THE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE COMPLETES ITS TASK

By PNC Chair, Sheridan Smith

The PNC read pastor applications from all over the United States. They were drawn to us because of our diversity and passion for Mission. Candidates varied from those with multiple years of experience to those seeking their first call. We looked for skills such as Communication both written and oral; Counseling experience; Family Ministry; Pastoral Care; Leadership; Preaching Ability; Spiritual Development Capabilities; Stewardship; and Strategic Planning…just to name a few.

All of the Candidates were reviewed by each committee member to identify those that were a good fit and those who were a great fit. Once we narrowed down the candidates to the top 20 we conducted interviews with the top 10. After listening to recorded sermons, a second interview was conducted of the top 5 candidates. Working closely with the Committee on Ministry and with Presbytery’s approval we selected the top 3 candidates and then ultimately to the number 1 candidate, the Rev. Sharon Hare. The Committee went to Foothill Church on May 16th to see Pastor Hare preach to that Congregation. We could hardly contain our excitement as we waited for Pentecost Sunday. We knew Pastor Hare would be preaching to our Congregation and a vote would be taking place. We extended a Call to Pastor Hare, she graciously accepted and the Congregation voted her to be our Pastor with open, welcoming arms.

The members of the Pastor Nominating Committee are comprised of Cindy Bueno, Andy Davis, Alanna Spencer, Judy Lococo, Ole Johnson, Sherri Taylor, Nancy Schell and Sheridan Smith, Chair. We listened to the voice of God and continuously reviewed the mission study for guidance to come to a unanimous decision on a person we believed was a extraordinary match for our church. We thank God for his guidance and wisdom along with our continuing faith and all of your prayers for we have indeed accomplished our mission successfully and the Committee has been dissolved.

What’s next? Pastor Bob will be transitioning and handing the helm over to Pastor Hare on July 1, 2010. We will celebrate our new beginning with Sharon and Bob’s wonderful spiritual leadership he has given us as our Interim Pastor.

The congregation of First Presbyterian Church entrusted the Pastor Nominating Committee to work diligently and faithfully to ensure the nominee closely matches our Church Mission Statement and is capable to lead us to meet our immediate and future goals. We have all committed a significant amount of time and energy in our search to fulfill this role that the congregation has given us.

Before a Nominating Committee could be engaged, members of the congregation worked very hard in completing the first phase, the Mission Study. The Mission Study became our guide to develop a Church Information Form that would tell everyone who First Presbyterian Church of San Jose was and what we were all about. This led to over 60 candidates submitting for our Pastor position.

The Pastor Nominating Committee completed all tasks required by it in finding a new pastor:

PNC Stages of Transition:
1. Dissolving the Pastoral Relationship
2. Planning The Transition
3. Engaging the Congregation Mission Study
4. Assessing Your Finances
5. Electing the Pastor Nominating Committee
6. Getting Organized
7. Writing and Submitting the Church Information Form
8. Collecting and Screening Personal Information Forms
9. Interviewing Potential Pastors
10. Choosing The Nominee
11. Making the Official Decisions
      a. Candidate to preach at a Neutral Pulpit
      b. Candidate will preach to the Congregation
      c. Congregation will vote
      d. Pastor Nominating Committee dissolved
      e. Presbytery Approval
12. Welcoming Our New Pastor Pastor - July 1
13. Service of Installation - September 19 at 3:00 p.m.

published in the June 2010 newsletter, The Messenger