September 1, 2011 Member Letter

September 1, 2011

Dear Brethren,

The Ministerial Board of Directors (MBOD), in its inaugural meeting Aug. 29 through Sept. 1, 2011, reached a number of important decisions, setting the future course for the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. After eight months of operating in an interim mode while working to establish a long-term structure, the elders of the Church recently confirmed a governance system and selected the MBOD. In this meeting we, the members of the MBOD, took the next major step of appointing a president, secretary and treasurer, paving the way for forming a permanent administration that will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Church. The officers selected were Jim Franks as president, David Johnson as secretary and Jason Lovelady as treasurer.

This meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, began on Monday morning with a brief discussion to set the agenda priorities, followed by a lengthy conversation about “lessons learned.” Such an analysis was a necessary step toward our future success, and it included not only the recent past, but the entire history of our experiences in the Church. The discussion also incorporated the input received over the past few weeks from many members and ministers.

In the afternoon Jason Ranew, the Church’s legal counsel, assisted the MBOD in a review of the governing documents recently approved by the elders, with special attention to the MBOD’s responsibilities and how it is to interact with the administration, the Doctrine Committee and the Moral and Ethics Assessment Committee (MEAC). The new governance structure was designed to give more responsibility to the president and administration, with the board assuming its legal oversight while leaving the day-to-day administration to the president and his team. (This is more typical of how boards normally function.) Discussion centered on how the board would fulfill its advisory role in relation to the president and his team functioning in the administrative role.

Talk then turned to the selection of the officers—president, secretary and treasurer. The discussion of the criteria for those responsibilities, as well as the actual process by which they would be selected, took up the remainder of the day. Our documents simply state that the board must approve the three officers of the corporation, so the procedures needed to be clarified. We had all come to the meeting having already given considerable thought for the past several months to the criteria and process, and we brought a number of ideas to the table. After devoting considerable time to the discussion, we agreed upon the criteria and drafted a six-step process for the selection of the president.

On Tuesday we reviewed, edited and approved by resolution the criteria and process outline for selection, then recessed for a time for personal prayer before selecting the officers. Upon returning and after considerable discussion, we then selected the officers.

While these appointments were the most important matters to determine, there was no shortage of other items to discuss. Through the afternoon we covered the process for approving ordination and credentialing requests, policies and procedures that need to be developed, how members for the Doctrine Committee and the MEAC will be appointed, as well as factors concerning a principle office location for the organization.

After determining that a small office is indeed necessary to function effectively, a task force of Clyde Kilough (chair), Dave Johnson, Dave Evans and Jason Lovelady was appointed to conduct a location study and report back to the president and board prior to the MBOD’s annual meeting set for Dec. 5-8.

On Wednesday the group discussed, in general, what is needed for areas of operation, primarily in Ministerial Services and Media, and what qualities will be needed for managers to oversee those areas.
We then moved to suggestions for men who could serve on the Doctrine Committee and the MEAC. Mr. Franks asked the board members to continue to submit their ideas and stated that he intends to ask for suggestions from the ministry regarding men who could serve on these two committees. He also set a target of bringing forward his recommendations for board approval before the Feast of Tabernacles.

The next focus of discussion centered on going forward with fulfilling the Church’s mission, which is “to take the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the whole world, to make disciples of those whom God has called and to teach those disciples to observe all that Jesus Christ has commanded (Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:19-20).” The dialogue covered a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from how we should most effectively use various media vehicles, to member/minister education, to assisting the international areas. The ideas put forward were not designed to lead to decisions, but to begin considering issues that are important to our future work.

In the afternoon we reviewed the latest financial report to be aware of income and spending trends, and we discussed some recommendations for donation processing. You can see a financial report in the announcement section of the Sept. 1 Weekly Update for the Ministry.

Finally, brethren, we are very well aware that you have been concerned and praying fervently about the success of these meetings. We deeply appreciate your spiritual support, and we consider that the most important part of this report is to tell you how grateful we are that God has indeed blessed us with clarity of direction in a spirit of brotherhood and unanimity.

As a Church, we are all now turning our attention to the coming festival season and the work that awaits us when Christ returns. We eagerly look forward to serving with Him in helping this world recover from the bondage of sin; so, above all things, let us continue to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. In that pursuit of holiness we will find God’s hand guiding all that we do. As always, our prayer is that God be with you in every way.

In Christ's service,

Jim Franks    Doug Horchak     Clyde Kilough    Joel Meeker

Richard Pinelli    Richard Thompson    Leon Walker