New Staff Position Proposed by Council
The Congregation Council invites you to review the description of the proposed Ministry Assistant position, below.
A special meeting of the congregation will be held on September 15, 2024, to discuss and vote on creating this position.
Proposed Covenant Agreement
Ministry Assistant at Grace and Peace Lutheran Church
Effective [date], Nathan Johnson shall serve as Ministry Assistant at Grace and Peace Lutheran Church, 7611 N. Knoxville Ave. Peoria IL 61614.
Supervision: Executive Committee, pastor recused
Job Overview: The position of Ministry Assistant is a proposed staff position at Grace and Peace, initially proposed for 15 hours a week. The primary responsibilities would be to directly assist the ministries that are accountable to the Congregation Council, to cultivate ministry gifts in community, to design and implement systems of resilience so that ministries are sustainable in the long term, and to assist the congregation in discerning future ministry opportunities.
The hourly requirements of this position will be evaluated ahead of the annual meeting of the congregation in January 2025.
Rationale:
This position is designed specifically with Nathan Johnson, spouse of Pastor Mary Beenken, in mind. Thanks to his own extensive ministry background and proximity to the people of Grace and Peace, Nathan often serves as a lead volunteer for many ministry teams: writing youth programs and curricula, leading music ensembles, and taking a leadership role in property renovation and maintenance projects. He also personally volunteers his time to help several individuals in the congregation, and has a unique perspective on their needs and those of their neighbors. Behind the scenes, Nathan often helps Pastor Mary confidentially workshop tricky scenarios that arise in the day-to-day work of pastoral ministry, where Nathan can offer insight as both a trained ministry professional and a de-facto lay member of the Grace and Peace community.
For several years, Nathan has been discerning what his “post-ministry” career might look like, while providing countless hours of volunteer service to the church. Since the retirement of our staff Organist/Choir Director in August of 2022, Grace and Peace has been down a staff member. Currently the basic worship accompaniment part of this staff position is fulfilled by musicians in the congregation. However, all other aspects of the job, including communication and administration, have fallen to our Administrator Michelle Jones or Pastor Mary, with Nathan helping to pick up any slack.
The idea for this proposed Ministry Assistant position emerged while discussing how to raise up leaders and develop systems that might help fill the gaps that would doubtlessly emerge once Nathan begins working elsewhere. But, what if what has been essential but uncompensated labor instead became an official ministry of the church, which would allow for congregational input, increased ministry capacity, and, crucially, increased accountability?
While Nathan has previously served as Interim Office Administrator for Grace and Peace, the only role at Grace and Peace for which he is currently compensated is Global Band Leader. This is not a staff role at Grace and Peace, but rather a stipended supply position paid (along with stipends for supply organists) from the monies allocated by council for a staff Organists’ salary. The Organist Search Committee has so far been unsuccessful in finding a candidate to fill the open Organist and Music Coordinator position on our staff; however, they have also discerned that there is no true urgency to fill this position. Elaine Chapman, who currently serves as supply organist on approximately half the Sundays in a year (as well as for most special services, funerals, and holidays), values the opportunity to play as often as she is available as well as the freedom to turn down any Sunday. The remaining Sundays in a year are typically accompanied by Global Band, which includes many enthusiastic musicians but requires the coordination of a band leader—hence, Nathan.
Job Description:
Ministry teams that are accountable to council
The structure of Grace and Peace, as determined by our Constitution and Bylaws, includes a variety of Ministries that are specifically accountable to the elected Congregation Council (see the above figure). These ministries are the primary means by which the work of the church is carried out.
In theory, these ministries work through volunteer leadership and serve as “umbrellas” for smaller ministry initiatives. However, in practice this system has some vulnerabilities: Ministry teams with high turnover in leadership or volunteer makeup may not fully grasp the activities that fall under their purview or the competencies needed to carry them out effectively. They may also lack the training to evaluate the efficacy of current ministries, pivot tactics when necessary, or discern new ministry opportunities. The Ministry Assistant would be primarily responsible for developing these capacities within volunteers, particularly Ministry team leaders; for helping the internal systems of each Ministry team operate as efficiently and transparently as possible; and for cultivating robust relationships with our physical neighbors to ensure our ministries are responding as best they can to the particularities of our context.
