To Millie Ferrari 1914-2004 and Bruce Wertin 1950-2003 who died during our period of discernment,
To all the saints who have preceded them and in memory of our five little ones, we dedicate this report.
Current Mission Statement
St. Francis Lutheran Church of San Francisco
Mission Statement
We are a grateful people,
receiving God’s love in Jesus Christ,
striving to be a safe and nurturing community of worship,
and bearing witness through serving and healing.
(Adopted 1997)
Mission, Vision and Values
St. Francis Lutheran Church of San Francisco
Proposed Mission Statement
Mission:
St. Francis Lutheran Church is a visionary Christian community:
Striving to be a beacon to the wider church and the world;
Focusing on the Gospel and our Lutheran tradition of grace;
Living gratefully within and by Christ’s all-encompassing,
all-embracing love; and
Claiming our wholeness and sharing God’s peace.
Vision:
We are a landmark church of God called to be a beacon to the wider Church and the world by being true to our callings. Strengthened by our traditional Lutheran grounding in the Gospel, we are witnesses to an inventive way of forming Christian Community through teaching, hospitality, healing and service. We offer ourselves to our community and to the larger church as a pilgrim church, a teaching and learning church, an active community of radical discipleship.
We are called to be teachers for each other, visitors and for the Church, sending forth our members in many ways to carry Jesus authentic message into the world to advocate for true inclusion of all regardless of race, class, gender or sexual orientation.
We seek to lead in ways large and small. We do this by being a strong community for ourselves, committed to our many programs and always seeking ways to expand our outreach. We do this by being a welcoming home to all those who have been spiritually damaged, those living with AIDS, those who seek Christ in a fresh way, the unchurched and to those who wish to learn how to take that message out into other communities.
Our leaders are called to help us walk forward into this unique vision, keeping us focused on the Gospel and our Lutheran identity while helping us to follow Jesus in a radical new way. We seek leaders who will guide and teach us, and learn with us and from us.
Values:
Grace: We seek to live within and by God’s all encompassing, all including, all-embracing love of us and all people without requirement, condition, restriction or limitation.
Wholeness: We believe God intends each of us to live the truth of our lives in integrity, to be as completely human as possible, and to find the presence of God within.
Justice: We seek full access to opportunities, rights, resources and community for those who are denied that in church and society for whatever reason, a sharing of power between genders in structuring our common life, and for responsible connectedness of our lives to the environment.
Lutheranism: We utilize the diverse Lutheran theological and liturgical heritage to frame our common life, focus our mission and ministry, empower our challenge of ecclesiastical structure and authority and provide bridges to other Christian and spiritual traditions and practices.
Sexual Diversity: We are an anticipatory community, living in God’s love for all people of all sexual orientations by fully including and affirming gay, lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, and transgendered individuals at every level of our community and spiritual life. We anticipate the day when sexual orientation or gender identities form no barrier to receiving the sacraments of Holy Communion, Ordination, and Holy Union in the larger church.
Lay Leadership and Stewardship: We believe that the richness of our Congregation lies in the membership and we are each called to lead in the implementation of our mission. As in Romans 12: 6-8 “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well...if your gift is that of serving others, serve them well…if God has given you money, be generous in helping others with it. If God has given you administrative ability and put you in charge of the work of others, take the responsibility seriously.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
Adopt the
revised the Mission and Vision statements for St. Francis Lutheran Church
Adopt initiation
of the process to revise Constitution and By-laws to reflect the changes
adopted by Congregation in September 2004.
Implementation of the Vision
Consistent with our previous conversations with the Congregation, the implementation of the vision includes our Programs, Personnel and Property
Programs
Our programs are one of our greatest strengths and each enjoys the strong commitment of the community as a whole and the passionate leadership of specific members. The feedback you gave us again and again indicated your desire to see all that we do continue and expand. This feedback came to us from speaking with the key players within each of the programs from the Cottage meetings and via History and Norms Night. It was clear to us that while not everyone shared an equal passion for each program, there were key individuals committed to each of them. In addition there was an indication that people see the hospitality shown through each of these programs as an important part of who we are as a community of faith.
Some of the things listed here are not “programs” as such but fit best in this category. For example the Child Care Center is not a program of St Francis and yet our connection to and support of it are seen as an important part of who we are and how we are a part of our larger community. Feedback from the people directly involved in the Child Care Center indicated a desire to expand our connections even further where possible.
