During February and early March, you won’t see much of us on
Sundays. Why? Because we’ll be “on the road,” to various churches around the
state. There, in what are called “neutral pulpits,” we’ll witness how each of
our three ministerial “Pre-candidates” preaches and leads a service.
Each of those three Sundays is the climax to a grueling
weekend-long interview. Typically, the minister arrives Friday evening and
stays until late on Sunday. A partner or family member may accompany the
minister, to “scope out” the area on the side. All members of the Search
Committee participate in the interviewing process. The “grueling” part works both
ways: We’re evaluating the minister, and the minister is evaluating “us” (our
church). We are trying to find the best “fit”!
We’ve previously met each minister only via Skype, so Friday
night will be a time to get acquainted. On Saturday morning, we’ll drive the
minister around the Worcester area to see the sights. Next, we’ll tour the
church. And then comes the major work of the day: We will sit down and ask each
other many, many questions.
We’ll explore: religious philosophy, worship, and spiritual
practices; sermon sources and approach; integrating music into the service;
theological breadth and focus; pastoral care and working with people;
leadership style and administrative experience; church governance; programming
initiatives; working with youth; community outreach; finances and growth; and
contractual matters. The MSC has prepared questions in each area as takeoff
points for discussion. And the minister will ask us as many questions as we ask
the minister.
We have made arrangements with three churches to host our
Pre-candidates as guest preachers on those three Sundays in February and March.
The MSC will then deliberate and recommend one candidate to the congregation.
In April, the candidate spends ten days meeting the congregation and preaches
two Sunday services. Afterwards, the congregation decides whether or not to
call the minister.
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