit. Mr. Shaw wants more committee input before making a public presentation of the project.

 
Mr. Dean concluded his presentation by mentioning that the project concerning producing an article about Hymns was published in the latest United News, so that project is now complete.

Members on the EC: Aaron Dean (chair), Jorge de Campos, Rex Sexton, Brian Shaw and Paul Wasilkoff.

Strategic Planning and Finance Committee (SPFC) - John Miller

John Miller began the presentation by quoting Proverbs:16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (New International Version) as this has served as an inspiration for the SPFC’s current project of producing a Strategic Plan to present to the Council for approval in order to present to the GCE. He reported that the committee has had four meetings since last Council meetings. He mentioned that copies of the Strategic Plan are available for the council members for review before the presentation that will be given later this week.

Members on the SPFC: Aaron Dean, Dan Dowd, Darris McNeely, John Miller (chair) and Brian Shaw.

At 11:36 p.m. the Council broke for lunch

At 12:30 p.m. Chairman Martin called the Council to order and went into a planned executive session to discuss the following:

  • Organizational chart reporting and changes.
  • Annual review/approval of salary ranges and annual review/approval of discretionary income budget.
  • Ordination/credentialing.

 

At 4:15 p.m. the executive session ended.

Mr. Jorge de Campos lead a discussion for the purpose of clarifying the definition of an international elder as it pertains to the GCE balloting process. He expressed that currently, it’s not clearly defined when it comes to the needs, roles, expectations, and qualifications of an elder who serves as an international representative on the Council of Elders. After a thorough discussion, it was decided that a resolution needed to be drafted to help clarify and address these concerns. Chairman Martin volunteered to write a resolution to remand this topic, as well as others, to an Ad Hoc Committee to review our current balloting process, during the time allotted for unfinished business.

At 4:58 p.m. the Council adjourned for the day.

 

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Brian Shaw and Scott Ashley joined online via Zoom.

Mr. Martin opened the morning session by introducing the first topic of the day, reviewing the proposed Pastoral Educational Survey. He then turned the floor over to Rex Sexton. Mr. Sexton presented the proposed survey and asked the Council for additional input and edits. After the suggested edits are completed, the document will be presented for approval at a later date. Mr. Sexton closed the discussion by saying that he hopes the survey can be sent out and completed by the pastor’s no later than Pentecost.

At 10:02 a.m. the Council went into the planned executive session to discuss the Hebrew calendar paper.

The results of the executive session: Chairman Martin moved to approve Appendix C of the Hebrew Calendar as edited, Aaron Dean seconded, and the Council unanimously approved. The final Appendix (D) will be reviewed at a later date. The entire document will be released upon completion of the final appendix.

At 12:15 p.m. the Council took a break for lunch.

At 1:15 p.m. Chairman Martin called the Council to order and immediately went into a planned executive session to discuss the following:

  • Results of Member Survey
  • Military service and law enforcement member policy

 

At 4:02 p.m. the executive session ended.

Chairman Martin introduced the next item on the agenda, the United Church of God and Beyond Today Logo.

Mr. Martin turned the floor over to President Shabi and Mr. Edington to lead the discussion and answer any questions or concerns. Mr. Shabi began by clarifying and outlining the purpose behind having a new logo. He mentioned that they did take into consideration the recent objection from the membership to the proposed logo and have discussed it at length. It was decided that the current logo will be abandoned and a new design selected.

The administration then asked the Council to rescind the last resolution and give the team time to develop a new logo. Mr. Shabi added that there should be no rush because we have plenty of time before the new website is ready to launch. It was then decided that an article will be drafted in order to properly communicate to the membership what’s actually being done in the development of the logo and why it is needed.

In addition, Mr. Eddington clarified the difference between the logo and the seal. He assured the Council that the seal is not being removed or changed, just the logo. Mr. Eddington then presented the new resolution concerning the request to rescind the previous resolution. After a few comments, Chairman Martin moved to pass the resolution. The resolution was approved (10 votes for, 1 vote opposed, Paul Wasilkoff absent).

United Church of God and Beyond Today Logo Resolution

Whereas, it is the responsibility of the Council of Elders to approve, use and alter UCGIA logos and symbols (bylaw 8.7.2.3), and

Whereas, the Council of Elders approved a new logo in March of 2022, and

Whereas, questions have now arisen about the design of that logo,

Therefore, it is hereby resolved that the March 2022 Church and Beyond Today logo resolution—and its various iterations (referenced as the “encircled flame/ribbon”)—approved by the Council of Elders, be rescinded and

It is Therefore also resolved, that the Council approves of the Church using the original Church and Beyond Today logos previously registered by UCGIA.

