WEBVTT 00:00:03.666 --> 00:00:07.793 Welcome to the Meet Hope podcast, where we have conversations about faith and hope. 00:00:07.793 --> 00:00:14.512 Hope is one church made of people living out their faith through two expressions in person and online. 00:00:14.512 --> 00:00:21.545 We believe a hybrid faith experience can lead to a growing influence in our community and our world for the sake of others. 00:00:21.545 --> 00:00:23.765 Welcome to Hope. 00:00:29.260 --> 00:00:32.490 Hello everyone, Welcome to another episode of the Meet Hope podcast. 00:00:32.490 --> 00:00:37.110 My name is Rick and I'm happy to be with you, and today I have Pastor Jeff with me as well. 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:38.545 Yeah, Hi everybody. 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:39.825 Hey, how are you, Jeff? 00:00:39.825 --> 00:00:41.960 I'm doing well and you I'm well. 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:48.454 And we also want to mention that Bodie is here as well, but he was snoring a few minutes ago and I think he's still sound asleep. 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:49.966 Yeah, he's right at my feet here. 00:00:50.781 --> 00:00:51.805 And Ashley's here as well. 00:00:51.805 --> 00:00:57.787 Yeah, she's not sleeping or snoring, so we knew this was coming. 00:00:57.787 --> 00:01:05.453 Jeff, this is going to be part of an ongoing series, I believe, as this is one of those things that happens to nearly everyone. 00:01:05.453 --> 00:01:11.914 We're going to have a discussion about retirement and this retirement discussion. 00:01:11.914 --> 00:01:20.293 Now, during this, we're not going to be discussing 55 and over communities or investments, just so all of our listeners are clear, I am not a financial planner. 00:01:20.293 --> 00:01:41.766 But today we are talking about succession, specifically a succession plan at Hope, and really, I think what we're going to do is to ask questions that people might be asking or wondering, and I know you get questions, I get questions, and what I'm hoping and we're hoping is this is going to be an ongoing dialogue. 00:01:41.766 --> 00:01:48.162 So watch for future episodes and, as always, please stop and ask questions that you might have. 00:01:48.162 --> 00:01:55.504 You can stop us in the lobby anytime you see us ask those questions that you might have. 00:01:55.504 --> 00:02:00.093 And so, jeff, what are we doing to prepare for your retirement? 00:02:00.093 --> 00:02:02.757 Yeah, first, did you know that you were? 00:02:02.798 --> 00:02:03.078 retiring. 00:02:03.078 --> 00:02:07.459 Yeah, first, first did you know that you were retiring. 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:12.961 It is rather shocking, I must say. 00:02:12.961 --> 00:02:23.689 But yeah, we knew and have been planning for it, not with a date specific but, just knowing that this is something that's going to be sooner than later. 00:02:25.611 --> 00:02:35.300 So the lead team has really started focusing on this, initially in 2019. 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:46.794 And then COVID came along and everything changed and we were completely focused on how to be a church in the midst of that. 00:02:46.794 --> 00:02:56.822 Pandemic came out of that and then they picked up the ball again on the retirement succession question in 2022. 00:02:56.822 --> 00:03:09.576 And so lead team has been very focused on it, and then you and me and the other pastors have been addressing it as well. 00:03:10.100 --> 00:03:14.270 Yeah, so we've had some conversations and planning for months and years. 00:03:14.270 --> 00:03:14.691 Even. 00:03:14.691 --> 00:03:25.752 As you said, one of the things you and I do frequently is we're always studying the systems and the protocols at Hope, making sure that our systems are clarified and updated. 00:03:25.752 --> 00:03:26.923 So things like. 00:03:26.923 --> 00:03:49.986 Most recently, we've looked at how staff meetings function and what happens in the staff meeting, what makes it most efficient and who needs to be in the room, and we've done the same thing with management team and worship team and all those things and really looking at it from the eyes of if it weren't me, if there was somebody else in this position, would this make sense, right? 00:03:50.046 --> 00:03:56.808 And looking at where it's, and this is probably another podcast, but where it's organic and where it's a system. 00:03:56.889 --> 00:03:59.443 And when it's a system it's reproducible. 00:03:59.443 --> 00:04:06.323 When it's an organic either and by that I mean knowledge that's in someone's head then that's not going to be reproducible. 