Following a day-and-a-half of Council committee meetings, Robert Dick opened the final Council of Elders session for 2005 Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. Due to a snowstorm the previous night, the Council met at the Holiday Inn Eastgate instead of at the home office.

As he opened the meeting, Mr. Dick reminded the Council of its responsibility to provide proper leadership and organizational direction for the Church. He quoted writer Peter Drucker, who stated that the difference between management and leadership is that "management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things." Mr. Dick pointed out that the Council's challenge is to determine what the right things are and to make them the highest priority.

Mr. Dick introduced Clyde Kilough, Church president, to begin his quarterly comprehensive operations report to the Council. The Friday afternoon meeting focused on a financial update generated by treasurer Tom Kirkpatrick and on plans for ministerial and member education produced by Jim Franks, newly appointed manager of Ministerial Services. The comprehensive operations report concluded Sunday with reports from Peter Eddington (Media and Communications Services) and church attorney Larry Darden.

Comprehensive Operations Report

Dr. Kirkpatrick provided the Council with a detailed budget report, showing income and spending to date for the current fiscal year.

Commenting on the Church's current financial status, Mr. Kilough summarized that our fiscal philosophy remains the same—to maintain stability based on modest growth, conservative budgeting and conservative spending while sustaining cash reserves. He pointed out that it is necessary to plan to function within the growth rate of 2 to 4 percent, which we have experienced for the last few years.

More specifically, Mr. Kilough stated that the income so far in December has been strong, helping to offset shortfalls earlier in the year. Three unanticipated areas of expense have had an impact on the budget—several more ministerial transfers than had been initially planned, increases in international shipping expenses and an unexpected increase in the mileage reimbursement rate for the U.S. ministry.

Dr. Kirkpatrick reported that the four fall Holy Day offerings were almost exactly what had been budgeted. He commented that the Church's annual financial growth rate has consistently been approximately 3 percent. The budget for the current fiscal year was based on an anticipated growth of 2.25 percent.

Dr. Kirkpatrick also reported that members were very responsive to requests for donations to a Good Works Program fund established to assist members affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Those needs have been met and, as contributors were asked to agree to, the surplus will be used for other Good Works Program projects.

After the financial update, Mr. Kilough turned his attention to the efforts of Ministerial Services. He commented that this week the operation manager responsibility officially transferred to Mr. Franks from Richard Pinelli, who held the position for some 10 years.

The balance of the Friday afternoon meeting focused on the coordination and development of the Church's education programs—including youth camps, young adult challenger camps, Ambassador Bible Center and ministerial leadership development.

Building on comments on the efforts of ABC, Mr. Kilough began to emphasize the importance of manpower development and education. He commented that there is urgent need for development of manpower and leadership in the Church in domestic and international areas. He stated that it is necessary to concentrate more on our capacity to provide for those God is calling. Mr. Kilough pointed out that Jesus Christ said we are to pray for laborers—that He was moved with compassion because the people were like sheep without a shepherd. But laborers have to be mentored, educated and trained. Education and manpower development dovetail and are part of our short- and long-term planning.

He stressed to the Council that the administration will be focusing on the importance of assessing the success of the Church's education and manpower development programs and will ask, "What can we do better?" It is vital, he emphasized, to use our current manpower resources effectively as well as to accelerate the development of those who have the heart and desire to serve.

Mr. Kilough quoted several paragraphs from Herbert Armstrong's autobiography emphasizing the need for a trained and professional ministry. Against that backdrop, Mr. Kilough asked Mr. Franks to provide the background for new education and training efforts. In turn, Mr. Franks introduced David Register and Mr. Pinelli who provided the Council with overviews of the developing plans.

In his comments, Mr. Franks gave a historical review of the ongoing emphasis United has placed on the importance of educating its members and ministry. Early in 1996 the Council established a committee to focus on education. From the outset, it was clear this would be of major importance since, as a church, virtually everything we do comes under the heading of "education." The committee divided the task into four basic education modules: general, focused, youth and ministerial.

They recommended that there be one person appointed for implementing the Church's education efforts, but the Council chose not to create such a position at that time. Instead, the responsibility for these four modules was given to the president, who then asked the Ministerial Services operation manager to organize and oversee these programs.

Mr. Pinelli assigned each of the four members of the Ministerial Services team to be responsible for one module. As each of these programs was developed, the amount of information became almost overwhelming. After a few years, it was clear that there was duplication of effort and a lack of coordination between the various efforts. There was clearly a need for someone to coordinate and manage the Church's educational efforts.

Mr. Register, an experienced church pastor and regional pastor most recently serving in Southern California, was asked to move to Cincinnati to take on the responsibility. Mr. Franks introduced Mr. Register and asked him to update the Council on preliminary plans.