All of our ministry teams have been affected by the Pandemic, and some of our ministry teams’ structures have yet to adapt to our new realities. Building upon his background as an intern pastor in a “mega church” context, where a focus on systems and a culture of elevating lay leaders through the ranks of volunteer ministries were essential parts of the congregational DNA, Nathan will assist all ministries of the church in finding their footing and building new capacities for doing the work of the church in a permanently changed landscape.
The Ministry Assistant might assist ministries in the following ways:
Opportunities for the Ministry Assistant to extend the ministry of the church will likely fluctuate throughout the year and according to the congregation’s needs. Across ministry teams, the Ministry Assistant’s general duties will include:
Helping to develop resilience and sustainability in the ministries of Grace and Peace
Cultivating and empowering lay leadership for continuation of ministry
Assisting with programs or events (youth functions, property projects, kitchen events, etc.) that require volunteers, while also critically evaluating how to effectively and efficiently remove barriers to volunteerism and increase volunteer participation.
Facilitating connection and collaboration between ministries
Developing handbooks of policies and procedures for ministries and ministry teams
Additionally, the Ministry Assistant would offer specific assistance to each ministry, such as:
Worship and Music
Continue to help facilitate worship by coordinating and leading the Global Band
Coordinate seasonal small ensembles (bells, brass, choir, etc.), including recruitment of volunteer musicians, identifying or arranging music, and conducting as necessary.
Assist with organization and maintenance of worship and music equipment and materials.
Make every effort to include all who want to participate in the Music Ministry of Grace, providing appropriate accommodations for them to do so.
Youth and Christian Education
Identify, adapt, or create enrichment materials such as Christmas Pageants, Vacation Bible School programs, and youth event programming
Assist with training volunteers to appropriately work with our unique set of children
Help facilitate Youth and Christian Education events and classes
Assist with recruiting and equipping volunteers for Grace and Peace’s ongoing Christian education activities, including Sunday School, VBS, and the Confirmation Co-op
Provide pathways for adult Christian education, including training to participate in faith formation activities for younger generations
Property
Assist with building maintenance: evaluate problems and work with the Property Ministry to address them through repairs, volunteer coordination, or contractor supervision.
Provide physical labor for continued management of “unadopted” flower beds, trees, hardscaping, etc.
In conversation with our most immediate neighbors, develop and implement a plan to transition the church yard to an environmentally beneficial, low-maintenance landscape with added value for the community (and fewer opportunities for our mowers to hurt themselves).
Community Action and Nurture
Formalize existing member-to-member support visitation
Build upon VA chaplaincy experience of developing a streamlined system to track visitation, congregational contact, etc. to ensure all at-home members are as connected to the life of the church as possible
Assist the ministry team in listening for specific needs of at-home members and working together to come up with solutions (e.g. transportation, help around the house, technology troubles, etc.)
Help facilitate appropriate remembrances and celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Help build local connections for consistent and relational community action
Evangelism
Help to build and maintain online presence and infrastructure
Help to promote and arrange community-facing events
Help build relationships with missionary partners
Stewardship
Help in transitional planning for key volunteers and donors, ensuring that ministries are not siloed with a particular individual but rather become the work of the whole congregation
Assist with allocation of memorials to appropriate ministries and ensure follow-through with projects
Develop materials and resources to assist congregation members with estate and long-term planning
Finance
Develop deep understanding of Shepherd’s Staff (or its successor) to assist with generation of reports
Work alongside staff and council to develop general literacy in the financial systems of the church among all ministry teams
Executive, Council, and Long-Range Planning
Assist with the technological infrastructure of the church
Help to facilitate long-range missional planning and strategy
Relate to council and, particularly, Executive Committee for oversight and supervision (with the exception of the pastor, who would be recused from supervision of this position because of a spousal relationship)
Potential occasional assistance to other ministries:
Women’s Board and aGAPe—assistance might include packaging of materials before Ingathering, promotion of WELCA initiatives in the church, etc.
Endowment—assistance might include working with grant recipients to present their work to the congregation, identification of new potential grant recipients, updating of governance documents (handbook, application documents, etc.)
