April 20-21, 2012

April 20-21, 2012

1. The Corporate Board of the Ministry Council met for its annual meeting Friday and Saturday, April 20-21, 2012, at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church Center, Cordova, TN.
2. Fourteen of the twenty-one Ministry Council members were present. Members: Rev. Michele Gentry de Correal, Rev. Troy Green, Rev. Carlton Harper, Rev. Drew Hayes, Elizabeth Horsley, Rev. Lanny Johnson, Gwen Roddye, Rev. Sam Romines, Rev. Tom Sanders, Roy Shanks, (Excused: Sally Allen, Jill Carr, Mandy Clark, Toni Prosser, Rev. Lisa Scott); Youth Advisory Members: Ricky Kirby (Excused: Madison Rush); Advisory Members: Rev. Michael Sharpe, Rev. Don Tabor (Excused: Rev. Boyce Wallace); Director of Ministries: Edith Busbee Old. Also present: Megan Warren.
3. Heard the report of the Director of Ministries, Edith Old, including: a) the 5-Step Process used as the basis for individual and collective work by the Director and the Ministry Teams; b) Edith Old’s meetings and travels since the last meeting; c) MC Monday luncheon, Tuesday evening Ice Cream Fellowship for International Delegates and Guests, and MC booth/display at General Assembly; and recommendations to the Council. The Council acted as follows:
   1. Agreed that travel by the Director of Ministries next year will focus on establishing relationships with churches that have non-CP pastors.
   2. Approved the revised MC job descriptions, noted that the job descriptions are a work in progress, and agreed that members will review them again over the next few months looking for inconsistencies and any other necessary changes or additions.
   3. Reviewed and adopted the revised 2013 Budget to be submitted to General Assembly.
   4. Appointed a subcommittee to review and consider opportunities for enhancing Ministry Council staff benefits and salaries in 2014.
   5. Agreed that MC members will assist the Unified Publications Task Force by collecting data in their local congregations and will ask Mark Davis for help with the process.
   6. Received written summaries of the overviews of the work of the Ministry Teams presented at the conclusion of the January meeting and voted to add them to the January Minutes.
4. Heard a report from Moderator Reverend Don Tabor (also MC Advisory Member) about the issues and opportunities facing the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and received encouragement for MC members to be visible leaders in their local presbyteries.
5. Conducted extensive discussion sessions, question and answer sessions, and heard Ministry Team Leaders in writing in reference to the Report of the Evaluation Committee. Also met with DMT Leader Elinor Brown in person, with PDMT Leader Milton Ortiz in person, with CMT Leader Mark J. Davis by phone from Hiwassee Presbytery of the CPCA in Cookeville, TN, and with MMT Leader George Estes by phone from Cambodia. The Director of Ministries and the Administrative Assistant stepped out of the room during the first part of each conversation with the Team Leaders in order to allow each Team Leader to give confidential personal opinions regarding the Evaluation Committee Report and the current work environment.
6. Collectively discussed, reviewed, and edited the response draft before adopting the Ministry Council Response to the Evaluation Committee Report to be included in the MC Report Number Two to the General Assembly.
7. Received the report of the Endowment Promotion Committee which included a draft letter to potential donors. The Endowment Promotion Letter will include a list of Ministry Council and Ministry Team endowments and balances, in descending order, with those closest to fruition listed first in order to promote contributions to existing endowments that need to grow to usable levels. The Endowment Promotion kick off will take place by General Assembly.
8. Heard Advisory Member Mike Sharpe regarding the synopses of the pre-Assembly workshops and that registration will be open on Monday, April 23, and encouraged MC members to share the information with others.
9. Received the subcommittee report regarding Ministry Council Youth Advisory elected members and agreed to investigate some legal questions before the August meeting.
10. Heard financial status report from Dan Scherf and received updated reports through 4/18/12 including Our United Outreach data and individual OUO reports for each MC member’s home church for 2008 to date. Noted that there have been 11 OUO distributions to date. Also noted that 17 congregations that did not give to OUO in 2010 gave in 2011 and that 6 other congregations gave for the first time in 2011.
11. Received the report from Reverend Lanny Johnson, our representative to the Our United Outreach Committee, including a possible OUO Sunday designation, the payoff of the Touch the Future debt, the anticipated payoff of current loans, and plans to update OUO brochures and to develop a presentation for presbyteries.
