Those who know me understand my thinking does not always fit the status quo.  I am eager to consider alternative ideas…like leadership.

When I came to Louisiana, we had needs which required leadership that was courageous, innovative and forward thinking.  So, at the first ministers meeting, we bypassed the traditional voting for leadership boards at the beginning and spent the morning defining who we were, where we were financially and where we wanted to go.  I opened by explaining that I wanted to cast the vision, then we would vote for leadership boards and state leaders.

In every break period, good men came to me and inquired… “do you think we should go ahead and start the voting? The guys are getting anxious about the voting.” I admit there was pressure because I’m making a first impression here and I wanted them to see where we were going before they decided who would lead us.

We did eventually get to the voting but as expected, some new ideas were now on the table and as we considered what they would require, we also decided who could lead us to the desired goal.  There was a necessary shift in our thinking.  It was an important season for Louisiana and the persons who have been leading us are, in large part, responsible for the growth of our state and the unity we have and love so much here.

Leadership is key to any organization, including the Church of God.  As we consider our next leadership team, here are some personal thoughts…

• Knowing where we are going is vital in knowing who can lead us. 
• Some people can lead in only one direction.
• Leaders are human and they have tendencies and models that influence their leadership.
• Leadership requires both wisdom and courage.  You cannot lead without both.
• In the absence of visionary leadership, people wander to their own comfortable places.

What if we dreamed a new dream for ministry application?  We seem to be stuck trying to make old ideas work in new cultural settings.  For example, my grandfather practiced commerical loyalty.  By that I mean, he bought his gas from the same station all his life, regardless of price. When the 70s gas shortage happened, I suggested he try another place where it was cheaper (at the time his man was charging $1.05 per gallon…imagine!)  No, my grandfather was loyal to the man who had always serviced his car.  Not my dad, he would drive around town looking for gas $.03 cheaper!  Different generations, different mindsets, different loyalties.

I feel at times our church is in that same rut…

What if we Re-thought the way we do ministry on a national level or international level? It would not mean that we were disloyal to our forefathers or disrespectful of others but simply that we have considered a new way to do ministry?  Things change and so do we.  Those who have posted comments and those with whom I have talked to during the past month seem to fall into two categories…on the one hand, there is significant passion for change/adjustment and openness.  On the other, there is distrust and confusion about those who wish to make significant changes to our church…a sense of protection and guarding the system.  

Maybe we can do both.

We can protect the things which define us (doctrine, etc.) and we can re-tool the machinery (departmental ministries, funding methods, etc.) to fit the times and systems we presently work in.  Because I’m the eternal optimist…I’m hoping we can do both.

Re-thinking is not easy and requires me to let go of some things.  Considering the five decades (just barely) that I’ve been alive, things are different.  So am I.  I don’t think as I used to and I don’t do as I used to.  I’ve adjusted.  

So must the Church of God, if we are to reach our full kingdom potential.

What do you think? 

12. DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE (International)

 We recommend:

That we amend page 191, S56. APPLICANTS FOR MINISTRY, V. Divorced and Remarried Applicants, paragraph 1 by adding the following:

Any exceptions to the above guidelines must be approved by the International Executive Council. 

Item 12 deals with language authorizing the Executive Council to consider circumstances and other criteria beyond what is outlined on page 191, paragraph 1 in the determination of credentials with consideration of divorced and/or remarried applicants. The motion does not spell out what those exceptions might be. 

This is a very large issue culturally as more and more persons have divorce and remarriage issues.  At present, individuals who have more than one living spouse cannot be credentialed with the church   The church does not credential persons with more than two living spouses, unless it can be proven that the divorce occurred prior to initial conversion, was the result of infidelity on the former spouse or abandonment by an unbelieving spouse. This is the descriptive portion of page 191, paragraph 1.

