Classis Of New Brunswick Supervisor Guidelines

New Brunswick Classis Part I SUPERVISOR GUIDELINES Article 1. Definitions Sec. 1 BACKGROUND: The BCO mandates the following, “The classis shall appoint one of its ministers as supervisor of all proceedings of the consistory of a church without a minister or senior minister. The supervisor shall attend all formal meetings of the consistory, due notice having been given.” Part II, Art. 7, Sec. 3. As noted consistently in our church order, a primary reason the classis provides/requires a Supervisor has to do with three offices of the church (Minister of the Word and Sacrament, Elder, and Deacon). With the departure or absence of an installed pastor, the office of Minister and Sacrament is thereby missing in that congregation. The classis purposefully enables a whole and complete ministry in the life of such a congregation by supplying this office on a temporary basis. Sec. 2 PURPOSE: A supervisor assists a congregation by providing knowledgeable support and wise counsel during the vacancy in the office of minister. The supervisor serves in the role of a liaison, advocating for and between congregation, consistory, and classis. The supervisor is responsible to help ensure that an open and accountable relationship exists between the consistory and the congregation, and between the church and the classis, until such time as the pastoral vacancy is filled. Sec. 3 MEMBERSHIP: A supervisor is appointed when either a senior or single pastorate is not filled. If there is still installed associate minister(s), a different minister shall be appointed as supervisor; if the vacancy to be filled is an associate/assistant pastor, the senior minister shall act as supervisor. If a church is in an active search mode, meaning that there is a search committee formed (or about to be constituted), the classis, through the congregational care committee, will appoint two ministers and one elder to serve as a supervisory team. One minister shall be at each consistory meeting and one elder and one minister shall attend each search committee meeting. If the church is not actively searching for an installed minister, one minister shall be assigned who will attend consistory meetings.

Sec. 4 DURATION: Supervisors are appointed by the Congregational Care Committee for up to a two year assignment, with one year options (mutually agreed upon by the Commission and Supervisor) after that time. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, the supervisor(s) are expected to continue in that role until such time as a new pastor is installed. A minister of classis may decline a supervision appointment one time, but then must accept when asked a second time. Supervisors may not supervise more than one congregation at a time. Any minister under care of classis, except for those retired, can be called on to fill this role. This policy extends to all ministers under care of Classis. Sec. 5

EXPECTATIONS: a. In churches that do not secure the services of a SIM (Specialized Interim Minister), the supervisor shall attend all regular and special consistory meetings. If scheduling concerns result in an anticipated missed meeting, the consistory is asked first to look at a different meeting date; if that cannot occur, the supervisor shall seek to schedule a guest replacement. If that cannot happen, then the consistory may meet, with the supervisor’s permission, but votes will have to be postponed until the next meeting when the supervisor is present. b. In churches that have an associate minister, attendance by the supervisor at consistory meetings is not mandatory. However, the supervisor shall maintain regular contact with the associate minister and Vice President of Consistory and report monthly to the Congregational Care Committee. While the supervisor may not be involved in the selfstudy process, he or she shall be involved in the search process. The supervisor should be available and willing to attend any/all meetings of consistory to which his/her presence is requested, regardless of the presence of an associate. c. In relation to the church’s Search Committee – a supervisor’s primary task is to help that committee understand its task, its resources, and the process by which they will arrive at calling their next installed pastor. It is NOT the responsibility of the supervisor to “pick” the next pastor for the congregation, nor is it the responsibility of the supervisor to preach or provide pastoral care for the members of the congregation (unless this is mutually agreed upon.) Provision for such ministerial help may be arranged by the church through an agreement with another pastor or theological student who is under the care of a classis. d. In relationship to classis, each supervisor is expected to submit monthly reports to the chair of the Congregational Care Committee. (A template is provided in Appendix A; e-mail contact is preferred.) These reports are due on the 5th of each month.

e. In consideration of the time and effort spent on behalf of the church, the supervisor shall respectfully receive remuneration for the services provided during his/her supervisory role. The per-meeting attended stipend shall be $50, per supervisor, paid by the church on a quarterly basis. Meeting stipends shall be paid by the supervised congregation. (See Appendix B.) f. The Classis shall pay mileage at IRS guidelines for supervisors attending related functions at that church. Documentation on mileage with corresponding meeting dates shall be submitted to the treasurer of classis to process and send mileage reimbursement. (See Appendix C.) g. Unless otherwise noted above, a supervisor shall attend all formal consistory meetings, elders’ meetings and search committee meetings. A supervisor serving a congregation without an SIM shall attend self-study meetings. The supervisor is also encouraged, when able, to attend congregational meetings. h. Any exceptions to the above can be made at the discretion of the Congregational Care Committee.

