Our Senior Minister Search Has Begun!
Your 9-member Senior Minister Search Committee has been hard at work. As a reminder, our team consists of:
Bob Thomason, Chair
Carol Reid Fricke, Vice Chair
Mike Bowen
Deborah Moore Clark
Carla Hines
Marcy McClanahan
Mary Miller
Jay Rivers
Mac Sasser
I have led many church teams in my 30+ years of church involvement. I’ve never seen one with more dedication and enthusiasm than this one.
We held our first meeting on February 15 and have been meeting weekly ever since. As you might imagine, we’ve spent considerable time getting organized for our huge task. In addition, we have:
- Interviewed past Sr. Minister Search Committee members, learning about their processes and documentation and receiving their advice.
- Sought out advice and counsel from friends of the church including people like Bill Leonard, former MPBC minister Rev. Chrissy Williamson, Rev. Nancy Petty at Pullen Memorial Church in Raleigh, and our own Dale Mullennix and Jane Summey. These are just a few.
- Coordinated the church hiring plan with Craig Hopewell, Chair of our Ministry of Human Resources.
- Prepared and submitted a budget for our search.
- Prepared and implemented the Congregation Survey which over 250 members completed.
- Begun work on our Church Profile and Senior Minister Profile that will be given to all candidates.
The Congregational Survey is particularly important. In it we asked you what qualities you wanted to see in our new Sr. Minister and what tasks you want him or her to prioritize. On Sunday April 12, we will review these survey findings at our Congregational Lunch in Heaton Hall after worship. Please plan to attend! You’ll also have an opportunity to elaborate on your survey responses in small group settings.
The vast majority of our work is still ahead of us. The church’s last Sr. Minister search took over two years. The one prior to that (Steve Shoemaker) took 18 months. Our team is working diligently and getting more efficient with each meeting, but our search will be over when we hear God’s call.
You can help us. Join with us in praying for our church and our work in finding the right person to help lead us into the next chapter of our journey.
We will continue updating you on a monthly basis via The Weekly.