|
|
Associate Pastor Nominating Committee
Scope of the Selection Process
Members of the Pastor Nominating Committee want to thank you for electing us in November 2008 for the very important task of finding an Associate Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. We take this responsibility seriously. The process for identifying the right fit for BMPC is multi-faceted and will take some time. The process will involve seeking discernment of God’s leadership as we go through the process of getting organized, gathering information from congregants, writing a job description and Church Information Form (CIF), designing an APNC website to keep you informed of our progress, seeking approval of BMPC Session and the Phila Presbytery before circulating the CIF, then advertising for and reading stacks of Personal Information Forms (PIF) from possible candidates, interviewing those individuals that shine through, and finally, with Session approval, presenting you, the congregation, with our final choice.
Going forward, we ask for your patience, your prayers, and your support as the APNC goes about this very important mission in the life of our Church. Look for our monthly updates which will keep you informed of where we are in the process as we check off the steps. Although we cannot discuss candidates we are considering, we can listen to you, hear your concerns and answer your questions. Please feel free to contact any member of the ANPC via email or telephone.
Front row (l-r): Rev. Jesse Garner, Peggy Gregg, Winnifred Cutler, Ann Fossum Back row (l-r):Anita Iyengar, John Vaughan, Laurie Koziol, Sam McKeel, Louise Huber, Liz Lynch
Senior Adults and Pastoral Care Mid March The APNC presented their candidate at the recent Session Meeting on March 9th, 2010 and requested a special congregational meeting be called for Sunday, April 11th, 2010 at 12:00 noon following the 11:00am service. Session has granted the request.
The APNC is excited and looking forward to introducing this warm, compassionate, experienced and spiritual individual to you. Plan to attend church on Sunday, April 11th. The candidate will preach at both services and then, at the conclusion of the second service, the congregation will be asked to vote to extend a call to this person to serve the position of Associate Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care at BMPC.
According to procedures set down by Presbytery and to be considerate of our candidate’s need to notify his/her congregation of his/her intent to take another call, we must keep the identity of our candidate confidential until one week prior to the congregational meeting on April 11th. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. We know you are excited. We are too!
Early March Great news! The APNC presented their candidate before the Committee on Ministry (COM) of the Philadelphia Presbytery on the afternoon of March 4, 2010 and, as hoped and expected, the individual was approved and blessed for our call at BMPC. We now move to Stage 7 in the search process, the “nomination” stage.
The “nomination” stage begins with the APNC presenting their candidate and his/her credentials to Session and requesting that Session call a congregational meeting for the purpose of electing the candidate as the next Associate Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. The next Session meeting is scheduled for March 9th. The APNC will request a special congregational meeting be scheduled for Sunday, April 11th, for the sole purpose of introducing the candidate to you, the congregation, and asking for your vote to extend a call. You will be notified with confirmation of the date and time of this special meeting ASAP.
Despite our excitement and eagerness to spread the word, the identity of this person God has called to serve our beloved church must remain confidential for just a short while longer – until ONE WEEK BEFORE the special congregational meeting. This is necessary in order to be considerate of the candidate’s need to notify his/her current congregation of his/her intent to take a new call. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
February 2010 February has been very exciting. The APNC has almost completed Stage 6, the “selection” stage in the search process for our next Associate Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. Interviews have been completed. The eight APNC members have identified and unanimously endorsed a special individual of extraordinary talent and experience who they believe will shepherd our pastoral care and lead our senior life with skill and compassion.
Final reference checks conducted by the APNC and the COM have been completed. In order for the APNC to move forward to Stage 7, the “nomination” stage of the search process, the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry (COM) needs to place its seal of approval on our candidate before we can extend a “call”. We hope to have this completed in early March.
With approval from the COM, the APNC will present the name and credentials of its candidate to Session at the earliest possible opportunity. At that time, the APNC will request a special congregational meeting be scheduled for the sole purpose of introducing this special individual to the congregation and asking for a vote. You will be hearing more about this in the weeks to come – on a timely basis and via all means of church communications (Bulletin, E-News, Website, Messenger, etc.). Be sure to stay tuned.
The APNC has felt your prayers and support throughout this process. We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we complete this important work for the life and ministry of our church. We also remain mindful of the necessity of confidentiality of this process until the appropriate time to introduce this person to you.
January 2010 The APNC for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care has been working very hard. As you see from the time line, we have now moved into Stage 6. Your nominating Committee has received more than 55 resumes and from that grouping, several candidates of interest have been identified. We are now engaged in interviewing these persons. Meanwhile, we place our trust in the Holy Spirit that moves so richly through this wonderful congregation as we continue to navigate an amazing search process. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We feel your support and are grateful for it.
