December 7, 2005

Minutes of Quarterly Ministry Meeting

Alonza Jones opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. with a short introduction and prayer.  About 250 people were present.  He referenced Nehemiah 2:17-18, a challenge for God's people to go forward and rebuild the temple, and related it to our challenge of "rebuilding" during our pastoral transition. He then outlined the contents of the evening, indicating time would focus primarily on the budget.

A.T. Scott of the Long Range Planning Team (LRPT) updated the church on recent projects. The Student Building is nearing completion, with minor office renovations remaining. The Counseling Center has moved to their new offices off Highway 280. Our video screens in the Worship Room will be replaced in the coming weeks. He also mentioned a possible proposal for ball fields to be built on some of our available property to support our sports ministry programs--the LRPT could bring this proposal to the church in the next several months.  A.T. also announced new LRPT officers for 2006:  Andy Gardner, Chairman; Paul Rogers, Vice-Chair, and Jenni Scott, Secretary.

Nan Priest of the Vision Team, a sub-group of the Long Range Planning Team, spoke about the recent Focus Groups. The Focus Groups are part of the "assessment phase" of the Vision Team's work, as they ask questions and prepare for "What God is going to do next."  The team is reviewing and clarifying our church's overall vision and direction. Nan mentioned that Focus Group participants were caring and passionate people and really felt as a whole that "the best is yet to come" for Brook Hills.  More than 40 groups were conducted during the months of October and November, with over 300 adults and 150 youth participating.  The Vision Team will produce a summary of Focus Group information by year-end (Editors note: Because of scheduling issues, the actual report was issued until January 8, 2006).

Marlin Priest addressed upcoming preachers for the interim period during January, February and March.  He gave a word of appreciation to those who had suggested names and possibilities for an interim Pastor.  He indicated the team is prayerfully considering the "very best choice" for Brook Hills each week and for an interim Pastor, if that is where God eventually leads us. He asked for patience and perseverance during the next few months, and for prayer as his team sought to make the best choices for our Sunday teaching time.  Marlin also gave the names of those team members charged with the Sunday teaching schedule, including himself, Larry Herndon, Jim Houston, Buster Taylor and Donnie Arrant.

Tim Faulk of the Stewardship Ministry Team indicated our overall giving was down since our first Pastor's departure, but that we expect to "make budget" for 2005 and were planning judiciously for 2006. The 2006 Proposed Budget was completed in late November and had taken longer than usual because of adjustments necessary during the transition period. Tim indicated the Stewardship Team charged our Leadership Pastor and staff with formulating a budget that was in step with our giving patterns, and the result is approximately $1 million less than the 2005 Budget.

He said the Proposed Budget will be brought before the church for approval on Sunday, December 18. It was mailed to the Faith Family on Friday, December 2--about half of the meeting's attendees had already received their copy by mail.

Larry Herndon presented the timetable and major themes of the 2006 Budget. Graphs of attendance and giving patterns were shown, and a walk-through of the last several months of planning and budgeting highlighted the need to make adjustments. "We want to be optimistic, but realistic," he said. Larry praised the staff for their willingness to step in and do "whatever it takes" to continue the high quality of ministry at Brook Hills with reduced funding. He also spoke at length about the difficult and prayerful process by which individual staff and budget decisions were made.  "We could not get to a realistic number for the 2006 Budget without affecting staffing," he said. "In a situation like this, nobody is happy about it. It's a painful process." 

Larry praised the staff for their commitment to the church, especially during this transition time. He also indicated that all pay increases and bonuses had been removed from the 2006 Budget. "The staff has not had a pay increase in 16 months--they are really committed to seeing us through this time."

Larry indicated that Senior Adult Pastor Rick Hunt will be assuming additional responsibilities in our facilities management and pastoral care area. Missions Pastor Jim Houston will be assuming additional responsibilities in Pastoral Care. Associate Pastor Donnie Arrant will be assuming additional responsibilities in administration. Finally, Women's Minister Dawn Stephens will also function as our Interim Preschool Minister.

Larry commented that all budget adjustments were based on our present circumstances and could always be changed. "If things change after the first of the year, we can always come back to the church and vote to amend the budget. It is simply a plan we follow, and plans can change based on needs and resources."

Paul Miller of the Personnel Ministry Team followed Larry, indicating that the Team had worked with Larry and approved each of the staff changes during the transition time. He also gave his appreciation to the staff for adjusting and "pitching in" where needed.

Larry introduced several staff leaders who "bullet-pointed" recent and upcoming activities in various areas of ministry at Brook Hills. Some of the highlights include:

• 197 children involved in Upward Basketball starting in January.
• New Weekday RBFs and discipleship options coming in January.
• Think Like Jesus adult discipleship study coming in January.
• New website launched in October with hundreds of new features.
• "My Story" emphasis ongoing to share testimonies of God at work.
• Recent World Touch Missions Celebration one of our best ever.
• Angel Tree ministry to give 150 needy kids gifts for Christmas
• Hundreds of students enjoying new Student Building weekly.
• Candlelight service December 11 for parents who have lost children.
• Meeting many needs in pastoral care, especially during holidays.
• Worship Ministry will participate in an upcoming Red Cross CD project.
• Kevin Wood and Brad Blan to be commissioned on December 14.

Larry concluded by having all staff and lay leaders come to the stage and said a word of appreciation to them, then closed in prayer. The meeting concluded late at 7:35 p.m. Because time was not available for questions regarding the budget, staff and lay pastors remained after the meeting to answer individual questions.

Because of the tremendous adjustments in the 2006 Budget, additional question and answer times were scheduled for Brook Hills members on Sunday, December 11, at 12:15 p.m. and Wednesday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 135 (Chapel Area).