Current Programs, Activities and Services:
Community Night
Friends of St. Francis Child Care Center
HIV Support Group
Instrument
Lydia Circle
Senior Center
St. Francis Foundation
St. Francis- Saint Vincent DePaul
AIDS and Breast Cancer Walks
Christmas Angels
Friendship Banquet
Hospitality Hour
Love Loaves
Thanksgiving Meal
Website development and maintenance
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommend
Council and Staff add spiritual depth to all programs
This suggestion comes from the often-expressed desire to see an added spiritual component in more of what we do. What that means would vary depending on the program in question. The goal however is to enhance this part of how we reach out to the various people who come in contact with the church with the hope that we will reach some who are unchurched or who might be considering retuning to the church. This is a part of the overall goal of expanding the efficacy of our outreach and enhancing our hospitality in all that we do.
Recommend
Council and Staff expand “Stewardship” of time, talent and treasure to all
programs
This too is seen as a way to enhance our connections with our programs. For example it might be that some of our seniors would be interested in not only receiving from us but also in becoming members or supporting the financial life of the church. Some of them already give of their time and talents of course in the form of volunteering within the program.
Recommend
Council and Staff improve Communication within and between programs, staff,
Council and members
This comes from a criticism we heard that we don’t do enough to keep each other informed of the many wonderful things we do. For example there are many who didn’t know about our relationship to the Child Care Center until they had been members for years. One suggestion to help with this was that all programs should have bulletin boards in the parish hall. Another idea was to have regular reports in the Times from each program.
Recommend
Council and Staff assign tasks of Senior Coordinator position to Pastor of
Parish Programs (see page 23 for description of new position)
This suggestion comes from a complex set of considerations both financial and personnel related. The goal is to integrate the responsibility for this program into the pastoral staff tasks. While the Pastor of Parish Programs would have the primary responsibility they would work closely with the Lead Pastor, Interns and Deaconate to share this workload and expand the contact the Seniors program would have with all the staff.
Recommend
Council and Staff strengthen relationship between Child Care Center and Church.
This suggestion came primarily form the Child Care Center interviews and was based on a desire to find ways to enhance their connections with us. It might only be something that occurs on a quarterly basis but it could be a good way to share resources and build community in new ways.
Recommend
Council and Clergy initiate steps to develop Deaconate Program of training and
commissioning dedicated lay leaders to assist with pastoral care, programs,
worship and education components
This concept comes out of recognition that we are blessed with many individuals within our community who contribute already to what we do in lay spiritual leadership roles. This is seen as a way to officially recognize their valuable contribution, to encourage others who would like to contribute and provide oversight and training for these efforts.
Worship
We had much input, discussion, direction, comments and excitement over the vision of worship. We learned that the majority of members had a Lutheran background before coming to St. Francis Lutheran Church and among those who were not initially Lutherans, many joined St. Francis because of the message of inclusivity we taught and the powerful use of Liturgy to embody this message.
The majority favors the formal traditional worship liturgy that we have followed for years. Some members would prefer a contemporary service that is relaxed and encourages versatile participation in worship. All agree that the hymns should be more approachable and that all responses and hymns need to be singable. This presents some challenges, as much of what people like in the service may be what they also find difficult in terms of singability. Through our all our discussions and interviews great appreciation for the efforts that go into preparing the liturgy was expressed.
We recognize that Community Night was designed to attract families with small children with no previous formal Church connection and provide hospitality to yet another section of the larger community. At first, it was a means of integrating intergenerational community members and neighbors. At Norms Night, the desire to involve those who attend Community Night with the members of St. Francis Lutheran Church resonated with many of those in attendance. The Visioning Team grappled with how to do this, and as we met and spoke to others, a solution emerged.
We are recommending that the Sunday worship service retain the traditional Lutheran liturgy (with inclusive language and music all can sing) and that another time or day become the contemporary Lutheran service with a family-friendly atmosphere. The contemporary service will have a strong presence of all clergy and provide an opportunity for the intern (page 19) to apply theory to practice. It will allow lay members serving in the deaconate who wish to participate through preaching to share the pulpit, for clergy to try new innovative approaches to worship and encourage the participation of children. The service would grow into a weekly service and include a new members class so that the attendees could have the opportunity to become members of St. Francis. Our educational programming for children would be expanded and developed out of this service.