December 2009 The APNC for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care has been hard at work. The committee has received over 36 PIFs (aka resumes) to date that are being reviewed and discussed. Simultaneously, initial telephone interviews (via conference call) are being conducted with selected candidates. With the blessed advent season upon us, a very busy time for the APNC and for interested candidates, it is the committee’s intention to begin more in-depth interviews after the New Year begins.
The APNC requests that you please refrain from asking members of the committee about names of candidates or their status; by policy, APNC members are not permitted to disclose or discuss candidate names outside of the APNC.
The APNC thanks you for your prayers and asks that you continue praying for the spiritual guidance needed to enable us in our discernment process. We continue faithfully in our mission to deliver the “best-fit” candidate to the congregation, an individual whose personal goals align with those of the BMPC community.
Late October 2009 The APNC reconvened in early October and unanimously agreed that it was time to begin our work again to search for, select and eventually call an Associate Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. Below are the steps the APNC has taken to get underway:
1) The Church Information Form (CIF) has been completed and submitted to the Church Leadership Connection PC(USA), the Presbytery’s website, for matching with individuals known to be looking for such a position. 2) The CIF has been posted for anyone who is interested in reviewing the document. 3) Under Jim Carter’s signature, a letter has been sent out to announce the two pastoral openings that exist at BMPC (Senior Adults and Pastoral Care and Youth, Their Families and College Ministries). Recipients of this letter would include the Placement Officer of leading seminaries, pastors of large churches, Presbyteries, individuals suggested by congregation members who might be a good source of referral, etc. 4) Personal Information Forms (PIF) are being received and reviewed by the APNC.
Members of your APNC are working with diligence, prayer and discernment as we search for that special individual to support our seniors, be a shepherd in our midst, lead in pastoral care and teach us to be good care givers for each other as we deal with life and its issues. The APNC relies on your prayers and support, now and throughout this process.
If any person
would like to refer a very special pastor they think would be a
perfect fit for BMPC, you are invited to submit that name to any
member of the APNC or leave it at the Reception Desk marked with
APNC/sapc or Winnifred Cutler, Moderator of APNC SA/PC. We would be
happy to follow that lead.
October 2009 The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care reconvened on Sunday, October 4, 2009 to prayerfully consider the decision to recommence the search process for a new associate pastor. With encouragement from the Rev. Jim Carter, the Rev. Kit Schooley, the Presbytery of Philadelphia and many others within our congregation to continue the search for an associate pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care, the members of the APNC voted unanimously to pick up where we left off in April and to get the process rolling again. After a short time for review, the committee plans to have the Church Identification Form (CIF) posted on line by October 18, 2009.
In addition to needing prayers and support from our BMPC family, the APNC invites members of the congregation to nominate individuals whom they feel have the qualifications and gifts of caring that we are seeking to enhance our pastoral staff. Any APNC members welcome your nominations in person, or leave an envelope at the BMPC reception desk marked “APNC-SAPC” and tell us your thoughts.
July 2009
February 2009 The first objective has been to gather as much information as possible from members of the Senior Adults Council (SAC), for us to listen, learn and discern what it is our Church is looking for in a Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. We met with Tom Wilcox and Jim Beitmann (co-chairs), Ron Gregg and Fred Malott (members of SAC) all of whom gave us valuable perspectives on what is needed in a Pastor who will minister to our growing and aging population at BMPC. To hear from a larger group of senior congregants, members of the APNC plan to attend the SAC brunch on March 1 to hear from them directly what qualities they most desire in a new Pastor.
A second focus this month has been to develop effective means of communication with the congregation at large. Through the Sunday Bulletins, the APNC asks for your prayers, patience and continued support. A congregation survey has been developed and mailed to all BMPC households to solicit input on a personal basis. A website has been designed that can be accessed by clicking here. Here BMPC members will find monthly updates of the Committee’s work, a timeline which indicates where the APNC is in the search process, contact information for APNC members, a congregational survey that can be completed on-line if you have not already submitted one and other pertinent information.
Our third objective has been the ‘drafting’ of two important documents in the search process: a job description and our Church Identification Form (CIF). With all the valuable information gathered in February, we hope to have ‘final drafts’ ready to go to Session for approval in the very near future.
The APNC thanks you for your on-going prayers and continued support.
January 2009 |
 |
