Pastor's Report (looking back at 2009)

Pastor’s Report

Annual Report for 2009

      The year 2009 began with the wonderings of what the year held for the world’s economy.  First Baptist began its 2009 year with lower than previous pledges. Around the meeting table, lay leaders wondered what the year held.

Wise decision making made 2009 a different story

      As 2009 draws to a close, let us recognize the local and global economy has been challenging, yet First Baptist has held our own, and even progressed!  Our pledges for local and mission were met by the end of the year.  Our financial year-end demonstrated faithful giving by congregants, wise management of our congregation’s endowment for customary ministry expenses and critical capital improvements, and a marked increase in building use revenue.  The latter revenue stream was made possible by our congregation’s affirmation to open the doors to non-profit organizations and expand the church’s identity as a hub for missional activity. 

We end 2009 on a strong fiscal and missional note thanks to the hard work of our congregation, the lay leadership, and the church staff.   Let 2009 be a good word to future generations that intentional governance and congregational strategic planning return great dividends:  revenue to make us less endowment dependent and an increased ability to stay focused on ministry and not maintenance!

First Baptist as a community leader and missional catalyst:

      In 2009, I offered a vision statement for First Baptist:  to be “a place for healing, community involvement, and spiritual grounding”.  First Baptist has grown exponentially in community presence, now well regarded as catalysts and partners for change in our local community. Since mid-2008, First Baptist has become home to four non-profit organizations.  We have continued to develop our facility as a place for short-term projects, meetings, and events, hosting more activity under this roof than in many, many years.

      The external evaluation of First Baptist is glowing.  Our church’s community presence has received excellent coverage in the local media, the nation-wide publications of the American Baptist Churches/USA, and even in reports to our denomination’s General Board.  In June 2009, the General Secretary, the Rev. A. Roy Medley hailed First Baptist as one of the growing number of smaller ABC/USA churches that “are not counting their faithfulness by the brick and mortar they possess but by the lives they help reshape and redeem.”  He offered us good words of affirmation when visiting a few weeks earlier as our speaker at our Pentecost celebration.  Likewise, the board of National Ministries awarded a $1500 grant in support of a cooking skills class, noting their affirmation of our continuing work.  Our missional efforts reflect the creativity of our congregants as well as our better engaged and attuned hearts and minds as we seek out ways to serve our community’s needs.  As our missional church consultant, the Rev. Dr. Ronald Carlson has stated, First Baptist is a “beacon” for the community.

      In 2009, I note I was involved in a variety of community and regional efforts in my capacity as minister.  I represented First Baptist as a member of the Bennington Interfaith Council and as a delegate to the annual meetings of the ABC Vermont/New Hampshire region and association. I continued service on the board of directors for the Better Bennington Corporation and completed a one year term on the CAT-TV board. In 2009, I completed two years serving as the organizing convener of the region’s Southwest Association clergy meetings.  During the fall 2009 semester, I served as one of the instructors for Southern Vermont College’s comparative religions course and assisted in interfaith council efforts to establish relationships with our local institutions of higher education.  This year, I published religious life columns for the Bennington Banner and a book review with Sharing the Practice, the journal for the Academy of Parish Clergy.  As noted above, I traveled to Amsterdam in July 2009 to participate in the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) program of the Baptist World Alliance.

Moving forward into a new day for ministry

      Looking back at the near four years of ministry here, I note we have much to celebrate, and we have much work still to do.  In a recent sermon, I observed we are on the next leg of our journey, and we are realizing the way ahead looks decidedly less than what we have seen in the past.  Living in the least religiously inclined state in the United States and competing with many other claims on people’s time and energy, First Baptist has a few tools and resources from our history and heritage to carry with us, but we cannot forget that the journey ahead is also a bit less defined than we prefer it to be.  We have some work to do in moving ahead, continuing the story of a group of Baptists who started ministry in 1827 while moving faithfully and self-critically into a more challenging century than our 19^th or 20^th-century forebears knew.

As I look at 2009 and look ahead to 2010, I offer the following observations:

Emerging administrative changes--The trustees have designated clearer hiring practices for our staff, and I have been designated as the chief of staff with more oversight of staff performance and evaluation.  These efforts might come as a surprise, as one might have thought these policies and practices were already in place.  In a growing climate of oversight and compliance challenges for non-profit organizations, is important to realize the church has been functioning with no defined policy book or lines of authority.

As an employer with a number of staff, First Baptist needs policies and practices in place that meet legal requirements and ensure healthy and well-managed employer/employee relationships.  In addition to boards communicating more about efforts to fill vacant positions, we are now requiring background checks and increased attention to the hiring and interview process with all staff position vacancies.  To assist my growth in this area, I will be taking a human resource management course this spring term to expand my knowledge base and skills. 

Understanding the changing role of the minister—I note this past year has been an ongoing reminder of how the minister’s role is changing at First Baptist.  I spend more time managing staff, working with our financial process and managing First Baptist’s community relations than I have done before.  These functions are becoming part of the position’s duties, and I do not foresee the minister’s tasks becoming any less complex.  Throughout 2010, I will be working with a consultant to help me manage my growth and development in the changing ministry needs of First Baptist.

The traditional, and very valued, parts of ministry (preaching, teaching, and pastoral care) are carried out to the best of my abilities, however, I find myself often wishing for more organized lay assistance in the care of each other.  Many weeks, I am unable to take a full day off, if at all, as unanticipated care needs arise, and I have no organized back-up help even when on vacation leave, short of calling in a clergy colleague to cover emergencies. 

I also ask the lay leadership to continue with the development of a stronger governance structure, able to equip boards and committees to do their tasks well and be less dependent on the minister or church staff.  I note I was more involved in agenda preparation, administrative housekeeping, and even leading meetings than I feel a minister ought to be doing or is healthy for good and effective pastor/parish relationships and mutual accountability.  I recommend our lay leadership give due consideration to the development of a covenant for all lay leaders, helping better define the expectation, duties, and accountability of board members and officers. 

Wrestling with my self-care—This past summer, I attended the Summer Collegium, a Lilly-funded program of the Virginia Theological Seminary of Alexandria, Virginia.  The program was of especial interest, as this year’s Collegium focused on small church clergy and self-care skills.  A few months later, I look back with the continued awareness that I must I hold myself more accountable in structuring time away from duties to rest, exercise regularly, and maintain healthy relationships with my own household.  The pastoral relations committee is assisting me with making some progress in this area.  I appreciate your support as well!

Strengthening our discipleship—In 2009, Baptists marked the 400^th anniversary of our origins in the Reformation era.  I served as a panelist at the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Amsterdam as one “emerging young leader” reflecting on the present and future ministry of Baptists.  While sharing the story of First Baptist (and I note your story was well received by our global family), I heard a recurrent lament among even our younger global Baptist leadership.  There is a concern for churches to strengthen their discipleship efforts, helping persons know Christ and grow in faith.  

As part of our congregational work in 2010, we will explore our Baptist identity in February and March, giving these two months over to church-wide reflection on the hallmarks of our heritage.  It is my hope that our congregation will give appropriate focus on the strengths of our Baptist roots as a people who are diverse, dedicated to mission, and engaged in living in the world as intentional disciples of Jesus Christ.

Concluding Thoughts

First Baptist has an exciting journey ahead of us.  Keep encouraging one another as we travel together, all along the pilgrim journey.

Grace and peace,

The Rev. Jerrod H. Hugenot, coordinating minister