There is great compassion is shown in the review of these cases and in dealing with these parties. No case can go forward without approval of the Executive Committee/Ministerial Advocate office. I’m proud of the way our Executive Committee handles the cases I have given them for persons in Louisiana.  For my tenure, Dr. Hagan and then Dr. Hill have served as Ministerial Advocate and they work with an excellent team of assistants to help in the process.  Great care is offered in all cases, I am aware of.  

However, this measure would allow for some latitude in regard to how those divorces occurred and who was the innocent party. Any change/additional consideration of these parties in such situations would require approval by the Executive Council would seem to be scope of this measure.

What do you think?

How should divorced and remarried ministerial applicants be handled in your opinion?

Leave a comment.

Disclaimer…I’m not impartial on this item…I openly admit it.  If you feel strongly the other way, I support that but in this case, I am sharing “my opinion”…

Item 9 deals with the qualifications for Ordained Bishops.  

In the 2006 General Council, a somewhat similar measure was presented in a different way so that it removed the 8 year experience requirement and simply allowed for the ordination of bishops with at least five years of active service by age 25.  It failed.  There were three speeches made–1 for and 2 against and no one else waiting, so the moderator took the vote.  I was the most shocked person in the RCA Dome when the measure lost!  So, this measure appears on the Agenda Committee report to the Executive Council and was passed as a recommendation to the General Council as follows…

9. QUALIFICATIONS FOR ORDAINED BISHOPS (International)

We recommend:

That we amend page 195, S57. ORDAINED BISHOP, II. Qualifications of Ordained Bishops, paragraph 2, by adding the following:

In those cases in which a ministerial applicant has had verifiable active ministerial experience prior to receiving credentials, exceptions to the age qualification can be made upon recommendation by the ministerial applicant’s administrative bishop and with the approval of the Executive Council.

I am thinking some will read this measure and think it is a re-run of the failed measure in 2006.  It is not.

This measure takes a different turn on the failed motion of 2006.  It seems to be designed to stipulate that prior ministerial activity that can be verified is valid for consideration in waiving the experience requirement for ordained bishops. However, this motion is likely to be too arbitrary in my opinion.  I speak only for myself when I say that, if I understand the motion, one could appeal to the State Overseer for waiver of the 5 or 8 year experience requirement based on verifiable prior ministerial activity before credentials.  This could likely be directed toward ministers who come into the Church of God from non-affiliated groups outside the PFCCNA.  PFCCNA is a fellowship of Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches who reciprocates credentials from member organizations laterally (most of the time). Say a minister in the Four Square church is ordained and has met our age and experience requirement, he would transfer straight to Ordained Bishop in the Church of God (with proper recommendation from his state bishop and some doctrinal orientation examination either written or oral).  

This measure will help in these kinds of areas but does not address for me the issue of bringing younger men to the table in our General Council.  At present, our dilemma is that we are getting older in our deliberative bodies..not younger.  With respect to our growing ages, older leaders don’t typically think futuristically or risk much. The older we get the safer we tend to play it…experience and all!  My hope was that the measure would again revisit the age requirement that would put younger men in the seats at the General Council setting.  

Get this…a 16 year old young man or woman as a registered delegate in San Antonio already has the equal authority in our church as our ordained bishops anyway, as our last Assembly teaches us. In fact, a person with less than 6 months experience as a Church of God member has the same voting power as the 40 year veteran pastor in the Church of God when they exercise their vote in the General Assembly. The only thing they cannot do is NOMINATE the POSITIONS OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, DEPARTMENT LEADERS and ELECT the EXECUTIVE COUNCIL and SET THE AGENDA for the General Assembly.  Everything else they have equal voting rights and authority.

Why not consider the possibilities of bringing down from the viewing seats, young men with at least five years of experience and allow them to help set the course for the church?  I believe we must get younger in our thinking, our vision and our direction.

This motion will not do that unless amended but the scope of the measure seems to be geared toward greater latitude for examination board and state overseers in granting ordained bishop status to ministers whose ministerial experience predates their credentialing period.

Am I thinking right?

Does this measure help us?

Leave a comment and forgive this occasion of my soapboxing…!