00:04:06.323 --> 00:04:24.863 So, yeah, so looking at identifying those systems and we're fortunate that our staff has always played major roles in the church and so we know that it's the staff that help disperse the culture and help share the DNA and all those kind of things so we've been looking at that along the way, right. 00:04:24.884 --> 00:04:26.386 And Lead Team likewise. 00:04:26.386 --> 00:04:31.100 So for those of you who don't know, lead Team is the lay leadership of the church. 00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:41.283 It's a nine-member team of volunteers that take responsibility for the oversight of the church. 00:04:41.283 --> 00:04:57.701 So they've been looking at the finances, they've been looking at the processes and staffing and so forth from that level, all with an eye toward what will a transition succession look like, yeah, and so we're preparing and we're doing those things and some other things. 00:04:57.723 --> 00:05:01.403 That's very important, and we've talked about this in other episodes, so we'll go through this. 00:05:01.403 --> 00:05:03.971 Though, is we are a United Methodist Church? 00:05:03.971 --> 00:05:04.983 Yes, we are. 00:05:04.983 --> 00:05:15.093 I hope no one's surprised by that, but we are and so there is a process for selecting the next lead pastor, and so, jeff, why don't you just briefly share how that process works? 00:05:15.339 --> 00:05:15.620 Yeah. 00:05:15.620 --> 00:05:22.653 So again, if you're not Methodist, there's two types of systems that churches get pastors. 00:05:22.653 --> 00:05:33.192 One is a call system, and that's where the local church goes and they find their own pastor and they have processes and so forth to do that. 00:05:33.192 --> 00:05:45.867 And then there is an appointment system where a bishop appoints a pastor to a church, and both systems have their strengths, both systems have their weaknesses. 00:05:45.867 --> 00:06:19.663 We happen to be in an appointment system, so the church won't go find the pastor, the bishop will appoint a pastor to Hope Church, which brings up one of the things that I get asked all the time, and almost with an assumption less a question, but an assumption almost that you, rick, or possibly Heather or Dave, would be the person that would follow me Seems obvious, right, because you're already on staff. 00:06:21.206 --> 00:06:22.528 That's not going to happen. 00:06:22.528 --> 00:06:30.745 Uh, because of the way that you, heather and Dave um are ordained into ministry, that's different. 00:06:30.745 --> 00:06:32.747 So you are licensed local pastors. 00:06:32.747 --> 00:06:52.473 I am a elder and, uh, I'll get into all the nuances and details of how that is different and so forth, but to be a lead, the lead pastor of Hope, of Hope Church, you have to be an elder, and so that means somebody else who's not currently here will be appointed to be the lead pastor. 00:06:52.639 --> 00:07:02.653 Right, and if that's a question that you have asked me, just so you know, other United Methodist pastors ask me that question as well, so don't be surprised. 00:07:02.653 --> 00:07:07.841 I'm okay with that that you ask, and thank you, but I am not applying for the job. 00:07:07.841 --> 00:07:08.403 Okay? 00:07:08.403 --> 00:07:17.394 So typically in the United Methodist Church the current pastor leaves the last Sunday in June that's how it works, at least in New Jersey. 00:07:17.394 --> 00:07:23.211 I don't know if that's around the country, but it works like that in New Jersey and then the new pastor arrives July 1st. 00:07:23.211 --> 00:07:25.600 So there's a June-J July transition period. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:28.470 But we're discussing a different kind of approach. 00:07:29.000 --> 00:08:29.475 Yeah, so we are talking with our district superintendent, reverend Glenn Conway, who has been phenomenal in working with our lead team and with me in dreaming about thinking about talking about how it might work best for our church, and what we're talking about doing is having an elder appointed to the church a year before I retire, Right, and so that there would be this transition period where that person could come in, not take on the full responsibility of the lead pastor, but have time to get to know our staff, to get to know our members, to get to know our culture and to really just be a part of the church before having to step into the lead pastor. 00:08:29.620 --> 00:08:34.581 Right, and we've done similar transitions like that before, not with the lead pastor, but with other roles. 