The Calling of Jeff Tucker to Concordia

Calling of Jeff Tucker

The following information includes a (1) note from me, (2) a note from David Bohne and Greg Bram, and (3) a number of questions we anticipate might be asked as relates to calling Jeff Tucker to be an associate pastor at Concordia.

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Dear Concordia Elders and Congregation,

On July 3, 2023, Concordia extended a call to my son, Jeff Tucker, to serve as one of our associate pastors. I also received word this weekend that Jeff and Summer have accepted our call to serve at Concordia. Because some may question the wisdom of this call, I wanted to give you the details about the process we used. Please feel free to share this information with anyone who may be interested. Throughout the process, our goal has been to maintain an honorable call process with transparency and integrity.

I was recently approached by a lay leader who asked if Jeff was being considered for a position at Concordia. I was reluctant for a number of reasons, but at his urging I agreed to talk with Jeff.

When I raised the issue with Jeff in May, I was shocked to hear that he was interested in seeing the job description for the position we wanted to fill. At that point, I talked with the Executive Staff (Greg Styles, Jesse Martinez, and Nicole Carmines) and the Executive Committee of the Church Council (David Bohne, Rick Espey, Greg Bram, and Dwight Munk) for their blessing to continue the conversation. They all agreed that we should move to the next step of discussing the possibility of Jeff coming to Concordia.

The Church Executive Staff put together a job description to address the areas of ministry that we still needed to cover after the departures of last year. As you will recall, when we had several pastors and other staff leave in 2022, we took the opportunity to restructure our staff responsibilities. For example, we decided not to fill the position of Pastoral Care Pastor and instead cover those responsibilities with our pastoral team (as a whole).

I removed myself from this process. 

When the job description was completed, Jeff looked it over, and indicated that he and Summer would like to explore the possibility of a call to Concordia. At that point, I spoke with the Church Council’s executive committee. I asked for their guidance on how to move forward with integrity and to ensure that the needs of Concordia and the “fit” of Jeff’s ministry could be considered objectively. The constitution and bylaws of Concordia delegate the calling of associate and assistant pastors to the senior pastor. In this instance, however, we needed a more complete vetting process.

We all agreed that it would be best if there were a series of three interviews with three different groups: The Executive Staff, The Senior Directors of Concordia (including Pastor Ethan and Pastor Mark), and a representative group from the Church Council. The decision was also made that I would NOT participate in any of the interviews or the debriefing sessions, which followed the interviews.

Those interviews were completed, and, in each instance, it was the unanimous decision of each group that Concordia should issue a Divine Call to Jeff. Each group shared their conviction that his ministry would be a blessing to Concordia.

If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with me, David Bohne (Council President), or Greg Bram (Chair of the Elders).

In Christ, 

Bill Tucker

Senior Pastor

Concordia Lutheran Church, San Antonio, TX

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Fellow Elders and Concordia Congregation,

We are excited about the opportunity to bring another highly qualified young pastor into our Concordia family.  In this case, it is also a homecoming in the form of Pastor Jeff Tucker.  

Probably like many of you, there was some trepidation at first, but after evaluating Pastor Jeff on his own merits, he has tremendous talents that meet the needs of Concordia today and into the future.  From the comments shared by Pastor Bill Tucker, you can see that he has remained independent of the call process and that the church staff, pastoral staff and then, a subset of our Church Council, conducted interviews and recommended extending the call to Pastor Jeff.   This independence and the integrity of the call process was very important to Pastor Bill, Pastor Jeff, and our Church Council.

During our interviews with Pastor Jeff, we were impressed with his passion for the Lord, his commitment to the Bible and his maturity – he acknowledges the potential challenges of returning to Concordia and wants all safeguards in place to ensure that he is measured on his own merits and performance.

We fully support Pastor Jeff’s call and hope that you will join us in welcoming him home to Concordia and do everything in your power to support him and his family.  If you have any questions, please let us know.

