Members of Village Bible Church,
Thank you for being so committed - to God, to each other, and to those God has placed in leadership. This commitment fosters the beautiful unity and love that our church family is experiencing - and as we are reminded in our study of 1 Corinthians, this is an incredible blessing!
Over the past two months, each campus has hosted annual meetings where we thanked God for the blessings He has provided and where we shared ministry updates and plans.
Let's highlight three of those updates.
VBC Executive Leadership Team Expansion
Last year, after a season of prayer, evaluation, and planning, our guiding elders determined that expanding our executive leadership team will create margin that fosters continued impact and growth.
- The Executive Leadership Team reports to the guiding elders (our church's governing board) and leads our staff. Currently, it consists of one lead pastor (Tim Badal) and one executive pastor (Keith Duff).
- They desire to expand our executive leadership team from two to three in 2025 by dividing the current executive pastor role into two roles: 1) an Executive Pastor of Ministry (Pastor Keith) and 2) a new Executive Pastor of Operations.
VBC Constitution Updates
Our current constitution was drafted in 2007. Since then, our church has quadrupled in size and complexity. As an organization grows, its structure must change—otherwise, it will suffocate. We need to make slight updates to our constitution to keep it consistent with our leadership structure. A vote of the active church members will formalize these changes.
Proposed Changes to the VBC Constitution Existing constitution
Additional Elders
As the church grows, so does our need for those who will shepherd and care for our people. In our church, this shepherding is led by men who serve as shepherding elders and, if they are married, their wives who partner with them.
Ministry of Elders & Their Wives + Qualifications
The following men have been recommended as new shepherding elders. For those who are married, their wives have committed to serving alongside them.
Sugar Grove Campus
Plano Campus
Aurora Campus
- Craig Palmquist (Kathy) - The vote for Craig will take place in November.
Member Vote
All active members are asked (and encouraged!) to vote on these proposals.
On-Site:
- Sunday, October 20, after each service at all campuses
- Monday - Thursday, October 21-24, 9am-5pm at the Sugar Grove campus
- Monday - Thursday, October 21-24, 9am-2pm at the Plano campus
- Sunday, October 27, after each service at all campuses
Questions & Answers About the Proposed Elders
1. How were these men nominated for these roles?
These men have already been serving as shepherds of our church as leaders of small groups and in ministry roles. They were nominated by people who have been a part of their ministry and who have affirmed the shepherd's heart they have experienced in these men and their wives. The other shepherding elders from their campus (and their wives) have affirmed them and the guiding elders have approved them.
2. I don't know these men very well. How can I vote for them?
As the church has grown, we recognize that it is not possible for all members to know all candidates. So, to some degree, there is a level of trust exhibited in the system and in the other elders, wives, and small group members who have affirmed these individuals. If you would like to know more about an elder candidate, please contact your campus pastor or one of the shepherding elders at your campus.
Constitution & Executive Leadership Q&A
1. What does the Executive Leadership Team do?
The Executive Leadership Team reports to the guiding elders and provides leadership to the church staff as we strive to implement our vision to discover, develop, and deploy into our world disciples of Jesus Christ.
2. What is the current composition of the Executive Leadership Team?
Currently, the team consists of:
- Lead Pastor: Pastor Tim Badal
- Executive Pastor: Pastor Keith Duff
3. What changes are being proposed to the Executive Leadership Team?
The proposal is to expand the team by dividing Pastor Keith's current Executive Pastor role into two separate positions:
- Lead Pastor
- Executive Pastor of Ministry (Pastor Keith will continue to fill this full-time role.)
- Executive Pastor of Operations (Someone new will fill this full-time role.)
4. How will the current Executive Pastor role be split into two roles?
- The Executive Pastor of Ministry will lead the team of campus pastors who are leading at a campus level and the directors who oversee specific ministries across all campuses (small groups, discipleship, missions, stewardship, counseling, care, childrens, students, etc.). Additionally, he implements systems to discover and develop new leaders who can be deployed to reach more people with the hope of Jesus.
- The Executive Pastor of Operations will lead our Catalyst team, which coordinates important structure and background components across all of our campuses (finance, communications, facilities, technology, legal, and security). These things must be done with excellence, clarity, integrity, and transparency.
5. Why is the Executive Leadership Team being expanded?
The Lord has blessed our church with growth and opportunities to proclaim the hope of Jesus to our communities. This growth brings increased load and complexity at the executive leadership level. We need to create margin to move beyond the tyranny of the urgent. Because we believe God is calling us to reach more people, we are striving to adapt our structure to allow for that to happen. The expanded structure will allow for more focused leadership across ministries and operations.