Corner Pantry—assistance might include working with clients who access the pantry and building a volunteer schedule (thus, by being an additional staff person and building a larger volunteer corps, reducing the pantry’s dependence on Pastor and Michelle to operate)
Men’s Ministry—A desire to re-start a men’s ministry has been articulated. The Ministry Assistant could help get such an effort off the ground.
At times, other responsibilities not listed in this agreement may arise.
The Congregation shall fulfill the following responsibilities:
Love, support, and pray for the Ministry Assistant and their family.
Annually review the terms of this covenant with the Congregation Council.
Provide an annual evaluation at a date near the anniversary of the first day of employment, which serves as an opportunity for mutual dialogue, goal setting and conflict resolution.
Provide a Mutual Ministry committee, separate from Pastor Mary’s Mutual Ministry committee, to foster healthy functioning and relationships within the congregation.
Give 30 days’ written notice of intent to terminate employment, except in circumstances involving employee misconduct where termination is immediate.
Nathan’s Skills and Qualifications:
M. Div. from Luther Seminary
Pastoral Internship at Lutheran Church of Hope, a six-campus congregation in the Des Moines, Iowa metro area that, at the time of Nathan’s internship, claimed the highest membership in the ELCA
Four units of Clinical Pastoral Education and over 1500 clinical hours of VA chaplaincy in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington
Accompanied Pastor Mary on her one-year preaching fellowship and participated in almost every aspect thereof
Served for one year as pastor of St. John’s Lutheran, Toluca, IL
A lifetime of “behind the scenes” insight into church work as the son, brother, and spouse of pastors.
Compensation: Starting annual salary is $20,000.
As this is a new and experimental position, it would initially be funded by monies allocated for a salary that is not currently being used (staff Organist). Therefore, the above number is based on the budgeted salary for a staff Organist ($25,000/year for 15 hours/week) minus funds set aside to cover supply organist stipends ($5000—this amount will cover 33.3 services at the standard rate of $150/service).
This position is designed with “planned obsolescence” in mind: It is our goal that by the time Nathan and Pastor Mary leave Grace and Peace, the congregation’s ministries will have been strengthened to the point that a staff member is no longer needed to help them thrive.
This will also open up the monies used to fund this position to then be re-allocated to hire a staff musician, filling the music coordinator role that Nathan currently serves.
Musical leadership would be part of the proposed Ministry Assistant role, and Nathan’s abilities to devote time to music coordinating would be enhanced. It is expected that as long as Elaine, Nathan, and willing band volunteers are part of the music ministry at Grace and Peace, we can continue without a staff organist until one of these people moves, retires, or is otherwise ready to leave their current role behind.
Vacation and Leave: The Ministry Assistant is entitled to [number] weeks’ paid vacation each year. Unused vacation does not roll over from year to year and will be forfeited at the end of employment. Compassionate leave may be granted by the Pastor and Executive Council in times of emergency on a case-by-case basis.
As the spouse of the Pastor, Nathan will be allowed to accompany her on sabbatical leave if and when it occurs. Proper arrangements to cover his duties, as necessary, will be made at that time.
Terms of Employment
The person holding this position is considered a part-time employee of the congregation. This is an at-will position subject to termination by either party, without cause, upon 30-day notice to the other party. In circumstances involving misconduct, Grace and Peace reserves the right to terminate the position immediately with approval from the Congregation Council.
I accept the position of Ministry Assistant as described above and the following conditions of employment:
I will complete annual training on sexual misconduct in the workplace in accordance with Illinois State Law.
I understand that as a church employee, I may be exposed to potentially sensitive and/or personal information that should not be shared, except with the Pastor in the event that a pastoral need becomes apparent.
I commit not to disclose any such information (except in circumstances requiring pastoral care, and then only to the Pastor) and understand that there is zero tolerance regarding breaches of confidentiality.
I understand that time-off requests are to be made to my supervisor at least two weeks in advance and are subject to approval.
Pastor _______________________________Date____________________
Congregational _______________________ Date____________________
Representative
Ministry Assistant _____________________________Date____________________