Item 6 is a report from the Executive Council outlining the benefits which have been made available to Church of God ministers during the past four years.  The time sequence is important because one of the fundamental convictions of our General Overseer has been a renewed focus on the pastor and the parsonage.  Anyone who has heard Dr. McGuire in the past four years has heard his stump speech on the need to support and raise up “healthy, praying pastors who build healthy praying churches.”  He and the Executive Committee have been dedicated to this venture and a number of iniatives have begun for pastors, namely the Covenant Groups for pastors through the Lilly Foundation Endowment; Pastor’s Supplemental Retirement Benefit (which begins this August); educational degree completion programs through Patten University for ministers, scholarship programs for ministers, etc.  A committee on the Executive Council chaired by Bryan Cutshall has worked for two years on programs and plans to bless and help pastors.  This report will highlight some of those ventures.  Granted, there is still much to do in raising the level of support for the “man/woman on the field” but there has been a concentrated effort on the part of leadership to attempt to address it.

Item 8 addresses the measure of ministerial conduct and is the result of a motion referred back to the Executive Council from the ‘06 General Council, for further study and refinement to be brought back to this General Council.  

The motion referred was…

That we amend page 205, S65. DISORDERLY MINISTERS, III. Disorderly Conduct, Item A. Explicit Heterosexual Misconduct, paragraph 4, by adding “and he/she must be disfellowshipped from the church”:

4. Any minister found guilty of sexual abuse of a child or a second offense involving adultery, fornication, or any other sexual misconduct, or any combination of these offenses, shall have his/her credentials permanently revoked and he/she must be disfellowshipped from the church.

The motion now reads..

After further reviewing this matter, we recommend:

That we amend page 205, S65. DISORDERLY MINISTERS, III. Disorderly Conduct, Item A. Explicit Heterosexual Misconduct, paragraph 4, by adding “and he/she must be disfellowshipped from the church and that the opportunity for reconciliation and restoration to church membership be given future consideration, in appropriate instances.” so as to read:

4. Any minister found guilty of sexual abuse of a child or a second offense involving adultery, fornication, or any other sexual misconduct, or any combination of these offenses, shall have his/her credentials permanently revoked and he/she must be disfellowshipped from the church and that the opportunity for reconciliation and restoration to church membership be given future consideration, in appropriate instances. 

The last two sentences reflect the change requiring permanent revocation and disfellowship from the local church but allows for reconsideration of restoration of fellowship and membership in the local church under certain circumstances.  Those who were there remember this was an emotional issue with the ordained bishops and one which is at the heart of many churches and organization and deals with matters of ministerial discipline.  There is no clear guidelines on what “future consideration, in appropriate instances” means but does allow for some dialogue to occur in the local church and with state and international leadership if warranted.

Do we have adequate measures of ministerial discipline?

Is our discipline process fair and compassionate?

What do you think?

Post a comment or email bill@lacog.org.  I would love to hear from you.

Item 3 will be a presentation on the strategy to plant churches in the USA and world.  The National Church Planting Office has been operational since the 2004 Assembly and has been successful in numerous church planting situations throughout the USA.  Planters are trained in labs held in various parts of the country and have occasion to hear from renowned church leadership specialists who help couples find their giftings, strategize, fund and plan their church plant. Michael Knight from Madisonville, KY heads up this office for our church, while pastoring his own congregation.

The report will show how the denomination is planning to fund, prepare and plant life-giving churches in the coming term.  For example, the Hispanic office under Fidencio Burgeuno has targeted to plant 1,000 Hispanic congregations in the USA in the next 10 years.  

Church planting will be an important link to the missional vision of our church and leadership.  One of the key components is that we must embrace the various kinds of churches which reach the world.  There is a need for many types of churches and God is raising up a significant generation of church planters who feel the calling to go into the world and preach the Gospel.  

Wednesday evening’s worship service will highlight church planting and the offering will be received for the work.  

