An Inside Look at the CCC Governing Board: Q&A with Ken Dick
Photo by Austin Asay
For nearly 100 years, Christ Community Church has been an influential voice among churches in our city. Throughout that time, God has been faithful to provide great leadership—wise men and women who seek to hear from God and discern his voice in order to make the best strategic decisions that position CCC and its people to be in the center of the mission to which God has called us. In addition to a great pastoral staff and other leaders who serve in vocational roles, CCC is blessed to have another layer of leadership called the Governing Board of Elders. Jed Logue, CCC’s Executive Director of Ministry Arts, had the privilege of sitting down with Governing Board member Ken Dick over a cup of coffee to learn more about who they are and what they do.
Ken is a professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and serves there as a Research Fellow in Telecommunications. Ken has a PhD in statistics, a Master’s in counseling, and a Bachelor’s in math and physics. Ken has worked in a variety of environments, from teaching public school to directing an alternative school for dropouts, to twenty years in corporate life and now twenty years at UNO.
How long have you been coming to CCC? How many years have you served on the Governing Board (GB)?
We have been at Christ Community Church for thirty years. I’ve been on the Governing Board for almost twelve years, and the way that works is really interesting. You serve in three-year terms, and after two terms you have to take a one-year sabbatical, which I think is really healthy. It gives you some distance and then you can come back. I’m finishing my twelfth year on the board with a year off in the middle.
What is the role and function of the Governing Board?
The GB works on the strategic direction of the church—where we want to be, long-term. All of the strategic plans that come up through Pastor Mark and through the Management Team (a staff team of executives/directors) go to the GB, and we get to interact with them. We also are involved in financial review—long-term budgets and any expenditure above a certain amount has to be approved by the GB. So, we’re sitting there as an accountability layer representing the congregation in the governance of the church. We do the annual review on Mark. We are his boss. We determine his salary and set goals and directions for him. When a creative “winds of the Spirit” idea emerges, the GB helps to ask the right questions and to discern how those ideas fit into the larger vision and direction of CCC.
Photo by Marie Dufour
I hear a theme of oversight—oversight to Pastor Mark, to the health of the church and stewardship of our resources, and also to the overall vision. What role does the GB play in terms of spiritual oversight?
We take spiritual oversight very seriously. From a spiritual standpoint, we are always thinking about the health of the church and what we need to do in order to help our people grow and mature in Christ. We recognize that none of us have arrived. We are all in need of continuous progress in our spiritual walk. That’s the thing I love about the elders of our church. We are all growing, and we are seeking to support and create an environment in our church that allows people to grow in their relationship with Christ.
How do you even get on GB?
There is a process that involves a nominating committee made up of board members and other people in our church. Those being considered have an application to fill out that asks about theological and doctrinal beliefs, and there is also an interview that each person sits through. We are looking for people with a variety of skill-sets, but we are also looking for people who are doctrinally sound and who also have the grace to work with others. They really want mature, solid leaders in place. You’re not going to find someone on the GB who just joined the church last week. They need to have a history—a history of ministry and of being involved.
So these are people who love Jesus, have a depth of understanding in Scriptural and doctrinal truth, and they’ve shown themselves faithful to the CCC community?
Yes, and everyone on the GB is involved in different ministries at CCC. Some in the high school ministry, some in other ministries, but we’re all involved. I am the elder representative on the Management Team, so I get to bridge both the GB and the Management Team. We like that so there’s not just a single point of contact between the two. Pastor Mark wants another voice, so I get to go to all the Management Team meetings.
What are some of the reasons you continue to say “yes” to serving in this capacity? It obviously takes something of you in your schedule and commitment to consider these decisions in a prayerful way. Why do you keep doing it?
Meet CCC's Governing Board of Elders on our leadership page.
For one thing, I feel like God is calling me to it. I love the old expression that when God calls you, you’ve got to get off the couch and do it. Second, I feel like we all need to contribute to where God is calling. I also believe I bring something to the table in terms of a perspective that might be different. My biggest goal in life is to further the Kingdom and impact the next generation. I’m a firm advocate of developing the next generation of leaders. As a church, we have great resources, and we need to use those resources not just within our walls, but we need to use them to develop people and send them out. I feel strongly enough about it that I want to continue serving on the GB to make sure that happens.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I would like to encourage everyone to interact with the GB. We need to hear from our people. That doesn’t mean we need to agree, but we need to have the grace to allow the elders to disagree. We don’t need to think the same, because that’s boring.
Jed Logue is the Executive Director of Ministry Arts at Christ Community Church
