An Update On
Our Associate Pastor Search
“And the Lord who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God, who have been called according to God’s purpose.”
Romans 8:27-28
Santa’s elves weren’t the only ones busy this Holiday season. Your Caldwell APNC has been moving forward on our process for selecting a called and installed Associate Pastor, to serve alongside Senior Pastor John Cleghorn. We are in the last stages of Phase 2 (Prepare) on our journey, following along on the chart above.
After being nominated and approved by the congregation, our team of nine has begun our work in several important ways. First, we were trained by the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry in the details of how we will be discerning the “ideal” candidate: conducting the search, receiving candidate applications, interviewing and assessing those who apply, conducting background checks, and ultimately narrowing the field down to our best candidates before the final selection of our next Associate Pastor. We met with our Presbytery liaison, our constant guide and resource throughout the search and call, and we prayed for guidance, discernment, wisdom, patience, and God’s voice and presence throughout.
Second, we met to begin ironing out the necessary administrative details that needed to be done to move forward; chief among those was we selected Tovi Martin and Jim Thompson as Co-Moderators and Julie Westhofen as Secretary. We set up our meeting schedule, discussed priorities, agendas, and timelines, and other important logistics. We also began the important work of getting to know each other better, as we are blessed with a diverse, smart, capable, group with varying skills, areas of expertise, and experiences, and we want to be sure to understand and include the gifts of all of those.
Our next major step is to develop and finalize the MDP (Ministry Discernment Profile), essentially an in-depth Cadwell profile, to publish to potential candidates. It includes basic data like number of members, worship attendance, and job responsibilities. Led by God and the great ideas each of you shared with the Thriving Congregations team, we will also answer deeper narrative questions about our mission statement, our ministry and theological visions, community engagement, and what competencies and characteristics we’re seeking in an Associate Pastor. Once the MDP is complete and the Session has approved it, this “job listing” will be posted to the PCUSA online match system and circulated in key denominational publications and websites seeking qualified applicants from around Charlotte, the region, and across the country.
From there, you won’t hear much from us for a while. To protect the privacy of those who will express interest in the position, the work of the APNC is highly confidential. So you’ll only get updates about key milestones along the way. We wish we had a crystal ball to tell you how long this will take or when exactly to expect these updates, but we don’t. We are on God’s timetable. We want to reiterate the last search for a called and installed pastor took about 2 years.
In the meantime, you can always visit the pastoral search section of the website under the members’ tab for past and current communications, the APNC committee roster, the Thriving Congregations report, and our overview of the process that will help us find the person God is already calling to serve here at the corner of 5th and Park. We also have a dedicated email at apnc@caldwellpresby.org where questions and inquiries can be directed.
Please continue to pray for this next phase of our search.
Thank you for your commitment to and prayers for our beloved Caldwell community!
Your Caldwell APNC
Tovi Martin – Co Moderator Kimbo Bohannon Quentin McGill
Jim Thompson – Co Moderator Alyssa Johnson Nancy Nance
Julie Westhofen – Secretary Crystal Marie McDaniels Ben Snyder
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