Questions & Answers
Prepared by the 2010 Planning Team:
Pastor Sheri Edwards Dalton
Jon Stafford (Elder/Planning)
Margaret Redman
Pastor Paul Barrett
Karen Jones
When is Dale retiring?
Dale’s last day in worship leadership will be June 27, 2010; his last day in the office will be July 13, 2010.
Why is Dale retiring now?
Dale reached this decision after a long discernment process during his recent sabbatical. He turned 65 in November and it seemed both a natural and logical time to retire, and he and Jinny have lots of things they would like to do once Dale retires. Dale has great confidence in the leadership Sheri, Paul and Lindsay will continue to provide, so it also seemed the right time for the church to make this transition.
What will Dale’s role be at MIPC during the transition time between now and his retirement?
Until he leaves in July, Dale will continue to participate in worship, provide pastoral care, and work with missions, diversity, stewardship and the other committees that have been part of his ongoing responsibility. He will also serve in a consulting role as needed during the strategic and other transition planning processes described below. More than anything, though, he will be working with our pastors, staff, session and the congregation to focus on providing a smooth transition for MIPC’s ministry in the years ahead.
What are Dale’s plans after he retires from MIPC?
Dale has volunteered to serve for 3 years as vice-moderator, moderator & chair of council for Seattle Presbytery. He will also be working part time with Garland Global Partners, a new non-profit working to “promote the general welfare of nations recovering from trauma.” And he is looking forward to having more time to spend with Jinny and his family in various activities in town and in travel.
Will Dale and Jinny continue to worship at MIPC after Dale’s retirement?
No. Within Seattle Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church in general, after pastors retire, there is a strong ethical expectation that pastors will not worship at the church they served. This stems from the concern that it can be hard for a congregation to move forward with new leadership if the former pastor continues to be involved in the church through worship or otherwise. Dale and Jinny will miss worshipping at MIPC but they look forward to worshipping at various Seattle Presbytery churches as part of Dale’s vice-moderator and moderator role.
What will happen to the manse when Dale retires?
With the church owning half the manse and the Sewall’s owning half, under the current arrangement the Sewalls will be required to move out by the end of summer 2011 so that the manse can be sold and the proceeds put into the MIPC clergy housing fund. Currently they are hoping to remain on Mercer Island.
How will we celebrate Dale’s ministry at the time of his retirement?
There will probably be many gatherings and celebrations for Dale and Jinny over the next six months, but the main all-church celebration will be on the last Sunday in June (June 27) which will be Dale’s last Sunday with us as our Co-Senior Pastor.
Will there be any opportunities to help with the planning to honor Dale & Jinny?
Yes! Ruth Ann Biggers and Sheri Edwards Dalton will be co-chairing the planning team, so please let them know if you would like to help in any way.
How will Dale’s retirement affect our other pastors?
Under Presbyterian polity, when a particular church has two pastors serving as Co-pastors and the relationship of one of them is dissolved, the other remains as Pastor of the church. Therefore, Sheri will serve as Senior Pastor, and Paul and Lindsay will continue in their Associate Pastor roles. While their official titles and terms of call will not change, obviously there will be a big hole left by Dale’s departure and three pastors cannot do the same work as four. Together with the Personnel Committee, our pastors will be reassessing their workloads, setting priorities, and looking for new ways to engage lay leadership to help with their ministries. All of you can help by offering your time, talents, patience, and encouragement during this time of transition.
How will Dale’s retirement affect the rest of our staff?
Like all of us, our staff will no doubt experience this transition in different ways, but with a mix of gratitude, sadness, loss, anxiety, hope and excitement as we celebrate Dale and Jinny’s years of ministry, and wait to see what God has in store for both the Sewalls and for MIPC. That said, this change, coming at a time of budgeting challenges and a struggling economy, makes it more important than ever for our congregation to show our support and appreciation for our staff members.
How are we planning to replace Dale’s position? Will MIPC search for a new Co-Senior Pastor?
We don’t have an answer to this question yet, but fortunately, we have a plan for getting there, a process that is already underway, and strong leaders who will help guide us as we discern what is best for the future of MIPC. The questions below will help lay out some of the details.
What has been done so far?
Last summer, the Ministry & Budget Task Force (MBTF) did a great deal of work gathering data and analyzing important questions about our financial condition, habits and expectations, and staffing model. Although the group was not focused on the possibility of Dale’s retirement or on an assessment of the Co-pastor model, their work will provide the foundation for our efforts to answer these and other important questions about our future. The report of the MBTF was presented to Session in September. At Session’s direction, a small group was formed in October to plan the implementation of recommendations from the Task Force. Among other things, the recommendations included an update of MIPC’s strategic plan and evaluation of the Co-pastor model. Because Dale’s retirement touches all of these areas, this group was refocused toward the initial planning of his transition.