Sincerely,

David Bohne                                             Greg Bram
Church Council President                      Chairman of the Elders

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Jeff Tucker FAQ

The following are some of the questions (with answers) that we anticipate may come to mind with regard to the calling of Jeff Tucker to Concordia.

Is Jeff Tucker related to Bill Tucker? Jeff is Pastor Tucker’s youngest son.

When will Jeff start this new job, assuming he accepts? Over the weekend we received word that Jeff has accepted our Call to Concordia. He will begin his ministry among us in early to mid-August.

Who will be responsible for Jeff’s performance reports and compensation decisions? Jeff will be accountable for his day-to-day ministry through the Executive Staff. All decisions with regard to salary and benefits will be handled by the Executive Staff in consultation with the Church Council.

Is he in line for the executive or senior pastor position?  When would that occur? Pastor Tucker and the Church Council have decided that we do not need an Executive Pastor at this time. Our Executive staff is strong (Nicole Carmines, Greg Styles, and Jesse Martinez). As for the role of Senior Pastor, none of our current pastoral staff have served as the Senior Pastor of a larger ministry and, therefore, would not be a candidate for Concordia’s next Senior Pastor.

Are there any other father/son teams in ministry in the LCMS? Just like in the secular and business world, there are many examples of father/son teams in ministry, including the LCMS. Many of these teams are very successful. Others are not. Are there any lessons to be learned from them? Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned is that successful teams emphasize good communication, a humble attitude, and a passion to serve and bless God’s Church. This is always at the heart of successful team ministry, whether families are involved or not. Every member of Concordia’s ministry team must be committed to serving as one team in mission and ministry.

How has staff, especially the other pastors, reacted? The leadership staff (including the pastors) that has been involved in the interview process have been VERY enthusiastic about bringing Jeff on to our staff.

Will Jeff and his family fit into “our team”?  It has been the evaluation of each group that interviewed Jeff that he would be an excellent “fit” on our ministry team.

Why Jeff over other candidates? Have we looked at anyone else?  Was there a process? Concordia is consistently looking for pastors and ministry staff who may be a fit for our team. The Executive Staff has interviewed other pastoral and ministry candidates and the consensus as to whether these candidates would fit our team has been unanimous. The Church Council is also kept up to date on candidates and recommendations from the Executive Staff. In Jeff’s case, the Executive Staff and Church Council were impressed by his strong preaching and communication skills, his passion for mission, his hard work ethic, and his caring and compassionate demeanor and heart.

What is his title and what is his job? Jeff will be an Associate Pastor at Concordia. He will have responsibility in the area of teaching, community outreach, missions, preaching, pastoral care, and other duties as assigned. He will function as a member of our church staff, which means he will support the ministry of Concordia in whatever way he is needed.

Where does he fit in the organization?  Jeff will serve as an associate pastor and a member of the church leadership team (like all other pastoral staff). 

What is his seniority relative to the other pastors? Jeff fits in between Pastor Ethan and Pastor Mark in terms of years in Pastoral Ministry.

Will he have any direct reports? At this point, Jeff will not have any direct reports.

What guidelines will be put in place to prevent the perceived negative aspects of nepotism? The accountability structures outlined above and the fact that Pastor Tucker will not be involved in Jeff’s performance evaluations, or in matters pertaining to Jeff’s salary and benefits are in place to prevent the perceived negative aspects of nepotism.

What procedures will be put in place to ensure that honest feedback will be heard regarding Jeff’s ministry? Any feedback about Jeff’s ministry may be directed toward the Executive Team or the Church Council. If appropriate, the Executive Team may respond directly to feedback, or share it with the Church Council so that they may respond.

Will Summer be involved in ministry in any way at Concordia? There are no plans for Summer to join the staff of Concordia’s ministry in any role. However, it is our sincere desire that Summer, like all of our members, will become engaged in using her gifts and talents to serve our beloved Concordia and our community.

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