The deacons have named a Pastor Search Committee – Kim Bass, Wade Collier, Terri Johnson, Arlette McCann, Tony Morales, Keith Thompson and Gerry Yutuc. Arlette was selected as Chair at their first meeting on Wednesday evening, May 5.
The Committee prayed, then got organized, and everyone was given the opportunity to share their hearts and thoughts. Everyone is still grieving and missing Pastor Ken, but everyone agreed that it would be Pastor Ken's most sincere desire that the Committee be careful to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they work. The Committee believes that God has already prepared a man to lead us, and that we simply have to obey as He directs us to that man.
The Committee decided to pray individually for a week, and to perhaps fast one of those days. They ask that the entire Argyle family join them in praying and fasting as they seek out God's will, and listen for His voice.
The Committee will meet again on Wednesday, May 12. Until then, continue with them in prayer.
Showing posts with label structure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label structure. Show all posts
Friday, May 07, 2010
Monday, May 03, 2010
Picking Up The Pieces...
It has been a whirlwind since Easter. Many of us are still dealing with the loss of Pastor Ken, and some of us (Hal & Amy) are also dealing with deaths within their own families.
In the middle of all this, the church and its work have to go on. It is a sad truth that in the long view of the church, we are all expendable. The only certainty we face is that, until Jesus returns, the work of the church has to continue. We are still sad, we have to get back to what we are called to do.
I was asked Sunday, "What do the sheep do when the shepherd is gone?" The answer is, there are several shepherds, not just one. Sundays will never again include Pastor Ken teaching us, but there will always be a Sunday morning at Argyle. God will be praised, joyful voices will raise Him up, prayerful people will celebrate as the Gospel is proclaimed. Children and students will be loved and challenged with Scriptural truth, converts will be baptized and people will be encouraged in their spiritual growth.
Our By-Laws provide for transition. Our deacons have selected a Pastor Search Committee. Kim Bass, Wade Collier, Terri Johnson, Phil Massicotte, Arlette McCann, Tony Morales, Keith Thompson, and Gerry Yutuc have already started the process that will lead to selecting our next Senior Pastor. Pray for them and pray for our fellowship to listen closely as God speaks to us about what He has in mind for us as we continue our journey with Him. We have a great past, but our greatest years lie in our future!
Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor
In the middle of all this, the church and its work have to go on. It is a sad truth that in the long view of the church, we are all expendable. The only certainty we face is that, until Jesus returns, the work of the church has to continue. We are still sad, we have to get back to what we are called to do.
I was asked Sunday, "What do the sheep do when the shepherd is gone?" The answer is, there are several shepherds, not just one. Sundays will never again include Pastor Ken teaching us, but there will always be a Sunday morning at Argyle. God will be praised, joyful voices will raise Him up, prayerful people will celebrate as the Gospel is proclaimed. Children and students will be loved and challenged with Scriptural truth, converts will be baptized and people will be encouraged in their spiritual growth.
Our By-Laws provide for transition. Our deacons have selected a Pastor Search Committee. Kim Bass, Wade Collier, Terri Johnson, Phil Massicotte, Arlette McCann, Tony Morales, Keith Thompson, and Gerry Yutuc have already started the process that will lead to selecting our next Senior Pastor. Pray for them and pray for our fellowship to listen closely as God speaks to us about what He has in mind for us as we continue our journey with Him. We have a great past, but our greatest years lie in our future!
Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A Safe Place...
is Pastor Ken's new series that focuses on the church as the Body of Christ. What does it look like, what does it do and how does it impact its members and the world?
Every now and then we take surveys of our congregation, asking them their opinions about Argyle and how we do things. One of our main questions is "Why does The Church at Argyle exist?"
If you are reading this, whether or not you are a part of the Argyle family, please comment and answer that question- why do we exist?
Every now and then we take surveys of our congregation, asking them their opinions about Argyle and how we do things. One of our main questions is "Why does The Church at Argyle exist?"
If you are reading this, whether or not you are a part of the Argyle family, please comment and answer that question- why do we exist?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A Really Difficult First...
The Church at Argyle just had a first- but one we can't be very proud of. For the first time in 25 years, we had to cut staff.
