Good communication is essential as we grow and serve together as the body of Christ. Each month, the Leadership Team and Staff will share important information regarding our life, worship and mission. This is designed to keep you “in the loop,” and also to serve as a prayer guide. As leaders, we want to be approachable. So please feel free to ask questions or share feedback on any of the material included.
Staffing Developments and Additions
Trinity is blessed to have a such a healthy and committed staff who are passionate about equipping God’s people for ministry and mission. As Trinity continues to grow and change, so do our staffing needs. Here is an update on some staffing changes:
Sara Crane stepped down from her full-time role as Communications and Facility Manager in April. We have decided to separate the two aspects of Sara’s role into two part-time positions: Facility Manager and Communications Manager. We are thrilled that Scott Simmelink has agreed to serve as our Facility Manager (6 hours a week). Scott is well-equipped for this role after serving 27 years as the Director of Maintenance at Northwestern College. Scott will officially begin on June 1.
Jamie (Jongerius) Prescott will serve as our interim Communications Manager (30 hours a week) through the end of the summer. Jamie is a daughter of Trinity and has helped us out before in this capacity. This will allow time for the Leadership Team to determine what is needed in this position and facilitate a hiring process.
Andy Keller’s role will be developed into the Director of Worship and Ministry Operations. In addition to giving overall leadership to Trinity’s worship ministries, Andy will be responsible for the daily operations of the church and help implement new ministry initiatives. Based on our research, most churches our size have hired some kind of director of operations (sometimes called an “executive pastor”) in a part-time or full-time capacity. This will free up Pastor Brian to focus on areas like visionary leadership, preaching and teaching, and developing leaders. It will also help Pastor Bob and the rest of the staff give more time and energy to their places of strengths, as well as create better connection and communication with all the moving parts at Trinity. (We hesitate to use “business” terms as the church is not a business, but one way to think about Andy’s role is a “Chief Operations Officer”).
Eli Dahl will be brought on in a full-time capacity as our Associate of Worship and College Ministry. Eli is already functioning on staff in a very part-time capacity in the area of worship (especially AV and technology), and he has been a huge asset. We see many gifts in Eli and an opportunity to keep developing him as a leader. Eli will help Andy by taking on more responsibility with leading our worship teams, volunteer recruitment, scheduling, etc. Eli will also help us take our college ministry to another level as there has been a growing desire, especially among college students, to see this ministry grow and deepen. Eli will begin full time on June 1.
All of these changes fit well within the parameters of our Human Resources budget allocation, and leave funds still for some additional staffing needs down the road.
Why are we making these changes? We see the role of the staff at Trinity as not being the ones who are paid to do the ministry themselves, but who are living into Paul’s vision in Ephesians 4:12 to “equip the saints for ministry, for the building up of the body.” These changes will create more capacity for our current staff (so they don’t burn out) and help mobilize God’s people at Trinity for greater kingdom impact.
Meet Our Summer Interns
Reghan Harms is from Aurelia, IA and will be a junior at Northwestern College. She is majoring in Worship Arts and Religion. This summer Reghan will be working in children’s ministries helping with things like VBS and Pastoral Care and also assisting in other areas of ministry.
Marta Vander Top graduated from Dordt College in 2017 with a degree in worship arts and theology; she is currently pursuing her Masters of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary. She attended Trinity during all four years at Dordt, and is excited to be back in northwest Iowa again. She loves baking, practicing ukulele, and strong coffee. Marta will be spending this summer in areas of discipleship, preaching, and leadership development.
Derek Alter just finished his junior year at Northwestern College, where he is majoring in Christian Education and Youth Ministry. He will serve as the youth ministry intern this summer, working with Ben to plan and prepare two mission trips, lead small group Bible studies, and invest in students over the next ten weeks. Derek comes from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, and has served in middle school Sunday School for the last two years.