Mr. Register expressed that after just three weeks on his new job, he has learned that there is much to be done. The five education modules (including ABC) have generated a great deal of material. So much, in fact, that it can seem overwhelming to members and pastors alike.

Mr. Register focused on the need to evaluate the success of our efforts. He gave Council members two pages excerpted from a United Way manual, which emphasized the importance of measuring and evaluating the outcomes or results of an organization's activities and outputs. In other words, what we need to determine is the result of the Church's current efforts to teach and educate the members and elders. He cited New Testament passages that indicate the importance of making and caring for disciples—with emphasis on intense and thorough instruction. He stated that the best measurements of our success in educating our members are their solid foundation of doctrinal understanding and their ability to explain to others what they have been taught.

Mr. Register plans a conference with the coordinators of each of the education modules to discuss general concepts and goals as well as the development of a mechanism for measuring the effectiveness of their efforts.

Mr. Franks then commented on the new responsibility Mr. Pinelli will be undertaking—ministerial development and leadership training. To emphasize the need the Church faces in the immediate future, Mr. Franks pointed out that at its high point, United employed 125 full-time ministers in the United States. Currently there are 89 employed ministers in the U.S. field. He stated that to maintain our current ministerial commitment, the Church will need to hire an average of three or four new ministers every year—and more than that if there is additional Church growth. Mr. Franks recalled Mr. Armstrong's comments on the necessity of a well-trained, professional ministry.

Mr. Pinelli reviewed some of the efforts that have already begun. To this point, 71 men (most with their wives) have participated in the annual Leadership Workshop (a five-day seminar held over the Labor Day weekend). Nine of those who attended the workshops have been hired into the full-time ministry. Six have been ordained, and others probably will be in the near future. In addition, several ABC graduates have been identified as strong leaders in their local congregations. The survey also identified several other local members whom pastors felt could be ordained as elders and others who might be hired into the ministry in the next three to five years.

Mr. Pinelli read excerpts from a paper he recently distributed to the full-time ministry titled, "Training Future Pastoral Leadership." The paper emphasizes the need for leadership training to begin with children and teens and to continue for young adult members of the Church. He pointed out the importance of establishing a mentoring relationship with our teens and young adults to help prepare them for leadership in the Church.

Mr. Pinelli commented that a number of our congregations have an average attendance of 25 or fewer and that many of the pastors indicate there is a lack of potential leadership within those congregations. He emphasized the importance of providing pastors with more training in mentoring and in identifying potential future leaders. Plans are in the works for a two-day conference to train pastors in mentoring skills and to help them become more skilled at discerning potential leaders in their congregations.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Kilough thanked the men for their reports and emphasized the value and importance of the focus on these educational programs.

Media and Legal Counsel

The Sunday meeting was called to order at 9 a.m. Mr. Dick introduced Clyde Kilough for the continuation of the media portion of the comprehensive operations report.

Referring to Peter Eddington's report to the Council, Mr. Kilough identified three important media trends. First, he cited the impact of the Church's Web sites. In recent months the two primary Web sites (www.ucg.org and www.gnmagazine.org) averaged a combined total of more than 430,000 visits. Second, Mr. Kilough noted the encouraging trend of an increase in both donors and coworkers, which have increased by 16 and 12 percent respectively in the past 12 months. And third, Mr. Kilough pointed out that increased shipping expenses have led to cutbacks in some areas of the budget.

Mr. Eddington stated that economies have been accomplished to cover the unanticipated shipping expenses. He also explained that reductions in advertising efforts have resulted in the Good News print run leveling off at about 390,000 with the January-February 2006 edition (compared to a run of 453,000 at the end of 2005) and Web site visits dropping to about 370,000 per month (from 430,000).

The Council toured the media center and then previewed excerpts of three of the initial Beyond Today television programs. After viewing portions of the programs, Council comments were generally favorable and positive, remarking on the technical quality and professional appearance of the graphics and set. Mr. Kilough emphasized that the program production is a learning process, and there will be some changes and improvements as we become more experienced.

In January 2006 pastors will be sent a CD of the first programs so that congregations will be able to view them—and hopefully will be encouraged to make an effort to have the programs aired on additional public-access stations in their areas. A new Web site (www.beyondtoday.tv) will be available soon to provide direct access to the programming.

Mr. Kilough then invited feedback from the Council on the sermon video shown at the 2005 Feast of Tabernacles—the third in a series of Feast videos highlighting the Church and its members in international areas. Richard Thompson said that in Wildwood, New Jersey, the video was well received and that he appreciated the professional quality of the production. Tony Wasilkoff voiced his appreciation of the unifying effect of showing the same message at all Feast sites. Mr. Pinelli summarized that reports from the U.S. Feast sites were all favorable. Les McCullough commented that some members in South Africa did not feel the video adequately portrayed living conditions in their region.