6. How did the decision to expand come about?
The expansion was decided after a season of prayer, evaluation, and planning by the guiding elders (our church’s governing board) and the outside counsel of other church leaders.
7. Who will oversee the new executive team members?
All members of the Executive Leadership Team will continue to report to the guiding elders, who provide oversight for the church. If a visual representation would help, here's our leadership org chart.
8. How will the new Executive Pastor of Operations be found?
The guiding elders are leading the search and selection process. They are prayerfully considering candidates, seeking both pastoral heart and operational expertise. The full body of elders and their wives are part of the process as well.
9. How would a new Executive Pastor of Operations be affirmed?
Our church is governed and led by a team of guiding elders. Per our existing constitution, there are some things that members vote on, such as the campus pastor of their campus; there are some things that are voted on by the full body of elders (the 50+ shepherding elders from all campuses), such as the roles of the lead pastor and executive pastor. Beyond that, other staff roles are hired by the executive pastor(s) under the authority of the guiding elders.
Accordingly, the new Executive Pastor of Operations role will be affirmed by a vote of the full body of elders.
10. When will these changes take place?
Budget: Our fiscal year runs from July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025. Our current budget includes this position and anticipates a start date of January 1, 2025. As with any budget, it only works if the contributions are at or above budget (currently below budget) and expenses are at or below budget (currently below budget).
Person: In September 2023, we began talking with an individual and his wife about the possibility of him stepping into this new role. Over the past 13 months, God has grown a heart and desire in them for this role, and He has continued to confirm that amongst our shepherding team of elders and elder wives. If God continues to affirm this transition for this individual and for the church leadership team, we will continue to move forward.
11. Are there any changes in the meantime?
No. In the meantime, Pastor Keith will continue to cover the responsibilities of both roles, as he has for almost 20 years.
12. The proposed constitution specifies one lead pastor but does not specify how many executive pastors we will have. If we're planning to have an executive pastor of ministry and an executive pastor of operations, shouldn't the church constitution contain that detail?
When the current version of the constitution was written, we assumed there would only be one executive pastor. As the church has grown, the need has grown for a second. In the future, we may need more than two - or we may need less. We've adjusted the constitution to be flexible to allow for any of these scenarios.
13. Why does the change result in the executive pastor not having a vote on the guiding elder team?
This is nothing personal! A best practice for organizations - especially churches and other non-profits - is that the governing board should be made up of a majority of non-staff individuals. Since we have chosen not to specify the number of executive pastors, it was decided we would specify that they do not have a guiding elder vote so that there wouldn't be the risk of hiring more executive pastors that shifted the majority of the guiding elder team to staff individuals rather than non-staff.
14. Will the expansion change the roles or responsibilities of the guiding elders?
No. The guiding elders will continue to provide spiritual oversight and governance for the church. The Executive Leadership Team will focus on staff leadership and the day-to-day operations of the church.
15. What qualifications are required for the Executive Pastor of Operations?
The ideal candidate will have a strong combination of business acumen, leadership experience, and a pastoral heart. They will need to understand both operational complexities and the spiritual mission of the church.
16. Will this expansion affect the church's budget?
The expansion was included in this year's budget. The guiding elders are committed to making financial decisions that align with the church’s mission and ensure sustainability.
17. How can church members provide input or ask additional questions?
Members are encouraged to reach out to any of the elders with questions or feedback. We will also continue to update these Q&As.
18. How will this impact current ministries or programs?
The expansion aims to provide better support for ministries by increasing leadership capacity. Ministries will continue to function as usual, with enhanced oversight and collaboration.
19. Will there be a transition period for these changes?
Yes, there will likely be a transition period to ensure a smooth handoff of responsibilities, especially as the new Executive Pastor of Operations integrates into the team.
20. Why was this expansion not addressed earlier?
As the church has grown, the guiding elders have taken time to prayerfully evaluate and plan the best course of action. This decision aligns with God’s timing and the church’s current needs. Our budget is always a factor as our ideas always seem to outpace our funds! But that's okay, as this is one of the ways that God affirms and redirects our paths.
21. How can church members support this transition?
Members can support the transition by praying for the leadership, offering encouragement, and staying engaged throughout the process.
22. Can members who are unable to leave their homes due to health still vote?
Yes. Please contact your shepherding elder, and they will bring you a ballot.