00:08:34.842 --> 00:08:48.332 Yeah, yeah, marilyn was the most recent, so Andrew was hired a year before Marilyn retired and they had a year long transition, which is why it went so beautifully right. 00:08:48.513 --> 00:08:51.827 Right, yeah, and so what's the earliest? 00:08:51.827 --> 00:09:01.791 This is releasing the week after Memorial Day weekend, so what's the earliest that this transition would begin? 00:09:03.140 --> 00:09:08.693 The earliest that we would imagine it would begin is January 2025. 00:09:08.693 --> 00:09:18.904 So this coming January, unless God intervenes and something happens sooner than that, but the earliest we envision is January. 00:09:18.904 --> 00:09:25.768 The next logical time, if it's not January, would be July of 2025. 00:09:25.768 --> 00:09:26.068 Right. 00:09:26.701 --> 00:09:29.529 And that's when the transition would begin, not when you would be leaving. 00:09:29.529 --> 00:09:34.650 Exactly, just to clarify, that's the beginning of the transition period. 00:09:34.650 --> 00:09:37.464 That's right, right, and now part of the preparation also. 00:09:37.464 --> 00:09:41.152 So that's all the United Methodist information you ever wanted to learn about. 00:09:41.152 --> 00:09:48.208 But part of the preparation we've also been doing is we recently bought a house. 00:09:48.208 --> 00:09:48.910 What's that all? 00:09:48.951 --> 00:09:49.130 about. 00:09:49.130 --> 00:09:54.792 So again, I just I can't say enough good things about the lead team here at Hope. 00:09:54.792 --> 00:10:03.315 They are forward-leaning folks and so they recognized if we're going to have another ordained elder. 00:10:03.315 --> 00:10:14.152 One of the requirements for a church to have an elder is that they provide a parsonage, and I'm not letting that family move in with us. 00:10:17.260 --> 00:10:19.246 That would be quite an awkward transition. 00:10:19.386 --> 00:10:22.245 That would be it would be, it would speed it up, probably. 00:10:22.245 --> 00:10:42.788 So they they decide we should buy a Parsonage now and so that when the bishop would appoint this elder, they would have a place to stay, a place to live. 00:10:42.788 --> 00:10:52.009 And so you may recall that we had a special church conference to get the congregation's permission to purchase another house. 00:10:52.009 --> 00:11:00.881 The congregation gave us that permission and last week we closed on a house, so it's in Marlton. 00:11:00.881 --> 00:11:06.485 It's lovely, there's some work going on there even as we speak, right. 00:11:06.485 --> 00:11:17.336 And so when the bishop is ready to make that appointment, we have a place for that pastor and his family or her family to move into and so. 00:11:17.355 --> 00:11:20.779 but people would maybe wonder all right, so what happens between now and when? 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:23.623 That happens, it's not going to be empty. 00:11:23.903 --> 00:11:30.691 No, so in God's great involvement in this. 00:11:30.691 --> 00:11:33.399 You know we see God's hand in this throughout. 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:49.089 There is a staff person a conference staff person, who's currently in a parsonage up in Parsippany, but that parsonage is needed by the church that owns it and so that family needs to move out. 00:11:49.089 --> 00:11:51.620 So we will have this house. 00:11:51.620 --> 00:12:05.221 They're able then to move into the house in Marlton and the conference will be paying Hope rent for that house Right, and then just lastly, and then what happens? 00:12:05.400 --> 00:12:08.027 so we won't always have two parsonages. 00:12:08.126 --> 00:12:08.567 That's correct. 00:12:08.567 --> 00:12:24.038 So then, the last part of this whole parsonage thing is the church has agreed to sell the current parsonage where Marilyn and I and our family have lived for the last 33 years, selling that to us. 00:12:24.038 --> 00:12:40.038 So as I retire, we'll have a place to live because we don't own a house, and the money from the sale of that house will go to pay off the mortgage on the place in Marlton. 00:12:40.138 --> 00:12:46.020 Yeah, so that's everything, listener. 00:12:46.041 --> 00:12:55.826 that's everything you'd ever want to know about Parsonages and United Methodist appointment systems there it is Other than this is so unique Like this is not the way it typically happens but, who cares Right right. 00:12:56.034 --> 00:12:57.883 And you, and I appreciate that most probably. 00:12:57.923 --> 00:12:58.102 Right. 00:12:58.215 --> 00:13:05.687 This is all insider baseball, so let me ask you, jeff, so personally, how are you feeling about this transition? 00:13:05.687 --> 00:13:08.464 I'm sure people are wondering, and so just how are you feeling? 