The Lead Pastor Search Committee met on December 13th, 2022. Opening Devotions and prayer were provided by Justin Snyder – “God Comes Through on Time.”
The following items were discussed:
- Search Committee was thankful for the commissioning prayer, the committee covets congregational prayer
- The committee acknowledged we are beginning Phase II (Reflection) of the Search Process
- Phase II is listening to God, people, the congregation
- Goals can be accomplished simultaneously by multiple groups – Ad Board work, Search Committee work, Strategic Planning work
- Consider ‘listening’ sessions
- Discussed the possibly of three Sunday evenings in the near future
- Organize by Care Groups which allows for greater flexibility
- Share ideas, time for members to listen, resolve differences, search for consensus
- Search Committee members will have a presence but not lead
Lead Pastor search timeline – abide by God’s timeline, not ours!
Three Methods to Find a Pastor
- Pastor Seeking Church
- Several websites for a pastor to find/research a church with an open position
- CRCNA Network website
- Variety of positions are posted (worship leader, youth leader), limited to CRC positions
- Reviewed several church postings
- Range from very detailed to very simple
- Listings included church profile, job description, link to church website, contact info, interview questions
- RCA.org website
- Multiple denominations can post positions (CRC, RCA, Presbyterian)
- Maplewood RCA listing was highlighted
- Alliance of Reformed Churches website
- CRCNA Network website
- Several websites for a pastor to find/research a church with an open position
- Discussion of Church Profile and First CRC website
- Church Seeking Pastor
- Technique for a church to find/research pastors who may be open to a call
- CRC Portal
- Site allows searching by various criteria including where pastor is willing to serve
- Recently updated profiles a soft indicator of openness to a call
- Congregational Suggestions
- An informal process of sharing names and anecdotes
- consider making available to congregation for pastor suggestions
Several Action Items / Homework
- Committee members assigned to create/update/review:
- Church website
- Church profile
- Welcome letter
- Job description (Ad Board)
- Life in Sioux Falls
- Review webpages : CRC Network, RCA.org, ARC, and CRCPortal
- Begin thinking about Pre-Interview Questions – come to the next meeting with pre-interview question(s).
- Lastly, the committee re-affirmed the importance of confidentiality.
- Next meeting is set for Tuesday, January 17, 2022, 5:30-7pm, with Mike Davelaar responsible for devotions/opening prayer.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Brad VanKalsbeek
Chair – Lead Pastor Search Committee
(605) 359-5588 / Boji4us@sio.midco.net