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A Path Forward

 

During the January 31, 2021 Holy Cross Annual Meeting Pastor Bob informed the congregation of his intentions to transition from his current role as full-time senior pastor to a part-time pastoral role. The Church Council supports this decision and will work with Pastor Bob to ensure an effective and efficient transition.

 

Staff Support has been working collaboratively with Pastor Bob to outline the process and all associated aspects of the transition. This process has been named “A Path Forward.”

 

Many factors are being taken into account to ensure the transition supports the church’s continued ability to expand the strengths of current ministry opportunities, promote new and enhanced technology, and safeguard the financial stability of the church.

 

The document “A Path Forward: Pastoral Transition Plan” provides a timeline with significant milestones.

 

The estimated timeline for the process will be 2 – 3 years. Specific dates will be assigned to each milestone throughout the process.

 

The next step in the process is to seek feedback and input from the congregation related to the process and to assess our culture and values as a congregation to help ensure a good fit with future leadership. There are 4 ways the congregation can provide feedback and input.

 

1) A Path Forward Focus Groups were facilitated in February & early March 2021.

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2) A survey: This assessment tool was available to complete in early March 2021.

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3) A Path Forward Comment/Suggestion Box: This Comment/Suggestion Box is a virtual method to share your ongoing ideas and/or concerns throughout the process. Please access the Comment/Suggestions here: A Path Forward Comment/Suggestion Box.

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4) A Path Forward Personal Phone Call: You may contact the church office and request that a representative from the Church Council contact you directly to discuss this process and respond to any questions you may have. The Church office telephone number is: (847) 367-4060.

 

A Path Forward Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) has been created to provide additional context and provide answers to the many questions congregational members may have. Please access the FAQs here: A Path Forward Frequently Asked Questions

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A Path Forward Update: April 2023

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Pastor Bob will return from his three month sabbatical leave on June 1. To welcome him back and thank him for his 32 years of dedicated ministry at Holy Cross, we will honor Pastor Bob and his family in a service of worship and celebration on Saturday, June 3, and an upscale coffee reception after the 8 and 10 am worship services on Sunday, June 4.

 

Please plan to join us on one (or both) of these dates. More details to come.

 

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A Path Forward Update: March 2023

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Pastor Bob will be on a three month sabbatical leave beginning March 1 and concluding on May 31. What is a sabbatical? It is not a vacation. A sabbatical is an extended period of time away from work that allows for a different pace/rhythm from work responsibilities and a time for study and reflection. During this time, the individual is still employed and paid. While Pastor Bob is on his sabbatical leave, he will not be available for pastoral responsibilities. He will return on June 1, 2023 and move into a part-time role as Pastor Emeritus at Holy Cross through May 31, 2024.

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​A Path Forward Update: February 2023

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The sabbatical leave is the final phase of the “Path Forward” transition plan at Holy Cross. It is a three-month period beginning March 1, 2023, and concluding on May 31, 2023. What is a sabbatical? It is not a vacation. A sabbatical is an extended period of time away from work that allows for a different pace/rhythm from work responsibilities and a time for study and reflection. During this time, the individual is still employed and paid. While Pastor Bob is on his sabbatical leave, he will not be available for pastoral responsibilities. He will return on June 1, 2023, and move into a  part-time role as Pastor Emeritus at Holy Cross through May 31, 2024.

 

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A Path Forward Update: November 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Path Forward Update: October 2022

 

Installation service for Reverend Christopher Neptun as Senior Pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church on Sunday, October 9 at 10 am with Bishop Yehiel Curry of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the ELCA presiding.

 

Background: Yes, Pastor Chris has been in his new role at Holy Cross since June 1. However, due to Bishop Curry’s schedule, October 9 was the first Sunday that the installation service could be conducted. The installation will take place during the 10 am worship service with Bishop Curry presiding and presenting the message. Following the service, lunch will be served in the fellowship area and on the church patio (weather permitting).  Please plan to join us on that special day as we celebrate with Pastor Chris and his family.

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Reverend Christopher Neptun officially began his new pastoral role at Holy Cross on June 1, 2022. According to the transition plan, Pastor Chris and Pastor Bob are co-pastoring initially. This permits Pastor Chris the time for one-on-one interactions with various members of the congregation, to ascertain what they value about Holy Cross and what they desire for the future, and to gain a sense of what is essential for Holy Cross going forward. Pastor Bob continues in a full-time role for the first nine months. Pastor Chris and Pastor Bob are sharing pastoral care and leadership responsibilities during this time.

