Elgin church survives with a novel idea: Rotating pastors
Evangelical Covenant Church of Elgin had a shrinking, aging congregation and dwindling finances when its two part-time pastors left in December. Church leaders suddenly had to face serious questions about survival.
They came up with a novel idea: Instead of launching a pastoral search, they would have guest pastors for a year.
The move is saving tens of thousands of dollars and even has attracted new churchgoers, church council Chairman Keith Kmieciak said.
Pastor Jeorge Holmes leads services twice a month, and Pastor Daryl Rahfeldt, a church member, does so once a month, twice if there is a fifth Sunday. The remaining guest pastor varies.
Council members said they are inclined to stick with the system long term.
"l love the variety," council member Dorothy Anderson said. "We hear different views from different people on the same Bible verse."
"Everyone is a little different. There are different styles and different ways of speaking that adds variety to it," Rahfeldt said. "If you have one pastor, you pretty much have to get used to one person's style and ways."
Kmieciak estimated the church will be saving about $40,000 this year that will go to charitable projects, including TLC Pregnancy Services, Wayside Cross Ministries and The Salvation Army.
The nine council members, all volunteers, manage operations, from answering phones - the main number rings Kmieciak's cellphone - to writing the church bulletin, organizing meetings and setting up concerts.
The congregation was started by Swedish immigrants in 1890 in a small church at the corner of Geneva and DuPage streets, and moved in 1974 to its current building at 1565 Larkin Ave. The congregation consisted of about 200 people with two services on Sunday; it now consists of roughly 50 people and one Sunday service.
Some younger members moved out of state, church council member Don Lottes said. Also, "as the megachurches came to the town and around the surrounding areas, the younger people left for all the amenities that they can afford to have in a larger church," Anderson said.
Most remaining members are long-timers: Lottes has been the organist for 51 years, the choir director has been there 40 years, and Anderson has been attending since she was just 2 months old.
The departure of the two former pastors was coincidental and amicable, Kmieciak said. "Both had lifestyle changes and we could not afford for either of them, let alone both, to be full-time," he said.
A few members left the church because of that, but there was no panic from the council, which simply worked together to find a solution, Kmieciak said.
"You're never going to please everybody," he said. "I do believe that if we did a pastoral search and we were able to hire a pastor, there are still going to be people in any congregation not happy with that individual. I think for us, at this particular point in time, this is the perfect scenario."