Transition Team Update #1
To: Members of Immanuel
From: Immanuel’s Transition Team
Last week, Pastor Rebecca from Synod attended Immanuel’s council meeting on Tuesday to instruct us on kicking off Immanuel’s search for a new Pastor. She provided us with documents, samples from other congregations, ideas, procedures and an assurance that synod was behind our search.
Wasting no time, our council president, Matt, scheduled a meeting of those who had expressed an interest in serving on Immanuel’s Transition team. We met last Tuesday evening. Those who attended were Matt Evans, Yvonne Gillan, Tracy Canfield, Scott Hess, Barbara Stevens and Trish Geist. Yvonne agreed to be our chairperson. Also on the team will be Dorthea Wyatt and Rita Bussard.
Our responsibility simply put is to gather from every member of the congregation their vision of Immanuel’s mission and their vision of the Pastor that would best fill that role. We will do that during February and March, allowing enough time to do a thorough job, yet condensing the time so that we get to the active search process with haste. Toward that goal, we ask every member to complete the “Transition Team Questionnaire to Help Clarify Mission.” Barbara has emailed that to every member of the congregation and attached it to the TGIF. Additionally, Mary, our usher has copies available on Sunday mornings at your request. We ask that they be returned to Barbara as soon as possible. If you cannot find one, please send an email to her at admin@ilccentralia.org and she will send one to you.
We would like any input from members, and we will answer questions about the process. We will also have open forums in the sanctuary during February and March on Sundays after church on dates to be announced, Finally, we will elicit information during coffee hours as people share snacks and coffee. Those special Sundays will also be announced soon. Additionally, feel free to contact members of the committee to express concerns. If we do not have the answers, we will get the answers.
Once all of the information is gathered, the team will compose a “Ministry Profile” which will be presented to council and the congregation. Everyone will again have an opportunity to indicate if they believe that document fairly represents the input to the Transition Team. The Profile will in essence be Immanuel’s resume, representing ourselves to Pastoral candidates who wish to be considered for our next Pastor. The document must be approved by the congregation and council.
The Transition Team will meet most Tuesdays at 6:30, either in person or by Zoom. The Transition Team is the next step in finding a pastor to fill Immanuel’s call. In April, Immanuel’s council will confirm a team of approximately six members from the congregation to be on the “Call Committee.” That Committee will interview candidates. When a favorable candidate has been interviewed, opportunities for the congregation to meet him/her will be scheduled. The congregation then may vote on the candidate. The ultimate decision rests with the congregation. Please be sure to read the TGIF and emails from the church office to stay informed about the Transition Team’s progress. Most importantly, complete and return the Questionnaire.