News

Arise Church Board Update — April 2023
2023-04-21

Kia ora koutou katoa,

In April last year I came onto our Arise board for a term of 12 months and after a few months, was appointed to the role of chairperson. The mission was to strengthen our church governance during a time of crisis, and I am so deeply grateful for the wisdom and support of my fellow trustees/advisors.

In recent weeks I have received questions about what we are doing to rebuild; the appointment of our permanent lead pastors; and the current board composition. With those questions in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to share some of the significant progress we have made in these specific areas.

Review Advisory Committee Update
Over the past eight months, our Review Advisory Committee (RAC) have been reviewing commissioned reports and gathering feedback from our church whānau across Aotearoa. Its purpose was to provide recommendations on how we move forward and strengthen our governance and leadership foundations for the future. I am now pleased to report that the RAC have completed their recommendations for the Board to consider.

We are in a season of re-building and the Board will now move into the phase of considering and ratifying these recommendations. They cover a multitude of areas from leadership-board appointments, financial transparency, to good governing practices. Before moving into any action or implementation phase, our plan is to present this final report to the church in May 2023.

Appointment of a new Lead Pastor
An important role that the board plays is the appointment and oversight of the lead pastoral role. We are now ready to move into this process and we will be considering candidates for this role from 30 April 2023.

The selection panel will be made up of external pastors, trustees, and spiritual advisory members of Arise excluding staff. There will be a series of panel interviews facilitated over the next 4-6 weeks and we look forward to making this announcement in due course.

Board Composition
Serving on this board is a voluntary service role which is very demanding on our trustee's time. The commitment has been immense for every trustee who has had to juggle family life, a full-time job, and friendships.

At Christmas time, I knew this season was coming to an end and I needed to shift my focus to my whānau. I indicated to the board that I would be stepping down in April which was the natural conclusion to my 12-month term. I have now given my notice and will be officially stepping down from the board on the 30 April 2023 and John Robertson will be taking on the role as our new chairperson.

John and his family reside in Christchurch, and he has been serving as a trustee since 2022. We have flourished as a board because of his astute leadership, business acumen and wisdom. You will no doubt be hearing more from him in the future — Thank you John!

In addition to this announcement, we have been working very hard behind the scenes to ensure we maintain strength and momentum, so I am pleased to announce that Rick Teal has taken on the call to join the board from 21 April 2023. Rick is well known to many of you, and I know he will bring his expertise in business along with his wealth of pastoral and church experience. He has been a faithful servant of ARISE for over 18 years along with his wife Pastor Kellee Teal and their family.

There are plans to on-board more trustees over the coming weeks and we will update you on those appointments as they arise.

Before I sign out, I want to take a moment to thank my husband Jono and my children, Jack, Abraham and Brooke for their unwavering support. As a whānau, we look forward with hope for our church’s future and continuing the journey with you all.

Ka nui te mihi ora ki a koutou katoa, mauri ora!
Kylie Fletcher