How We Select a Pastor

Presbyterians believe that God uses committees, papers, procedures, and our polity, sprinkled with a generous measure of prayer, Scripture, and worship, to help us discern who it is that God is calling to be our pastor. This call is confirmed as the pastor, the church, and the Presbytery each say “yes” to the relationship.

During the time of transition between pastors, the congregation is invited to engage in a spiritual discernment process to discover or reconfirm its call to ministry—what God wants the church to be and do in the next phase of the congregation’s life. The Interim Process Team is beginning that discernment process now – working with the congregation to discern what we are looking for in a new pastor and where GBPC’s ministry is going.

Once this becomes clear, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), in consultation with the Presbytery, begins the discernment process of discovering who God is calling to be the pastor in this next chapter of our congregation’s life and ministry. 

Following are the general steps in the process the PNC will follow to find our new pastor: 

• Presbytery authorizes the congregation to form a PNC
• Congregation elects members of the PNC who are representative of the whole congregation
• PNC writes a Ministry Discernment Profile, based on the final report of the Interim Process Team, subject to review and approval process by the Presbytery and the Session
• PCUSA system begins to match GBPC’s Minister Discernment Profile with pastors’ Personal Discernment Profile
• PNC receives profiles of matched candidates
• PNC submits names of finalist candidates to Presbytery
• Presbytery conducts reference and background checks
• PNC interviews finalists. PNC conducts onsite interviews with one or more finalist candidates and arranges for candidate preaching from a neutral pulpit in the Presbytery
• PNC extends call and negotiates Terms of Call, subject to Presbytery review and approval
• PNC notifies Session
• Congregational meeting to present PNC candidate, Covenant, and Terms of Call
• Congregation votes to approve or disapprove
• If approved, we have an Installation Service of our new pastor!

The Interim Process Team is calling on all GBPC members to take part in the discernment process to determine what we are looking for in a new pastor and where GBPC’s ministry is going. Sign up now at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094CADA92CA0F9C16-interim#/ to participate in a group meeting in September, or email ipt@gbpc.org if you’d prefer to set up a one-on-one meeting.