A Brief Update from the Transitional Pastor Search Team
Over the last two weeks, the newly formed Transitional Pastor Search Team has met several times to begin the work of identifying an appropriate Transitional (Interim) Pastor. As a reminder, the expectation is that
the Transitional Pastor will likely be with us for 12-18 months as the congregation works through the steps to prepare for calling our next installed pastor.
The interim position is required by the Presbyterian Church and serves an important role of supporting the church during a time of transition. Transitional Pastors have specialized training in leading through change, and can guide FPCB through the season of discernment and planning to come as we seek to call a new Senior Pastor/Head of Staff.
Specific steps that this committee have taken include:
- Meeting with our liaison from the Committee on Ministry (COM) from the Presbytery, Rev. Taylor Hall. At that meeting, the committee received guidance about the process to be followed in a search for a Transitional Pastor.
- Developed a draft position description for the Transitional Pastor position. This document provides
1) a narrative description of the congregation, church organization, and community context to be used by potential applicants to understand FPCB in this specific time, and 2) a specification of the tasks and necessary skills for the Transitional Pastor position.
We hope that this document is approved by Session and the COM in the coming week, so that it is ready to post very soon after the conclusion of J.C.’s tenure. (Presbytery policy precludes us from beginning that search until after J.C.’s last day of Sunday, July 28)
Once the position description has been approved and posted, the committee will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis as they are received. We hope to move to the next stage of interviewing potential transitional candidates as soon as possible. The timeline of this process is, by nature uncertain, because it depends on the receipt of applications from qualified candidates.
Apart from our work, the Personnel Committee is continuing to create a leadership bridge plan to cover the span of time between July 28 and the start of the Transitional Pastor. That period will likely be somewhere between a few weeks and a few months, depending on how quickly a qualified Transitional Pastor candidate is identified and can begin. Personnel will have a leadership bridge plan for Session’s consideration and approval at the next stated Session meeting (next Monday, July 22).
The search team seeks to make the search process as open and transparent as possible. We will continue to provide regular, timely updates to the search process, as appropriate, through both the newsletter and announcements given at Sunday worship services.
Kate Arrington, Co-chair (Deacon)
Jon Conrad, Co-chair (Elder)
Linda Filipovits (Elder)
Rich Gorton (Trustee)
Ted Masthay, Clerk (Elder)