The vision of worship for the future continues our theme as a teaching parish.
RECOMENDATIONS
Recommend
Council and Staff develop a second weekly full worship service that includes
community-oriented gatherings.
This could provide a contemporary or alternative liturgy coordinated by clergy, intern and deaconate with strong focus on children. The goal is for this to become the second weekly service, and will provide the entry point for families and children to become members of St. Francis. The evening would retain the meal component and child oriented activities while expanding to provide members another worship opportunity.
Recommend
Council and Staff to initiate steps to develop a Sunday school and day care
program for the 11:00 Sunday service to allow parents wishing to attend this
service to do so.
We have held “Sunday School” in the past for the few small children that have been part of our congregation, but, as the most recent attendees have aged out of the program and a new generation is poised to enter, it is time to explore the Sunday education component.
Music
The community of Saint Francis considers beautiful choral and liturgical music to be a cornerstone of our worship service. Traditional hymns, classical sacred music, and modern sacred music have long complemented each other to create a diverse and interesting music program. A high degree of excellence in the area of musicianship, a careful paring of music and the liturgical season, and a consistent, talented choir has made our music program one of the strong attractions for new members.
Over a period spanning the late 1990s to the last year, the community raised funds to purchase a new organ. This outpouring of funds for the upkeep of this instrument demonstrates the community’s love for beautiful music, and our commitment to traditional liturgical instrumentation.
Our congregation is passionate about music. During our ‘listening’ process with the congregation, we heard contrasting views of the music program. While many valued the high quality, complex, and cutting-edge nature of our music program, others were concerned that the programs were too difficult and so discouraged participation. Some people yearned for a more singable and traditional hymnody.
There was some concern that the music program has become ‘too professional,’ and that this has had some negative consequences from financial, spiritual, liturgical and community-based perspectives. Some members are concerned that the difficulty of the singing repertoire means that many fine congregational singers feel that they can’t participate in the choir, and that the congregation sometimes feels intimidated to sing during services. Others are concerned that the performance element of the music program overshadows the feeling of worship, while others feel that an excellent performance is itself the way that we glorify God. Many are concerned that the program has become too reliant on professional singers, and no longer feels like an expression of our community. While some in the community feel troubled about the financial consequences of consistently hiring singers.
Widespread in the congregation is an appreciation for the high value placed on music, and a preference for a formal liturgical style, both traditional and modern. Many share a commitment to musical excellence. The visioning team has struggled to find a way to pull together this wide range of feelings about the musical program to make a recommendation.
It is our intention to not fall into an “either/or” set of choices but to utilize a “both/and” approach. We need worship which both expresses continuity with our distinct liturgical heritage and practice as well as worship that provides for other kinds of experiences. We need music which both celebrates the excellence of the finest music possible to glorify God as well as music which is accessible and culturally diverse. We need both professional singers and musicians and opportunities for volunteers to have the joy of making music within their capabilities.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommend
Council and Staff to explore ways to increase congregational participation in
the choir and work to ensure that the Sunday Music Program is an accessible
expression of our community’s worship, while keeping the program challenging,
sophisticated, and of a very high quality.
Recommend
Council and Staff use the proposed second service as a way to explore more
relaxed, less formal musical styles, including family-friendly music.
Personnel
It has been the charge to the Visioning Team to look at the structure of our staffing - not the personnel in the staff structure. We asked you to define who we were, who we are and who we want to be. From the Cottage Meetings through Norms Night to our first update meeting with you, we heard you say to be bold in our mutual vision and remain focused on the needs of St. Francis Lutheran Church. We asked our current and immediate past staff the same questions and received their support and encouragement to look beyond what is to what could be.
Throughout our interviews and discussions we heard again and again support and appreciation for all that the current and recent staff do and have done. We spoke many times with various members of the congregation and among ourselves about this and struggled with how to move forward in a visioning process that was about what God is calling St. Francis to do, not just about maintaining what we have – however attached to it we may be. We found it to be imperative that we do so for everyone’s sake. The calls that exist today are 15 years old and don’t fit for anyone anymore. We all need something new in order to step into the future. It was and remains our hope that current and recent staff will look at what we have built and through their own discernment process decide if it is something they feel called to or if it is time for them to move on and share their gifts in a new place.
