Pastor Search Committee Update #8
Dear Church Family,
Greetings from your Pastor Search Committee. What a blessing it has been to celebrate and be reminded of the reason we place our faith in Him who was raised from the dead and sits on the right-hand side of the Father in Heaven. Our Lord has risen indeed!
We continue to work in the Search and Discernment Phase (Phase II) of the process to call our Senior Pastor. You will recall that in Stage 1 of Phase II, we narrowed the list of candidates to 14 who entered Stage 2 of Phase II. Subsequently, candidates were sent questionnaires which assessed their positions and understanding of core biblical principles you have told us are important when the pastor profile survey was conducted. With answers to the questionnaires and further evaluations, the potential candidates were scored and ranked, allowing for the number of candidates to be narrowed down. The candidates selected entered Stage 3 of Phase II. Since our last update, your Pastor Search Committee has been prayerfully evaluating sermons received from the candidates as well as those on-line and we have enjoyed the shift from ‘one-way conversations’ to ‘two-way conversations’ with the candidates. We are especially blessed and encouraged in listening to the sermons of potential Senior Pastors that the message we are called to share is being preached diligently in many Sanctuaries around this country.
While the committee is aware of the one-year anniversary of the work we have been called to do, we are also intently aware of the need for thoroughness and to ensure that discovery and vetting is properly done. We are now entering the phase of the search where the updates will be a bit more vague and spread out and the need for the support of your prayers will be needed even more.
How can you help? Please continue to pray for the committee, for our church, for the candidate and his family. We ask that you seek God’s direction on what we each need to do to prepare ourselves for this next season for our church and that we continue to serve one another and to live out the Gospel in the places God has placed each one of us.
Do you remember the number of times God is referred to as the ‘God of all (hope, peace, comfort, love and grace)’ (Romans 15:13, Romans 15:33, Romans 16:20, Philippians 4:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 13:20, 2 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 13:11 and 1 Peter 5:10) as well as God being the giver of ‘every good thing’ (James 1:17)? It is with this confidence and encouragement that we leave you with this message from Romans 15:5-6: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
And yes, we worship a Risen Savior!
Your Pastor Search Committee
