Three Finalists, One Shared Future
Senior Minister Search Committee Update
October 11, 2026
by Bob Thomason, Chair, Carol Reid, Vice Chair, Mike Bowen, Deborah Moore Clark, Carla Hines, Marcy McClanahan, Mary Miller, Mac Sasser, and Jay Rivers.
Winter, Spring, Summer, and now Fall . . . your search committee has journeyed through seasons in so many ways. Winter was the season of preparation and anticipation. Spring was the season of reaching out and making contacts. Summer was the season of interviewing and being interviewed. Now we enter fall, which will be the season of reflection, further discernment and, hopefully, calling.
When we last reported to you six weeks ago, we had seven strong candidates for our open Senior Minister position. As planned, and on schedule, today we have three finalists. Each of these candidates has participated in at least 5 hours of interviews and provided detailed answers to a series of written questions. Our committee has watched dozens of their sermons and presentations, and we feel like we know them as best we can without having ever met them and that is what comes next.
Over the coming weeks, each of these three candidates will visit us here in Charlotte. We’ll break bread with them over two meals and spend a full day together. We’ll have them answer any remaining questions we have and let them do the same with us. We’ll introduce them to selected staff and lay leaders and show them our beautiful campus. But mainly, we’re just going to get to know each other personally - and watch for God’s presence in the process.
Following this will be a time of reflection, prayer, and discernment for both us and our candidates. When it’s complete, and should we hear a clear call to a particular candidate, as required by our Bylaws, we’ll complete the process of introducing our finalist to you and seeking your vote of approval. Our starting date will be flexible, depending on our finalist’s needs (children in school, etc.). Our best current guess is our new minister would join us no later than next spring.
We are thrilled with our three finalists. Our current assessment is that any of them could do a good job leading us into our future. But we cannot promise that our process will play out as hoped for and planned. Several updates ago, we shared with you that we started out with 15 candidates. Since then, two have dropped out. One for family reasons and one for reasons of cultural compatibility. We’ve learned that this is normal for every search of this magnitude. Discernment is a two-way process and new light can come to either party at any time. Just as we will not simply “settle” for a candidate, we trust our candidates will not stay engaged with us if they don’t perceive a good fit. And remember, we are not the only churches interested in our finalists!
Now we want to shift the focus to you, the Congregation. Our success will depend in large part on how we work with our new Senior Minster. This is where you come in. First, we ask that you continue with your superb efforts to revitalize our church. Your volunteer work in all areas of church life is paying off and our candidates have noticed. Our church hasn’t been this vibrant in years!
Also, please remember our April Congregational meeting promise to focus on what our church needs versus what we personally want. Three quarters of us are over 65. Younger people have different church needs and expectations. Embracing our future means giving our new Senior Minister space and time to get to know us and then trusting their leadership. We need to welcome change. We need to nurture new members into roles that will shape our future. Our success will only come if we look forward and not backwards and do everything we can to support our new Senior Minister as they lead us.
Finally, we have a stewardship campaign coming up. How we respond will be a key factor in determining how successful we’ll be in our 2027 revitalization effort. Please give generously.
As always, more updates will follow. In the meantime, feel free to contact any of us with questions. Thank you for your continued support, especially your prayers.