Ministerial Search Moves Into High Gear!
(Newsletter: Thursday, January 23, 2014)
by the Ministerial Search Committee
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Your Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) is now in active conversation with the unusually large number of ministers who've applied for our position. This
week, we've been conducting lengthy Skype interviews with our top
choices. By this weekend, we hope to extend invitations to three
applicants to be our "Pre-Candidates." Each "Pre-Candidate" will be
invited to spend a weekend with the MSC, including preaching an entire
service in a nearby church.
The rules of the
process are that only the MSC, not the entire congregation, will engage
with the Pre-Candidates. The idea is to protect the relationship between
the ministers and their existing congregations. These procedures also
protect the discernment process from premature lobbying.
So where do you
come in? Well, you already have ... and you steadily will. Our
discernment is based on your input. Your Listening Sessions, and your
Survey, produced all the documents that introduced our church to
potential applicants and described the minister we seek. Your input also
guided us as we crafted our interview questions and as we reflect on
what we're learning about the ministers.
In April, the
"Candidate"--the one minister we ultimately recommend to you--will spend
ten days with the congregation, including two Sunday services in our
pulpit. Afterwards, it is--literally--your "call": You will decide, at a
special congregational meeting, whether our church calls this Candidate
or whether it does not.
But we don't want
you to take all this "on faith." This week, we are releasing to you the
entire Congregational Survey (see link below). Next week, we'll do the
same with the Congregational Record (our translation of the Survey data
into a lengthy job posting).
Your thoughtful
and deep participation in the Listening Sessions and Survey shaped our
understanding of your interests and preferences. We hope we are
representing our congregation accurately and fully. We're grateful to
you and we thank you.
To see our Survey, click here.
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