New Brunswick Classis

Part I
SUPERVISOR GUIDELINES

Article 1. Definitions

Sec. 1 BACKGROUND: The BCO mandates the following, “The classis

shall appoint one of its ministers as supervisor of all proceedings of the
consistory of a church without a minister or senior minister. The supervisor shall
attend all formal meetings of the consistory, due notice having been given.” Part
II, Art. 7, Sec. 3.

As noted consistently in our church order, a primary reason the classis

provides/requires a Supervisor has to do with three offices of the church
(Minister of the Word and Sacrament, Elder, and Deacon). With the departure
or absence of an installed pastor, the office of Minister and Sacrament is thereby
missing in that congregation. The classis purposefully enables a whole and
complete ministry in the life of such a congregation by supplying this office on a
temporary basis.

Sec. 2 PURPOSE: A supervisor assists a congregation by providing

knowledgeable support and wise counsel during the vacancy in the office of
minister. The supervisor serves in the role of a liaison, advocating for and
between congregation, consistory, and classis. The supervisor is responsible to
help ensure that an open and accountable relationship exists between the
consistory and the congregation, and between the church and the classis, until
such time as the pastoral vacancy is filled.

Sec. 3 MEMBERSHIP: A supervisor is appointed when either a senior or

single pastorate is not filled. If there is still installed associate minister(s), a
different minister shall be appointed as supervisor; if the vacancy to be filled is
an associate/assistant pastor, the senior minister shall act as supervisor. If a
church is in an active search mode, meaning that there is a search committee
formed (or about to be constituted), the classis, through the congregational care
committee, will appoint two ministers and one elder to serve as a supervisory
team. One minister shall be at each consistory meeting and one elder and one
minister shall attend each search committee meeting. If the church is not
actively searching for an installed minister, one minister shall be assigned who
will attend consistory meetings.
Sec. 4 DURATION: Supervisors are appointed by the Congregational
Care Committee for up to a two year assignment, with one year options (mutually
agreed upon by the Commission and Supervisor) after that time. Unless there
are extenuating circumstances, the supervisor(s) are expected to continue in
that role until such time as a new pastor is installed. A minister of classis may
decline a supervision appointment one time, but then must accept when asked a
second time. Supervisors may not supervise more than one congregation at a
time. Any minister under care of classis, except for those retired, can be called
on to fill this role. This policy extends to all ministers under care of Classis.

Sec. 5 EXPECTATIONS:
a. In churches that do not secure the services of a SIM (Specialized
Interim Minister), the supervisor shall attend all regular and special
consistory meetings. If scheduling concerns result in an anticipated
missed meeting, the consistory is asked first to look at a different meeting
date; if that cannot occur, the supervisor shall seek to schedule a guest
replacement. If that cannot happen, then the consistory may meet, with
the supervisor’s permission, but votes will have to be postponed until the
next meeting when the supervisor is present.

b. In churches that have an associate minister, attendance by the

supervisor at consistory meetings is not mandatory. However, the
supervisor shall maintain regular contact with the associate minister and
Vice President of Consistory and report monthly to the Congregational
Care Committee. While the supervisor may not be involved in the self-
study process, he or she shall be involved in the search process. The
supervisor should be available and willing to attend any/all meetings of
consistory to which his/her presence is requested, regardless of the
presence of an associate.

c. In relation to the church’s Search Committee – a supervisor’s

primary task is to help that committee understand its task, its resources,
and the process by which they will arrive at calling their next installed
pastor. It is NOT the responsibility of the supervisor to “pick” the next
pastor for the congregation, nor is it the responsibility of the supervisor to
preach or provide pastoral care for the members of the congregation
(unless this is mutually agreed upon.) Provision for such ministerial help
may be arranged by the church through an agreement with another pastor
or theological student who is under the care of a classis.

d. In relationship to classis, each supervisor is expected to submit

monthly reports to the chair of the Congregational Care Committee. (A
template is provided in Appendix A; e-mail contact is preferred.) These
reports are due on the 5th of each month.
e. In consideration of the time and effort spent on behalf of the
church, the supervisor shall respectfully receive remuneration for the
services provided during his/her supervisory role. The per-meeting
attended stipend shall be $50, per supervisor, paid by the church on a
quarterly basis. Meeting stipends shall be paid by the supervised
congregation. (See Appendix B.)

f. The Classis shall pay mileage at IRS guidelines for supervisors

attending related functions at that church. Documentation on mileage with
corresponding meeting dates shall be submitted to the treasurer of classis
to process and send mileage reimbursement. (See Appendix C.)

g. Unless otherwise noted above, a supervisor shall attend all formal

consistory meetings, elders’ meetings and search committee meetings. A
supervisor serving a congregation without an SIM shall attend self-study
meetings. The supervisor is also encouraged, when able, to attend
congregational meetings.

h. Any exceptions to the above can be made at the discretion of the

Congregational Care Committee.
Article 2. Supervision of Congregations with a Specialized Interim Minister:

Specialized Interim Ministers: In churches that have secured the services of a

SIM, the supervisors’ role may change, and yet their purpose does not. The
supervisor (and not the SIM) is responsible to the church, and especially to
classis, for wise and faithful oversight in the life of a congregation without an
installed minister. Attendance by a supervisor at consistory meetings in a
church employing a SIM is not mandatory more than quarterly. However,
especially in the event that the supervisor does not more regularly attend
consistory meetings, the supervisor is to maintain regular and ongoing contact
with both the Vice President of Consistory and the SIM. The supervisor is still
required to submit the monthly report to the Congregational Care Committee.
The supervisor should be available and willing to attend any/all meetings of
consistory to which his/her presence is requested, regardless of the presence of
a SIM. A SIM may be involved in the self-study, but is not to be involved in the
search process. It is the supervisors’ responsibility that the classis mandated
congregational self-study process is followed and completed.

