Associate Pastor Nominating Committee
Dear Friends in Christ,
A month ago, we gathered to give thanks to God for Dr. Carol Strickland’s call as our Associate Pastor and to celebrate with her as she retired from active service. It was a grand celebration, and Carol and Jack were so touched by your love and generosity. Even as we continue to give thanks for Carol’s ministry among us, the mission of the church carries on, and I write to share with you a brief overview of the process for our calling and installing our next Associate Pastor.
The Session’s Personnel Committee is presently reviewing candidates who might serve as Interim Associate Pastor. Once the committee has identified a finalist, they will make a recommendation to the Session, and if the way be clear with Northeast Georgia Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry, the Session will hire an Interim Associate Pastor. While there is no definite timeline as to when an Interim Associate Pastor will be introduced, we are moving forward as quickly and as prudently as possible.
At the same time, the congregation’s Nominations and Elections Committee is developing a slate of names for your consideration for election to the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC). The members of the Nominations and Elections Committee are elders Beverly Phares (chair) and Keith Oelke (vice-chair), and members-at-large Kathy Bangle, Angela Hunt, and Richard Lane. Per the Book of Order, as pastor, I serve the Nominations and Elections Committee ex-officio and without vote. If there are persons whom you believe would serve well on the APNC, please suggest their names to any member of the committee or e-mail the church office at your earliest convenience.
Once the Nominations and Elections Committee has developed a slate, the Session will call a congregational meeting for the purpose of hearing their report and electing members to serve on the APNC. The APNC’s first task will then be to develop the Ministry Information Form, a document that describes our community and the needs that we have discerned for our church. Once the Ministry Information Form has been approved by Northeast Georgia Presbytery, the APNC will then begin interviewing prospective candidates.
When the APNC has identified a finalist and the candidate has discerned God’s call to serve First Presbyterian Church, with Northeast Georgia Presbytery’s concurrence, the Session will call a meeting of the congregation for the purpose of electing an Associate Pastor.
This process is decidedly different than how positions are filled in many other settings, and that is by design. In our Presbyterian way of being the church, pastors are not appointed to congregations by a bishop, nor are they solely “free agents.” For us, the calling of a pastor is a holy conversation, initiated by the Spirit and always in partnership between the congregation, the presbytery, and the candidate. It is a time of deep discernment and prayer for us all.
Thank you for all the ways in which you continue to support the mission and ministry of First Presbyterian Church, and even more, thank God for you. If I can be of service or answer any questions, please do not hesitate to call.
May God’s peace be with you and yours,
Dr. Ryan J. Baer
Senior Pastor