 

A “transition team” has been identified to work with Pastor Chris, Pastor Bob, church staff and the congregation through the first year. It is comprised of members from the call committee, staff support team, church council and general membership. They are:

 

Jen Christensen - Chair

Jeannine Phillips

Dave Klein

Sarah Accettura

Susan Beck

Sarah Grayer

Tim Jackson-Skelton

Gary Johnston

 

At the end of this transition period (currently set for March 1, 2023), Pastor Bob will be away for three months of sabbatical leave. During the sabbatical, there will be ongoing conversations about the nature of a part-time presence for Pastor Bob. After the sabbatical period (approximately June 1, 2023), Pastor Bob will return in an agreed upon part-time role. This may take the form of annual contracts between Holy Cross and Pastor Bob where the role is adjusted each year as appropriate.  ​

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A Path Forward Update: July, 2022

 

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Rev. Chris Neptun officially began his new pastoral role on June 1, 2022. According to the transition plan, Pastor Chris and Pastor Bob will be co-pastoring initially. Pastor Bob will continue in a full-time role for the next six to nine months. Pastor Chris and Pastor Bob will share pastoral care and leadership responsibilities during this time. A “transition team” is being created to work with Pastor Chris, Pastor Bob, church staff and the congregation through the first year. It will be comprised of members from the call committee, staff support team, church council and general membership. At the end of this transition period Pastor Bob will be away for three months of sabbatical leave. After the sabbatical period there will be conversations about the nature of a part time presence for Pastor Bob. An installation service for Pastor Chris has been set for Sunday, October 9 in conjunction with Bishop Yehiel Curry’s schedule.

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A Path Forward Update: June, 2022

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Rev Chris Neptun officially begins his new pastoral role on June 1, 2022. According to the transition plan, Pastor Chris and Pastor Bob will be co-pastoring initially. Pastor Bob will continue in a full-time role for the next 6 - 9 months. Pastor Chris and Pastor Bob will share pastoral care and leadership responsibilities during this time. A “transition team” is being created to work with Pastor Chris, Pastor Bob, church staff and the congregation through the first year. It will be comprised of members from the call committee, staff support team, church council and general membership. At the end of this transition period Pastor Bob will be away for three months of sabbatical leave. After the sabbatical period there will be conversations about the nature of a part time presence for Pastor Bob. An installation service for Pastor Chris is being planned in conjunction with Bishop Yehiel Curry’s schedule. This will most likely occur in the Fall of 2022 due to the Bishop’s previous commitments.

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A Path Forward Update: April 25, 2022

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On Sunday, April 24 Holy Cross took another step forward in the pastoral transition initiative. A special congregational meeting was called by the church council according to the congregational constitution. The purpose of the special meeting was to vote on extending a letter of call to Rev. Chris Neptun to become the church’s new senior pastor. 66.66% affirmative votes are needed to pass the resolution. The meeting was held in accordance with synodical guidelines. A quorum of 228 voting members (15% of confirmed membership as of 12/31/21) is required. We had 250 voting members in attendance. Following the formal resolution, presentations were provided by Jen Christensen, chair of the call committee and Harold Sargent, a member of the staff support team. An opportunity for discussion and questions was provided. A written private ballot was handed out. The result of the vote is: 247 Yes and 3 No. The resolution passed. A word of appreciation and gratitude to the members and leadership involved in this process. There was engagement on many different levels through a congregational survey, listening sessions, the staff support team, the call committee and the church council. We are very blessed with wonderful lay leadership at Holy Cross who represented the membership’s thoughts throughout this journey.

 

Call paperwork is with the Bishop’s office of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. The current hope is that Rev. Neptun will begin responsibilities at Holy Cross on June 1, 2022. He and Pastor Bob will co-pastor for a period of time during the transition that will be mutually agreed upon. This period of transition is part of the larger vision of the “Path Forward” succession plan that was shared with the congregation. This is a journey that began with conversations initiated by Pastor Bob in 2019. We celebrate with Rev Neptun and his family as Holy Cross moves into a new chapter of ministry. This is an exciting time and we offer prayers and support in the time ahead as we enter into the next phase of the transition plan “A Path Forward”.

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A Path Forward Update: April, 2022

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The Call Committee has presented a candidate for the office of Senior Pastor to the Church Council and the Church Council has accepted and affirmed the decision of the committee. A congregational meeting was held on Sunday, April 24 for the purpose of voting to extend a call for the position of Senior Pastor. A letter of announcement of the meeting as well as a brief bio of the candidate was be mailed to each member family during the week of April 11.

 

 

A Path Forward Update: February, 2022

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The field of candidates was reduced following the first rounds of interviews. We are fortunate that we have choices of very capable pastors who expressed interest in our transition process. An invitation to participate in a second round of interviews was presented to select candidates.

 

A Path Forward Update: December, 2021

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Four strong candidates were presented to the Call Committee. First round of interviews has occurred and went well. Each candidate spent a full day and  evening with members of  the group. Each day began with a breakfast session. Lunch was scheduled with several members of the call committee. A driving tour was provided to better understand the context of what Lake County and its communities offer. Dinner and another formal interview was conducted in the evening. A decision will be made about who to invite back for a second round of interviewing. Schedules of the candidates, their families (where appropriate), and availability of call committee members will determine the next round of interviews. When the call committee comes to agreement, a single candidate will be presented to the church council for their role in identifying a new senior pastor. At the appropriate time, a special congregational meeting will be convened following the guidance of our congregational constitution and in consultation with the Bishop’s Office of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod ELCA. Please continue to follow the progress of the process as information is made available to the members of Holy Cross on this page.