In discussing the Feast video for 2006, it was suggested that more emphasis be placed on individual members' experiences and circumstances. It was also suggested that there be a sermonette-length video that would provide an update on the work of the Church and a sermon-length video focusing on a Feast theme. Several ideas for a theme were discussed. Mr. Eddington said he would provide an outline for the Council's consideration at the meetings in February 2006.

Mr. Kilough reviewed his plans to restructure the Operation Plan for the upcoming fiscal year. He emphasized the importance of assessing the results of our efforts more effectively, establishing accountability, prioritizing programs and determining goals and desired outcomes of our efforts. He intends to reduce the Operation Plan document, making it more concise and easier for the General Conference of Elders to review.

Larry Darden, the Church's legal counsel, reviewed the status of his recent activities. He summarized ongoing legal issues, including resolution of estates, contracts, camp forms, service marks and resolutions of discrimination cases involving Church members.

Shortly after the lunch break the Council went into closed session, to discuss details of the president's comprehensive report.

The Council discussed and by resolution unanimously approved job descriptions for the newly created positions of ministerial development coordinator and director of education programs (Mr. Kubik was not present due to illness).

The final order of business for the day was discussion of the need for a standard policy regarding the printing of articles in United Church of God publications written by non-UCG members. As an example of the situation, Mr. Kilough noted requests from seven nonmembers who have expressed their interest in contributing articles for publication in Vertical Thought.

Mr. Eddington pointed out that The Good News and World News and Prophecy both state that unsolicited articles are not reviewed or returned to those who submit them. Mr. Dick suggested that we shouldn't prohibit all such articles by policy, but that the decision to publish them would rest with the president. Mr. Kilough concluded that he will discuss the matter with the publication managing editors during the January meetings and will prepare a policy statement for the Council to review.

The Council had another busy and productive day Monday, Dec. 12. In the morning, topics ranged from an edit of the Media Philosophy statement, to a report from Clyde Kilough on his recent trip to New Zealand and Australia and the opening round of what will likely be an ongoing discussion on the roles, responsibilities and relationships of the Council of Elders, the president and National Councils. During the afternoon, the Council deliberated its support of amendments proposed to be on the ballot at the 2006 General Conference of Elders and discussed the procedure for determining, for the sake of balloting on Council members, whether an elder's primary job is international. The final 21/ 2 hours of the afternoon were spent in executive session.

President's Trip to New Zealand and Australia

Clyde Kilough gave the Council a report on his recent trip, during which he and his wife, Dee, spent five days visiting and reviewing the work of the Church in New Zealand and eight days in Australia. Mr. Kilough commented that they were warmly received and that it was a valuable opportunity to be able to meet face-to-face with the elders and wives in both areas.

Jeff and Lisa Caudle serve in New Zealand, where Mr. Caudle is the pastor and office manager. Mr. Caudle also spends a total of about two months each year traveling through Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, visiting and supporting the 35 to 40 members in those areas. There are 531 Good News subscribers in Singapore. A lack of manpower is the greatest challenge for the work that is being done in the region. Mr. Kilough is planning a meeting at the home office in January to discuss plans for the future with Joel Meeker, Mr. Caudle and Dave Baker (who also works in the Philippines and with other Asian nations).

Throughout the meetings and discussions, Church leaders in both New Zealand and Australia emphasized their desire to support UCG IA, the home office and Council of Elders. Suggestions were considered that would help the U.S. home office continue to work more effectively and cooperatively with ongoing efforts in both regions.

Proposed Amendments

Mr. Dick introduced Mr. Meeker, chairman of the Ethics, Roles and Rules Committee. As part of the amendment process, the Council is required each year to indicate whether it supports proposed amendments to the organizational documents. As the Council considered the two proposed amendments filed this year, there are three options:

• If the proposed amendment receives support from four or more Council members, it will be placed on the ballot for consideration at the 2006 GCE annual meeting.

• If a proposed amendment does not receive support from four or more Council members, it will be returned to the Amendment Committee, which will send the proposed amendment to the GCE. If it receives support from 25 percent or more of the GCE, the amendment will be placed on the ballot to be voted on at the annual meeting.

• If a proposed amendment does not receive support from four or more Council members, the Council by a simple majority may choose to write a Statement of Concern to express the Council's thoughts on the proposed amendment.