For all that was positive in what we heard we also heard concerns from members. Some of those observations follow:
- outreach to strangers and in-reach to parishioners is erratic
- pastoral presence in the Senior Program and committee meetings is not consistent
- the lack of a lead or senior pastor or supervision by lay leadership has created a vacuum of authority and has led to a lack of accountability
We have been letting growth opportunities pass by.
All that said, we are not, on the whole, losing members. While we have lost some people, we have also gained new members. We are not having conflict-ridden Council meetings, people are not divided into camps as is often seen in congregations that are questioning their future. We are not unhealthy in our present condition. In fact, given the extended nature of this interim period, ranging over five years since Pastor DeLange’s retirement, we should feel proud that we are still such a thriving community. We simply envision that a reorganized staff can do more and be more efficient.
We believe that we should build upon our status of being a beacon spreading the news of Christ’s inclusive love and forgiveness. We see the future of St. Francis as a teaching parish and training ground for ECP candidates or seminary graduates of Lutheran or other mainline denominations who wish to develop pastoral skills while working in an inclusive environment. We believe that this plan will serve the joint purpose of giving graduates on-the-job training and exposure to a diverse community including a large LGBT population while helping us build the contemporary worship service and developing a deaconate program from our existing and expanding membership. The Deaconate Program would consist of training and commissioning dedicated lay leaders to assist with pastoral care, worship and education components. It would further formalize and legitimize the volunteer lay members assisting in preaching, conducting bible study, and other tasks usually performed by ordained clergy.
Developing our role as a teaching parish will accomplish many important goals simultaneously:
Introduce
new ELCA and mainline Christian pastors to ministry that is fully inclusive of both
sexual minorities and majorities
Provide
much needed field-experience to LGBT pastors, and build the resumes of ECP
candidates who could serve to create inclusive communities throughout the
nation
Create
crossover opportunities between ELCA parishes who may be undecided about where
they stand on sexual minority issues due to lack of exposure
Develop
the teaching and listening skills of all SFLC members who can then become
radical disciples who go out to teach and converse within the larger church.
Create
within many of our programs and our new worship service the opportunity for the
introduction of new ideas and new energy as term call pastors, interns,
deacons, and lay leadership are encouraged to bring their passions for ministry
to the programs we run.
Create
a more fluid, interactive, and open relationship between SFLC and ELCA and
other mainline Christian congregations in California and the nation.
The Vision of St. Francis Lutheran Church necessitates a re-organization of personnel. By reviewing all tasks, we recommend one Lead Pastor with one Pastor of Parish Programs.
In order to reach this goal, an open call process is imperative. We need to be sure that if current or recent staff is with us they feel fully renewed in their call. They must know that they were chosen based on the skills they present for the new job and that they were seen as the best candidate. If they are not to be with us, an open call process will allow them to leave with grace and dignity knowing they competed on a fair playing field. If they are chosen they will have received a full affirmation from the Congregation for the new call.
Proposed St. Francis Lutheran Organization Chart
The proposed organizational chart does not change the role of the Congregation or the Congregation Council. Authority for all organizational decisions remains in the Congregation with the Council as its agent for conducting monthly business. The Council oversees the Lead Pastor’s activities, but the Lead Pastor is the supervisor of and superior to the Pastor of Parish Programs and all other staff, paid and unpaid.
Church Polity is the form of government used in a church. There are many forms of polity in the world, and a few distinct models used within American Christendom. The main models we see today are the Monarchical, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Congregational systems. Lutheran churches in the United States have traditionally used the Congregational System, with some incorporating various hierarchical elements within the structure at synodical or geographical district levels.
In Section C5.04 of the Constitution adopted by St. Francis Lutheran Church and ratified in January 1993:
“Only such authority as is delegated to the Congregation Council or other organizational units in the congregation's governing documents is recognized. The congregation retains all remaining authority. The congregation reserves sole authority to (a.) call a pastor; (b.) terminate the call of a pastor; (c.) appoint or terminate the appointment of associates in ministry; (d.) approve the annual budget; (e.) acquire real property by gift, device, purchase, or other lawful means; (f.) hold title to and use its property for any and all activities consistent with its purpose; (g.) sell, mortgage, transfer, or otherwise dispose of its real property by any lawful means; (h.) elect its Congregation Council and those committees authorized in this constitution, and require them to carry out their duties in accordance with the constitution, by-laws and continuing resolutions; and (i.) terminate its relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as provided in Chapter 6.”