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A Path Forward Update: October, 2021

 

At the end of January 2021 a “transition plan” was announced at the Congregational Meeting for Pastor Bob’s position as Senior Pastor. The purpose of this letter is to update you on where we are with the process. As of this writing, a number of candidates have been identified to proceed with interviews by the Call Committee. Those interviews will begin within the next couple of weeks.

As background, below we outline the steps of the transition plan as identified in January and where we are:

 

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• Prep work initiated by Staff Support & Church Council (completed in January 2021)

 

• Focus groups (February) and a congregational survey (March 2021)

 

• Survey results reviewed with Staff Support and Church Council (April 2021)

 

• Formation of a Call Committee (April 2021)

 

• Finalization of congregational profile documents by Call Committee and submission of the package to the Bishop’s office of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod (June 2021)

 

• Working with the Bishop’s office on a process to identify candidates (June 2021)

 

• Finalizing the interview process and interview questions by call committee (July 2021)

 

• Identifying potential candidates and determining level of interest (July 2021)

 

• Call Committee interviews potential candidates and recommends a candidate for consideration by church council 

 

• Church Council interviews recommended candidate and decides whether or not to recommend that candidate to the congregation

 

• Congregational meeting and vote on extending a letter of call and compensation package (April 2022)

 

• Candidate accepts the call and identifies a starting date

 

• Signature of Bishop is the final step in the call process

 

• Arrival & Installation of new lead pastor

 

• A negotiated transition process (approximately 1 year) 

- No more than 9 months of co-pastors with new pastor & Pastor Bob

- Pastor Bob leaves for a 3 month sabbatical and the possibility of a part-time role will be negotiated upon his return

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The time frame for the remaining steps to occur is unknown. Holy Cross has been using a network of pastors, synodical connections, lay people, ELCA churchwide staff contacts, and personal referrals to identify potential candidates. 

 

Because the “chemistry” between Pastor Bob and the selected candidate is crucial to making this transition work, Pastor Bob has been initiating the contact with potential candidates. Initial conversations involve time and sharing of information to help potential candidates discern a path forward and their level of interest. These conversations involve information about Holy Cross and the immediate area as well as in depth

discussion about the particulars of the transition process. These conversations involve not only gauging

interest but also identifying a willingness and openness to partner with Holy Cross. A key piece of these early conversations is determining if there is a cultural fit between the candidate’s leadership style and the “DNA” of Holy Cross. There is considerable trust building that occurs with candidates who have no previous knowledge or relationship with Holy Cross.  

 

As stated above, there are now multiple candidates who will be interviewing with the Call Committee. 

Pastor Bob will not be involved in that portion of the process.  

 

We will continue to keep the congregation updated as information and developments occur. Please be

assured that there is effort and energy being expended to move this process forward. However, there is also the need for patience; we want this call to be one that provides pastoral leadership which enables Holy Cross to continue being a relevant, effective and faithful community. 

 

Questions may be directed to the following individuals: 

 

President of the Congregation: Harold Sargent  hsargent2001@yahoo.com

Chair of the Call Committee: Jen Christensen  jenifer.christensen@yahoo.com

Senior Pastor: Rev. Dr. Robert A. Davis  pastorbob@holycrosschurch.org

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A Path Forward Update: July 2021

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We are identifying candidates and starting initial conversations with them. The call committee has crafted interview questions and planned different stages of the interview process. Should you have questions about the call process, please feel welcome to speak to one of the call committee members.

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A Path Forward Update: June 2021

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The call committee has been busy finalizing all the documentation needed to begin the interview process with potential candidates. The members of the call committee have reviewed all of the previous work done by the staff support team and the church council. The Bishop’s office of the Metro Chicago Synod ELCA is involved with the documentation process and a meeting with Rev. Kyle Severson, Associate to the Bishop is scheduled in June. During June we have two scheduled meetings on June 2 and 17. As we move forward in the interview process we will begin to identify candidates. Due to the privacy issues associated with this portion of the call process we will not be sharing any information about specifics until we are able to present a candidate to the congregation.

 

See the outline of the steps in the call process document.

 

Questions may be directed to Jen Christensen (jenifer.christensen@yahoo.com), Chair of the Call Committee or Harold Sargent (hsargent2001@yahoo.com), Congregational President.

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A Path Forward Update: April/May 2021

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As promised, we offer the following summary of what has happened thus far and next steps:

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• 10 focus groups conducted in February and March with 49 participants total

 

• Congregational assessment tool (CAT) completed by 209 members during March

 

• CAT results reviewed by Church Council and Staff Support in early April with Holy Cow consulting

 

• Congregational profile and pastoral position description in progress during April

 

• Pastoral Call Committee approved by Church Council on April 15: Jenifer Christensen (chair), Amy Becker-Perez, Carol Dikelsky, Nicole Drake, Mark Fedyk, Dave Kenney, David Klein, Matthew Sargent, Phil Kirschbaum (non-voting), and Pastor Bob (non-voting)

 

• Two lay ministry staff positions approved for posting (see Job Opportunities page)

 

• Next steps: Submit congregational profile including pastoral job description to the Bishop’s office of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod (MCS), continue to refine our congregational profile based upon focus group and CAT results, and work with the Bishop’s office in pursuing all avenues for identifying candidates.