Church in Transition

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MARK RETIRES?

John Bowden, Planning Committee

On January 10, Pastor Mark Dowdy announced that he will retire at the end of May. Maybe you are wondering what happens next and when we will have a new pastor. If you attended the Congregational meeting on Sunday you got the best answers currently available, but if you weren’t there or would like a little recap this article is for you.

Council, in anticipation of Mark’s retirement, assembled a Planning Committee to help the church through the necessary steps leading to the call of a new permanent pastor. The Planning Committee was charged with developing a transition process and ensuring that communication takes place. The

Planning Committee consists of Janet Anderson, Joe Arnett, John Bowden, Brian Hovis, Lee Johnson, Cheri Kelly, and Marcia Smith. At the Congregational meeting, Planning Committee members shared a timeline of the transition steps and provided answers to questions about the transition.

Joan Knapp, Church Moderator, presented Council’s recommended candidates to be members of the Intentional Interim Pastor Seeking Committee. The candidates were then approved by those in attendance at the Congregational meeting.

The Interim Pastor Seeking Committee (IPSC) includes Leslie Cushman as a Council representative, Mike Segawa from the Personnel Ministry, Brian Hovis from the Planning Committee, and Deborah Reynolds and Bob McMullen representing the congregation at large.

Even though the IPSC will begin work very soon, we will be without a leader for approximately one month between Mark's retirement and the arrival of the interim pastor. This is part of a proven process to give us a clean break and provide a time to grieve Mark’s departure. During this time, Council will make sure we have pulpit support and that crucial pastoral duties are provided.

The IPSC will work with the UCC Conference Minister and the Presbytery Executive to find an interim pastor who has the training and experience to help us in working through any conflicts; acknowledging and learning from the past; clarifying our identity and purpose; deciding what is important to carry into the future; committing to new leadership; and building consensus and excitement about a shared vision for the future. The interim pastor will be with us for about a year.

While the intentional interim pastor is with us, a permanent senior pastor selection committee will be formed. It is too early to know who will be on that committee, but the committee will be selected based on individual skills and various demographic aspects of the church, but will represent the church as a whole.

The Planning Committee charter, a Question and Answer paper, and a timeline are available on the church website and in the Narthex. The Planning Committee will be providing more in-depth information about the transition as we go. Look for articles in the Voice focusing on specific steps and progress toward calling a new senior pastor.