Article 3. Supervision of Congregations with a Minister Under Contract:

Ministers Under Contract: Where a contract for pastoral leadership is in

place a supervisor is to be assigned.
a. The supervisor will attend all consistory meetings
b. The supervisor will ensure that an evaluation of the contract is
conducted before the contract period ends resulting in,
1. Renewal of the contract; or
2. Revision of the contract; or
3. Termination of the contract. (When this happens the
supervisor shall help the consistory establish a
procedure to secure new pastoral leadership as
appropriate.)

Please also read and consider the accompanying document entitled, “Classis
Supervisor” as it has been adapted from the RCA Handbook for congregations
without an installed minister.

Approved by: New Brunswick Classis Congregational Care and Pastoral Care
Committees Date: 11/28/2007

Approved by: New Brunswick Classis Date: 1/26/2008

 Part II
CLASSIS SUPERVISOR

Article 1:
Appointment and Role with the Consistory
“The classis shall appoint one of its ministers as supervisor of all
proceedings of the consistory of a church without a minister or senior
minister. The supervisor shall attend all formal meetings of the consistory,
due notice having been given.” Part II, Art. 7, Sec. 3

Article 2:
The classis has the sole authority to appoint the supervisor of an open
congregation. While the classis can take into consideration requests by a
congregation for a specific supervisor, the classis must appoint a minister who,
from the classis point of view, has the gifts and abilities to be the supervisor of a
church. A church doesn’t need someone it “likes,” the church needs someone
who has gifts to help the congregation through this crucial period. The BCO
requires the appointment of a lead supervisor who is a minister.

Article 3:
The appointment of the supervisor should take place immediately upon the
approval of the application for dissolution of pastoral relationship. It is important
that the supervisor participate in consistory meetings immediately, and if
possible, before the departing pastor has left.

Article 4:
The supervisor can be the pastor of another congregation with full-time
responsibilities. The consistory of that church should be informed of the
additional service their pastor is rendering and consent to this temporary
arrangement. The supervisor will incur expenses in performing these extra
services. Reimbursement will be made by the classis and by the church
receiving supervision.

Article 5:
The supervisor should make arrangements to meet as soon as possible with the
consistory and its departing pastor. Important decisions by the consistory need
to be made very quickly. The sooner an initial meeting occurs, the more likely
the consistory, supervisor, and departing pastor will have time to discuss issues
thoroughly and make informed decisions.

Article 6:
If the consistory determines that a specialized interim minister will serve the
church during the pastoral vacancy, the responsibilities of the supervisor may be
adjusted. It is essential that a clear division of responsibilities be worked out
between the supervisor and the specialized interim minister, with the approval of
the consistory.
 Appendix A
Classis of New Brunswick, R.C.A.
CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE
MONTHLY CHURCH SUPERVISION REPORT AND UPDATE

To be filed by the 5th of each month, one report per supervised congregation.
This report must be completed and e-mailed or mailed to the chair of the committee.

The purpose of this report is to help the Congregational Care Committee monitor the church
during its current pastoral vacancy. These reports are kept on file during the vacancy. Each
monthly report is considered an update from the previous report. The Congregational Care
Committee uses these reports as the basis of its report to the Classis. Information that is
intended solely for the committee’s knowledge should be clearly identified as confidential. Each
supervisor is to submit a separate report. For questions about the search process for
congregations which are not involved in such a process, N/A is an acceptable answer.

DATE: SUBMITTED BY:

CHURCH:

SUPERVISOR/MINISTER UNDER CONTRACT:

How would you describe the spirit and mood of the congregation?

How many meetings did you attend as supervisor in the past month? What
was the substance of the activities/discussion that occurred?

What concerns do you have for the church? Are there new strengths you
can identify?

What report can be made about the work of the Search Committee?

Is the Consistory getting ready to issue a contract or call? Will the Search
Committee request that the Congregational Care Committee interview a
candidate soon?
Additional comments:
 Appendix B
Classis of New Brunswick, R.C.A.
CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE
QUARTERLY SUPERVISOR MEETING REMUNERATION REPORT

Once completed this report should be e-mailed or mailed to the Chair of the
Congregational Care Committee. Reports should be filed by each individual supervisor.

DATE:

SUBMITTED BY:

ADDRESS:

CHURCH BEING SUPERVISED:

MEETINGS ATTENDED THIS QUARTER (PLEASE PROVIDE DATE AND

TYPE):

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
 Appendix C
Classis of New Brunswick, R.C.A.
CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE
QUARTERLY SUPERVISOR MILEAGE AND EXPENSE REPORT

Once completed this report should be e-mailed or mailed to the Classis Treasurer.

DATE:

SUBMITTED BY:

CHURCH BEING SUPERVISED:

MEETING DATES:

MILEAGE FOR CURRENT QUARTER:

ADDITIONAL BILLABLE EXPENSES (PLEASE EXPLAIN):