United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Aug. 8, 2007–Cincinnati, Ohio   Robert Dick opened the final meeting of this Council session at 9 a.m. The day consisted of the finalizing of a number of miscellaneous items of business, including the completion of some items in executive session.   Strategic Plan   Mr. Dick stated that, following two presentations and discussions in previous meetings, it was necessary to determine the course of action the Council wishes to follow in regard to the process of      Reports for all the meetings      Sunday, August 5, 2007      Monday, August 6, 2007      Tuesday, August 7, 2007      Wednesday, August 8, 2007 developing a strategic plan. Mr. Dick summarized that in previous discussions the Council acknowledged the need for the development of a new strategic plan, concluded that there are no church issues that would prevent the Council from committing its attention to the process and that funding and time are available for the undertaking. Mr. Dick also pointed out that if the Council decides to follow through with this project, a Strategic Planning Steering Committee would need to be selected, to work with the facilitator in steering the planning process.   Mr. Dick asked each Council member to express his suggestions for what course of action should be taken. All of the members agreed that:   The Council should act immediately to begin the process of creating a new strategic plan. The contextual methodology would be most appropriate (see the Aug. 7 report), though the facilitator will recommend the methodology based on his consultation. It would be most effective to contract with a consultant from outside the Church organization to serve as facilitator of the process. The cost of contracting an outside facilitator should be reasonable, based on the expectation that good judgment will be exercised in carefully interviewing and selecting the facilitator. It would be ideal to complete the new strategic plan before the 2008 GCE meeting, but realistically that may not happen as the quality of the plan takes precedence over the speed with which it is produced.   The Council approved a search committee to begin the process of selecting a facilitator. The search committee consists of Jason Lovelady, Dee Kilough and Linda Register—all of whom have professional experience and expertise that will enable them to effectively interview and evaluate candidates. Mr. Dick and Mr. Kilough will work closely with both the search committee and the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, laying out the criteria upon which the selection process will be based. Mr. Kilough suggested that, as a starting point, the BoardSource organization should have a list of recommended facilitators in the Cincinnati area.   Mr. Dick commented that since he will be remaining in Cincinnati for a few days after the Council meetings, he and Mr. Kilough will be able to meet with the selection committee and lay out criteria for selecting a facilitator.   Council Committee Assignments   Following determination of the initial steps toward creating a new strategic plan, Mr. Dick led the Council through the process of selecting members and chairmen of the four Council committees.   Roles and Rules: Bob Berendt, Aaron Dean, Bill Eddington (chairman), Roy Holladay, Leon Walker. Doctrine: Bob Berendt, Jim Franks, Richard Pinelli, Larry Salyer, Richard Thompson, Leon Walker (chairman). Ethics: Aaron Dean, Clyde Kilough, Victor Kubik (chairman), Richard Pinelli, Richard Thompson. Strategic Planning and Finance: Bob Berendt, Aaron Dean, Bill Eddington, Jim Franks, Roy Holladay (chairman), Victor Kubik, Larry Salyer.   Roles and Rules Committee   Bill Eddington, chairman of the Roles and Rules Committee, presented to the Council the final draft of the letter to be sent to the elders by the secretary at the beginning of the nomination process for election to the Council. The letter explains the nomination process and gives each elder the opportunity to indicate that he is willing to be on the list of elders from which nominees will be chosen.   Mr. Eddington also requested that Ministerial Services be responsible for developing a system for collecting biographical information for each elder and posting it on the ministerial section of the Web site.   On a separate matter, Mr. Dick requested that the Roles and Rules Committee bring to the Council recommendations for improving the way in which we perform the annual assessment of the president.   Expelled Elders Appeal Committee   The GCE was recently asked to select elders to serve on the Expelled Elders Appeal Committee. Of 466 elders, 233 cast valid ballots. All members of the committee were replaced. As per bylaw instructions, Secretary Dave Johnson determined the length of the term for each member by a random drawing. The elders that were elected to the committee and the length of their terms are as follows:   Allan Hambleton (4 years) Vernon Hargrove (5) Darris McNeely (4) Ken Murray (5) Dan Salcedo (4) Arthur Suckling (4) Robin Webber (5)   John Cafourek and Bill Winner were selected as alternates. They will each fill five-year terms and will be available to replace members should there be resignations during that period.   In an executive session, the Council will select the Member Appeal Committee from the rest of the EEAC candidate list.   New Council Reporter Named   The Council also approved a new Council reporter to replace Don Henson, who steps down after serving for nearly five years. John Foster will take over the responsibility starting with the December 2007 meetings. Mr. Foster is the pastor of the Princeton and Charleston, West Virginia, and Roanoke, Virginia, congregations and also serves on the Personal Correspondence team.   The Council completed its final meeting of this Council session in executive session.   Don Henson                                                                                                                                                                   Ó 2007 United Church of God, an International Association