First, while it has
been two years since Rob returned to Indiana, it has only been eight months
since the first meeting of the Pastor Nominating Committee in January 2012.
Once a PNC is elected, it can often take several years to successfully complete
a search. We are making no efforts to guess when we will be done, one way or
the other, but you can always track our progress on the page at the right
titled “Steps to Calling a New Teaching Elder/Head of Staff.” There are effectively
seven action steps listed there, and we are knee deep in step five.
Second, we believe
we have been called to do more than fill a vacant position. We want to do more than
just find a person for the job; we want the right person, the one God has already
chosen. Discernment takes time, as does clarifying processes and making
connections. Beyond just sitting back and watching the pastor information forms
roll in (nearly 90 in less than eight weeks at last count), we have been
actively networking and asking others who know our church well to recommend
potential teaching elder candidates to us. In many cases, these potential candidates are happy in
their current calls and do not even know that they should be considering WCPC.
We are praying for
patience. We are as excited about welcoming our new teaching elder as you are,
but we are also committed to holding each other accountable to doing this
process God’s way, bathed in prayer, and seeking unity in Christ. We are very
pleased with the gifts for ministry represented in our candidate pool to date, and know
of many more interested candidates who have yet to apply.
As we are now able
to begin narrowing the pool into a short list of top candidates, the PNC has
chosen to begin meeting as a large group weekly instead of bi-weekly so that we can move forward
at a more efficient pace (and shorten our recent marathon three-plus-hour meetings to a more
manageable length). We know that the most gifted people in our pool are likely
to surface in other searches as well, and we want to honor the process by
moving ahead with those folks who sent us their information early on.
Finally, many of
you have asked us how you can help. From the beginning, we have invited you to
share names of those you believe would be a good fit. In addition, we
have asked for prayer, but we have not provided you much detail to guide your
prayer. Here then are specific requests for prayer for your WCPC PNC:
· Discernment. Your PNC is made up of 12 different
people with very different opinions. Like-mindedness as we narrow our search is
clearly a gift and product of the Holy Spirit.
· Energy. Summer is a time for rest and renewal, yet the PNC is
choosing this time to ramp up what is already a significant commitment of time.
Please pray for energy and health for us.
· Patience and perseverance. We feel pressure from many directions to
complete this search. That said, this process will unfold in God’s time. Pray
for patience and perseverance for the PNC, WCPC staff and the congregation.
· Families. This process has an impact on many spouses and children as
we are away from home or glued to a computer for significant extra hours each
week. Please pray for our families.
· Our next leader. God is already preparing our next
teaching elder/head of staff. Please pray for her/him and her/his family and for
the significant life transition that awaits them.
Bill Yakely has
been sharing excerpts from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book “Life Together” as we
open our meetings. This last week’s message encouraged us to remember the
abounding grace of God that allows us to live together in community. Those of
us on the PNC sense to a person that we are part of a significant grace-filled
community and sharing in a very special journey of discovery. Thank you for
your continued trust, patience and prayer.
