MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR
With the absence of a Pastor this page will contain
Devotional and Inspirational Messages
and Other Pertinent Information

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I have been asked to write to you about the process you are about to undertake in finding a new pastor. You may wonder why I was asked. I am Nan Swanson, Moderator of Committee on Ministry (COM) for the Presbytery of San Jose. You can go to the presbytery web site and click on policies and find Policy 28 which will outline the process. You could also go to www.pcusa.org/clc/pdf/callingpastor to download “On Calling a Pastor”. That will give you detailed information on the process on which you are about to embark.

In this space I will give you a brief overview. After the severance for Pastor Jim is concluded, COM will give you two to three Personal Information Forms (PIFs) from which to choose an interim. COM tries to suggest people they think will be a theological fit and people who have had interim training. A sub-committee of session consisting of about three people will read the PIFs, speak to the candidates, get sermon tapes, and decide which they think best suits the church. They will present this person to session. With the concurrence of COM and the signing of an agreement on interim terms of call, (the interim is to be paid the same salary as the former pastor) the person selected becomes the “stated supply” and moderator of session. When the Pastor Nominating Committee is elected, the “stated supply” will become the interim pastor. The interim period is important. It gives time for the “letting go” process, for reevaluation, rediscovering congregational identity, and committing to a new future.

When the stated supply (who cannot be considered as the installed pastor) has established a relationship with the congregation and feels that some healing has taken place within the people, a Mission Study (www.pcusa.org/ministers/pdf/congre_survey.pdf) will begin. The Mission Study committee will be appointed by the session. It should be representative of the whole congregation. Since your church has completed a Mission Study within the past five years, you may be able to update your Mission Study with COM approval.

The congregational nominating committee is asked by session to nominate to the congregation a representative Pastor Nominating Committee (usually 7-12 members which includes two session representatives and a couple of people who have worked on the Mission Study). Sometimes the Mission Study is done by the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). COM will appoint a liaison to the PNC which will meet with them over the duration of the search process. Session approves a budget for the PNC and advises the PNC about the amount they can offer for Terms of Call (Salary package) that is in accord with the Presbytery guidelines as found in Policy #6. Session and COM approve the Church Information Form (CIF) which has been completed by the PNC.

The CIF is sent to Louisville to the computer matching system. Personal Information Forms which match your requirements for your pastor are sent to the committee. (It is important to have someone very computer savvy on the PNC.) When a selection is made, the Session approves the terms of call for the new pastor and calls a congregational meeting after worship in which the candidate usually preaches and the congregation votes to call and dismisses the PNC. The candidate is presented to COM and then to Presbytery. Since the pastor will be a member of Presbytery, s/he will be installed by Presbytery at the church with a reception hosted by the church.

We in the San Jose Presbytery wish you well in this process and stand ready and willing to give you support during this time of transition. May you be open to God’s leading, humble in spirit, and committed to faithful service.

Blessings,
Nan Swanson