Article 2. Supervision of Congregations with a Specialized Interim Minister: Specialized Interim Ministers: In churches that have secured the services of a SIM, the supervisors’ role may change, and yet their purpose does not. The supervisor (and not the SIM) is responsible to the church, and especially to classis, for wise and faithful oversight in the life of a congregation without an installed minister. Attendance by a supervisor at consistory meetings in a church employing a SIM is not mandatory more than quarterly. However, especially in the event that the supervisor does not more regularly attend consistory meetings, the supervisor is to maintain regular and ongoing contact with both the Vice President of Consistory and the SIM. The supervisor is still required to submit the monthly report to the Congregational Care Committee. The supervisor should be available and willing to attend any/all meetings of consistory to which his/her presence is requested, regardless of the presence of a SIM. A SIM may be involved in the self-study, but is not to be involved in the search process. It is the supervisors’ responsibility that the classis mandated congregational self-study process is followed and completed.

Article 3. Supervision of Congregations with a Minister Under Contract: Ministers Under Contract: Where a contract for pastoral leadership is in place a supervisor is to be assigned. a. The supervisor will attend all consistory meetings b. The supervisor will ensure that an evaluation of the contract is conducted before the contract period ends resulting in, 1. Renewal of the contract; or 2. Revision of the contract; or 3. Termination of the contract. (When this happens the supervisor shall help the consistory establish a procedure to secure new pastoral leadership as appropriate.)

Please also read and consider the accompanying document entitled, “Classis Supervisor” as it has been adapted from the RCA Handbook for congregations without an installed minister.

Approved by: New Brunswick Classis Congregational Care and Pastoral Care Committees Date: 11/28/2007 Approved by: New Brunswick Classis

Date: 1/26/2008

Part II CLASSIS SUPERVISOR Article 1: Appointment and Role with the Consistory “The classis shall appoint one of its ministers as supervisor of all proceedings of the consistory of a church without a minister or senior minister. The supervisor shall attend all formal meetings of the consistory, due notice having been given.” Part II, Art. 7, Sec. 3

Article 2: The classis has the sole authority to appoint the supervisor of an open congregation. While the classis can take into consideration requests by a congregation for a specific supervisor, the classis must appoint a minister who, from the classis point of view, has the gifts and abilities to be the supervisor of a church. A church doesn’t need someone it “likes,” the church needs someone who has gifts to help the congregation through this crucial period. The BCO requires the appointment of a lead supervisor who is a minister. Article 3: The appointment of the supervisor should take place immediately upon the approval of the application for dissolution of pastoral relationship. It is important that the supervisor participate in consistory meetings immediately, and if possible, before the departing pastor has left. Article 4: The supervisor can be the pastor of another congregation with full-time responsibilities. The consistory of that church should be informed of the additional service their pastor is rendering and consent to this temporary arrangement. The supervisor will incur expenses in performing these extra services. Reimbursement will be made by the classis and by the church receiving supervision. Article 5: The supervisor should make arrangements to meet as soon as possible with the consistory and its departing pastor. Important decisions by the consistory need to be made very quickly. The sooner an initial meeting occurs, the more likely the consistory, supervisor, and departing pastor will have time to discuss issues thoroughly and make informed decisions. Article 6: If the consistory determines that a specialized interim minister will serve the church during the pastoral vacancy, the responsibilities of the supervisor may be adjusted. It is essential that a clear division of responsibilities be worked out between the supervisor and the specialized interim minister, with the approval of the consistory.

Appendix A Classis of New Brunswick, R.C.A. CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE MONTHLY CHURCH SUPERVISION REPORT AND UPDATE To be filed by the 5th of each month, one report per supervised congregation. This report must be completed and e-mailed or mailed to the chair of the committee. The purpose of this report is to help the Congregational Care Committee monitor the church during its current pastoral vacancy. These reports are kept on file during the vacancy. Each monthly report is considered an update from the previous report. The Congregational Care Committee uses these reports as the basis of its report to the Classis. Information that is intended solely for the committee’s knowledge should be clearly identified as confidential. Each supervisor is to submit a separate report. For questions about the search process for congregations which are not involved in such a process, N/A is an acceptable answer.

DATE:

SUBMITTED BY:

CHURCH: SUPERVISOR/MINISTER UNDER CONTRACT: How would you describe the spirit and mood of the congregation?

How many meetings did you attend as supervisor in the past month? What was the substance of the activities/discussion that occurred?

What concerns do you have for the church? Are there new strengths you can identify?

What report can be made about the work of the Search Committee?

Is the Consistory getting ready to issue a contract or call? Will the Search Committee request that the Congregational Care Committee interview a candidate soon?

Additional comments:

Appendix B Classis of New Brunswick, R.C.A. CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE QUARTERLY SUPERVISOR MEETING REMUNERATION REPORT Once completed this report should be e-mailed or mailed to the Chair of the Congregational Care Committee. Reports should be filed by each individual supervisor.

DATE:

SUBMITTED BY:

ADDRESS:

CHURCH BEING SUPERVISED:

MEETINGS ATTENDED THIS QUARTER (PLEASE PROVIDE DATE AND TYPE):

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Appendix C Classis of New Brunswick, R.C.A. CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE QUARTERLY SUPERVISOR MILEAGE AND EXPENSE REPORT Once completed this report should be e-mailed or mailed to the Classis Treasurer.

DATE:

SUBMITTED BY:

CHURCH BEING SUPERVISED:

MEETING DATES:

MILEAGE FOR CURRENT QUARTER:

ADDITIONAL BILLABLE EXPENSES (PLEASE EXPLAIN):