There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. . .
– Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV
As the time comes for my retirement, it's also time for our Session to begin this upcoming transition. Last Monday, our Session met with Cassandra Morrow from Presbytery for Q&A about the transition process. After many good questions by our elders, the Session made two decisions: First, that JCPC will pursue an Interim Pastor to help us through this transition. Second, that the Interim Pastor Nominating Committee (IPNC) would consist of Rick Zellmer, Tom Traylor, and Joanna Pope. The primary job of the Interim Pastor is to prepare the church to be ready to receive the new Senior Pastor. The Interim Pastor will do this while fulfilling most of the duties that I am presently doing.
The process of choosing the next installed Senior Pastor will be up to a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) which will be elected by the congregation. They will be charged with finding the person to recommend to the congregation to be JCPC's next Senior Pastor. Cassandra shared with us that based on her experience, this whole process would probably last about a year. The good news is that our Presbyterian way of doing this provides great guidance every step along the way. Over the course of this search process, the congregation will be kept informed of where the Pastor Nominating Committee is in the process. Finally, it will be up to the congregation to vote and choose the next Senior Pastor. Please be in prayer for everyone who will be a part of this process, so that together this church can discern God's will for JCPC.
I also want to remind you of our Congregational Meeting this Sunday at noon in the Great Hall and online to elect elders. We need a quorum of 10% of our members in order to do what we need to do, so please plan to attend in person, or sign up online beforehand in order to get the zoom link. Click here to sign up for Zoom registration.
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