The Search Committee for our next Settled Minister first convened in mid-April and has been working over the past four months to develop a congregation-wide discernment process that will give everyone multiple opportunities to prayerfully reflect upon the future of our church and provide meaningful input regarding the qualities our next pastor should ideally have to guide us in the next phase of our collective ministry. The discernment process will center around three fundamental questions: (i) who are we now?; (ii) how does our church fit into our surrounding community?; and (iii) what is God calling us to become? We have scheduled three moderated church-wide forums (with lunch included!) to discuss these topics. We have also created a mechanism that allows any church member to meet with a member of the Search Committee to provide direct feedback. Our discernment process and proposed search timeline are attached to this letter for your reference.

 

A core tenet of our community is that each voice matters and that the diversity of our personal theologies, worldviews, and life experiences is an incredible strength to be embraced and celebrated. Everyone has something important to say, and the Search Committee cannot fully synthesize what our ideal pastoral candidate would be without hearing from everyone in the congregation. We know that everyone leads a full life with many competing priorities, but we sincerely hope you will participate in the church-wide discussions and reach out to the Search Committee to provide your personal perspectives in a more private forum.