Specific conduct for decision-making and by whom is covered in the sections following:
C5.05. Voting shall be by secret ballot for all sections of C5.04., except C5.04.d. and C5.04.f.
C12.04. The Congregation Council shall have general oversight of the life and activities of this congregation to the end that everything be done in accordance with the Word of God and the faith and purposes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
C12.11. The pastor(s) shall be ex officio member(s) of the Congregation Council with voice, but without vote.
Any format presents its challenges and strengths but a desire to change our current structure was not expressed in our information gathering process. Our model, in which the pastor is an ex-officio member of Council without vote, has not been a functional problem as, in the last ten years, the Council has had only one issue that they were unable to arrive at a consensus about. The matter was resolved with a majority vote.
Proposed Staffing and Responsibilities
We have a vision for a Lead Pastor:
This person will be a strong leader, someone who can guide us in the Gospel and lead us forward into an expanding realization of our vision. This pastor will be someone who can teach us and learn from us and with us. He or she will be gifted in outreach and pastoral care. He or she will be both a spiritual leader and a practical one, helping us to always be guided by Christ’s teachings but also be able to care for the material needs of the congregation. This person will be a strong administrator. He/She will be qualified with previous, proven experience in a multi-staff, multi-program congregational setting and have a record of working with alternative family and LGBT parishioners. The person will train lay members in the role of the deaconate to perform roles in preaching, service and teaching.
We are looking for a pastor who embodies:
P SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP: We need and desire a pastor who will be for us a spiritual guide, helping us each to more fully embody our Christian identities.
P WORSHIP LEADERSHIP: We need and desire a pastor who is skilled and knowledgeable in liturgy and ritual, can articulate the Gospel through effective preaching, and is theologically grounded, progressive and creative.
P EVANGELISM LEADERSHIP: We need and desire a pastor who will model, teach, encourage and help us to evangelize (that is, spread the Good News about God in Christ Jesus).
P SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP (a.k.a. "vision"): We need and desire a pastor for sexual minority people in the parish, neighborhood, city, nation (including the ELCA) and world, for the sake of Christ. The pastor will comprehend and support lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender peoples. Because we do not seek to be solely a “gay church”, this pastor will understand, honor, and contribute to the synergistic effect of this ministry upon other ministries of St. Francis, and upon the broader church.
P EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: We need and desire a pastor who will mentor, teach, train and help us to educate the members of the congregation, visitors, students, interns, and the wider church. The pastor will provide guidance in vocational discernment for people considering the deaconate or other forms of ministry.
P ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP: We need and desire a pastor who will keep an eye on the big picture including all the details, providing guidance, encouragement and reminders to staff and volunteers as well as picking up the slack when necessary. (Particularly in relationship to follow-up with visitors as well as absent and ill members.)
P FINANCIAL, BUSINESS, AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP: We need and desire a pastor who will take an active role in the management of all of the congregation's activities, including congregational finances, business management, and property concerns.
Lead Pastor: (open call that is reviewed every five years although the position is annually evaluated)
Responsible for (not in ranked order):
§ Coordination of all programs
§ Coordination of content and publishing the Times
§ Coordination of fund-raising and development activities
§ Ex-officio member of all committees
§ Finances and business management including property
§ Liaison to seminary and parish students
§ Network with community
§ Outreach and In-reach
§ Overall worship program
§ Pastoral care
§ Pastoral Liaison to Congregation Council
§ Public Relations and interpreting SFLC to larger community
§ Scheduling and participating in preaching rotation
§ Spiritual growth of parish
§ Stewardship
§ Supervision all staff
§ Teaching component (education of children, Bible Study, Deaconate, new members and other opportunities) of St. Francis
§ Training and mentoring of Intern
§ Other duties as assigned by Council
We have a vision of a Pastor of Parish Programs:
This person will be an experienced minister or on a second career path with an intention to apply skills learned in this position to his/her next call. This position must be a three-year term call to enable the person to develop skills and move forward and allow St. Francis to re-vitalize the staff and congregation with new ideas, visions and skills periodically. We have listened to many of you in designing this position and felt that the three year call was long enough to provide continuity but still allow us to both be a resource for individuals to gain experience and in turn, be renewed by a dynamic and changing pastoral presence among us. We have intentionally recommended a three-year call limit to this position so that ELCA rostered candidates could apply, as three years is the maximum a person can serve in a non-ELCA church and retain their position on the ELCA roster. We see this as an opportunity for the person to have contact with diverse communities and work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, seniors, homeless and families.
