Zion Lutheran Church Council

The Church Council is the highest human authority in the congregation, under the authority of God, which He exercises through Holy Scripture, and of the Lutheran Confessions, which are normative descriptions of the Christian faith. The Council consists of 9 elected members, the pastors, and youth representives. It is responsible for the spiritual life and mission of the congregation, and is ultimately responsible for all policy and financial decisions, including the Synod and national Church benevolence. The Church Council meets once per month on the second Sunday of each month. Church Council members are to maintain an atmosphere of peace and reverence in the congregation and to live an exemplary life of prayer, witness, and concern for Christ’s lordship and mission among the members of the church. The Council members are: Phyllis Haggan, Liz Hardwick, Joleen Kezar (Secretary), Juanita Kling, Dave Pellett, Joan Taylor Peterson, Chris Runnels (President), Wayne Smith, and Laurence Wright (Vice-President).

The Executive Board, which consists of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Pastor, may also meet monthly prior to the full Council meeting to take care of some business items lest the Council agenda become too burdensome.

Budget and Finance Committee

The Budget and Finance Committee mission is to produce a realistic annual budget for Zion Lutheran Church. The committee calls for and evaluates budget input from each operating committee for inclusion in the annual budget process. Budget and Finance works in conjunction with the Personnel Committee to determine appropriate salary increases for presentation to the Church Council and the congregation.

Building Committee

The Building Committee's primary objective of is to evaluate the future needs of Zion’s ministries and plan for building and construction.

Care Meals

Care Meals provides frozen meals for individuals and families in times of crisis.

Christian Education Committee

The purpose of the Christian Education Committee is to equip adults and youth in knowledge of Holy Scripture, teaching them the stories of God’s activities with His people in the Bible and building Christ-centered relationships between adults and youth. Once the foundation is laid, we study how faith and scripture interact with daily life, enabling us to point our youth and adults to a joy-filled relationship with the God Who created, redeemed, and sustains them.

Contemporary Worship Ministry Team

The Contemporary Worship Committee exists to facilitate our Wednesday evening contemporary worship services. One of the primary goals is to provide an alternative worship experience-with an informal format of music and message-that reaches individuals who may not be comfortable with traditional worship or for those who prefer a more contemporary worship style.

Memorials Committee

The Memorials Committee manages donations that are given to Zion from both congregation and non-congregation members. The committee’s purpose is to provide banking and bookkeeping services. The committee, under the direction of Council, has the ability to make purchases for the church within the Memorial Fund Checking Account. The committee is responsible for sending thank-you notes in acknowledgment of donations.

Mission Endowment Fund Board

The Mission Endowment Fund Board is responsible for the management, solicitation, preservation, and marshalling of moneys, securities, and assets gifted, bequeathed, or otherwise transferred to the Zion Mission Endowment Fund. Endowment funds are normally understood as perpetual funds from which only the earnings are distributed. It is possible that memorial funds may be channeled into either an endowment fund or special fund as directed by the donor or donors. Income from the Mission Endowment Fund can and should be used to extend the mission of the congregation beyond expenditures supported through regular offerings to community programs, institutional ministries, and other works of the church at home and abroad.

Outreach Committee

The purpose of this committee is to:

1) Equip the congregation to reach out with the Gospel to members and potential members

2) Encourage active discipleship within the congregation

3) Be engaged in deeds of compassion and justice that reflect the spiritual power of God’s love

4) Help make Zion a hospitable and welcoming community of faith.

The Outreach Committee is concerned with evangelism of word and deed. It seeks to work, together with the Church Council and staff, to make Zion a continually more welcoming and accessible place. Its members seek to be creative and imaginative in coming up with fresh ways to present the Good News of Jesus Christ and to encourage vital contact with with Him through Word and Sacrament for members and non-members alike. It also works at finding ways to embody the affirming Gospel of Christ by deeds of love and justice, promoting, for instance, the local Food Shelf (housed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, but participated in by almost all local churches) and other social concerns. It’s a broad portfolio, and the Outreach Committee is always open to a new volunteer who wishes to be truly about the business of ministry in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Parish Wellness Ministry Committee

The mission of the Parish Wellness Ministry is to encourage health, healing, and caring among the people of Zion Lutheran Church faith community through the Parish Nurse and Parish Wellness Ministry Committee. The Parish Nurse works to share God’s love so that our people may receive: spiritual support as they face health problems and challenges, education and opportunities to pursue a wholistic lifestyle as God intended in creation, help in identifying community resources in their illness and life changes. The purpose of the Parish Wellness Ministry Committee is to help the congregation care for one another…to attain, maintain, and/or regain the best possible whole person health—wellness of body, mind, and spirit—that can be experienced. To achieve this goal the Parish Wellness Ministry Committee is guided by the principles of health ministries which are: focus on prevention, approach health from whole person (body, mind, and spirit) perspective, and encourage and assist parishioners to take an active role in maintaining their own health.

Personnel Committee

The ministry of the Personnel Committee includes a number of important activities. The following is representative of its responsibilities:

1) To offer support, encouragement, and constructive criticism to staff members

2) To conduct annual performance reviews of staff

3) To create and update accurate job descriptions for each staff member

4) To act as a confidential clearing house for grievances against or between staff members

5) To conduct interviews with potential employees and make recommendations to the Church Council

Property Committee

The Property Committee is responsible for making decisions regarding property/grounds issues and for maintaining the property of Zion Lutheran Church. It is also responsible for making decisions for the maintenance of the parsonage (rental unit).

Stewardship Committee

The Stewardship Committee’s mission is to develop and implement programs that encourage the members of Zion Lutheran Church to give freely of their time, talents, and treasures. The committee runs stewardship drives to get financial intentions of giving of the congregation, orders the envelopes for the year, conducts time and talents drives, and periodically reports to the congregation via bulletin inserts, articles in Tidings, and temple talks.

Worship and Music Committee

The Worship and Music Committee works to develop, maintain and enrich the worship experience of the members and visitors of Zion in the following subcommittees and/or areas: altar, banner, ushering, flowers, greeters, lectors, organists, choirs, pulpit supply, special music, and planning special services.

Youth Committee

We provide many recreation and service opportunities for students in grades 4 - 12, including Jr. High and Sr. High Sunday Night Alive (last Sunday of the month at 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM), and Sr. High Prayer Breakfast every Wednesday at 7:00 AM during the school year.

Zion Women of the ELCA

As a community of women, created in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the participants commit themselves to grow in faith, affirm their gifts, support one another in their callings, engage in ministry and action, and promote healing and wholeness in the Church, the society, and the world. Circle meetings are held monthly (with the exception of some winter or summer months, depending on the circle) at various times on the first Wednesday of each month. In order to accommodate more women, circles meet morning, afternoon, and evening.