Hi, folks! We have a special guest at tomorrows Thrive: Rod Kolke, who has been recommended by the TMP Search Team to be our new Lead Pastor! Tomorrow at Terminal Park Starbucks (Mon, June 9, 7:30pm), well be having our own Q&A with him! Today, there was a TMP-wide Q&A at The Buzz. I talked with Rod afterwards and he said he was really looking forward to meeting with us tomorrow and getting to know us better! Hope everyone can make it! Here are my notes from todays Q&A (hopefully I communicate his words correctly): ------------------------------------------------ SEARCH TEAM PROCESS: Glenn walked us through the process the Search Team went through to choose Rod as its recommended candidate. They reviewed all internal and external applicants, narrowed the list to five, interviewed them, and from them, chose Rod. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Glenn pointed out that the Lead Team would like our help to develop new ways to disciple and mentor Christians in our community. They also are open to new ideas about how to improve community outside of the services and Life Groups. They invite your feedback. Rod pointed out that, in the past, to foster community, TMP decided to run a service on Sunday night that was more partner-oriented vs. seeker-oriented, but no one went, even after they changed the evening twice. He said that one thing that has consistently worked for building lasting friendships was when friends had one-on-one or two-on-one studies, and he hopes to continue to promote that. LEADERSHIP STYLE: Rod was asked what leadership meant to him. He said leadership was simply influence, and everyone has leadership in some ways. He said hed hoped everyone knew that servant leadership was his mandate. BEST IDEA APPROACH: Several times Rod mentioned the Best Idea approach: we weigh and test all the ideas, and if ideas dont stand up, the one that remains is the choice we hope to make. He mentioned that sometimes he makes a suggestion but someone elses idea is better; then he is prepared to go with the better one, even if its not his. BUILDING/CHURCH PLANT: It was asked whether Rod foresees a building of our own in TMPs future. He said that at the moment we dont have the resources, but quite often God provides miraculous opportunities and he is willing to keep his eyes open for one. He also encouraged us to see the merits of the theatre we have. When the idea of planting another church was mentioned, he said he could potentially see lots of other TMPs throughout the Island if thats the direction God leads. He said he wanted to see how God is calling people in the church. (He said the same thing with regard to the idea of other community ministries being started besides Loaves & Fishes or the Community Impact Team.) JOB REQUIREMENTS: Some people were asking whether the Lead Pastor position was full-time, and who would take over Rods current duties. Glenn assured us that the position was full-time. Rod said that his job description is likely to change a lot, because right now he has four part-time jobs, and this will be his first time having only one, which is a leap of faith he is willing to make. At this point, were not hiring anyone to replace Rods previous position, because it isnt financially wise right now to hire more pastors, but a lot of Rods duties will carry through his new position. However, the Lead Team is willing to re-evaluate this decision if the need arises. INDIVIDUAL MEETS: Rod said that, if he is accepted as Lead Pastor, one of the things hes most excited about is the ability to meet with TMP people individually more often, which he hasnt been able to do often due to lack of time. PEOPLE MANAGEMENT: Rod was asked whether there were difficult situations with attendees in the past. The person who asked the question admired the Matthew 18 principle we have about trying to stop gossip. Rod said that he doesnt typically get frustrated with people who have opposing views, and often that he learns a lot from them. Occasionally, TMP isnt the community that someone can get behind, in which case Rod said he would try his best to help them plug into another community. TMPs TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC: Someone asked if Rods heart was drawn to minister to a particular demographic. Rod said hed always appreciated ministering to men his age or slightly younger, but his hope is that investing in the very diverse community we already have will help everyone at TMP bring people of all backgrounds to the church. RESOURCES FOR ROD: Rod was asked if he had any resources to draw on for his own spiritual health. Rod said that he was looking forward to setting up mentoring relationships for himself and was excited that he might finally get time to read more. SERMON SERIES: Someone asked about whether Rod would do sermon series on books of the Bible rather than topic studies; he said that it can be and has been done, and hed appreciate suggestions on how, but it depends on the book and approach. He wants to make sure it matches the needs of TMPs people. RODS HEART: Since Rod has been around since the beginning, someone asked if there have been times Rod wanted to leave. Rod said no, and that he has prayed that if God wanted him to leave it would be clear. Hes excited about TMPs future. He also said he was interesting in writing books for TMP one day, and hed hope to use his Web skills as well somehow. It was asked whether his family is behind him, and his wife Naomi said theyve been behind him 100% since day one and will continue to be. RODS GOALS: Eric asked if there was something Rod hoped to accomplish in the next five years or so. Rod said that he always appreciated measurable goals, so he hopes to be able to look at what we have now and be able to better quantify the life change that happens at TMP. That sparked a question about whether the number or quality of relationships was more important, to which Rod said yes. PRAYER: There were lots of questions about prayer. The first was regarding whether Rod envisioned corporate prayer time as part of the service on Sunday, and one attender was concerned that Theatre 4 may make it difficult to get to know each other. Rod said that prayer ministry is on the rise at TMP, and Kathryn explained how Theatre 4, the Prayer Request email address, and the Prayer Team worked. Carley recommended that people wanting to pray with their TMP partners could attend the 8:15am volunteer pre-service every Sunday morning. PARTNER MEETING: Next Monday at 7:00pm (Thrive is cancelled, by the way!) there will be an opportunity for TMP partners to vote on the decision to elect Rod as our new Lead Pastor. If youre not a TMP partner yet, there will be an opportunity there to become one.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 00:44:31 +0000
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