The Pastor of Parish Programs will be the manager of the congregation’s programs. This person will be strong in pastoral care as well as a social advocate. The management of the programs will necessitate strong organization skills, experience in budget and fundraising, working with volunteers and other social service organizations.
Pastor of Parish Programs: (term call, three year limit, with possible one time extension)
Under the guidance of the Lead Pastor, the Pastor of Parish Programs will (not in ranked order):
o Conduct outreach to visitors and in-reach to members
o Focus on development and fund raising for programs
o Oversee:
§ Senior Program
§ St. Francis - St. Vincent de Paul
o Participate in the development of and coordinate the Deaconate Program
o Participate in the preaching rotation
o Provide pastoral care
o Other duties as assigned by Lead Pastor
We have a vision of an Intern:
Adding the intern position to the regular staff composition is the outgrowth of discussion with LLGM pertaining to ECP pastors acquiring experience to be competitive with regularly ordained graduates of other seminaries who already have had at least one placement. We believe that our past experience with seminarians that have spent summer vacations or had school placements has been mutually advantageous for both. The student has had the opportunity to place theory into practice and the parish has benefited from the extra hands they have provided in worship and service. The interns have been placed here randomly without formal application or set job duties.
We recommend a yearlong internship to assist the pastors with workload and work closely with the Lead Pastor to learn parish management. We welcome the possibility that graduates of non-Lutheran theological seminaries would request the opportunity to serve as an intern in St. Francis to garner experience in working with the LGBT population within a diverse urban church.
Intern: (one year assignment for ECP, ELCA or other seminarian)
The Intern will (not in ranked order):
§ Assist Pastor of Parish Programs in grant-writing and fundraising
§ Conduct outreach to visitors and in-reach to members
§ Learn from and work with Lead Pastor, Pastor of Parish Programs, Deaconate and lay leadership
§ Participate in preaching schedule
§ Participate in the Contemporary Worship Service/Community Night Focus
§ Provide pastoral care
§ Work with Lead Pastor on Stewardship program
§ Work with Lead Pastor with financial oversight
§ Other duties as assigned by Lead Pastor
We recommend retaining the Parish Secretary position and all associated contractual staff (sexton, cooks, and music director).
The responsibilities of each position would include (not in ranked order):
Parish Secretary:
Conducts Mailings
Contact point for groups and property maintenance
Ensures orderly filing and maintenance of parish records
Initial point of contact for public by telephone or drop-in, routine inquiries and requests
Keeps membership list up to date
Maintains database in Church windows
Produces Worship Binder/Folder
Provides Financial assistance to Treasurer
Types newsletters
Will be a full time presence in office weekdays
Other duties as assigned by Lead Pastor
Sexton(s):
Identify problems and notify Lead Pastor
Physical plant maintenance and security
Deacons: (non-ordained and unpaid)
The Deaconate Program would consist of training and commissioning dedicated lay leaders to assist with pastoral care, worship and education components. It would be legitimizing of the volunteer lay members assisting in preaching, conducting bible study, and other tasks usually performed by ordained clergy.
Outreach and In-reach
Participate in the development of the deaconate program
Preach
Service to others in and outside the Parish
Teach
Parish Students:
Short-term seminar or summer students assisting all staff
Music Director:
Build music program that encourages members to participate in choir or other musical avenues
In consultation with Pastor and Worship Committee, produce music program
Procure professional musicians if needed for special occasions
Missionary:
Communicate missionary activities through regular reporting structure
Schedule payment of Congregation donations and Mission and Ministry expense to reduce cost of money transfer
Strengthen relationship through increased communication between Lead Pastor and Missionary
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Adopt
the Lead Pastor position as described.
2. Adopt
the recommendation to form a call committee to call the Lead Pastor
3. Recommend
the Council revise the Constitution to include hiring process for an
abbreviated Call Process
4. Recommend
formation of a hiring committee to call a Pastor of Parish Programs
5. Recommend
formation of a hiring committee to call intern
Recommend
Council and Staff make staff development an integral part of Lead Pastor
responsibilities
Recommend
Council and Staff take extra steps, as we reside outside the Synod, to ensure
pastoral staff has sufficient and consistent pastoral care.
