JOURNEY LUTHERAN CHURCH - VISION BOARD MEETING MINUTES
The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm on January 12, 2016.
Present: Pastor Brad, Meredith Hink, Wendy Evert, Bob Tracey, Dave Pehl, Jim Welander, Terry Aakre, Devin Schroeder and Julie Rudolph
Absent: Eric Davidson
Mission Endowment Presentation by Larry Westfield
Larry Westfield introduced to the Vision Board what an Endowment Fund is created for and how it can be funded. It starts with Stewardship.
Stewardship is comprised of 3 components: Income (tithing), Assets (gifts outside of income, ie stocks, IRA) and Estate (settlement of estate upon death). The component with the biggest impact is Estate but is also the least likely to be used as a gift to a Congregation usually for the simple fact that people don’t think of the Church when planning their will or that the Church never mentions the idea.
· It is important for Congregations to have a plan/tool/Endowment Fund established for the opportunity of a large gift that is received. It has been shown that it can cause conflict within a Congregation if there is no plan in place when a large gift is received.
· An Endowment Fund is a tool set up for when a gift is received and can have guidelines for how the monies should be used
o This is a great mission tool and it is recommended that when a gift is received that the gift should be celebrated with the Congregation
Resources are available for getting an Endowment Fund started.
· The first step would be to form an Ad Hoc Committee to develop a plan for the Congregation
· The Endowment Fund would need to be a part of the By-Laws of the Church
Old Business
December Meeting minutes reviewed. Bob Tracey motioned to accept minutes and Jim Welander seconded motion. Terry Aakre pointed out that she was present at the last meeting and was not listed as attending; the December meeting minutes have been modified to correct this matter.
Financial Report
There was concern about the balance of the Emergency fund; it was agreed that money should be transferred from checking to bring the fund to $500. There is still a $2,300 IOU in the Journey Forward account for the money borrowed to fund the parking lot repair in July. It was agreed that this money should be paid back now that our financial situation is better.
New Business
Annual Report
The Annual Report is almost completed and will be made available to the Congregation the Sunday prior to the Annual Meeting. The only Team report still needed is from Fellowship.
· The Teams need to encourage their members to attend the Meeting to answer any questions that the Congregation has about their reports or about the activities that they have planned for the upcoming year.
Vision Board Elections
· Jeremiah Boardman has agreed to serve as the Youth Representative.
· Pastor Brad has contacted the two members that the Vision Board proposed, but unfortunately, both declined. Two more members were recommended by the Board and will be contacted.
Budget
Jim Welander is looking into the cost of expanding the WiFi reception to the Sanctuary.
Main budget changes:
· The Pastor Expenses on the budget have been kept the same as last year to keep the budget in line with what it will cost when a permanent Pastor is Called.
· The Faith Formation Director will be paid for the full year this year; in 2015 it was for 3 months.
The continuation of the Journey Forward Campaign will be presented at the Annual Meeting and will be proposed as a Capital Improvement Fund.
The Budget was approved and will be presented at the Annual Meeting.
Congregation Vitality Survey
The members of the Vision Board have been asked to fill out a Congregation Vitality Survey and return the form to the Journey Office before the end of January.
Policies Update
Same Sex Marriage Policy
This Policy will be presented at the Annual Meeting in January. This will be presented as a “binding resolution” which is more binding than a By-law change and will be voted on by the Congregation. If accepted, it will be binding indefinitely; this will need a super majority to enact (2/3 Voting members)
· This resolution will allow any couple, who after consultation with the Pastor, to be allowed to marry.
Accountability Covenant
The Vision Board recommends that the Covenant be reviewed by a lawyer and our Insurance Carrier
· The La Crosse Synod has a lawyer that we could have review the Covenant
Call Committee
The Congregational Survey has been completed. The Committee has provided a report of their progress for the Annual Report.
· The Call Committee will be installed at the Jan 24 Service before the Annual Meeting
Action Items
· Present the Annual Report to the Congregation
· Contact potential Vision Board members
· Present the continuation of the Journey Forward Campaign to the Congregation
· VB members to complete and return Congregation Vitality Survey
· Present the Same Sex Marriage Policy at Annual Meeting
· Installation of Call Committee at Jan 24th Service
The meeting adjourned at 8:00pm with a reflection by Meredith Hink.
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016 at 6:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Julie Rudolph
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