Item 7 seeks to institute a four year pastoral preference vote in every church in the USA and Canada.  This was standard practice until the mid 1980s when it was voted out.  However, this measure comes to the General Council in response to letters and recommendations from the field.  There is a feeling with some that the local church needs periodic seasons to reflect on its pastoral leadership and to express themselves in ballot initiative under the supervision of the Administrative Bishop. The measure reads…

Local churches shall be given the opportunity to express their preference for pastor at least once every 4 years with the first vote taken in 2012. 

There are presently three ranks of credentialed ministry in the Church of God–Exhorter, Ordained and Ordained Bishop.  The entry level rank of Exhorter is the focus of this measure which reads…

We recommend:

1) That we amend pages 200-201, S62. LAY MINISTER CERTIFICATION by substituting the following:

That an exhorter’s certificate be issued to applicants who have a call of God into a specialized area of local church ministry where certification is deemed necessary and appropriate. (This is a lay minister.)

I. Qualifications of Exhorters

The candidate must:

1. Be a loyal member of the Church of God, adhering to its teachings.

2. Be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

3. Be faithful in tithing.

4. Be a regular church attendant.

5. Be one who works in harmony with the local, state, and international church’s program and one who reflects a cooperative attitude toward the progress of the church.

6. Have the approval of the local church governing body with a recommendation from the pastor and church council, or a pastor’s designated advisory group.

II. Responsibilities and Authorities

1. The exhorter’s certificate must be renewed every year by the local church where the exhorter is a member. Renewal requires that the individual continue to be actively engaged in one or more specialized areas of local church ministry, such as children’s ministry, youth ministry, prison ministry, elderly ministry, music ministry, and so forth.

2. Whenever an exhorter transfers to another Church of God, the present certificate is terminated. The new church may approve the applicant and issue the exhorter’s certificate.

3. The exhorter shall serve as a helper to the pastor and shall be eligible to conduct various services and ministry activities sponsored by the local church under the supervision of the pastor.

4. The exhorter shall be authorized to represent the local church in the community as a certified Christian worker, as determined by the pastor.

5. The exhorter shall teach and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through areas of specialized ministry.

6. The exhorter shall serve as a model within the local church for the mentoring and discipling of believers.

7. All exhorter applicants must submit to background checks by the local church and must comply with all screening procedures as recommended by the Church of God.

8. The administrative bishop may appoint the exhorter as the interim pastor of a church. The administrative bishop may authorize the exhorter, who has been appointed as interim pastor of a church, to baptize converts and to receive believers into fellowship of church membership. When an exhorter is serving as an interim pastor, and where state laws recognize the certification of an exhorter as those of a duly authorized minister of the gospel, the exhorter may solemnize the rites of matrimony.

9. Before an exhorter is appointed as an interim pastor, the national background check is required.

10. The exhorter, who is certified by a local church, is not required to send a minister’s report to the state and international headquarters.

11. It is understood that those presently serving as exhorter will be given a period of four years to determine whether or not they wish to become a candidate for ordained minister or if they wish to remain as a credentialed exhorter (lay minister). (We urge all state administrative bishops to encourage present exhorters who wish to become ordained ministers to move forward with the credentialing process as soon as possible.)

12. Certificates are to be obtained from the state/regional office. 

Within this measure is a fundamental change in the way the church will credential ministers.  As it is presented, the local church will credential ministers at the entry level, allowing for more involvement by the pastor and church in helping ministerial candidates to understand and prepare for their calling.  

Now, an applicant for ministry is “set forth” by the local church and pastor and is qualified through examination and training by the state/territorial offices where he lives.  The pastor simply recommends and passes the candidate on to the state office. In this proposal, the new ministerial couple will remain under the supervision of the local pastor and church and be annually credentialed based on their performance and growth in ministry. 

It is felt with greater accountability at the local level and more participation by the local church and pastor, fewer individuals will start out with ministry credentials only to find out they did not want to go this far and have their credentials removed.  

As I stated, the local pastor will be a critical part of this process and this is the largest issue of this measure and its passage will depend on how pastors view the present process and how the new process will impact their church and leadership.

