2025 Transition news

Quick recap

The Transition Committee met to discuss the upcoming leadership transition at the church, focusing on hiring a new administrator and potentially a ministry leader. The group reviewed the job announcement draft, discussed the application process, and addressed potential conflicts of interest in evaluating candidates. The committee finalized the job announcement for both the Lead Minister and Administrator positions, including salary considerations and posting plans, while scheduling their next meeting for the following Saturday.

Next steps

• Transition Committee: Finalize the job announcement
• Transition Committee: Post the job announcement internally first to identify if any Oahu church members will apply
• Transition Committee: Send out the job announcement to Oahu Church of Christ membership with a one-week application window
• Transition Committee: Create pre-screening questions for applicants via Google form
• Transition Committee: Create a working group schedule to conduct financial analysis for the ministry leader/couple and administrator positions
• Transition Committee: Determine at what point one must recuse themselves if there is a conflict of interest
• Transition Committee: Create a pay band for the Lead Minister position for internal planning purposes
• Transition Committee: Develop a job description for the Administrator position
• Transition Committee: Analyze financial implications of hiring both a Lead Minister and Administrator position
• Transition Committee: Consider relocation costs as part of the financial analysis for external candidates
• Transition Committee: Post the job announcement externally after the internal posting period
• Transition Committee: Discuss the job description at next week's meeting
• Transition Committee: Make the job announcement during tomorrow's service
• Transition Committee: Update the Transition Committee landing page with meeting notes
• Transition Committee: Share the transition committee@oahuchurch.org email password with committee members
• Transition Committee: Update the email address from "transition committee@oahuchurch.org" to "hiring@oahuchurch.org"
• Transition Committee: Send the raw meeting notes to the team and a recommended edited version
• Transition Committee: Send new member of the Committee a link to the Google Drive to access previous meeting artifacts
• Transition Committee: Get with Nick to change the email address to be more encompassing
• Transition Committee: Coordinate a time for the financial analysis working group meeting
• Transition Committee: Coordinate a time for the financial analysis working group to meet before next Saturday's meeting
• Transition Committee: Update the cover letter requirement to improve the wording about why applicants feel called to apply
• Transition Committee: Update the cover letter wording to improve the "Why Hawaii" section
• Transition Committee: Draft a follow-up email template with questions about salary expectations, availability, and other information to send to applicants
• Transition Committee: Set up the hiring@oahuchurch.org email address for receiving applications
• Transition Committee: Create a slide of the website for Randy to use during the announcement
• Members of the Committee to meet as a working group to analyze financial aspects of the hiring package

Summary

Church Leadership Transition Planning

The Transition Committee discussed the upcoming leadership transition at the church, focusing on the timing and financial implications of hiring a new administrator and potentially a ministry leader or couple. Outgoing Ministry Leaders explained their decision to transition, citing financial reasons to free up church salary for future use. The committee reviewed the job announcement draft and discussed using the Transition Committee email address to receive applications. The address is a generic login or mailbox would be set up for committee members to access applicant information. The committee also considered involving Marlon and Dan, the church's financial representatives, in the financial analysis of the transition, though it was suggested delegating this responsibility back to the board.

Conflict-Free Hiring Process Discussion

The committee discussed the hiring process for a position, focusing on how to handle potential applications from Internal Candidates, who are related to some committee members. They debated as to when members of the Committee should recuse themselves due to potential conflicts of interest and perceptions of unfair advantage. The group considered conducting an internal search first to identify any interested church members, followed by an external search. The Committee also discussed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the process and the need to consider both experience and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the hiring decision.

Leadership Position Application Review

The team discussed the process for announcing and reviewing candidates for a leadership position, clarifying that "internal" refers to Oahu church members rather than the entire state of Hawaii. They agreed to first review Internal candidates, with other church members recusing themselves from the process, before posting the position more broadly. The group also considered alternative terms for the email subject line to describe the application process, with "Minister at oahuchurch.org" suggested as a potential option.

Church Job Announcement Finalization

The meeting focused on finalizing the job announcement for a position at a church. The group agreed to make the announcement at church the following day and post it online by the end of the week. They decided to keep the announcement open until the position is filled, with a desired start date of January 1, 2026. The committee also discussed and approved changes to the cover letter, including removing specific references to Hawaii and focusing instead on the applicant's spiritual calling and ministry vision.

Job Announcement Strategy Discussion

The committee discussed the job announcement for both the Lead Minister and Administrator positions, emphasizing the need to maintain flexibility in the hiring process. They debated whether to include a pay band in the job announcement, advocating for it to plan finances, while others suggested gathering salary information from applicants without using it for screening. The group agreed to move forward with posting the job announcement for the Lead Minister position while continuing to develop the Administrator role, with a focus on financial planning and considering various hiring scenarios.

Administrator Salary Discussion Strategy

The group discussed salary requirements for a new administrator position. The team debated whether to include salary requirements in the job announcement, with a suggestion of asking candidates about their salary preferences within 48 hours of receiving their application. There were concerns expressed about discussing salary upfront. The group agreed to move forward with sending out the job announcement, but the Committee decided to allow time to think about how to best communicate salary expectations to candidates, with the understanding that relocation costs would need to be considered as part of the upfront costs.

Lead Minister Hiring Discussion

The group discussed the job announcement for a lead minister position, which will be posted tomorrow with a focus on hiring a male minister. They agreed to form a smaller working group to conduct financial analysis and initial recommendations for the other members of the Transition Committee. The group also considered the potential need for a Women's Ministry leader, but decided to keep the job announcement as is for now and address that position later if needed. They scheduled their next meeting for next Saturday at 7 o'clock, with some members noting their upcoming absences.