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Elm Street Presbyterian Church |
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Summary of the Yoking AgreementARTICLES OF AGREEMENT: YOKED PASTORATE AND DESIGNATED PASTORElm Street Presbyterian Church & First Presbyterian Church of Alton A Summary Prepared for the Congregational Meeting, April 30, 2006* Premises for Agreement. • Neither church feels able to afford a full-time pastor at this time. • Because of their location and size, a single pastor can serve both churches. • The sessions and congregations of both churches have agreed to a yoked pastorate. • They have also agreed that a designated pastor will afford opportunity to evaluate and modify the arrangement as appropriate. Mission Goals during Designated Pastorate. • Elm street has an active mission outreach. • First needs to rekindle its traditional commitment to mission. • Both churches desire spiritual growth. Services Expected of a Pastor. • The designated pastor will fulfill official functions as required by the Book of Order. • Both churches have staff and volunteers to handle routine administration. • Thus, the pastor may concentrate on worship and pastoral care. • The pastor, as moderator, will have overall leadership for administration. Pastor Nominating Committee. • Each congregation will elect three members to the joint PNC. Joint Council. • An equal number of members of each session will form a committee to meet regularly, or as needed, to deal with matters involving the yoking arrangement. • Each church will continue to operate independently as before. Financial Responsibility. • Elm Street will furnish 25-35% and First will furnish 65-75% of the designated pastor’s compensation, subject to change by mutual agreement. • The exact allocation to be made at the time of the call. Pastor’s Time. • The pastor will spend approximately 16 hours at Elm Street and 24 hours at First each week, subject to change. • Modification of this provision may be made in consultation with the new designated pastor. Times for Sunday Morning Worship. Service will be at 10:45 AM at Elm Street and at 9:30 AM at First, subject to change in consultation with the new designated pastor. • Other Sunday morning activities will be scheduled around the worship services. Scheduling of Session and Other Meetings. • Meetings will be scheduled in consultation with the new designated pastor. Pastor’s Office. • Each church will provide office facilities; the location of the primary office will be determined in consultation with the new designated pastor. Participation with Other Alton Churches. • This agreement is not intended to affect our participation in the collaborative efforts of the four Alton Presbyterian churches. Expectations for the Future. • We recognize that this arrangement is an experiment and that changes may become necessary. • In that event, we will work together with the designated pastor, the Committee on Ministry and the Presbytery to come to a mutually satisfactory conclusion. Modification of this Agreement. • We recognize that, in light of experience, this agreement may require modification. In that event, the Joint Council will work in a timely manner to resolve any issues in the best interests of all parties. Execution and Effective Dates. • Upon approval by the session of each church, this Agreement will be executed my the moderator and clerk of each church. • This Agreement will become effective when approved by: the Sessions of the two churches, the Committee on Ministry, the Presbytery of Giddings—Lovejoy, and the congregations of the two churches. *A complete copy of these Articles is available in the church office. |