Do you see this as a manageable process for the local church?

Leave a comment.

The process adopted by our forefathers and used for many years stipulates that the Executive Council in session with the International Executive Committee determines the agenda for the General Council of Ordained Bishops.  This process is very fluid and from my viewpoint is quite comprehensive. There is a need to make this process more transparent so that a larger percentage of persons can understand how the church works in this regard but as it presently stands items for the agenda are generated through the work of the Executive Council which meets at present three times per year for one week each meeting.  In the course of our work, items arise which are determined to be necessary for inclusion on the agenda.  They are placed in the care of the AGENDA COMMITTEE which this term was chaired by Bishop John Childers.  This group meets throughout the whole two year period, refining, reviewing and recommending. They report to the Executive Council each meeting and any items which have come to them since the last meeting are placed in our care for direction and disposition.  

Another way items get on the agenda is through letters and recommendations sent to the Executive Council from pastors, leaders and laity throughout the world where the Church of God operates. I was amazed how many things are sent to the Council from the “field”.  In some cases, the items were referred to the Agenda Committee for research and report and in other cases, they were determined not to be in the interest of the church and were tabled or dismissed by vote.  It is interesting to know that any letter, recommendation or items addressed to the Executive Council comes to that council without action or interference!  Some may have assumed a screening of these items but each time we met, in my notebook was a section that contained copies of the original letter or recommendation written to the group from a pastor, lay leader, young person etc.  These are read by all the members and are part of the agenda for our meetings each time. In this aspect, it is a very open process.  I’ve had some to complain that they do not know what items have been sent and that is true. There is no posting of items written to the Council and it was my feeling that the authors specifically wrote to the council and that it was the responsibility of the originator to disseminate his thoughts publicly, should he/she wish.  

For what it is worth, there were more than 60 items submitted to the Council this term for the agenda which contains 24 items.

Item #2 REALIGNMENT OF RESOURCES will prove to be one of the pivotal pieces of this assembly because of its implications through the USA churches.  At present, COG congregations in foreign countries do not contribute to the USA offices. From what I know, they contribute 10% of their tithes to the territorial offices (our state offices) and 10% of the funds that come to those offices are tithed (10%) to their national offices.

In the USA, we agree that our churches will contribute 7.5% of their tithes to International Offices and 7.5% of tithes to the respective state offices where they are.  There is an additional breakdown of these funds in that 2.5% of the funds sent to International Offices are designated for World Missions and are used for the administrative work of that department.  The budget of World Missions from this fund also supports Field Directors of the major regions of the world, educational institutions, orphanages, mission representatives who raise WM funds and general operation, including media, travel, etc.  These funds are annually 13 million dollars. In addition, donations for missionaries and specific projects total 19 million and none of these funds are used for operation or administration, but go 100% as intended to the field and ministry.

The remaining 5% of funds sent to International Offices are used for all other ministries of the church.  This includes all the Bible schools/universities we have in the US and Canada, all the funding for Retired ministers, widows and disabled ministers, all departmental budgets (excluding World Missions), general operation of buildings, promotion, travel, media, employee compensation, and debt reduction, to name a few. These funds total 26 million annually. 

There has been a significant and noteworthy call from the churches to downsize the percentage of funds coming from the local churches to international and state offices.  In the last assembly, the General Council of Ordained Bishops approved a reduction which was later reversed by the vote of the General Assembly. However, there is a general church-wide feeling we need to get this done in this term so we can adjust and move ahead. The linger distractions of this issue are styming the work of the Great Commission, in my opinion.

As it is presented, the measure reads…

That, beginning January 1, 2010, local churches shall raise an offering equal to 2% of the tithes received to be sent monthly to the secretary general. Further, that this required offering be decreased by ½% biennially until January 1, 2018.

