March 17 Update from The Pulpit Committee

Greetings Redeemer members and friends,

As a Pulpit Committee, we have begun the work of finding our next Senior Pastor. We are still in the early stages of a more extensive process, but we have reached two important milestones that establish critical building blocks for the future success of the search process.

First, we have engaged the services of a consulting firm to assist in the search process. McGowan and Associates has decades of experience helping PCA churches conduct successful searches for their next Senior Pastor. We and the Session both felt it wise to engage an experienced group to come alongside this vital work. Second, the committee is working with McGowan and Associates to gather insight and craft documents during the "discovery phase." This phase is critical to ensure that our candidate search process and filtering criteria are thorough, accurate, and thoughtful, representing Redeemer's needs and hopes for our next Senior Pastor. The discovery phase will produce three helpful documents for our search:

1. The 'Church Profile' Document: Capturing the mission, vision, and ethos of Redeemer, this document articulates our ministry programs, priorities, and other important information to interested candidates. We will develop a document similar in breadth to our annual ministry report that paints a vivid picture of who we are as a Church, how we worship, and how God has called us to love and serve our local, regional, and global communities. This document enables candidates to understand us better and get excited about the opportunity to lead our church.
2. Church Data and Insight: Critical to a healthy search process is gathering input from church leadership and the congregation. In April, McGowan and Associates will facilitate a "Discovery Weekend." This virtual, interactive listening exercise will gather feedback from 40 members of RPC, invited to represent a broad cross-section of our congregation. We are thankful for those members who have already committed to participate in the Discovery Weekend. The data and feedback received will be analyzed. The resulting insights will be provided to the Pulpit Committee, informing the process from the congregation's perspective.
3. The 'Pastor Profile' Document: Taking the Discovery Weekend's insights, our committee will form the Pastor Profile. This document defines the key characteristics, skills, character competencies, and role responsibilities needed by a candidate to love, serve, and lead our church well. This document will be used to search for, filter, and refine the list of candidates.

Once the discovery phase is complete, our committee will begin receiving and reviewing potential candidates. Several people have inquired as to how names should be submitted. For the ease and integrity of the process, we have a specific website "front door." Any potential candidate should express their interest using the pastor registration form on the McGowan and Associates website.

Please continue to pray for our work through the discovery phase. Pray for our teamwork, wisdom in creating documents, and an effective partnership with McGowan and Associates. If you have any questions about this process, we encourage you to reach out to any member of the Redeemer Session.

In Christ,

The Pulpit Committee of Redeemer Presbyterian Church