Property
This is what we own:
P 132-142 Church Street Four residential units and two commercial properties currently leased to Burgermeister and El Castillito
P 152 Church Street Church with one residential unit in rear
P 50 Belcher Street Parsonage, former Finnish Lutheran Church currently leased to Friends of St. Francis Child Care and Thrivent
Our properties support our missions and ministry efforts and as such must be maintained. They should be seen not as a burden we carry but as a vital part which supports our ministry. While we need to maintain all the properties at this time there are some possibilities by which we might reduce the work associated with their maintenance. Chief among those is the idea of retaining a property management firm to deal with the commercial and residential properties next door to the church.
We see the Belcher Street parsonage as potential housing for the Lead Pastor and wish to explore the 132-142 Church Street residential units as possible housing sites for the Pastor of Parish Programs and for the interns. We understand that this in not an immediate issue for discussion as we have no vacancies at present.
The
apartment at 152 Church rear residential unit that we are currently leasing is
a potential for on-site housing for the intern. In the 105-year history of St.
Francis, the current tenant is the only rent paying non-affiliate tenant. All
other tenants have been clergy or sextons. We have been able to provide
housing at a reduced rate to this long-term tenant and would recommend that we
work collaboratively with the tenant in relocation. If we finance our Capital
Campaign for refinancing to allow for major facility repairs including the
retrofitting of the parish kitchen so that we are able to meet the City and
County standards for full meal preparation, the apartment space will have to be
re-modeled to accommodate the necessary alteration. This would provide the
avenue to redirect the use of that space to a Church intern.
We heard from you that the best stewardship of the property might sometimes be to use it for our needs rather than for the income. Any exploration of this with any of our tenants would be guided by our grounding as a Christian community. It is not the desire of this community to be unfeeling in our approach but simply to open ourselves to the possibility of using our space differently if possible.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommend
Council and Property Committee consider conversations with tenants regarding
future uses
Recommend
Council implement Capital Campaign
Recommend Council
consider use of Property Management firm for rental property
Recommend Council
and Property Committee routinely conduct audit of property use to reflect the
vision
Finances
During the meetings with the Congregational Council, the V-team asked the Council to examine the financial status of St. Francis Lutheran Church to determine if the proposed vision is financially practical. Bruce Jervis, Congregation President believes that the vision has enough flexibility built into the timeline to enable us to shift course or delay implementation if necessary from a financial standpoint.
The following information relates to our current financial, It provides a framework for people to think about our resources/capabilities and how they enable/limit the implementation of our plan.
Our current situation:
Our 2004 budget is approximately $530,000. In accordance with our constitution, we present a budget which balances income and expenses.
The primary elements of our $530,000 budgeted revenue are:
Mission & Ministry: $200,000
In addition to member pledges, this number includes "loose plate" income, special donations from members and an allowance based on historical information for contributions from members who contribute but do not pledge.
Property Income: $240,000
This includes revenue from the residential and commercial tenants at 132-142 Church Street, the 152 Church Street, our 50 Belcher Street tenants (Thrivent Financial, the Friends of St. Francis Child Care Center and the parsonage unit), rental income from use of the 152 Church Street building, mostly 12-step groups but also other one-time uses and utility reimbursements from our tenants.
Donations/Grants: $90,000
This is a catch-all category which incorporates program grants, revenue from the annual gala, revenue from sale of memorial stones and revenue from designated gifts to St. Francis programs (Music, St. Vincent de Paul and Seniors).
The primary elements of our expenses are:
Staff-related: $270,000
This includes salaries, benefits, training and development and staff-related reimbursable expenses such as transportation.
Property: $160,000
This includes repairs, planned (capital) improvements, utilities, property and casualty insurance, our debt service payments and ongoing maintenance costs.
Office: $15,000
This includes paper and other office supplies, communications costs (including phone and email), postage and our payroll service.
Parish & Benevolence: $85,000
This includes our stewardship/benevolence to outside organizations ($20,000), our support for the Friends of St. Francis Child Care Center ($12,500), music program expenses ($24,000) and other expenses related to our programs and parish priorities.
Financial Issues as we consider our Future:
Staff expenses currently make up a bit more than 50% of our budget. Under the plan that is being proposed, it is likely that our staff expense base will be close to but probably slightly higher than the staff expenses in our 2004 budget. The exact expense levels will depend on whom we hire, whether we are providing benefits for other family members, whether interns have financial support independent of St. Francis, etc. On a forward-looking basis, we should expect an annual increase in staff expenses of 5%. Salary increases will likely be less than 5% annually on average, but benefit expenses are expected to increase by more than 5% annually.