Proposed Reduction Scale:

• January 1, 2010 – 2%
• January 1, 2012 – 1½%
• January 1, 2014 – 1%
• January 1, 2016 – ½%
• January 1, 2018 – 0% 

For the next few days, I am going to overview the agenda of the General Council of the Church of God which convenes in San Antonio, Texas as part of our biennial General Assembly.  A good number of those who read this blog are either ministers or laity in the Church of God, largely in Louisiana where I serve as Administrative Bishop or have connection to the denomination–Church of God–with international offices in Cleveland, Tennessee.

It has been my privilege to serve as an elected member to the Executive Council during this past two year term and to view firsthand the process of the agenda’s development and presentation.  Since this was my first time to do so, I will openly admit it opened my eyes to the process which has guided our church during more than 100 years. My insights here are simply my own and do not reflect those of others who sat on the Council this term, nor will I use this platform to advocate for any personal political agenda.  

I love our church, even with its many flaws.  I believe in the future of the Church of God, as well as the history of our fathers before me who likewise sought to lead the church in congruence with God’s will for any group of believers who seek to do His will.  How these issues will come out is anybody’s guess.  Some will not pass because they possess elements which foster deeper questions which need study and development. Some will likely not pass because they are repeats of earlier issues not accepted but continued to be pushed from certain groups of individuals in our church, even though the Council has rejected them before. Some will pass because they make sense and in some way they advance the kingdom and our position in that kingdom.  Every delegate is entitled to his/her opinion and to act upon that with conviction and honor.  The diversity of opinion and thought only makes our church stronger.  Regardless of the outcome, it is my hope we will leave this biennial gathering of our “family” more poised and ready to do God’s work.

One final thought before we get into today’s post on the agenda…

I do not accept the premise that our leaders are corrupt, evil or deceptive.  I have not seen that in any degree which convinces me it is so.  There are those who feel strongly that our Executive Committee is power-hungry and poised to take our church into demise.  I am not of that group.  My view has been one of admiration and appreciation for how hard it is to lead this church and how massive the organization has become.  We need change and there are things we can do together which will help the Church of God be more cultural relevant, more missional in approach and more harvest-minded.  There are leaders who are gifted to help us do that and we are blessed to have such diversity of thought and such unity of purpose as our great church possesses.

Feel free to email questions to bill@lacog.org.  I’ll do my best to respond.

Now for the agenda…

ELECTIONS

The General Council of Ordained Bishops is charged by our Minutes to nominate the following positions for election by the General Assembly..

• General Overseer–Presently held by G. Dennis McGuire.  He is not eligible for re-election to this position but can be elected to another position on the Executive Committee.
• 1st Assistant General Overseer–Presently held by Raymond Culpepper.  He is not eligible for re-election to this position but can be elected to another position on the Executive Committee.
• 2nd Assistant General Overseer–Presently held by Timothy Hill.  He is not eligible for re-election to this position but can be elected to another position on the Executive Committee.
• 3rd Assistant General Overseer–Presently held by Orville Hagan.  He is eligible for re-election to this position or any other position on the Executive Committee.
• Secretary-General–Presently held by Paul L. Walker.  He is eligible for re-election to this position or for any other position on the Executive Committee.

AGENDA…REPORTS

There are 24 items on the agenda (not withstanding the election of officials) and nine (9) call for reports to the General Council.  These reports are in some cases, the result of previous General Council work and the assignment to smaller committees to research and develop strategies and bring back reports.  In other cases, the Executive Council has chosen to give a report to the group regarding work it has done in specific areas which may directly impact on the mission or scope of the church.  There is no action other than receiving of the report, although it is possible for a member to offer advice to the committee should their work be continued by the General Council.  

Item #1 will report to the Council on the 2008 Intercessors Conference which was held in Cleveland, TN and will highlight the need for the call of the church to issues and matters of prayer. There is a world-wide prayer movement ongoing and our leadership has chosen to kick-off the agenda with this important item.

Item #5 calls for a report from the Group Health Insurance Committee on their study to explore the feasibility of a national health group insurance plan. 