For some time we have been reporting that our giving was not meeting our budget needs. For the 2008 financial year, the giving shortfall was about $95,000. This shortfall was handled by cutting ministry budgets, avoiding making expenditures when possible, moving some projects off-budget through special offerings and directed giving, allocating reserves, and cutting out all possible discretionary spending. But, we have exhausted that means of staying afloat. There is nothing discretionary left to cut, and no ministry budget that can be further cut without fully deleting a ministry.
The only two places left within our control to cut (we can't NOT pay the utility bills, the insurance premiums, or the mortgage) are Missions Giving and Salaries.
Missions include our support of the Cooperative Giving Program of the Southern Baptist Convention. The CGP supports overseas and North American missionary efforts, domestic disaster relief, the general work of the Convention, and five Southern Baptist seminaries. We also give to support the Jacksonville Baptist Association which is invaluable in assisting the work of our local churches, including Argyle. We believe strongly that we cannot ask our members to give when we, as a church, are not cheerfully giving to support our own local, national and international efforts. In addition, we give small amounts to several other worthwhile charities and parachurch organizations.
By deciding to not touch Missions Giving, that leaves only Salaries to cut. Pastor Ken has prayed and deliberated for some time over whether this step would be neccessary, and if it was what shape it would take. After meeting recently with the Stewardship Committee, the Deacons and the Corporate Directors, we made the decision to furlough our Ministry Assistant Liz Eddy and our Facilities Custodian Stan Stufflebeam, effective February 15.
Both Stan and Liz have been and are invaluable members of our team. Their absence is going to leave a big hole that the other members of the Staff are going to have to work to fill, hopefully with the help of volunteers. This decision has nothing to do with their job performance, but with our inability to sustain our payroll with the current levels of giving. When God blesses us with an improvement in our giving, we will be quick to bring them back to the staff.
Hal Hunter
Administrator
For some time we have been reporting that our giving was not meeting our budget needs. For the 2008 financial year, the giving shortfall was about $95,000. This shortfall was handled by cutting ministry budgets, avoiding making expenditures when possible, moving some projects off-budget through special offerings and directed giving, allocating reserves, and cutting out all possible discretionary spending. But, we have exhausted that means of staying afloat. There is nothing discretionary left to cut, and no ministry budget that can be further cut without fully deleting a ministry.
The only two places left within our control to cut (we can't NOT pay the utility bills, the insurance premiums, or the mortgage) are Missions Giving and Salaries.
Missions include our support of the Cooperative Giving Program of the Southern Baptist Convention. The CGP supports overseas and North American missionary efforts, domestic disaster relief, the general work of the Convention, and five Southern Baptist seminaries. We also give to support the Jacksonville Baptist Association which is invaluable in assisting the work of our local churches, including Argyle. We believe strongly that we cannot ask our members to give when we, as a church, are not cheerfully giving to support our own local, national and international efforts. In addition, we give small amounts to several other worthwhile charities and parachurch organizations.
By deciding to not touch Missions Giving, that leaves only Salaries to cut. Pastor Ken has prayed and deliberated for some time over whether this step would be neccessary, and if it was what shape it would take. After meeting recently with the Stewardship Committee, the Deacons and the Corporate Directors, we made the decision to furlough our Ministry Assistant Liz Eddy and our Facilities Custodian Stan Stufflebeam, effective February 15.
Both Stan and Liz have been and are invaluable members of our team. Their absence is going to leave a big hole that the other members of the Staff are going to have to work to fill, hopefully with the help of volunteers. This decision has nothing to do with their job performance, but with our inability to sustain our payroll with the current levels of giving. When God blesses us with an improvement in our giving, we will be quick to bring them back to the staff.
Hal Hunter
Administrator
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Budget Town Hall Meetings...
So far, we have held two Town Hall Meetings to give our members an opportunity to review the details of the 2009 Ministry Spending Plan and to speak to the Stewardship Committee and Staff about our finances. A grand total of ZERO people have shown up so far.
We always wonder if this means that everyone is totally satisfied with the state of our finances, or if they simply don't care. Of course we hope it means people trust the leadership and have all the information they need, but you have to wonder.
We would like to hear a little feedback on this. If you care to comment, tell us why you haven't attended one of the Town Hall Meetings, or maybe if you plan to attend one of the ones coming up.
