by Jill Fandrich
My church is in an “interim period” right now. Our last pastor left in June of 2023 for personal family reasons. Since he left, Westminster has been without consistent pastoral leadership while we conduct a search for a new pastor. Here’s how it’s going, in true Presbyterian manner.
In some denominations (Roman Catholic and Methodist, among others), clergy are assigned to churches by a bishop or some other ecclesiastical authority. Presbyterians, however, are not hierarchical, so they search for and hire their own pastors. But Presbyterians are connectional, meaning they are not stand-alone churches whose congregations make decisions independently. Presbyterians are sort of a middle ground. They follow denominational process which guides how they do their work but not what decisions are made. Conducting a pastoral search is one those processes.
Here's how it works. Last summer, Westminster elected a Pastor Nominating Committee, which we refer to as the PNC. Our PNC is comprised of 9 members who reflect the congregation at large. A few of us are long-term members who were raised Presbyterian. Most are newer members who were raised in other denominations or perhaps none at all. We represent a wide age range, from 16 years old to 70-something. A few are young parents. Three of us are retired, but most work full time. We are a pretty accurate reflection of our membership. What we share is a love of Westminster, a willingness to listen for God’s voice, and a sincere desire to seek a pastoral leader who will walk with our congregation in the next few years of our lives together.
We meet weekly, which is a huge commitment, but everyone takes the responsibility seriously. We spent the first couple months studying our church’s Mission Study which lays out the priorities and vision of the church. We base our search on this study, not on our individual preferences. We used the Mission Study to prepare our Ministry Discernment Profile or “MDP.” The MDP is the equivalent of the church’s resume.
The Presbyterian denomination has a matching site called the Church Leadership Connection, which matches churches looking for pastors with pastors looking for churches. It’s like a big dating site, only for Presbyterian clergy and congregations. Our PNC reviews the matches made on the site, and invites applications from pastors who might be good matches with our congregation. As of the writing of this column, we’ve already looked at over 70 matches.
If the pastoral candidate accepts our invitation to apply, then we schedule an interview on Zoom. We listen to sample sermons and do other research on the candidates, which they do on us as well. Some candidates are invited for second interviews, and then eventually on-site visits.
All this work is done confidentially. The PNC can report to the congregation on what stage of the process we are in, but cannot reveal any details about who we are talking to or considering. The congregation must trust the PNC to do this important work for them.
When the PNC and a pastoral candidate feel called to a future together, conversations begin to work out the details of the pastoral relationship. When all is in order, the PNC recommends the candidate to the congregation. The candidate comes to Auburn to meet the congregation and lead worship, and a congregational meeting is held to vote on the candidate. The ultimate responsibility for calling a new pastor lies with the congregation.
If it sounds like this process takes a lot of time, it does! While we are without a called pastor, we have had excellent leadership from two gifted temporary pastors The Rev. Dr. Stacy Smith and the Rev. Dr. Pam Masten. We’ve also called on several local clergypersons and our own members for worship and pastoral leadership.
This is a challenging time to be looking for a new pastor—fewer pastors coming out of seminary, pastors leaving the ministry, churches closing, economic unrest, and high cost of housing. We are hopeful that the right person is out there for our church and that we are the right church for that person.
We learn a lot about ourselves as a church during an interim period. It’s a good reminder that the church is more than its pastor, and that its members are responsible for God’s work. Our church has moved forward through many changes over the years, and it will continue to do so.
Jill Fandrich is an Elder at Westminster, and is currently co-chairing the Pastor Nominating Committee during the Interim Period.
My church is in an “interim period” right now. Our last pastor left in June of 2023 for personal family reasons. Since he left, Westminster has been without consistent pastoral leadership while we conduct a search for a new pastor. Here’s how it’s going, in true Presbyterian manner.
In some denominations (Roman Catholic and Methodist, among others), clergy are assigned to churches by a bishop or some other ecclesiastical authority. Presbyterians, however, are not hierarchical, so they search for and hire their own pastors. But Presbyterians are connectional, meaning they are not stand-alone churches whose congregations make decisions independently. Presbyterians are sort of a middle ground. They follow denominational process which guides how they do their work but not what decisions are made. Conducting a pastoral search is one those processes.
Here's how it works. Last summer, Westminster elected a Pastor Nominating Committee, which we refer to as the PNC. Our PNC is comprised of 9 members who reflect the congregation at large. A few of us are long-term members who were raised Presbyterian. Most are newer members who were raised in other denominations or perhaps none at all. We represent a wide age range, from 16 years old to 70-something. A few are young parents. Three of us are retired, but most work full time. We are a pretty accurate reflection of our membership. What we share is a love of Westminster, a willingness to listen for God’s voice, and a sincere desire to seek a pastoral leader who will walk with our congregation in the next few years of our lives together.
We meet weekly, which is a huge commitment, but everyone takes the responsibility seriously. We spent the first couple months studying our church’s Mission Study which lays out the priorities and vision of the church. We base our search on this study, not on our individual preferences. We used the Mission Study to prepare our Ministry Discernment Profile or “MDP.” The MDP is the equivalent of the church’s resume.
The Presbyterian denomination has a matching site called the Church Leadership Connection, which matches churches looking for pastors with pastors looking for churches. It’s like a big dating site, only for Presbyterian clergy and congregations. Our PNC reviews the matches made on the site, and invites applications from pastors who might be good matches with our congregation. As of the writing of this column, we’ve already looked at over 70 matches.
If the pastoral candidate accepts our invitation to apply, then we schedule an interview on Zoom. We listen to sample sermons and do other research on the candidates, which they do on us as well. Some candidates are invited for second interviews, and then eventually on-site visits.
All this work is done confidentially. The PNC can report to the congregation on what stage of the process we are in, but cannot reveal any details about who we are talking to or considering. The congregation must trust the PNC to do this important work for them.
When the PNC and a pastoral candidate feel called to a future together, conversations begin to work out the details of the pastoral relationship. When all is in order, the PNC recommends the candidate to the congregation. The candidate comes to Auburn to meet the congregation and lead worship, and a congregational meeting is held to vote on the candidate. The ultimate responsibility for calling a new pastor lies with the congregation.
If it sounds like this process takes a lot of time, it does! While we are without a called pastor, we have had excellent leadership from two gifted temporary pastors The Rev. Dr. Stacy Smith and the Rev. Dr. Pam Masten. We’ve also called on several local clergypersons and our own members for worship and pastoral leadership.
This is a challenging time to be looking for a new pastor—fewer pastors coming out of seminary, pastors leaving the ministry, churches closing, economic unrest, and high cost of housing. We are hopeful that the right person is out there for our church and that we are the right church for that person.
We learn a lot about ourselves as a church during an interim period. It’s a good reminder that the church is more than its pastor, and that its members are responsible for God’s work. Our church has moved forward through many changes over the years, and it will continue to do so.
Jill Fandrich is an Elder at Westminster, and is currently co-chairing the Pastor Nominating Committee during the Interim Period.
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