Pastor Transition Update
May 28, 2021
Many of us are continuing to process Nate’s upcoming departure and enjoying the time we still have with him as our Pastor. In the meantime, ACC also needs to move ahead. Following is an update on efforts to move ahead.
Last week at Council we decided to first focus on the pastor who will continue ministry shortly after Nate leaves. The Council was unanimous in its decision to assign a “Bridge” pastor rather than an “Interim” pastor. A Bridge Pastor would continue the ministry work with the congregation until the Search Committee has found a Settled Minister to recommend to the Congregation. You may recall that when a pastor first leaves a congregation, an Interim Minister is chosen to help the congregation go through an Envisioning/Discernment process to determine who we are, who are our neighbors, and what we envision for the future of ACC. This process can go on for many months. We’ve heard from several in the congregation and the Council agrees that we don’t really need such a process, as we have gone through several of them in recent years. We have a great deal of documentation that answers the above questions. Therefore, a Bridge Pastor, will come in to serve the church and give us the time we need to search for a Settled Pastor. Tom Dean chairs the Bridge Pastor Search Committee and will work with Natalie Morrison and Eleanor Crump.
In the mean time, several of our members will be pulling together documentation that answers the questions: Who are we? Who are our neighbors? And Where are we going as a congregation? The Profile Writing Team includes, Ruth Robinson, Susan Russel, and Sara Laferte. Once the Profile is written, and posted, we will have a Search Committee assigned to begin reviewing candidates for Settled Minister.
Both teams are well on their way with support from the NCCUCC Conference Office. Rev. Davena Jones is already helping by using the Conference's broad network to contact potential candidates and by vetting applicants for the Bridge Pastor.
Please feel free to call or write if you have questions.
Linda Young, ACC Moderator