Congregational Update
Pastoral Search Process
July 23, 2024
“And the Lord who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God, who have been called according to God’s purpose.”
Romans 8:27-28
We have reached a critical next step in our pastoral search process: discerning the team of disciples who will lead our search. This team will formally be known as the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) or Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC), depending on what type of pastor will be best for Caldwell.
While we originally anticipated that the work of identifying our Nominating Committee would start later in the fall, the Session has decided to move that timeline forward based on the progress of our listening efforts. This is a wonderful development – thank you to each of you and to the Thriving Congregations team for such great momentum!
If you have not yet shared your feedback, it isn’t too late! Our goal is to hear from every single Caldwell member. You can make sure your voice is heard in the following ways:
- Members and friends who did not attend one of our listening sessions will be contacted in August by a member of the Thriving Congregations team and invited to share their ideas in a one-on-one conversation. Please watch for an email on that soon. (Or, you can contact Thriving Congregations leader Merrilyn Gill here.)
- Provide online and/or anonymous feedback here.
Role of the Pastor Nominating Committee
The role of the Pastor Nominating Committee is clearly defined by the Presbyterian Church (USA) as follows:
The pastor nominating committee (PNC), representative of the whole congregation and elected by the congregation, has the ultimate responsibility for nominating a minister to the congregation for election as the next pastor or associate pastor. Over a number of months, the PNC will journey through the pastoral search process, seeking to hear the call of Christ and “to participate in God’s own choice” for our next pastor. In the pastoral call process, the PNC’s responsibilities include:
- Completing the congregation’s Ministry Discernment Profile (a description of Caldwell and the role we are filling; referred to as an MDP) and submitting it to session and presbytery for approval
- Receiving, reading, and evaluating Personal Discernment Profiles (essentially an applicant’s resume, profile and statement of interest, referred to as a PDP) in a spirit of prayerful openness to the movement of God’s Spirit
- Regularly providing reports to the congregation on the pastoral search progress
- Narrowing the field of prospective pastors through listening to sermons, reference checking (by both the PNC and the presbytery), and phone or video conference interviews—all while sharing, listening, and praying together
- Interviewing face-to-face the “short list” of prospective pastors
- Arranging with the presbytery for the necessary examinations and approvals of the finalists
- Selecting one nominee to present to the congregation and negotiating the terms of call
- Obtaining presbytery approval of the call
- Presenting the nominee to the congregation for its vote
This is an extensive, thoughtful, prayerful process, and often takes a year or more.
Invitation to submit Nominating Committee candidates
The Session invites you to put forward names of those you believe have the spiritual maturity, calling, and commitment to represent the Congregation in this critical work. Just some of the qualities to consider are energy and passion for the work, objectivity, a good feel for the people and ministries of Caldwell now and in the future, and the availability and capacity to work collaboratively and selflessly with others. You may nominate yourself, and if you plan to nominate another individual, please make sure you have obtained their permission before doing so. All nominees must be members of Caldwell. Names should be submitted to pastorsearch@caldwellpresby.org by August 15. This date will give the Session sufficient time to consider a proposed slate alongside other information related to the search, including your feedback from our listening sessions as well as the church’s financial capacity to provide fair and just compensation.
Once submissions have been received, the Session will prayerfully create a proposed committee slate that represents the diversity of the Caldwell community. Session members will confirm candidates’ interest and availability. A final slate of nominees will be brought to the Congregation for a vote.
Please be assured of clarity and transparency at every step of the pastoral search process. As a reminder, you can visit this webpage to review past updates as well as a visual of the process for easy reference. If you have questions, please reach out to any of the following individuals:
- Thriving Congregations Listening process: Merrilyn Gill (merrilynrgill@gmail.com) or Felicia Pine (feliciapine@ymail.com)
- Overall pastoral search process: Elli Dai (personnel@caldwellpresby.org), Clerk of Session Dick Richards (clerk@caldwellpresby.org) or Rev. John Cleghorn (jcleghorn@calwellpresby.org)
Thank you for your commitment to and prayers for our beloved Caldwell community!