Prior to the news of Dale’s retirement, we were already preparing for an update of our strategic plan as an outgrowth of the work of the MBTF, and because it has been 5 years since the plan was last updated. It is important to note that we would have been entering into this process whether we were dealing with a pastoral transition or not. Both processes involve many of the same issues and steps, so they should dovetail well and potentially save some time and effort.
What is the plan going forward?
There are a number of important issues to be addressed in addition to Dale’s retirement, so it is important to allow adequate time to consider all of the alternatives and make sound decisions. To accomplish this, we will be researching workload and responsibilities of staff and developing a transitional staffing plan to serve us through 2010. We are fortunate that much of the organization structure is already in place and is supported by experienced staff and lay leaders. The transitional staffing plan will allow us to take the time we need to make important decisions about MIPC’s future, while making sure that the church’s day-to-day needs are covered as well.
With a staffing plan for 2010 in place, we will begin a process to update our strategic plan with particular focus on what staffing model will best serve the church in the future. Similar to the 2005 strategic planning process, there will be ample opportunities for input from staff, lay leadership, and the congregation. The process will span the time both before and after Dale’s retirement. After reviewing the options carefully with both Dale and the Seattle Presbytery, with respect to the planning process, Dale will be acting in a consulting role until his retirement, offering input as appropriate, but not in a key decision-making role. This will enable us to benefit from Dale’s wisdom and long history before he leaves, but it will also grant us freedom to collect and consider input that is independent of his presence.
Will the Co-pastor model be retained?
It is too early to answer this question, and there is a great deal of input that needs to be collected and analyzed before we can come to the right conclusion on this. The MBTF recommended that the Co-pastor model be re-evaluated as a part of the planning process and we intend to do that. No decision has been made either to stay with the Co-Senior Pastor model or to change to a Senior Pastor model. Nor has it been decided how many clergy will be required to meet our future needs. Recommendations will be developed for presentation to the congregation, and any change from our current model will ultimately be put to a vote of the congregation.
We know that pledges and donations are currently below prior year levels, and that we are having difficulty funding our current budget. Can we afford to replace Dale’s position? How are we going to decide?
An extremely key input into the decision on the staffing model is the financial support we anticipate to be able to pay for it. Much work and analysis has already been devoted to this and will be a key foundation on which to base the ultimate decision. No staffing decisions will be made which cannot be comfortably funded by the church’s anticipated recurring budget.
I heard that we had a task force responsible for evaluating the tight budgets and financial stress that the church has been experiencing. When will we hear about the work this task force has done and their conclusions?
The MBTF was charged with analyzing the financial and budget support for MIPC’s ministries and making related recommendations to Session. The report of the Task Force was presented and accepted by Session and will be communicated to the congregation through a process starting in early 2010. The congregation’s feedback regarding these recommendations will be a significant factor in how we move forward as a church.
When will we make a decision about replacing Dale’s position?
We don’t have a firm timeline at this time, although we anticipate making significant progress before the end of 2010. We anticipate that the timeline will become clearer as the planning continues to take shape.
Who will be making the recommendations regarding these various decisions?
It is anticipated that there will be several teams involved in major areas such as general planning, staffing, and communication. Teams are currently being formed and further details will be communicated as they are known.
How can I help or participate in this process?
There will be many specific ways members of the congregation can be involved in our transition planning and activities, from helping to plan our celebration events for the Sewalls, to participating in the planning process, to offering gifts of lay leadership and ministry. We will communicate frequently about these opportunities in the Window, during worship, and through other means. But whether you choose to participate in one of these specific ways or not, you can help most by attending worship regularly, praying faithfully, offering your support and appreciation to our pastors, staff and lay leaders, and listening patiently for God’s wisdom and direction.
What role does Seattle Presbytery play in this transition?
Sheri and Dale have both been in conversation with Scott Lumsden, Executive Director of Seattle Presbytery, in anticipation of Dale’s retirement. Scott has assured us of Presbytery’s support and guidance in this important time of transition here at MIPC. At the appropriate time, we will be assigned a liaison from Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry, who (along with Scott) will be a resource person to us as we discern how to proceed with the upcoming vacant Co-Senior Pastor position. Any final decision about how to fill or not fill the upcoming vacancy is made by vote of the congregation, at a Congregational Meeting called by the Session, and then approved by the Seattle Presbytery.
Who should I contact if I have any questions about this process?
Please contact Pastor Sheri (SheriED@MIPC.org), Jon Stafford (j.stafford@pacificplumbing.com) or any member of the planning group which includes Pastor Paul Barrett, Margaret Redman, Jody Snodgrass, and Karen Jones.