Approved by the Council of Elders
February 14, 2023

The next item on the agenda was presented by Mr. Dean, Approving the proposed Trustees of United Church of God, New Zealand. Mr. Dean presented a resolution to approve two trustees for the United Church of God, New Zealand that the UCGNZ board wants to appoint. Mr. Dean moved to accept the resolution. The resolution was approved, (11 votes for, Paul Wasilkoff was absent)

Resolution to Approve Trustees of United Church of God, New Zealand

Whereas, the Trust Deed of the United Church of God, New Zealand (UCGNZ) requires all trustee appointments to be approved by the Council of Elders of the United Church of God, an International Association, and 

Whereas, the bylaws of UCGNZ require the pastor of the New Zealand church to be a trustee of the corporation, and 

Whereas, the Memorandum of Association negotiated by the United Church of God, an International Association, the United Church of God – Australia, and the United Church of God, New Zealand contains a provision for the United Church of God – Australia to choose one of its serving National Council members to serve as a trustee of the UCGNZ Trust, as shown in the attached memorandum dated February 14, 2023, and 

Whereas, Michael Fike has been appointed as Pastor of UCGNZ, and the National Council of the United Church of God – Australia has chosen Grant Chick to serve as its representative trustee,

Now therefore, it is hereby resolved, that the Council of Elders of the United Church of God, an International Association approves the recommendations of the present trustees of the United Church of God, New Zealand to appoint both pastor Michael Fike and Australian representative Grant Chick as trustees of the United Church of God, New Zealand, and

It is further resolved, that the tenures of Michael Fike and Grant Chick shall commence immediately upon passing of this resolution. 

Approved by the Council of Elders
February 14, 2023

Chairman Martin asked the Council members to consider moving the date of the August meetings. It was determined that the previously schedule dates needed to be kept as is.

At 5:08 p.m. the Council adjourned for the day.

 

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. All 12 Council of Elders (Council) members were present. Brian Shaw, Paul Wasilkoff, and Scott Ashley joined online via Zoom.

After the opening prayer, Chairman Martin addressed the Council about a change in the order of today’s presentations. Due to an unexpected unavailability of a committee member, Mr. Elliott requested that the Ethics Committee’s presentation be moved to Thursday morning. Mr. Martin opened the floor to suggestions and comments. After a thorough discussion, a modified agenda was presented and approved.

After a few personal comments, Mr. Martin then turned the floor over to Mr. Miller to present the completed Strategic Plan for approval. Mr. Miller commented that there has been a good bit of work to get the plan to where it is today. He added that he is well pleased with the collaboration between those involved. He noted that there will be Appendices A and B on the ministerial website that will not be presented in the hard copy.

Mr. Miller then quoted Proverbs:16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” As he began, he expressed that all the suggestions and comments from the GCE and each Council member were considered and many edits were made. He added that the current printed version does not reflect the recent suggestions and edits and still needs to be copy edited. He also pointed out that the letters from the Chairman and President need to be inserted and that the organizational chart needs updating.

He then presented the document, pointing out the edits and clarifying what was changed. After presenting the document, the floor was opened for questions and comments. After a few comments were made, Mr. Miller turned the floor over to President Shabi to present the Operation Plan.

Mr. Shabi began by commenting that although it was a challenge to develop the Operation Plan in a new format, it has been a very rewarding process. The process, discussions and analysis that was included in the preparation has revealed what is working, what’s not, and areas of needed change. He said that the result has given us a plan that administration grasps and is energized to put into practice. Before going over the plan itself, he reminded everyone that he had covered most of the plan during the December meetings. The purpose of today’s presentation would only be to highlight any changes and edits since the last meeting.

He then went through all three sections beginning with “Congregational Care,” followed by “Public Proclamation” and concluded with “Organizational Stewardship.” After a few questions and comments, he turned the floor to the treasurer, Mr. Korthuis to present the budget.

Mr. Korthuis began by pointing out that the budget that is being presented was a collaboration across all departments. He noted that the plans come very close to our 2022 income. He then highlighted the areas of increased expenses and explained that this increase reflects inflation, especially with travel costs. He also noted that the cost of hall rentals is rising and, in some cases, it has doubled. He then opened the floor for questions and comments. After all the comments and questions were addressed, He turned the floor back over to Chairman Martin.

At 10:42 a.m. the Council went into the planned executive session to discuss legal updates. Mr. McNeely was absent, as he was teaching at ABC.

At 11:15 a.m. Mr. McNeely returned during a break from teaching at ABC, so the Council paused the executive session in order to ballot on the proposed Strategic Plan, Operations Plan, and Budget.

Chairman Martin moved to approve the Strategic Plan as presented with edits. The Strategic Plan passed (11 for, 1 opposed).

Chairman Martin moved to approve the Operations Plan as presented with edits. The Operations Plan passed (11 for, 1 opposed).

Chairman Martin moved to approve the 2023 Budget as presented, it was unanimously passed.

At 11:25 a.m. Mr. McNeely returned to teaching at ABC and the Council went back into the planned executive session to continue the discussion of the legal updates.

At 11:50 a.m. the executive session ended.

Mr. Sexton presented the revised version of the Pastoral Education survey. He highlighted the edited areas and additions that were previously requested. He then opened the floor for any comments and/or questions concerning the new revised version.

Chairman Martin moved to accept the Pastoral Education survey as edited. The document passed with 11 votes, (Darris McNeely absent).

At 12:00 p.m. the Council took a break for lunch.

