You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. John 15:16 (NRSV)

COVENANT PROPOSAL

Covenant Proposal

April 3, 2005

I. Vision/Goals of a shared ministry between Fairfield Presbyterian Church and Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church

A. Building membership and strengthening programs (i.e. Youth and Young Adult Programs)

B. Developing a positive image for the church in the community

C. Discerning what the scope of the ministry should be, and the possibilities for each church becoming self-sufficient in the future

D. Maintaining and strengthening the mission and programs of each church

II. Pastor Nominating Committee Process/Guidance (What do you envision the process of a joint PNC to look like?)

A. Joint Committee with four members from each congregation

B. Experience level of pastor - 5 year minimum or with sufficient experience to understand the unique experience of a shared ministry

C. Residence of pastor - manse negotiable; would prefer pastor’s residence to be in the local community but if not the pastor would be expected to show interest and be involved in local activities/clubs/programs important to members of the congregations

D. Emphasis on length of stay – candidates would be informed that the churches see this as a building process that will require years of commitment on their part

E. PNC Budget – to be shared equally by Fairfield and Timber Ridge since both churches are equally represented

III. Pastoral Position Description related to sharing pastor (What does it look like for the congregations to share a pastor?)

A. Regular office hours in each church – days and times to be determined by pastor

B. Division of time – The recommended guidance for the division of the pastor’s time and financial responsibility of each church is 35% for Fairfield and 65% for Timber Ridge.

This percentage split was determined based on the hours each church estimated would be needed for basic pastoral responsibilities: 19 hours – Fairfield; 34 hours – Timber Ridge. It was recognized that some of these pastoral responsibilities overlap (i.e. worship planning; time spent on Presbytery and Mission Community responsibilities; travel time in the event members from both churches are hospitalized; preparation for community activities involving both congregations), thus the pastoral work week would still remain within a reasonable range. It was also recommended that during the early months of the pastor’s time, he/she/they keep a journal of actual time spent on such responsibilities to determine whether the split truly represents the pastoral need of both congregations. If discrepancies are found, adjustments to the covenant can be made as needed.

C. Salary Range – to be determined by Administration committees with guidance from the treasurers

D. Manse Upkeep – Timber Ridge is responsible for the general maintenance and upkeep of the manse. Timber Ridge and Fairfield would decide together how to address the cost of extraordinary items.

IV. Communication (How do you see current and new communication methods helping support your work together as congregations?)
A. Initially - Joint Quarterly Session meetings for purposes of review & planning; Annual Retreat/Meeting for evaluation and/or planning/coordinating yearly events; Problems that arise will be dealt with immediately by the Sessions

B. Sharing of concerns, announcement and general information – each Session will designate a “key communicator” to relay information between the churches

C. Joint Newsletter

IV. Worship (What role does worship play in your vision for shared ministry?)

A. Each church maintains consistent Sunday worship time throughout the year – earlier morning service for Fairfield and later morning service for Timber Ridge.

B. Each congregation maintains special services established within their local community (i.e. Christmas Candlelight Service, Thanksgiving Eve, Holy Week). This will require some creative scheduling when Christmas Eve (Timber Ridge) is on the Sunday before Christmas (Fairfield). The congregations may also want to consider including/inviting the Timber Ridge ARP and Fairfield Methodist congregations to join in alternating the Thanksgiving Eve services so as not to require our pastor to be responsible for a service every year.

C. Strengthening the worship of each congregation by sharing worship resources

D. Continue joint services (i.e. musical programs) and explore new opportunities for worship together.

E. Shared home communion – elder may be from either church or possibly one from each

VI. Fellowship/Mission (What does fellowship and mission look like when think about sharing a pastor?)

A. Continue current activities (i.e. VBS, Christmas Living Nativity)

B. Explore opportunities to deepen relationship with shared and new activities (i.e. mission projects)

C. Establish quarterly fellowship activities to include both congregations

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