By Darlene Miller

The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) continues to meet weekly to review candidates’ personal discernment profiles and prayerfully discuss the attributes we feel meet the needs of our congregation.  At this point we have reviewed 70+ profiles of ministers who are from all parts of the country, who are seeking their first ordained call to having served for 40+ years as a pastor and everything in between.  This has been a time-consuming task to give each profile the thorough review each person deserves.  We continue to discern new profiles as self-referrals come to us but have selected a few to have initial interviews.  

We are excited to have the experience of speaking with a candidate and getting to know them as we continue to pray for God to open and close doors that lead us to our next installed pastor.  All this work is highly confidential for the protection of the candidates’ current ministry.  Should we have an interview with a candidate that doesn’t move forward, we want to protect the candidate’s ministry at their current church and their interactions with their congregation.  At this point moving forward we cannot share details about the potential candidates and ask that you be patient with this step in the process.  

While we are excited about this initial interview, the next step with any candidates that we want to learn more about or meet in person cannot occur until after our Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry has had a brief discussion with the candidate.  Once we have their approval, we can move forward with more specific interactions and interviewing.  This is a process that takes time, patience, and prayer.  While we are interviewing candidates, they are also interviewing us!  Everyone is seeking a good fit.  

The reassuring news in this search is that we have Pastor Carl and Denise for as long as this takes.  We are in great hands and can be assured that our church is continuing to be relevant for our congregation and our community.  Our Session, team leaders, and all of you who are active in the life of our church are the backbone of our work in tandem with Pastor Carl and Denise’s ministry.  We certainly are blessed with this stability.  This also gives us the ability to be thorough and make the best possible decision as we continue. 

Again, we ask for your patience, your prayers, and your encouragement through this process. We know that God is walking with us through every step. He is present with our congregation and our PNC as we continue to work weekly on this important mission. Thank you for your ongoing support!