PORTICO Annual Business Meeting 2019 – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Q1. Is Pastor Doug leaving? Pastor Doug is not leaving PORTICO. As part of the succession plan, Pastor Doug will continue to
serve the mission and vision of the church as a teaching pastor and a member of the pastoral team. Details of his new role are still being developed. Q2. What is motivating this decision, at this time?
Pastor Doug and The Board agree that Succession planning is key to the ongoing strength and success of any organization. It is driven by our collective desire to care for and position PORTICO to continue steadfast in our drive to help people find their way back to God. As a result, this topic has been an ongoing discussion at the board (including Pastor Doug) for a number of years. In September of 2018, following the Spirit’s prompting, Pastor Doug asked the Elders to begin work on a leadership transition plan. After much prayer, reflection and conversation, the Elders unanimously felt that the timing of this request was aligned with the Spirit’s leading. We continue to pray and trust God that he will guide the process and timing of this plan in his perfect will. Q3. Why is this good for PORTICO?
PORTICO is God’s church – the role of the Elder Board and Senior Pastor is to ensure that we are directing and over-seeing this part of his body in line with God’s leading. This includes who He has chosen to lead PORTICO, and when it is time to look towards the future. This succession discussion has been initiated by the Holy Spirit speaking into the hearts of Pastor Doug and the Elder Board over a period of months and years. All involved have confidence that God has good things in store for PORTICO’s future. There is also a recognition that lack of succession planning can result in serious hardships for any organization or church, especially when the Senior Pastor retires. This succession plan will enable PORTICO to continue to thrive with an orderly transition to a younger leader for the future, but with our current Senior Pastor as part of the team providing both strength and continuity.
Q4. How will this impact PORTICO's current Vision and Mission? The Elder Board and Pastor Doug have worked intentionally such that PORTICO’s Vision and Mission has been inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Vision, Mission and Ends are evaluated formally on an annual basis as part of our governance process with much prayer and reflection. The succession plan will not on its own have any impact on PORTICO’s vision and mission; it is intended to transition the Senior Pastor role in alignment with the Vision and Mission. Changes to Vision and Mission need to be Holy Spirit directed and agreed to by the Elder Board and Senior Pastor and communicated to the PORTICO members and family. Q5. Why did the Board not consider external candidates for the Senior Pastor role? The Board developed a leadership assessment profile to assess what type of leader is best suited to serve as Senior Pastor at PORTICO and lead our church into the future. Based on this profile, the approach taken by the Board was to then assess if any internal candidates aligned closely with this profile. If a suitable internal match was identified, the preference of the Board was to pursue a pathway with this internal candidate before looking externally. Some of the key drivers for this approach include the unique DNA of PORTICO in the region, the complexity of the multi-campus model and the numerous benefits of having firsthand experience of the internal candidate’s competencies and skill set. Another key driver was the intent that PORTICO remain on mission and remain distraction free through the leadership transition process. Q6. Does Pastor Doug anticipate taking the role of Pastor at another church in the future? No, at this point Pastor Doug and Laura would still like to be part of the PORTICO pastoral team serving to pursue our Mission and Vision. Their role will be at the pleasure of the Board and the successful candidate. Q7. What is the role of Pastor Doug if a new candidate is elected Senior Pastor? Pastor Doug has expressed his desire to still use his Teaching gifts at PORTICO. The details and nature of his future role have not yet been fully developed. For the first few months however, Pastor Doug intends to focus on supporting Pastor Rick through the transition. Q8. Pastor Rick mentioned in the Town Halls how he would like to see PORTICO go out into the community and flex our “serve muscles” more. How does Pastor Rick intend to do that without spreading the base too thin and how will he encourage people to join in? Pastor Doug will still anchor the teaching team and be a resource for support. This will give other’s opportunities to grow. We the church need to step up and fill those roles in the community as it not just a pastoral responsibility.
Q9. What are the next steps after the Townhalls? When does the voting happen and are proxy votes allowed? As stipulated in PORTICO’s constitution, the Board will call a Special meeting of Members to vote on the proposed candidate for Senior Pastor early in the New Year. Upon approval of seventy-five percent (75%) of the Members present in person, a formal call will then be extended to the prospective Senior Pastor. The constitution does not currently allow for proxy voting. Non-members can attend the meeting but cannot vote for the candidate. Q10. Who will lead the PORTICO Brampton campus if Pastor Rick is elected? The Board of Elders is aware of the impact of this potential change on the Brampton campus and will work with Pastor Rick to ensure that the right leadership is provided to support the Brampton Campus.