At 1:15 p.m. Chairman Martin called the Council to order and immediately went into a planned executive session for the following:

  • Review study paper of the word “forsaken” as recorded in Psalm:22:1 and Matthew:27:46.
  • Ballot on ordination requests previously reviewed
  • Review study paper on the topic of “Remez”

 

At 6:04 p.m. the executive session ended and the Council adjourned for the day.

 

 

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Chairman Len Martin called the morning session to order at 9 a.m. Eastern, and the meeting was opened with prayer. There were 11 Council of Elders (Council) members present. Brian Shaw and Scott Ashley joined online via Zoom. Dan Dowd joined via phone. Rex Sexton was absent.

At 9:00 a.m. the Council went into the planned executive session to discuss the Ethics Committee update on the code of ethics, (bloc voting).

At 10:25 a.m. the executive session ended.

Chairman Martin called the Council to order and turned the floor over to Charles Melear to give an update on the status of the schedule for the upcoming General Conference of Elders (GCE). 

Mr. Melear began by stating that the GCE planning committee is a little behind, but they should be back on track later this month. He mentioned that registration will be open to the elders later this month. Before reviewing the rough draft of the GCE schedule, Mr. Melear mentioned that the exit survey from last year has been reviewed and reflected in the schedule. He added that a follow-up email was sent out a few weeks ago for additional suggestions.

He noted that the GCE planning committee will be meeting this Sunday to address the details that still need attention. He then opened the floor for any comments, questions, or suggestions. Chairman Martin moved to approve the proposed schedule of the events of the GCE – John Miller seconded – Passed unanimously.

Mr. Seiglie presented the next item on the agenda, finalizing the statement of concern on the proposed amendment to bylaw 8.3. Mr. Seiglie presented a draft of the statement of concern and then opened the floor for discussion and edits. The final draft of the statement will be sent to the Secretary and will be included with the call and notice.

Chairman Martin introduced the next item on the agenda, a discussion on the Status of Ad-Hoc Education Committee.

Mr. Martin explained that the purpose of this presentation was to determine the status of the Ad-Hoc Education Committee. Mr. Martin open the floor for discussion. It was determined that the Ad-Hoc Education Committee had completed its assignment and was no longer needed. Chairman Martin proposed a resolution to dissolve the Ad-Hoc Education Committee based upon its completion of assigned duties.

Chairman Martin moved to approve the resolution, John Elliott seconded, and the quorum of the Council unanimously approved:

Resolution to Dissolve Ad-Hoc Education Committee

            Whereas, the Ad Hoc Education Committee has completed the work assigned to it, 

            Now therefore, it is resolved that the Ad Hoc Education Committee is dissolved.

 

Approved by the Council of Elders
February 14, 2023

Chairman Martin presented the next item, approval of a policy of renting church-owned buildings. Mr. Martin presented a rough draft of the policy, but it was determined that this item needs to be further investigated. It was decided that a policy will be drafted after this investigation and presented at a later date.

Chairman Martin then presented the next item, a resolution to establish a Nominating Committee. Mr. Martin then noted that the Council can create a nominating committee according to UCG bylaws. He suggested that an Ad-Hoc Nomination committee of qualified elders from both the U.S. and international areas be formed. He then presented a draft of the resolution and opened the floor for discussion.

After further discussion, Chairman Martin moved, Mario Seiglie seconded and the quorum of the Council unanimously approved the following resolution:

Whereas, the Council of Elders (Council) established a process to determine how a member of the
General Conference of Elders qualifies as one “whose primary work is outside the United States of
America” as stated in bylaw 8.4.1, and

Whereas, the Council recognizes that challenges arise from the manner in which a slate of
candidates are determined, and

Whereas, the Council of Elders desires to investigate ways to improve the current process for the
nomination, selection and balloting for Council members, and

Whereas, bylaw 8.1 allows for the Council to establish a nominating committee to prescribe a
process whereby such nominations and elections are made, and

Whereas, the Council has final authority with respect to the interpretation and enforcement of the
bylaws as stated in bylaw 11.4,

Now therefore it is hereby resolved, that the Council establish a nominating committee to review
our current process for nomination, selection and balloting for Council members, and

It is further resolved, that the nominating committee will review the definition and/or criteria to
determine those elders who may be included on the list of “international elders,” and

It is further resolved, that the nomination committee shall be comprised of the chairman of the
Roles and Rules Committee, International Advisor to the President, Secretary of the General
Conference of Elders, two elders currently residing inside the United States, two elders currently
residing outside of the United States, and two elders not currently employed by the United Church
of God, an International Association, and

It is further resolved, that the nomination committee shall present their recommendations to the
Council of Elders, no later than the August 2023 Council meeting.

Approved by the Council of Elders
February 14, 2023

The last item of the day was a short discussion concerning the release of the Hebrew Calendar study paper. It was determined not to release it in sections, but rather wait until the whole document could be released all together. The Council and the committee agreed to make this a priority and have the review completed and released before Passover.

At 12:02 p.m. the meetings adjourned

-end-

Council Reporter
Ryan Hall

 

[These are not the official minutes from the Council meeting. Elders can find those at the home office with the Council Secretary. Video recordings are posted for the elders on the UCG Ministerial Resource Site.]
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