Thank you to all those who came out to our membership gathering this past Wednesday night, April 19! It continues to be a joy to lean into these rhythms of gathering, breaking bread, sharing, and growing together as the body of Christ.
We enjoyed fellowship, conversation, and prayer, as well as SO many delicious desserts! Thank you to all who contributed!
For those who were unable to join us, we were sorry to miss you, but hope you’ll be able to join in next time!
Be sure to mark your calendar now for the next Membership Gathering, our Annual Meeting, on Sunday, June 4 beginning at 4 pm!
Recap of the Membership Gathering
- Stories of God Moving in our Midst: Jay Thomas (Lead Pastor) shared a few testimonies of how God has ministered during the recent Easter season through our church family, including impacts for Christ through opportunities to share and receive Christ as Lord with family and neighbors, answers to prayers lifted in the prayer room, and many more stories shared around tables together.
- CHBC Family Welcomes and Goodbyes: We welcomed 10 new members to our church family and were able to hear how God has been using this body to sharpen, encourage, and welcome them in Christ. If you or someone you know will be transitioning out of the area this summer, please reach out to Ryan McKee so we can support you and pray over your upcoming transition as God leads you into new fellowship and work.
- Presentations & Updates: We heard from three different groups regarding the work they’ve been engaged in. Here are some highlights from each:
- System of Care Working Group by Kim Barrier (Deacon) and Aaron Kirtley (Elder)
- Kim and Aaron shared the new model for care to be implemented over the coming year. Members will be grouped geographically in eight “parishes”, composed of ~ 50-70 member households each. Care Teams will be created, composed of elders, deacons, and lay members, who will facilitate care within those parishes, working to get to know every member household and employing a system of making needs known to one another so that all members will be known and cared for well. For more details on this, you can find their shared slides here.
- Next Steps:
- Finishing the membership roll update project (please respond to Emily Williams’ email if you haven’t already!);
- Nominating and appointing new deacons;
- Assigning and training Care Team leaders once our Deacon and Elder Boards commence in June;
- Scheduling a kick-off parish event later this summer.
- Discussion was had around the tables to talk through what areas excite you, what questions are there about how this model will function, and what might help you feel better connected to your parish neighbors
- Elder and Deacon Board Updates by Jay Baas (Elder Chair)
- Under the new structure recommended by LFM, the Elder Board will set mission, vision, and strategic goals for the church, empowering the Staff to determine the best approach to accomplish them. The Deacon Board will extend the care of the elders for the membership through systems and processes designed to nurture and support a church body of our size.
- The Deacon Board will have 2 areas of focus: resource management (as they have done historically), and care (as leaders of the Care Teams presented on earlier). There will be 16-24 deacons, serving in one or both of those areas of focus depending on their personal giftings and the needs of the board.
- The Elder Board will remain focused on the Biblical calling and shepherding duties of the elder, providing shepherding care (welcoming members, leading with Care Teams, praying over the body, etc) and oversight care through applying the principles of policy governance (setting goals, defining limitations, and monitoring accountable parties). The makeup of the Elder Board will reduce in size while maintaining the ⅓-⅔ ratio between staff elders and lay elders as laid out in our bylaws, eliminating the designations of the “Oversight Team”, elders not engaged in the governance or policy conversations, and sabbatical elders.
- Next Steps:
- Read the revised role descriptions and pray over who you have seen among our body gifted to lead in these ways
- Submit recommendations of qualified men and women for our 2023-24 Deacons Board and Elder Development candidates via form on biblechurch.life. (Deadline: Sunday, April 30, 5 pm)
- Our Boards and staff continue to develop plans for training and implementing these new board rhythms and roles, with plans to begin an ongoing implementation starting in June 2023.
- Pray for patience, unity, and wisdom in how to navigate these changes for the glory of God and His eternal fruit in us and our communities.
- Budget Team Update by Eric Rodgers (Treasurer)
- Save the Date: This year’s Open Budget Conversation, Tuesday, May 23 from 7-9 pm; an opportunity to ask more detailed questions about the proposed budget to come from our Deacon Board and staff for Fiscal Year 2023-2024
- Guiding principle for our Budget Team’s work: Realistic & Faith-filled
- The numbers:
- 2022-2023 Current budget – $3,957,000
- Current reality – 13% behind targeted goals, but with good ongoing expense management, we continue to be in the black and do not anticipate this changing before the close of the year
- For the next fiscal year (2023-2024), the Budget Team is recommending a budget of $3,550,000. (A point of context: given that our projected 2022-2023 expenses will likely be in the $3,400,000 to $3,500,000 range, our proposed 2023-24 budget of $3,550,000 reflects our desire to grow our ministry impact through our wholehearted pursuit of necessary roles and ministry opportunities.)
- Additions: for healthcare insurance & salary increases – totaling between $90-122,000
- Subtractions: for consulting fees/recs (~$150,000), for mortgage refinance (~$104,000), for facilities & capital improvements (~$63,000), and for keeping our Missions steady at 10% of overall ($40,700)
- Gap of $150k: Staff has found $50k of savings already, taking gap down to $100k.
- By mid-May, will find $100,000 remaining gap and sharemore details when budget is published prior to the June vote
- System of Care Working Group by Kim Barrier (Deacon) and Aaron Kirtley (Elder)
- Table Prayer: Participants spent some time lifting these and other things in prayer together.
- That our church would have a strong finish to our fiscal year ending June 30, 2023; that we would continue to respond generously. That we would have discernment over the next month as we seek to close the $100,000 gap for next fiscal year.
- That we would continue to grow in reflecting Heaven’s glory as disciples from among all nations.
- That our church would grow in the knowledge of God’s grace & truth, and that in the months and years to come, we would experience a spiritual renewal and produce fruit that remains as the Lord uses CHBC in His kingdom work.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to info@biblechurch.org, or Erin Bethany directly as the event and working group lead.