Item #10 is a report directed by the Executive Council outlining significant changes in the operational flow structure of International Offices as previously approved by the General Council/Assembly.  This report will come in a handout to the Ordained Bishops and will orient to the five divisions (Communication, World Evangelization, Care/Benevolence, Church Ministries, Education) which are now in operation (some are more advanced in operation than others).  This is designed to help the Bishops understand the changes being made in personnel, budgets, etc. as the churches embraces this new shift.

Item #11 will be a report calling for an appointed commission to study our by-law structure and report back to the 2010 General Council. The recommendation reads…That a study commission representing the leadership and constituency of our church is being appointed by the general overseer in consultation with the Executive Committee to study our bylaws and structure and to make a report with recommendations to the 2010 General Council.

Item #17 is a report from the Executive Council on the policy approved in receiving large groups of churches into the Church of God from other countries and comes with this recommendation…

a) In countries where the Church of God is already organized and under the oversight of a national overseer appointed by the International Executive Committee, no new church or group of churches shall be received into the Church of God without the involvement of the national overseer.

b) No church or group of churches shall be organized in any new country without the permission of the regional super¬intendent and field director.

c) In all areas where the Church of God is already firmly established and officially organized, great patience and extreme caution should be exercised when seeking to re¬ceive large groups of churches into the Church of God.

Further, we recommend this policy be referred to the World Missions Board to be published and implemented through their policies and procedures manuals. Also, we recommend the policy be distributed to Administrative Bishops in the United States and Canada and made available to local congregations seeking to plant churches in other nations of the world. 

Item #20 is a report calling for a study commission to outline the structure for the USA National Assembly. This came from the last General Assembly and is designed to allow American Bishops to deal with matters exclusive to the American church in session without the full General Council. This is common practice for all other countries with the Church of God and was adopted last year. The recommendation will ask for specific recommendations on the necessary structure and governance to oversee this national assembly.  The recommendation is..That a study commission is being appointed by the general overseer with representative membership (age, gender, eth¬nicity, laity and ministers) to prepare recommendations for the bylaws and governance structure of the USA National Council/Assembly to report to the 2010 USA National Coun¬cil meeting for consideration. Further, this commission will consider the feasibility of a delegated National Assembly and International Assembly.

Item #22 is a resolution report calling for the official designation of CIMS as the curriculum for lay and ministerial training.  CIMS stands for Certificate in Ministerial Studies and is presently used in the credentialing and lay leadership training components of our educational processes.

Item #23 is a report on Care & Benevolence and stipulates that the care and oversight of the 70+ international orphanages operated under the direction of the Church of God will be jointed coordinated by the Division of Care and World Evangelism.

Item #24 is the report from the Motions Committee and involves those motions submitted by delegates to the General Council but not on the approved/accepted agenda.  These items are reported to the General Council in the order of their submission and acted upon usually with referrals to committees or up/down votes.  This report only comes to the body once all the items on the agenda are completed.  those motions from this committee which are not acted upon generally are then placed on the agenda for the next Executive council meeting who decides if they will be given to the Agenda Committee for the 2010 General Council.

Feel free to post comments for others to review and respond.  

Tomorrow…

Item #2 which one of the hot-button items for this council–the reduction of funds from local churches to state and international offices.  And more…

Dr. David Martin offers seven keys to sustaining effective ministry…

• Enjoy Your Present–It has taken your entire lifetime to get to this point. Experience the present.
  
• Sit at the Feet of the Best–What is impossible to one man is the norm for another.
  
• Update Your Goals–You must continually assess and evaluate where you are and make necessary adjustments.
  
• Be Yourself–You are not in the ministry, the ministry is within you.  Being yourself is one of the greatest steps you can take the elevate and sustain your ministry excellence.
  
• Rest–Effective leaders never make important decisions when they are tired. Rest restores you and clarifies your decision making.
  
• Create Order–Each act of your life either increases or decreases order.  Order is the accurate arrangement of things.
  
• Think Big–Take the limits off of your thinking.  Leaders are leaders because they see things others cannot see.