Our property income is our largest revenue category and is a very stable source of income. The annual percentage increase in this revenue category is likely to be very modest, though, primarily due to San Francisco rent control statutes. We should expect that property revenue would increase by 1-2% annually on average. It is also possible that we will stop renting one or more residential units in the future so that we can use our owned space as housing for our staff.
In the 2004 budget, the "subsidy" to mission and ministry from our property holdings is approximately $80,000. This subsidy is currently constrained by the $40,000 to $50,000 in annual debt service payments we are making on our long-term debt of nearly $600,000. We would be able to increase this subsidy by at least $20,000 annually (assuming current interest rates) if we raise $350,000 in a capital campaign over the next 3 years. We feel it is essential to launch a capital campaign upon acceptance of the visioning plan to provide the financial resources to enable us to implement the specific components of the plan.
Our mission and ministry income level has increased by an average of approximately 2% over the past 4 years (from 2000 to 2001, mission and ministry income increased by nearly 20% in response to a 25% increase stewardship goal that year). Over the next several years, we will need to increase mission and ministry income by 8-10% annually to fully implement our plan. This will likely require at least $10,000 in pledges from new members on an annual basis, a level we have not achieved over the past several years.
Approximately one-third ($30,000) of our budgeted revenue for donations/grants in 2004 is from senior program grants and sale of memorial stones. In recent years, both of these revenue sources have been difficult to forecast/budget and we face potential shortfalls in both areas in 2004. For the future, we need to decide whether we can count on these areas for revenue or identify alternative income sources to replace them.
Sequence of Events
Financially, we can achieve the level of staffing we envision by phasing in the new hires. The anticipated sequence of events:
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RECOMMENDATIONS
We
end with a recommendation that a committee under the guidance of the Council
conduct semi-annual meetings to review/audit the implementation of the report
and convey their findings to the Congregation.
SUMMARY OF CONGREGATION ACTIONS
The Visioning Team is asking for the following items to be adopted, authorized or accepted as recommendations. To “adopt” means that the Congregation has voted to place those items into motion.
ADOPT
Current Mission Statement:
Adopt
the revised the Mission and Vision statements for St. Francis Lutheran Church
(Page 9)
Adopt
initiation of the process to revise Constitution and By-laws to reflect the
changes adopted by Congregation in September 2004. (Page 9)
Proposed Staffing and Responsibilities:
Adopt the
Lead Pastor position as described. (Page 23)
Adopt
the recommendation to form a call committee to call the Lead Pastor (Page 23)
To “recommend” means that the Congregation has voted to direct Council to begin a process or implement a procedure that will occur in the future. The recommendations are broad concepts of future actions that are to be undertaken but have not been fully outlined or detailed. The Congregation is supporting the concept of the recommendations and desiring additional study and discussion before taking action.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Programs:
Recommend
Council and Staff add spiritual depth to all programs (Page 10)
Recommend
Council and Staff expand “Stewardship” of time, talent and treasure to all
programs (Page 11)
Recommend
Council and Staff improve Communication within and between programs, staff,
Council and members (Page 11)
Recommend
Council and Staff assign tasks of Senior Coordinator position to Pastor of
Parish Programs (see page 23 for description of new position) (Page 11)
Recommend
Council and Staff strengthen relationship between Child Care Center and Church.
(Page 11)
Recommend
Clergy and Council initiate steps to develop Deaconate Program of training and
commissioning dedicated lay leaders to assist with pastoral care, programs,
worship and education components (Page 11)
Worship:
Recommend
Council and Staff to develop a second weekly full worship service that includes
community oriented gatherings. (Page 12)
Recommend
Council and Staff to initiate steps to develop a Sunday school and day care
program for the 11:00 Sunday service to allow parents wishing to attend this
service to do so. (Page 13)
Music:
Recommend
Council and Staff to explore ways to increase congregational participation in
the choir and work to ensure that the Sunday Music Program is an accessible
expression of our community’s worship, while keeping the program challenging,
sophisticated, and of a very high quality. (Page 14)
Recommend
Council and Staff use the proposed second service as a way to explore more
relaxed, less formal musical styles, including family-friendly music. (Page 14)
Proposed Staffing and Responsibilities: