Rocky Mountain District selecting New DS in June.

[Kyle Borger]

Everyone else seems to be having a discussion about the selection of their DS and someone suggested we start our own, so here it goes. Lucas and I appear to be the only ones to regularly use this forum from our district, but perhaps others will join. If you are not from our district but have suggestions they will be welcomed. I doubt that Lucas or I will have the ability to actually make much of an impact on the process in selecting a DS, but perhaps this discussion will help in some small way.

Our district currently has 38 churches. The district consists of all of Montana & Wyoming. It is almost 1,000 miles from the two churches that are the farthest apart. The average church attendance is most likely under 100. The largest church might be near 300. There are about 7 churches that have a staff, although a couple have co-pastors. Many of our pastor's are bi-vocational.

Zones to include geographically close churches would most likely have to be over 200 miles in diameter just to include more than 3 churches. Some zones would actually have to be over 400 miles in diameter to include at least 3 churches.

Most of our district meetings take place in Billings and many of our churches are 500 to 600 miles from the District center.

We also own a district center which currently houses a church plant. Our denominational budget requirements have been around 20% and this has been a point of discussion.

Considering the geographical nature of the district, the average size and make up of our churches, along with our financial difficulties who do you think our DS should look like? What qualities or experiences should they have?

[Kevin Rector]

A small district numerically that is spread over a large geographic area faces some very tough challenges. I saw this to a lesser extent when I pastored in Wisconsin. It can be very challenging to create a sense of esprit-de-corp when people are so far apart.

I don't know much about the culture in the area - I would guess that such a place has a pretty strong "independent" and "self-sufficient" sort of people. That can be a tough sort of culture for the gospel to penetrate, as the gospel is about Christ who laid down his life - and the call on us to lay down our lives (1 John 3:16).

When I was in Wisconsin, I felt like the best way to grow the church would be to identify one significant population center and then over the course of several years planting 4-6 new churches in that one city/town. Having a number of churches in close proximity would give a "foothold" for the church and as those churches thrived, it would reduce the financial burden on the rest of the district. The ultimate goal would be that each Nazarene church would have another Nazarene church within 20 minutes with various "strongholds" around the state. So, I think your district needs a visionary who can see the potential 20 to 30 years down the road that a church planting process could facilitate (this is all easier said than done of course).

Secondly, I think your DS would need a strong understanding of what it feels like to be "isolated" as Nazarenes. When I was in Wisconsin one of my biggest challenges was not getting a lot of interaction with other Nazarenes. We were a small church and then next closest church was 45 minutes away. The distances on your district are much larger. So the DS of your district has to be able to identify with that separation and help facilitate through creative ways a sense of "togetherness".

Finally, it would probably be very helpful for your DS to have a pilot's license and a small plane.

[Kyle Borger]

A point I made in another thread was that I question if anyone on our district has the experience necessary. This question is based on not knowing any of the pastors on my district other than my own pastor. I am not making any assumptions that no one is qualified, only questioning if the situations that our pastors find themselves in on a daily basis would properly prepare them to be the DS of our district. This is not meant to suggest that they aren't excellent pastors in any way.

But if the average pastor is bi-vocational with no staff and a church under 100 have they encountered situations that would prepare them to lead 38 pastors? Does that limit us to only select the pastors on our district who have at least one staff member? If that line of thinking is used, does it prevent us from looking at the pastor of the smaller church who may have outside business experience that would make them suitable?

Must the DS come off our district or is it impossible for someone from a denser geographical area to understand our culture?

We have large open spaces with small towns that are too small to support a full time pastor. I am thinking that someone with a missionary mindset might be preferable. Someone who wouldn't try to mold our district to fit the national flavor, but would encourage us to be creative and find solutions to not only reach our communities, but through discipleship and a greater use of lay ministers and missionaries reach our surrounding communities that can't support a pastor.

Can the DS find a way to create a financial support system to help existing churches create networks out to towns that don't have a church? Can the DS find a financial solution to help lower our budget requirements so the local church has more money available for their own ministries?

I suppose I would say the answer is not in finding the pastor(s) of the larger churches on the district and finding out if they are willing to serve, but rather seeking out the individual that not only has the spiritual power behind them, but some real world experience that can help us find solutions as well.

[Kyle Borger]

A small district numerically that is spread over a large geographic area faces some very tough challenges. I saw this to a lesser extent when I pastored in Wisconsin. It can be very challenging to create a sense of esprit-de-corp when people are so far apart.

I don't know much about the culture in the area - I would guess that such a place has a pretty strong "independent" and "self-sufficient" sort of people. That can be a tough sort of culture for the gospel to penetrate, as the gospel is about Christ who laid down his life - and the call on us to lay down our lives (1 John 3:16).

When I was in Wisconsin, I felt like the best way to grow the church would be to identify one significant population center and then over the course of several years planting 4-6 new churches in that one city/town. Having a number of churches in close proximity would give a "foothold" for the church and as those churches thrived, it would reduce the financial burden on the rest of the district. The ultimate goal would be that each Nazarene church would have another Nazarene church within 20 minutes with various "strongholds" around the state. So, I think your district needs a visionary who can see the potential 20 to 30 years down the road that a church planting process could facilitate (this is all easier said than done of course).

Secondly, I think your DS would need a strong understanding of what it feels like to be "isolated" as Nazarenes. When I was in Wisconsin one of my biggest challenges was not getting a lot of interaction with other Nazarenes. We were a small church and then next closest church was 45 minutes away. The distances on your district are much larger. So the DS of your district has to be able to identify with that separation and help facilitate through creative ways a sense of "togetherness".

Finally, it would probably be very helpful for your DS to have a pilot's license and a small plane.

You have a good feel for what I have witnessed the small amount of time I have been here and my pastor and I have had similar discussions regarding church planting, although our ideas on how to plant those churches might be different than the norm.

[Ryan Scott]

I don't think a 20% district apportionment is fair or sustainable.

I think Kevin's idea of focusing on one area as a base of church planting makes sense.

I also wonder if electing someone who is currently and will remain pastor of a congregation on the district isn't a better option. I assume most of the district budget is going to DS salary, housing and travel at this point. You may have to sacrifice the luxury of a 100% dedicated DS for the flexibility of investment in a district ministry focus (whatever that might be).

[Kyle Borger]

I don't think a 20% district apportionment is fair or sustainable.

I think Kevin's idea of focusing on one area as a base of church planting makes sense.

I also wonder if electing someone who is currently and will remain pastor of a congregation on the district isn't a better option. I assume most of the district budget is going to DS salary, housing and travel at this point. You may have to sacrifice the luxury of a 100% dedicated DS for the flexibility of investment in a district ministry focus (whatever that might be).

Those conversations were had and my understanding is that the DAB decided to stick with a full time DS. I know a few pastors had a similar thought.

[Hans Deventer]

Those conversations were had and my understanding is that the DAB decided to stick with a full time DS. I know a few pastors had a similar thought.

Over here, that would be up to the District Assembly to decide. The DAB would have to make a pretty strong case for such a budget to pass.

[Kyle Borger]

Over here, that would be up to the District Assembly to decide. The DAB would have to make a pretty strong case for such a budget to pass.

I am new to the district and do not have the inside information. I believe that they are attempting to reduce the percentage. A major portion of the costs, based on what I know, is the DS and the district center mortgage. I am unfamiliar with much more than that. Please understand that the information I am providing here is second hand knowledge.

[Bill Morrison]

Finally, it would probably be very helpful for your DS to have a pilot's license and a small plane.

When Dr. Ross Price retired as Rocky Mountain DS in the 1970's, my Dad (then pastor of Casper First) was leading on the first several ballots to replace him. Fortunately, someone else was elected. The number of miles the DS must drive annually are tremendous. Dr. Price had an old Oldsmobile with an incredible number of miles on it, really unusual for an American-built car back in those days. It is 675 miles between a church in the SE corner of the district (Cheyenne WY) and a church in the NW corner of the district (Kalispell MT). Besides, the weather for travelling isn't always pleasant in those parts (I recall part of I-80 west of Cheyenne was known to the locals back then as the "Ho Chi Minh Trail")
But Nazarenes out there are hardy folk, thinking nothing of driving 100 miles for an activity. We had a family in Casper First who lived over 50 miles from church and were always the first there, long before others who lived down the block showed up. Something about "isolation" seems to build character in folks. Speaking of "character", one of the teens in the 1970's Casper First youth group was Jerry Cohagen. He went on to school in Nampa and met Hicks to form one of the best Christian Comedy teams ever. (Well, actually we Christians don't often do that well at comedy, but Hicks and Cohagen were great!) We unfortunately lost Mr. Hicks at a far too young age to cancer (I believe), but Jerry is a drama professor now at that great Nazarene school just south of Chicago.

BILL

[Kyle Borger]

When Dr. Ross Price retired as Rocky Mountain DS in the 1970's, my Dad (then pastor of Casper First) was leading on the first several ballots to replace him. Fortunately, someone else was elected. The number of miles the DS must drive annually are tremendous. Dr. Price had an old Oldsmobile with an incredible number of miles on it, really unusual for an American-built car back in those days. It is 675 miles between a church in the SE corner of the district (Cheyenne WY) and a church in the NW corner of the district (Kalispell MT). Besides, the weather for travelling isn't always pleasant in those parts (I recall part of I-80 west of Cheyenne was known to the locals back then as the "Ho Chi Minh Trail")
But Nazarenes out there are hardy folk, thinking nothing of driving 100 miles for an activity. We had a family in Casper First who lived over 50 miles from church and were always the first there, long before others who lived down the block showed up. Something about "isolation" seems to build character in folks. Speaking of "character", one of the teens in the 1970's Casper First youth group was Jerry Cohagen. He went on to school in Nampa and met Hicks to form one of the best Christian Comedy teams ever. (Well, actually we Christians don't often do that well at comedy, but Hicks and Cohagen were great!) We unfortunately lost Mr. Hicks at a far too young age to cancer (I believe), but Jerry is a drama professor now at that great Nazarene school just south of Chicago.

BILL

Our current DS has a motorhome, but illness has prevented him from traveling as much as he used to. Yes, I am learning that traveling here is quite different. Of course with less traffic you can get places faster too. But there is something different when you don't have another church a few miles away. You get less church hopping. So you are stuck with all the Nazarenes in your area good and bad unless you tick them off enough to leave the denomination.

Bad weather certainly can hamper district activities and DS visits in the winter.

[Jim Franklin]

Pastor Kyle, having lived in Montana for a couple of years 1975-77 in Carbon County where a Wesleyan church in Joliet was much closer than the Nazarene churches in Laurel and Billings where Esther's family were members. We visit Billings First each summer when we visit her sister who is a member there. I have a special place in my heart for the Rocky Mountain District and uphold it in prayer each Sunday morning. Merging with the Wesleyans would help in some of our sparsely populated areas. Seems to me I remember something about a Nazarene cowboy church in Texas and if so someone with that kind of background and experience would be a better fit for the RM district. I agree with Kevin about finding a DS with a private pilot's license as Carl Summer had one on the SW Ok District. I represented Sun Valley Indian School at the 2004 RM district assembly and caught a statement by the DS that when in Cheyenne he was as close to Chicago as he was to the church in Libby, MT at the far NW corner of the district. May God guide your district's selection.

Beside the RM district I particularly pray for the Prairie-Lakes District, the Alaska District and our own Intermountain District for our wide open spaces between fellow Nazarenes to remain in God's encouragement.

[Sarah Smith]

We were in Evanston Wy when the church plant there started. Hope it is going strong.

Flying would be nice but better get someone that can hunt! No credibility otherwise, LOL.

[Kyle Borger]

We were in Evanston Wy when the church plant there started. Hope it is going strong.

Flying would be nice but better get someone that can hunt! No credibility otherwise, LOL.

That seems to be a true statement!

[Jon Twitchell]

Just a clarification...

Is the DISTRICT apportionment near 20%, or ALL of the DENOMINATIONAL apportionments combined?

I thought you said one thing... and I think Ryan said another...

[Kyle Borger]

Just a clarification...

Is the DISTRICT apportionment near 20%, or ALL of the DENOMINATIONAL apportionments combined?

I thought you said one thing... and I think Ryan said another...

Everything together is 20%. Clarification..District 10% General Church 10% = 20%. Other districts nearby are 3%.

[Craig Laughlin]

Everything together is 20%. Clarification..District 10% General Church 10% = 20%. Other districts nearby are 3%.

This is the sort of thing that makes me think districts need to merge. 20% is to much. I think districts with far flung churches need to think about some sort of Skype based communication. Maybe if they weren't paying so much they could afford a high speed connection and a computer strong enough to do Skype. I think we should be looking at software that would allow a DS to teleconference with several pastors at once and think about multiple locations to group up churches then teleconference. I also think this could help out with the loneliness that many solo pastors feel when they are a long way from everything and everyone.

Honestly the hours these DS's spend on the road is a real waste of time and money. - Skype so the DS can spend more time with the pastors and less time on the road. The DS's time mentoring, equipping and encouraging pastors is his/her most productive hours. Driving down the road are the least productive hours.

I'm going to lunch today with my DS and two other pastors to talk about closing the back door. None of us are driving more than an hour. In a different district it could be done via internet.

Okay, just my thoughts.

[Jon Twitchell]

Everything together is 20%. Clarification..District 10% General Church 10% = 20%. Other districts nearby are 3%.

Thanks! That's what I thought, but I still think that's too much.

(I actually think that districts should be capped at 5.5%. No church should be asked to send more to the district than to WEF.)

[Sarah Smith]

I don't know how much has changed in the last 5 or so years, but many areas of the upper tier in the Rockies and plains have very poor cell service and limited internet access.

High speed may not even be an option.

[Bud Pugh]

From what I have heard there is a handful of districts that are near 3 percent (Colorado is one as of their 2011 District Journal; Prairie Lakes is at 5.5%, Nebraska is at 5.5% and the NW District averages 3.5% or higher [they have a graduated scale according to church income]). We've been told that Oregon Pacific (now increasing from 3% to 3.05% so we can continue a tradition of supporting NTS and NBC beyond local church offerings) is about as low as they go. There MAY be one at less than 3% (we've heard rumors but have not identified the district).

Before the "new" budget system many smaller churches were pegged at the 20% of income max for all budgets (someone from Alaska told me that all of their churches paid at that level). With the new system, several smaller districts have had to continue at that level in order to support their district ministry.

On ORPAC, we are blessed to have an investment pool that funds 30-50% more ministry than what our 3.05% raises.

[John Reilly]

Thanks! That's what I thought, but I still think that's too much.

(I actually think that districts should be capped at 5.5%. No church should be asked to send more to the district than to WEF.)

Jon, I agree. In fact I thought there was a cap on districts at 5.5%. New England is at 5.5%!!!

[Jim Franklin]

Are there any NazNetters that meet certain qualifications by having a vision for growth in sparsely settled areas, can rope a steer, have a private pilots license, enjoy hunting, don't mind widely scattered congregations and are not afraid to drive on twisting mountain roads when necessary? Who can it be?

[Michael Flowers]

Are there any NazNetters that meet certain qualifications by having a vision for growth in sparsely settled areas, can rope a steer, have a private pilots license, enjoy hunting, don't mind widely scattered congregations and are not afraid to drive on twisting mountain roads when necessary? Who can it be?

I'm too young, am not yet ordained, and do not have a pilots license of any kind (my brother would so jealous if I did), I do enjoy hunting and twisting mountain roads though.

[Lucas Finch]

I have debated starting such a thread, but have been unsure about the right way to go about it. But since Kyle took the initiative, here goes . . .

I am huge fan and supporter of the Rocky Mountain District. My family began attending the Church of the Nazarene when I was 15, and I am now almost 33. All of that time has been spent connecting with the RMD. We are huge distance-wise and small population-wise, but this breeds a unique connectedness between us. Visitors to our district always rave about the relationships and passion they see here. Mediums like facebook have only helped this connectedness to grow.

We do have significant challenges, though. We do not have a lot of pastors with degrees past the BA level. One of the primary names that I have heard tossed around of a possible on-district DS replacement is of a person who does not even have a degree but rather completed his or her ordination requirements via course of study. That person is very connected regarding out district, though. He or she understands the Rocky Mountain mindset, but I think that person is one who is willing to push and challenge us, too. So this person would be a good choice, in my opinion. Or maybe an off district person would be better. (I do not know if the person that I am referencing would even accept nomination.) Any volunteers?

About a year and a half ago, the process of assessing our district's future with this upcoming change began. After the initial survey process, several options were presented to our DAB. One of which was to continue with a full-time DS. Other options were to utilize a part time DS or to split and merge us with other districts. This last option, though, would be a real shame, in my perspective. I really do think that such a route would cause a lot of what is great about our district to be lost. Also, though for some it may be more convienient (for me, certainly; I would only have to travel about 3 hours to Spokane instead of almost 6 hours to Billings), there are churches in remote parts of Eastern Montana that cannot be easily merged with other districts.

After considerng the various options and the perceived needs of our district, the DAB has decided that we do, indeed, need a full time DS. Not being a part of this board, I am not sure what all went into that decision process, but it is the decision that has been made by these elected ministers and laypeople.

Our district is struggling financially, and many of our local churches are struggling financially, but there are many good things, too. NYI is very strong on our district, and I am privilaged to be a part of that. Just last week I attended regional NYI council meetings at NNU as our district rep. (the DP was unable to attend), and listening to the other DPs, I continue to be convinced that the Rocky Mountain District has the best NYI in the Northwest Region.

So yeah, that's where we are at. I will not commentate too specifically on the reasons behind our challenges, but we'd certainly appriciate your prayers as we continue forward. I believe that our taskforce for selecting the next DS was supposed to have had a conference call with Dr. Porter today, so hopefully things are progressing. It will be an interesting Assembly in June as we go through a process that we haven't gone through in 20 years.

[Rich Schmidt]

Considering the geographical nature of the district, the average size and make up of our churches, along with our financial difficulties who do you think our DS should look like? What qualities or experiences should they have?

It would probably help if they've pastored in similar conditions (somewhat isolated, etc) so they can relate to the pastors on your district. Beyond that, the only thing that comes to mind is that it wouldn't hurt if they were independently wealthy and could forego the salary.

BTW, since there were no names presented by our GS or our District Advisory Board, our DS election was dominated by pastors on our district (and someone who used to pastor on our district). It makes sense that people will vote for someone they know. Otherwise, they're just a name in the list of names other people voted for. So if you really believe no one currently pastoring on your district would be suitable, then I hope your GS or DAB will be suggesting some possibilities...

[Lucas Finch]

When Dr. Ross Price retired as Rocky Mountain DS in the 1970's, my Dad (then pastor of Casper First) was leading on the first several ballots to replace him. Fortunately, someone else was elected. The number of miles the DS must drive annually are tremendous. Dr. Price had an old Oldsmobile with an incredible number of miles on it, really unusual for an American-built car back in those days. It is 675 miles between a church in the SE corner of the district (Cheyenne WY) and a church in the NW corner of the district (Kalispell MT). Besides, the weather for travelling isn't always pleasant in those parts (I recall part of I-80 west of Cheyenne was known to the locals back then as the "Ho Chi Minh Trail")
But Nazarenes out there are hardy folk, thinking nothing of driving 100 miles for an activity. We had a family in Casper First who lived over 50 miles from church and were always the first there, long before others who lived down the block showed up. Something about "isolation" seems to build character in folks. Speaking of "character", one of the teens in the 1970's Casper First youth group was Jerry Cohagen. He went on to school in Nampa and met Hicks to form one of the best Christian Comedy teams ever. (Well, actually we Christians don't often do that well at comedy, but Hicks and Cohagen were great!) We unfortunately lost Mr. Hicks at a far too young age to cancer (I believe), but Jerry is a drama professor now at that great Nazarene school just south of Chicago.

BILL

Tomorrow (or today, when most of you will probably be reading this) marks my 2 1/2 year anniversary of when I moved to the Bitterroot Valley in Montana to be the youth pastor at its COTN. I moved from Casper, where I lived and was very active with their church (for a portion of that time was their youth pastor) for over seven years. The Casper Church is very near and dear to my heart.

The Casper COTN has pictures of all of their past pastors (including Dr. Bond in his pre-GS days) on the wall of the foyer. I have looked at them many times. The name "Morrison" sounds familiar. I'll have to look closer the next time I am down (probably in July).

[Kyle Borger]

Good to see Lucas join the discussion. He will certainly know more than me about the district. Since there are really only two of us from the district discussing it here, there really isn't much of an impact to be made. I suppose I started the conversation just so that I could ramble on about it a little bit.

I think it is important to note that I do not know any of the other pastors on the district. I can't tell you if they are or are not qualified to be DS. I was asking a general question regarding if a pastor of a small church with no staff would have the experiences necessary to be DS. It does not take into consideration that one of those pastors may have experience from a previous church or district.

The meeting I attended did have a consensus that media would play an important part as we move forward as a district. If we can't outfit every church with conference technology, perhaps we can at least outfit 4-5 sites in the district that would allow for a very good tele-conference experience. I'm not sure that anyone has developed a way for two teen quiz teams to compete against each other via the internet, but that would be kind of cool.

Just maybe the RMD could be a platform for launching tele-communication within our denomination worldwide. But then again, we don't have large churches and our district is already running pretty tight financially so anything we do with media is going to require assistance from the outside.

Part of the fun are the road trips and everything on our district requires a road trip! But there are certainly some things that could improve with media.

[Bill Morrison]

Tomorrow (or today, when most of you will probably be reading this) marks my 2 1/2 year anniversary of when I moved to the Bitterroot Valley in Montana to be the youth pastor at its COTN. I moved from Casper, where I lived and was very active with their church (for a portion of that time was their youth pastor) for over seven years. The Casper Church is very near and dear to my heart.

The Casper COTN has pictures of all of their past pastors (including Dr. Bond in his pre-GS days) on the wall of the foyer. I have looked at them many times. The name "Morrison" sounds familiar. I'll have to look closer the next time I am down (probably in July).

There was one pastor in between Dr. Bond and my Dad. Dad was there from about 1971-1976. The teen group (which my brothers and sisters were part of) was really active. Dad brought in a youth pastor named Mike Allen (he was just returning from serving as a missionary in Swaziland) and the kids loved him. The Casper Nazarene teens from that time period even have a page on Facebook where they post stories and old pictures. Both the Nazarene church and the town of Casper were in a boom time then. I recall the church would have about 400 on Easter Sunday. I was a student at Olivet and later in grad school during this time period, but spent holidays and summer at 2030 S. Jefferson and really loved the people in that church. They put on a great wedding shower for Kay and I even though I was mostly a visitor!

BILL

[Ryan Scott]

I was asking a general question regarding if a pastor of a small church with no staff would have the experiences necessary to be DS.

If they've got experience on the district, they're likely more qualified than someone without experience on the district - especially in your unique situation.

[Kyle Borger]

There was one pastor in between Dr. Bond and my Dad. Dad was there from about 1971-1976. The teen group (which my brothers and sisters were part of) was really active. Dad brought in a youth pastor named Mike Allen (he was just returning from serving as a missionary in Swaziland) and the kids loved him. The Casper Nazarene teens from that time period even have a page on Facebook where they post stories and old pictures. Both the Nazarene church and the town of Casper were in a boom time then. I recall the church would have about 400 on Easter Sunday. I was a student at Olivet and later in grad school during this time period, but spent holidays and summer at 2030 S. Jefferson and really loved the people in that church. They put on a great wedding shower for Kay and I even though I was mostly a visitor!

BILL

Mike Allen is my Dad's pastor in Payette ID. I saw him this summer in Cody when he was on sabbatical. Mike has been very supportive of my dad and my ministry.

[Lucas Finch]

I was a student at Olivet and later in grad school during this time period, but spent holidays and summer at 2030 S. Jefferson and really loved the people in that church.

The parsonage is still at that address. I have spent a lot of time there. I imagine that there are probably still a few people around the church who were there in those days, too.

If they've got experience on the district, they're likely more qualified than someone without experience on the district - especially in your unique situation.

I tend to agree. I am not completely opposed to bringing someone in from off district, but we really are unique. Those who understand the way things work here while at the same time not being afraid to challenge us to get out of a rut and try new things will make the best candidates. Actually, my top pick is a pastor who left us last July to take on a new church in a neighboring district, but I suspect that he or she would not be willing to leave his or her new church so soon.

[Ryan Scott]

The parsonage is still at that address. I have spent a lot of time there. I imagine that there are probably still a few people around the church who were there in those days, too.



I tend to agree. I am not completely opposed to bringing someone in from off district, but we really are unique. Those who understand the way things work here while at the same time not being afraid to challenge us to get out of a rut and try new things will make the best candidates. Actually, my top pick is a pastor who left us last July to take on a new church in a neighboring district, but I suspect that he or she would not be willing to leave his or her new church so soon.

Never hurts to ask.

[Rich Schmidt]

Never hurts to ask.

Agreed. People in NW Illinois might have thought the same about Scott, but he evidently heard the call of God in their election of him as their new DS.

[Kyle Borger]

Actually, my top pick is a pastor who left us last July to take on a new church in a neighboring district, but I suspect that he or she would not be willing to leave his or her new church so soon.

You aren't alone in thinking this person would be a good DS. I of course do not know this person, but I know who you speak of.

[Lucas Finch]

You aren't alone in thinking this person would be a good DS. I of course do not know this person, but I know who you speak of.

Yup. I'm hoping that someone on the taskforce keeps this person in consideration. He or she spent 10 years on the district, so (s)he knows us well, but this person will not be afraid to challenge and lead us to new things. (I'm pretty sure that anyone from RMD that stumbles upon this thread will know of whom I speak, but I want to keep such things anonymous for now.)

[Kevin Rector]

If they've got experience on the district, they're likely more qualified than someone without experience on the district - especially in your unique situation.

It is a unique situation, but it's not entirely unique. The RMD doesn't face many challenges that the Prarie Lakes (formerly Dakotas District and Minnesota District) or even the Wisconsin or Nebraska district faces. All of these districts are numerically small and geographically large. Of all of them, probably only Nebraska has any "large" churches.

Also, while I'm not discounting what Ryan is saying, don't underestimate the power of infusing some fresh blood on a district. At least for a season it can really be a boost to a district, especially if the leader is culturally sensitive and a visionary.

[Bill Morrison]

The RMD doesn't face many challenges that the Great Lakes (formerly Dakotas District and Minnesota District) or even the Wisconsin or Nebraska district faces.

That would be Prairie Lakes District. As one who grew up in Toledo, on the Great Lakes, I am highly offended
("Prairie Lakes" just has a strange ring to it, doesn't it? I suppose it is better than some of the other names they could have gone with like "Minn-Dakotas" or "The Place Where Everyone Freezes Their Backside Off" District)

BILL

[Kevin Rector]

That would be Prairie Lakes District. As one who grew up in Toledo, on the Great Lakes, I am highly offended
("Prairie Lakes" just has a strange ring to it, doesn't it? I suppose it is better than some of the other names they could have gone with like "Minn-Dakotas" or "The Place Where Everyone Freezes Their Backside Off" District)

BILL

You are completely right, thanks for catching that and correcting me. I fixed the original post.

[Lucas Finch]

So, the next stage has begun. My senior pastor forwarded to me the profile as decided by our taskforce. It said to share it with any interested parties, so here it is:

District Superintendent Profile

Godly Leader
The district needs a leader who is called by God and obedient to His will. This individual must demonstrate dedication to the Lord, be a faithful servant, and a person of prayer. Our district leader needs to be one who reflects Christ and is committed to holiness.

Visionary
The district needs a leader who is visionary, forward thinking, and a strategic planner. This individual should be an out of the box thinker and willing to try new things. Our district leader needs to be able to clearly articulate the vision of the district and bring unity to the district in reaching that vision.

Missional
The district needs a leader who is missionally minded, has a passion for the unchurched of our communities, and has a commitment to evangelism. This individual needs to be skilled in promoting and facilitating new church plants by local churches.

Communicator
The district needs a leader who is an effective communicator. This individual should understand how and when technology would be effective in communications, such as which technologies reach broad audiences vs. smaller audiences, and also discern when face to face contact is needed. Our district leader needs to know that listening is a key element in building relationships and must be able to speak passionately and persuasively.

Effective Administrator
The district needs a leader who has strong managerial and administrative skills. This individual must be able to delegate authority and surround themselves with people who have specialized expertise to assist in the leadership roles of the district. Our district leader needs to have a background in finance and be trustworthy in following through with commitments.

Decision Maker
The district needs a leader who has the ability to implement difficult decisions and hold pastors and churches accountable. This individual must recognize the importance of consensus and dialogue during the decision-making process.

Equipper
The district needs a leader who is compassionate, encouraging, and supportive of both pastors and churches. This individual should have experiences that could be used to mentor pastors and district leaders within the Rocky Mountain District. Our district leader needs to facilitate quality training for pastors and district leaders, utilizing technology to enhance training opportunities.

[Kyle Borger]

So Lucas.....without naming anyone specifically, do we have anyone currently on our district who you think fits this profile? Does the other unmentioned person off the district fit this profile in your opinion?

Anyone feel like they fit the profile and want to volunteer?

[Kevin Rector]

District Superintendent Profile

Godly Leader
The district needs a leader who is called by God and obedient to His will. This individual must demonstrate dedication to the Lord, be a faithful servant, and a person of prayer. Our district leader needs to be one who reflects Christ and is committed to holiness.

Visionary
The district needs a leader who is visionary, forward thinking, and a strategic planner. This individual should be an out of the box thinker and willing to try new things. Our district leader needs to be able to clearly articulate the vision of the district and bring unity to the district in reaching that vision.

Missional
The district needs a leader who is missionally minded, has a passion for the unchurched of our communities, and has a commitment to evangelism. This individual needs to be skilled in promoting and facilitating new church plants by local churches.

Communicator
The district needs a leader who is an effective communicator. This individual should understand how and when technology would be effective in communications, such as which technologies reach broad audiences vs. smaller audiences, and also discern when face to face contact is needed. Our district leader needs to know that listening is a key element in building relationships and must be able to speak passionately and persuasively.

Effective Administrator
The district needs a leader who has strong managerial and administrative skills. This individual must be able to delegate authority and surround themselves with people who have specialized expertise to assist in the leadership roles of the district. Our district leader needs to have a background in finance and be trustworthy in following through with commitments.

Decision Maker
The district needs a leader who has the ability to implement difficult decisions and hold pastors and churches accountable. This individual must recognize the importance of consensus and dialogue during the decision-making process.

Equipper
The district needs a leader who is compassionate, encouraging, and supportive of both pastors and churches. This individual should have experiences that could be used to mentor pastors and district leaders within the Rocky Mountain District. Our district leader needs to facilitate quality training for pastors and district leaders, utilizing technology to enhance training opportunities.

Hey, that sounds just like me!

Just kidding.