Hal Hunter
We always wonder if this means that everyone is totally satisfied with the state of our finances, or if they simply don't care. Of course we hope it means people trust the leadership and have all the information they need, but you have to wonder.
We would like to hear a little feedback on this. If you care to comment, tell us why you haven't attended one of the Town Hall Meetings, or maybe if you plan to attend one of the ones coming up.
Hal Hunter
Friday, October 31, 2008
All Star Survey .. Part II
Another thing we saw on several surveys had to do with music. A number of people yearn for the traditional hymns.
When we decided several years ago to try to reach people who weren't already in church, one of the major changes had to do with our worship style, and music in particular. Study after study, plus personal experience, tell us that unchurched people are uncomfortable with traditional hymns and church music styles- they simply don't get it.
Our music is chosen to be both doctrinally sound and in a style that will appeal to a wide variety of the people in our community. It is more a "rock band with horns" sound, with prominent drums and bass. it's uptempo and takes advantage of the outstanding musicians and singers God has sent us.
Remember, our Sunday Worship Gatherings are primarily "living room" environments- a place an unchurched visitor can feel comfortable and welcome. It is designed for those folks, the outsiders, not so much for insiders.
Load your favorite style in your iPod, but celebrate Sundays with a style that will appeal to the people we are trying to reach with the all-important message of the Gospel.
Hal Hunter
When we decided several years ago to try to reach people who weren't already in church, one of the major changes had to do with our worship style, and music in particular. Study after study, plus personal experience, tell us that unchurched people are uncomfortable with traditional hymns and church music styles- they simply don't get it.
Our music is chosen to be both doctrinally sound and in a style that will appeal to a wide variety of the people in our community. It is more a "rock band with horns" sound, with prominent drums and bass. it's uptempo and takes advantage of the outstanding musicians and singers God has sent us.
Remember, our Sunday Worship Gatherings are primarily "living room" environments- a place an unchurched visitor can feel comfortable and welcome. It is designed for those folks, the outsiders, not so much for insiders.
Load your favorite style in your iPod, but celebrate Sundays with a style that will appeal to the people we are trying to reach with the all-important message of the Gospel.
Hal Hunter
Saturday, October 25, 2008
All Star Survey.. Part I
We have carefully reviewed all of the All Star Surveys. If you haven't already participated, you can click here to complete the survey.
We are going to use this blog to discuss some of the results.
Several people mentioned they thought we ought to be be doing an invitation or altar call. First, we may need to explain what this is for those who didn't grow up in a church that does this.
An altar call or invitation is usually given at the end of the service. The pastor invites people who have made a spiritual decision to come forward. It is usually accompanied by music, lasts several minutes to perhaps ten minutes, with periodic exhortations from the pastor to those who may be considering a decision.
We stopped doing a traditional invitation several years ago, and we did it for several good reasons.
Almost every week we speak at length with someone who has questions or who has made a spiritual decision of some type. We are not missing opportunities by not doing an invitation- we are simply eliminating the intimidation factor.
Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor
We are going to use this blog to discuss some of the results.
Several people mentioned they thought we ought to be be doing an invitation or altar call. First, we may need to explain what this is for those who didn't grow up in a church that does this.
An altar call or invitation is usually given at the end of the service. The pastor invites people who have made a spiritual decision to come forward. It is usually accompanied by music, lasts several minutes to perhaps ten minutes, with periodic exhortations from the pastor to those who may be considering a decision.
We stopped doing a traditional invitation several years ago, and we did it for several good reasons.
- There is no Scriptural mandate for it- it is first documented being used in a form we would recognize today during what is known as The Second Great Awakening, a great period of revival that began in the 1820's.
- Many people find it intimidating to respond to a spiritual call in the presence of what might be hundreds of strangers. Remember, public speaking or doing something in fron of a crowd, is one of the greatest fears of most people.
- It can lead to "emotional" responses, rather than genuine responses to the Holy Spirit.
Almost every week we speak at length with someone who has questions or who has made a spiritual decision of some type. We are not missing opportunities by not doing an invitation- we are simply eliminating the intimidation factor.
Hal Hunter
Ministry Pastor
Friday, September 19, 2008
Winning...
What does it take to score a win with adults? What do we celebrate?
