Tim Postuma
I work for the CRC as 'web guy'. But that doesn't mean I'm a coder (others are way better at that than me). I'm first and foremost a communicator, so what I love to do is look for ways we can better communicate as a denomination using technology. I get to listen for ideas that are out there, come up with a few of my own, and help them become reality. Examples include the Network website and the Digital Library. I also connect with the web/communications people for each of the CRC ministries. So if you have ideas for how we can better communicate using technology you can feel free to route suggestions through me. We WANT those ideas. I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba - go, Jets - but now live in Grand Rapids, MI (much to my surprise!). My wonderful wife is a CRC chaplain and we have three kids that keep us plenty busy.
Posted in: Job Sharing Elder Position?
My church has had married couples sharing an elder role. They're both full-fledged elders, but only one attends elder meetings at a time (i.e. one vote).
It's been a real blessing - both for their district who benefits from the gifts of two people, and for the couple as they work side-by-side in ministry. Win win, in my opinion.
Last month, we installed a married couple as deacons for the first time. I expect it will be as positive an experience as we've had with couple elders.
Posted in: How does a church find willing members to serve as deacons and elders?
A few years ago, we switched to a process whereby current elders and deacons meet with nominees to PERSONALLY delivery the nomination letter and discuss it.
That personal touch has made a pretty big difference compared to the old method of just sending the letters out.
Posted in: Can you share your church's experience with "Strategic Prayer Initiative?"
That'd be great. Thanks Bev.
Posted in: Quarterly Estimated Self Employment Tax Payments for Pastors
FYI, the denomination's annual Minister's Compensation Survey has asked churches about their 'Social Security Reimbursement'. It doesn't list how many churches do this, but it shows the average amount for those that do and, at least in the 2018 version, it says "Most churches reimburse their pastors for a portion of their self-employment tax."
The 2020 version uses a different method and so no longer itemizes this amount. But you can still see the 2018 and 2017 versions at: crcna.org/research
To me, it seems reasonable for a church to reimburse for the same amount as they would pay for any other church employee (I believe FICA would be 7.65% for the employer portion). But that's just my opinion.
Posted in: Live Streaming / Virtual Service Examples
Thanks, John. Great idea to share examples and compare notes.
In my own church, all the service participants video record their segments on their phone/laptop (worship leader, prayer, scripture reading, sermon, music) and get them to one person who strings them all together into one video. Similar to Mavis' example of San Jose CRC.
Nothing live, which makes it a bit less pressure :-) But it still feels somewhat live, because we're using YouTube's 'premiere' feature so the video launches at 10:30 every Sunday and everyone can watch it together.
For the singing, where possible they are grabbing from the audio recordings of prior services. That's a bit of extra work, I'm sure, but it's kinda cool because we get to hear the voices of our own congregation singing.
After the service, people are invited to join a massive Zoom 'coffee time' that is just as chaotic as the real thing. We randomly split everyone into 5-minute breakout rooms of 3-5 participants so we can chat with people and reconnect. Every 5 minutes, we're brought back into the main Zoom meeting and randomly divided into new breakouts with different people. I wasn't sure about that idea at first but it's actually turned out to be a lot of fun.
Here's a link to an example service. For churches who don't want to do live streaming, but do have someone who can put the video clips together into one video, this option has worked well for us.
Posted in: Five Things to Know About Kinism
Eric, If Synod 2019 chose to not name the pastor, we're going to take the same approach on this site. And, with how search engines work, Synod's decision seems wise. Naming and linking to his site from this one would most definitely give it a tangible publicity boost (i.e. showing up higher in search results). That's a reality of how search engines determine ranking. You still may not agree with this approach, but I at least hope this explanation is helpful context.
Posted in: Five Things to Know About Kinism
It seems evident that the intent was the opposite of what you stated. That is, to expose and address the issue and not "keep it under the carpet". But to do so without giving the individual's writings a publicity boost. Plus the 'who' isn't the main take-away, is it? Item 4 above should give us all pause - as I'm sure it did synod delegates - and suggests there are learnings here that go much beyond the identity of the individual and what that individual specifically wrote.
It's sorta like when a pastor, in a sermon, shares an anonymous story about someone. Our minds might go to the 'who' but we can learn from the story without knowing 'who'. In fact, if we spend the rest of the sermon focusing on 'who' it might be, we risk missing the point and its applicability to our own lives.
Posted in: Five Things to Know About Kinism
Thanks for clarifying your comment, Eric. You raise some good points, but I do think there are pros/cons to either approach. I'm trusting that the 192 folks from our churches weighed those in making their decision a few months ago.
Posted in: Electronic Giving and YOUR Church
If you're using a church management system (ChMS), check whether it offers online/recurring/text giving. If the fees are competitive, then doing it through your ChMS means no duplicate data entry of each donation. Giving history is logged automatically and some systems allow members to log in to do donation-related things (e.g. view giving history, adjust recurring gifts) as well as other functions (e.g. adjust their directory info, communication preferences).
Posted in: Should the CRCNA Lobby in Favor of Federal Carbon Tax Legislation?
Doug, But isn't the person you cited - James Hanson - in fact, a strong proponent of the legislation that OSJ is bringing to our attention? See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen#Cap_and_trade
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/laser-talks/energy-innovation-and-carbon-dividend-act/
Posted in: Should the CRCNA Lobby in Favor of Federal Carbon Tax Legislation?
Doug,
You raise many issues. So last night I picked one piece - your citation of James Hansen - and spent some time reading up on it. And I have to agree with Tom that is seems you are misrepresenting Hansen's position.
I've come across no evidence to support your claim that Hansen would be against this legislation, and against a carbon tax, unless they're accompanied by nuclear. Quite the opposite.
On the Wikipedia page about Hansen, as well Hansen's own writing cited in the footnotes, it's quite clear that Hansen supports renewable energy, and supports a carbon tax with a dividend to citizens (the legislation at issue here), among other solutions. He also believes nuclear is a critical piece. He supports an all-of-the-above approach, which is very different than a nuclear-or-nothing approach. Furthermore, the Citizens Climate Lobby - where Hansen serves on the Advisory Board - is very much in favor of the legislation.
I don't have time to read up on all the issues you raise. But I am troubled that when I did pick one to read up on, I found a picture at odds with what you have presented here.
In contrast, OSJ's recommendation seems sound. And I'm grateful that they check into these things carefully, because I don't always have time to research every issue.
Posted in: Emojis and Christ-like Empathy
Such a thoughtful piece, Staci. Thank you!