00:13:08.975 --> 00:13:13.768 I am genuinely excited and I'm not just saying that because it's a podcast. 00:13:13.768 --> 00:13:16.818 I'm excited for the church. 00:13:16.818 --> 00:13:37.957 It feels like things are in place, and all of the stuff that we talked about at the beginning of this, all the work that's being done and preparations and so forth is all really just laying the foundation for this new person to come in and to take the church in some exciting new directions. 00:13:37.957 --> 00:13:48.203 And so I'm excited for the church, and I know that God's not done with me, that there is more for me to do. 00:13:48.203 --> 00:13:53.818 I don't know what that's going to look like, but that's not a bad place to be. 00:13:53.818 --> 00:13:59.950 You know that God has a purpose and a plan for my life. 00:13:59.950 --> 00:14:06.101 You know God has a purpose and a plan for my life, and so I'm excited to see what that's going to look like once I step out of this role. 00:14:06.101 --> 00:14:09.688 And so, yeah, I'm genuinely excited about it. 00:14:10.056 --> 00:14:15.197 Yeah, and you've often said that this community of faith, that hope, is more than about one person. 00:14:15.197 --> 00:14:21.308 Right that we are, that we will be hope, regardless of who the lead pastor is. 00:14:21.308 --> 00:14:32.650 And what I like that we've done over the years, and now even more recently, is always to work to take the focus off of any one person or any one staff member. 00:14:32.650 --> 00:14:45.754 And again back to that why we look at systems and protocols and processes and why we do things like team preaching and team leadership, why volunteer teams are so important, why small groups are so important. 00:14:45.754 --> 00:15:01.323 That is never about one person or one personality, but we're a community of faith together and I love that about this place and I think that is one of those things that's going to make this transition, or has been making this transition, work so well. 00:15:01.364 --> 00:15:03.777 I think, yeah yeah, I mean everybody. 00:15:03.777 --> 00:15:15.100 You know we're all in this together and each of us have a role here, whether it's somebody who's brand new to the church, we want them to have a role. 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:19.246 We want everybody to be connected all the way through the organization. 00:15:19.246 --> 00:15:24.246 That nobody is more important than anybody else. 00:15:24.246 --> 00:15:35.124 Everybody has a role to play, and when we all work together and we all do our thing in a coordinated way oh, man look what happens yeah right. 00:15:35.797 --> 00:15:59.931 So we're going to continue talking about this this is not over the next year, at least and we'll be talking about this process and so that, when it does happen, we'll be ready, we'll be invested, we'll be prepared, we'll be, we'll continue to be excited about it Because, as you always say, this is, this place is unique, and it's because people have been investing all along in it. 00:15:59.931 --> 00:16:04.684 So let me ask you this also, jeff what are you learning in this process? 00:16:04.684 --> 00:16:07.745 So ask how you're feeling, but what are you learning in this process? 00:16:08.674 --> 00:16:17.744 Yeah, you know, I'm learning again and God has to teach lessons to me anyway multiple times. 00:16:17.744 --> 00:16:30.967 So I'm learning again what it means to wait and to seek God in the waiting, and so one of the ways I'm describing waiting for me right now is it's active waiting. 00:16:30.967 --> 00:16:35.182 So I'm doing things that I can do to prepare. 00:16:35.182 --> 00:16:46.962 We've talked about a bunch of them, but there's so much unknown and there's so much that's out of my control, and so it's active. 00:16:46.962 --> 00:16:50.440 I'm doing the things I can do, but there's a waiting element to that. 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:58.390 And to wait in stillness, to not get anxious and worried because I don't have all of the answers. 00:16:58.816 --> 00:16:59.918 So that's a part of it. 00:16:59.918 --> 00:17:11.688 And then what I'm calling paying attention to spirit sightings, that God's spirit has been leading this process. 00:17:11.688 --> 00:17:14.503 Like I said, we started talking about this in 2019. 00:17:14.503 --> 00:17:45.250 And so, as I look back over the years of how God has gotten us to this place right now and how we've had the vision to do the things that we're doing, that we've been talking to the right people, that the finances have been organized in a way to allow this, to happen, and in so many different ways, that the Spirit has been laying the foundation for this. 00:17:45.875 --> 00:17:53.704 So it's wonderful for me, it's comforting for me and it's again one of the reasons I'm so excited. 