Interim Process Team

Here are some of the questions we are discussing:

What keeps you anchored at the church?
What do we do best? What is working well around here? What do you want more of in the future? What do you need in your next pastor to help you achieve that?
What can we do better?
Given the diverse nature of today’s society, what Biblical (or Christian) principles are most important for our next pastor to consider?
What issues are facing the church that need to be addressed? How do you propose addressing them?
Over the next 5-10 years, what should GBPC’s major focus be?
What are the characteristics and qualities we want in our next pastor?
- What types of gifts, talents, personality traits or special skills should our next pastor possess to lead us in our next chapter?
- Have you had a pastor you really liked and what did you like about them?
What else did we not address already?

Our Purpose

The Interim Process Team (IPT) works with the Interim Pastor and the congregation through the next steps of the interim process in various ways, but primarily by meeting with members in small groups to discern who GBPC is and what qualities GBPC desires in its next called installed pastor.

The team will plan the logistics of the process details, scheduling meetings, determining what questions to be discussed, and the compilation of the team’s findings. The IPT will schedule and facilitate meetings with the congregation on various days and times to maximize the number of opportunities available for members to contribute to the process. The information gathered by the IPT will feed directly into GBPC’s Ministry Information Form (MIF), which is the church’s ‘resume’ that will be viewed by pastor candidates.

Your GBPC IPT team can be reached at ipt@gbpres.org with any questions, comments, or concerns. The team consists of:

Amy Brand
Frank Brothers
Mike Burgess
Jennifer Cahoon
Penny Johnson
Dave Randall
Judi Rogers

What Does It Mean To Be A Presbyterian?

Origins of the Presbyterian Church

Theology of Presbyterians– What Makes Us Different?

Branches of Presbyterians Today–Where We Are (PCUSA)

A Brief History of GBPC

How the PCUSA IS Governed

The Role of Session in the Presbyterian Church (USA)

How We Select A Pastor

Dates for September meetings with the congregation have been shared on the Sunday bulletin insert. Sign up sheets are on the Information ledge in the narthex. If you’d like to sign up online, click the link below. At these meetings, we will be facilitating conversations on identifying what we have learned from the past and how we take our insights from the past and present into the future of Great Bridge Presbyterian Church. An important part of our conversation will include discussing the characteristics we’d like to see in our new called installed pastor.

FAQs

1. I’m worried that we won’t have a good pool of pastors to choose from when we’re ready to search.

As of June 14, 2023, there were 1466 Ministers of Word and Sacrament seeking church-related positions. There were 774 positions in the system. So there are twice as many pastors seeking a call as there are calls available. A shrinking pool of pastors does not seem to be an issue at this time; we will continue to monitor this metric as we move forward in our process.

2. What are the distinctions of being a PC(USA) church?

There are many ways that PC(USA) churches are distinct from churches in other denominations. One major difference is in how we govern ourselves. We believe in a representative church government that is led by the Holy Spirit; this basically means that we elect members from our congregation to “represent” us on the governing board or Session, to make decisions about the worship, finances, and life of our particular church.

This does not mean that ruling elders solicit opinions on how we should vote on a particular issue, either at the church level or at the presbytery, synod, or General Assembly levels. We believe that God alone is the Lord of conscience, and, while we believe in hearing everyone’s voice, we are led solely by what we discern the Holy Spirit to be directing.

We follow the Reformed tradition in our doctrine and we have a defined polity, or constitution, to guide us. Our constitution is made up of two documents: the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order.

You can find out more about what makes us unique at the following LINK.

3. Is it possible to call a pastor from outside the PC(USA)?

Yes, but it can be a longer process. The PC(USA) is currently in what is called “full communion” with three other churches: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); the Reformed Church in America (RCA), and the United Church of Christ (UCC). This full communion makes provision for the orderly exchange of ordained Ministers of Word and Sacrament. There may be additional requirements expected of ministers in these three other denominations that could possibly extend the call process.

4. What is the process for calling a pastor?

The steps can be complex, but here’s an overview:

Congregation requests permission from presbytery (Commission on Ministry) to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC)
Commission on Ministry (COM) approves request.
CNC puts forward a slate of candidates for the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) that “shall be representative of the whole congregation.”
The Session shall call a congregational meeting to elect the PNC from the CNC’s slate of nominees.
The PNC conducts a Mission Study
PNC meets for orientation on the search process with COM Liaison
PNC meets on a regular basis with COM Liaison present, as needed
PNC writes Ministry Information Form (MIF) – sends draft to COM Liaison for review. — Draft MIF sent to Session for approval. — Draft MIF sent to COM for approval.
PNC acquires online access information to upload MIF. — PCUSA system begins to match pastor PIFs with MIFs. — PNC begins to receive and review PIFs
PNC submits names of finalists to General Presbyter for presbytery-to-presbytery check
PNC interviews finalists whose exec checks were favorable and conducts reference checks
PNC conducts onsite interviews with one or more finalist candidates and arranges candidate preaching from a neutral pulpit in presbytery.
PNC extends call and negotiates Terms of Call.
COM examines finalist, Covenant, and Terms of Call. — Once approved by COM, PNC notifies Session.
Congregational meeting is called to present PNC candidate, Covenant, and Terms of Call. — Congregation votes to approve or disapprove. — If approved, presbytery conducts ordination and/or installation service.

5. How does the PNC get chosen?

Congregation requests permission from presbytery (Commission on Ministry) to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC)
Commission on Ministry (COM) approves request.
CNC puts forward a slate of candidates for the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) that “shall be representative of the whole congregation.”
The Session shall call a congregational meeting to elect the PNC from the CNC’s slate of nominees.

Feel free to reach out to us at ipt@gbpres.org if your question(s) was not answered here.