The first amendment considered was to the Rules of Association, Rule 4-140 "Position of Home Office and Management Team." The proposed amendment seeks to add a paragraph expressing the authority of the president to develop, manage and maintain the relationship between UCG IA and National Councils. In discussing the proposed amendment, the Council agreed that, while it is not opposed to the intent of the proposed amendment, it would not substantially clarify or add to the president's job description nor would it facilitate his efforts in performing his duties—and could even complicate the situation. The proposed amendment did not gain support of the minimum of four Council members, so it will be returned to the Amendment Committee for determination of support by the GCE. By simple majority the Council requested that the ERR committee produce a Statement of Concern.

The second amendment considered was to the following paragraphs in the Bylaws: 7.9.2, 7.9.2.1, 12.2.2.10 and 12.2.2.12. The intent of the proposed amendment is to lower the threshold of support required from the GCE in order to place a proposed amendment that the Council of Elders did not support on the ballot.

In discussion, Council members voiced two areas of disagreement with the proposed amendment. Philosophically, the majority of the ERR committee felt, and other Council members agreed, that for the sake of stability, the threshold for placing a proposed amendment on the ballot should not be too low. Council members also expressed that since the ballot in question can only be cast in support of placing a proposed amendment on the GCE annual meeting ballot, not casting a ballot does not necessarily indicate indifference—it may be a considered opinion that the elder does not wish for the measure to be on the GCE ballot. Therefore the number of "votes cast" may be more than the number of ballots that are returned. There was also a technical objection. Bylaw 7.9.2.1 deals with items placed on an agenda, not with proposed amendments.

Aaron Dean stated that, while he is in favor of a high threshold for changes to our documents, he was supportive of the amendment. He pointed out that the only proposed amendment not supported by the Council that eventually was placed on the annual GCE ballot garnered a "Yes" vote that indicated a high level of support. His point was that some elders vote in favor of a proposed amendment even if they did not vote for it to be placed on the ballot. He was also concerned about rejecting the proposed amendment based on a technicality without first finding out if the writers had been directed by the Amendment Committee to include paragraph 7.9.2.1 as part of their proposal.

After discussion, the proposed amendment did not gain support of the minimum of four Council members, so it will be returned to the Amendment Committee for determination of support by the GCE. By simple majority the Council asked the ERR committee to write a Statement of Concern.

Turning to another matter, Amendment Committee member Ed Smith's term has expired. By resolution the Council unanimously agreed to select Mr. Smith to serve another term on the committee.

The final item of business in open session was a discussion of Bylaw 8.3.1, which states that an elder who serves as an international representative on the Council of Elders must do his "primary work outside the United States." The question placed before the Council was, "Who will decide whether an elder's primary work is outside the United States?"

Mr. Kilough felt that there needs to be specific standards to make the determination. For example, would "primary" be judged by the number of hours spent working internationally? Or by the importance of his international responsibilities? Or by the amount of time spent out of the country?

Speaking on behalf of the ERR committee, Mr. Meeker acknowledged that while some of the matters to be considered are objective, the ERR committee felt it was not possible to determine a specific list of criteria that would fit every situation. He also expressed that it would be an extremely rare circumstance that did not warrant a drawn out and complicated effort to establish such a list of criteria.

Mr. Meeker proposed a resolution that "petitions for inclusion on the list of 'international elders' made by elders residing in the United States shall be directed to the president, who, after consultation with Ministerial Services, shall make a recommendation concerning the petition to the Council of Elders for its decision." The resolution was passed unanimously.

The Council spent the final two hours of the afternoon in executive session and completed its work for the day at 4:55 p.m.

The final day of this session of Council meetings, Dec. 13, was called to order at 9 a.m. In the morning the Council completed its final review of the doctrinal paper "The Biblical Role of Women" and a doctrinal policy statement on polygamy. This statement was prepared due to a need to deal with the issue in areas where polygamy is part of the culture. Following the doctrinal discussions, the Council went into executive session to discuss ordinations, credentialings and personnel matters.

In the afternoon the Council teleconferenced with Ken Giese, during which initial plans were put into motion for the 2006 annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders. Mr. Dick polled each Council member as to his preference for the theme of the conference. All agreed that the theme "Effective Leadership—Mentoring Leaders for the Future" was relevant and motivating. The Council also agreed that elements from other proposed themes could also be combined with the subject of leadership.

The Council concluded its executive session business following the discussion of the 2006 GCE. Tuesday's session ended with the Ethics, Roles and Rules Committee business and planning for the February Council meeting.

Mr. Dick asked each committee chairman to submit a list of possible agenda items for the February meetings.

The last item of business was to discuss the location for the February meeting. Charles Melear was asked to look at the feasibility of San Antonio, Texas, again for this year's February meeting. The Council calendar calls for a meeting from Feb. 22 to March 1, 2006. Mr. Dick adjourned this session of the Council of Elders at 3:45 p.m.

For complete Council reports, see www.ucg.org/about/council/updates.htm.