00:17:53.704 --> 00:17:59.163 God's all over this thing, and so can't wait to see what's next. 00:17:59.464 --> 00:18:02.416 Yeah, and then finally here, let's wrap this up with this question. 00:18:02.416 --> 00:18:05.184 So I've been asking how you're feeling about the transition. 00:18:05.184 --> 00:18:06.780 I asked you what you're learning in the process. 00:18:06.780 --> 00:18:12.261 But is there anything that you would like from the Hope community in this process In addition to? 00:18:12.261 --> 00:18:18.400 We've already said, make sure you ask us questions if you have any questions along the way, but what other challenges might you have for us? 00:18:18.619 --> 00:18:18.960 Yeah. 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:24.886 So and this is going to sound trite, but it's not I need people to be praying into this. 00:18:24.886 --> 00:18:41.859 God responds to our prayers and any great initiative this church has ever done over three decades has been grounded in prayer, or we used to call it saturated in prayer. 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:50.171 So please be praying about this transition and this succession thing, that God will just continue to lead us and that we'll be paying attention to it. 00:18:50.171 --> 00:19:02.430 The other thing I would encourage is that you learn to practice trusting in God, just as I'm learning it again. 00:19:02.430 --> 00:19:17.488 So, whatever's going on in your life, that maybe you're in a waiting period, that you're actively waiting, you're doing the things that you can do, but you're not allowing anxiety and fear of the unknown and so forth, to direct you. 00:19:19.535 --> 00:19:23.385 And so let's learn that lesson together. 00:19:23.385 --> 00:19:30.284 You know, as you're learning things I'd love to hear about what you're learning but then also to invest in the church. 00:19:30.284 --> 00:19:41.727 You know, the reason Hope is the amazing place that it is is because for 30, going on 34 years, people have invested in it. 00:19:41.727 --> 00:19:52.596 They've given of their time, they've given of their abilities and talents, they've given of their passions, they've given financial resources and so forth. 00:19:52.596 --> 00:19:59.086 All of that is what has made hope in this amazing church. 00:19:59.146 --> 00:20:06.730 It's never been about one person, it's never been about a personality or about a staff or any of that kind of stuff. 00:20:06.849 --> 00:20:47.530 It's really about each person doing what he or she can do to invest in this dream community called the church and that really is the heart of the let's Grow campaign right that when we choose to embrace these disciplines of worship plus two and one by one, that when we're actively participating in worship together, when we're in a small group, when we're volunteering, when we're inviting others, when we're serving, that that's not only enhancing the DNA of this place, but it's also sharing the DNA with this place, with the people and the communities around us. 00:20:48.337 --> 00:20:50.104 So we're in this interesting time, right? 00:20:50.104 --> 00:21:00.126 So we are preparing for a future, and so we look at the past and how people invested in the past to bring us to this place. 00:21:00.126 --> 00:21:03.434 So we look at the past and how people invested in the past to bring us to this place. 00:21:03.434 --> 00:21:07.576 People are investing now and all of that is in preparation for what is to come. 00:21:07.576 --> 00:21:23.775 And so, five years from now, as people look back on this time and what people did in this time, they'll be saying, man, thank goodness that they had the faith and the vision and the commitment to do what they did then, so that we're where we are now, right, right. 00:21:25.642 --> 00:21:26.826 So yeah, be excited. 00:21:27.871 --> 00:21:30.019 And please be involved. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:30.922 Yeah, yeah. 00:21:30.922 --> 00:21:32.757 So listen, this has been fun, jeff. 00:21:32.757 --> 00:21:34.211 Yeah, it's been great Listener. 00:21:34.211 --> 00:21:39.824 I hope you've enjoyed it as well and hope you tune in soon to our next episode. 00:21:39.824 --> 00:21:42.423 And, jeff, I hope we get to do this again. 00:21:42.423 --> 00:21:43.450 I know we'll do it again. 00:21:43.450 --> 00:21:44.693 You're not retired yet. 00:21:45.214 --> 00:21:47.712 No, no, yeah, From now on, people are. 00:21:47.712 --> 00:25:43.609 Every time they see me, it's like you're still here no-transcript.