12. Received an updated Unified Publications Task Force report from Mark J. Davis, Communications Ministry Team Leader, regarding the progress of the Unified Publications Task Force Report since January.
13. Received updated report from Reverend George Estes, Team Leader of the Missions Ministry Team, regarding non-USA mission field expansion and approved the recommendation to General Assembly to approve the guidelines for US presbyteries which have, or may in the future, host non-USA congregations and missions.
14. Revised the established formula for setting Ministry Council meeting dates reported following the recent suggestion from the Ministry Teams and Team Leaders that the August and January meetings are more effective with both joint and concurrent sessions at each of the two meetings.
15. Continued discussion of the book Spirited Leadership, Empowering People to Do What Matters by Thomas G. Bandy led by Reverend Troy Green.
16. Response to past General Assembly directives: This new section has been added to the Ministry Council Summary of Actions for ease of access to progress reports.
    1. Vision of Ministry and Priority Goals of the General Assembly: Reviewed the current Vision of Ministry and Priority Goals and agreed to continue this review in August.
    2. Provisional Status for New Churches: Stated Clerk Mike Sharpe met with Missions Ministry Team staff, revising the current provisional status information. The full text of the Provisional Status brochure was included in the Committee on the Ministry Handbook presented at the 181st General Assembly last year. In virtually every case where Provisional Status is under consideration, Missions Ministry Team staff is working with those agencies to shepherd the process. Reflecting on the number of presbyteries that Reverend Lynn Thomas and Reverend George Estes have worked with directly in this regard, there has been a significant amount of information shared.
    3. Church Calendar: The Ministry Council submitted calendar dates through December, 2014, for the Church Calendar. The Council has consulted with the Office of General Assembly and will recommend that the Office of the General Assembly be responsible for reporting the Church Calendar as it is a collection of events and dates for all denominational entities. The Church Calendar is not the same thing as the Planning Calendar; the Ministry Council will continue to publish the Planning Calendar that includes many dates from the Church Calendar along with other dates.
    4. Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America Reunification: The United Board of Christian Discipleship meets in January just prior to the Ministry Council and Ministry Team meeting. The Ministry Council hosted CPCA General Assembly Mission Board representatives to the United Board in a fellowship event meeting with the Ministry Council and Ministry Team Leaders on Thursday, January 26, 2012. The Ministry Council also launched an International Children’s Art Contest that is open to children in both denominations. The Director of Ministries will attend the CPCA General Assembly in early June 2012.
    5. Enhanced Denominational Communication: Additional prayer concerns have been added to CP Updates as well as to other forms of immediate electronic media including email blasts, Twitter and Facebook pages.
    6. Denominational Center Websites: The Ministry Council and Communications Ministry Team have and will continue to share our learnings and resources to assist denominational agencies in their expansion into electronic communication.
    7. Certification of Youth Ministers: Currently, three Cumberland Presbyterian students are enrolled in the CYMT program. Two applicants await acceptance to begin the 2012 Fall term and one additional certification candidate anticipates a Spring 2013 enrollment. Three additional potential candidates are discerning this opportunity to fulfill their Call. Informational materials are in print and on the website to help presbyterial Committees on the Ministry assist those called to youth ministry. We continue to promote this opportunity to those called to Youth Ministry and to Committees on the Ministry to assist and direct those called to this ministry.
    8. Decadal Plan for Evangelism, Church Planting and Mission Expansion: The Ministry Council and Missions Ministry Team coordinated the creation of a full time position with goals and benchmarks tied to implementation of the plan. Reverend T. J. Malinoski was called to this position and began work January 1, 2012. Reverend Malinoski has made a number of presentations to presbyteries and will make a presentation at General Assembly outlining specific plans.
    9. Special Committee to Evaluate Current Structure: Reverend Ron McMillian, representative from the Evaluation Committee, made an introductory visit with the Ministry Council during the August meeting. The Evaluation Committee Report was received March 7, 2012. Ministry Council Members and Team Leaders received the report via email, read the report, and submitted questions prior to the April meeting. The Ministry Council thoroughly discussed the report, received comments from the Team Leaders, drafted a report, and spent extensive time editing and finalizing the Ministry Council Response to the Report of the Evaluation Committee to be included in Report Number Two to the General Assembly.
17. Adjourned to convene on August 25-26, 2012 (Sat/Sun) to meet jointly and concurrently with the Ministry Teams. Orientation for new Ministry Council and Ministry Team Members will be held on Friday, August 24, 2012.