For years we have cultivated an invest and invite approach. We want our people to spend time and energy becoming involved in the lives of their friends, neighbors and coworkers. We want them so excited about being here they want to invite others to share what they are experiencing. So, one win is seeing people bring their friends on Sunday morning.
We think community is important. Another important win is seeing people getting involved in a Community Group. True involvement and engagement is difficult in a large gathering, but natural in a small one. We believe that spiritual growth is most likely to occur in our Community Groups.
An important win is seeing people getting involved in service. It takes a lot of people to make the ministry here at Argyle. People need to put their faith to work. Like our bodies, our faith needs exercise.
For years we have cultivated an invest and invite approach. We want our people to spend time and energy becoming involved in the lives of their friends, neighbors and coworkers. We want them so excited about being here they want to invite others to share what they are experiencing. So, one win is seeing people bring their friends on Sunday morning.
We think community is important. Another important win is seeing people getting involved in a Community Group. True involvement and engagement is difficult in a large gathering, but natural in a small one. We believe that spiritual growth is most likely to occur in our Community Groups.
An important win is seeing people getting involved in service. It takes a lot of people to make the ministry here at Argyle. People need to put their faith to work. Like our bodies, our faith needs exercise.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
More Wins...
In Student Ministry (7th-12th grade) we want to see students connecting and interacting in their small groups. Impact happens from 4-6 pm on Sunday. Our students enjoy their own praise and worship, hear from Student Pastor Rich Painter, then separate into grade and gender groups with their leaders. A win happens when a student connects to and participates in a small group. A win happens when they invite a friend to Outbreak, a periodic fun evening designed to engage unchurched teens. A win happens when a student participates in serving the body. A win happens when a student claims a place in the Body of Christ.
Our Student Ministry is based on the foundation of the 7 Checkpoints- click here to learn more.
Our Student Ministry is based on the foundation of the 7 Checkpoints- click here to learn more.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Some Win Statements In Children's Ministry...
One of our primary ministries at Argyle involves our kids. We have a lot of them in our family, and they are important to us. Click here to read about our Children's Ministry strategy.
Amazing Place is our environment for preschool kids. A win here is a kid who comes out of this environment knowing-
Another win is when we see families growing together. We want to partner with parents; we can never replace them in developing their kids spiritually. Family Times is a resource we encourage families to use to help their children in the rest of the week when they aren't here.
Amazing Place is our environment for preschool kids. A win here is a kid who comes out of this environment knowing-
- God made me
- God loves me
- Jesus wants to be my friend forever
- I need to make the wise choice
- I can trust God no matter what
- I need to others the way I want to be treated
- Jesus loves me so much He wants to save me forever
Another win is when we see families growing together. We want to partner with parents; we can never replace them in developing their kids spiritually. Family Times is a resource we encourage families to use to help their children in the rest of the week when they aren't here.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Getting In The Game...
Pasor Ken began a new series on September 14- Getting In The Game. It's all about people moving from being consumers to being communers. The first step in getting involved is to understand the game and the playing field.
At Argyle, some people (usually those with at least some background of church experience) come in and find that we do things a lot differently than they are used to. Everything we do is for a purpose, and everything you see (or don't see) is intentional.
Our leadership uses an approach discussed in a book we think every member of the Argyle family should read- 7 Practices of Effective Ministry, by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner and Lane Jones.
The first practice is to clarify the win. It is how we identify the important things we are trying to achieve, communicate what we want our people to do, and know when and what to celebrate.
We have talked about this before. Check here and here. We aren't really interested in numbers at Argyle- we are interested in changed lives.
The next couple days we will be discussing what we consider some wins here at Argyle. If you have questions, leave a comment, or check out our web site, or contact us.
Hal Hunter
Our leadership uses an approach discussed in a book we think every member of the Argyle family should read- 7 Practices of Effective Ministry, by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner and Lane Jones.
The first practice is to clarify the win. It is how we identify the important things we are trying to achieve, communicate what we want our people to do, and know when and what to celebrate.
We have talked about this before. Check here and here. We aren't really interested in numbers at Argyle- we are interested in changed lives.
The next couple days we will be discussing what we consider some wins here at Argyle. If you have questions, leave a comment, or check out our web site, or contact us.
Hal Hunter
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