CCC Gainesville | Blog
Dear CCC Friends and Family,
On Tuesday, November 4, the Pulpit Nominating Committee (PNC) held it’s 4th meeting. We are well into the first stage of our work in identifying the leader God has for CCC. We begin each meeting with a short devotion from Chris Brauns’ Book “When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search” and group prayer. One of the ways we have been encouraged in the past two months is in your (CCC friends and family) commitment to pray for us; corporately and individually. We need God’s provision, not our own solutions. Prayer is essential. From Braun: “The necessity of prayer during recruitment is seen in the example of our King. These verses from Luke are extremely relevant for a church looking for a pastor:
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot. (Luke 6: 12-15)
Here was Jesus, chairman of the only perfect search committee of one. He had perfect wisdom and discernment. He was the greatest recruiter in the history of humanity. Yet before he met with candidates for spots on his team, He spent the night in prayer.”Similarly, prayer was necessary in the early church, as they sought elders and pastors:“They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” (Acts 14 :21-23)Prayer is essential. Here are 5 ways we can pray for our next pastor.
- Pray that God would increase his passion for preaching the Word of God.
- Pray that God would give him a love for CCC and the strength to leave his current position
- Pray that our next pastor would begin relationships at CCC in the right way, even during the search process.
- Pray that God would prepare our future pastor to shepherd the flock more effectively throughout the trials and blessings he has faced or currently faces.
- Pray for our next pastor’s family. Pray that God, who knows each detail about each member of his household, would give the members of his family strength as they consider leaving their current setting and going to a different church.
Current Activity & Updates
- The PNC has organized itself and elected: Michael Marshall (Chair), Sharon Stankunas (Vice Chair), and Christian Smith (Secretary)
- Information has been gathered from the congregation, leaders and the session in hopes of completing a Church Profile Form (CPF) and online magazine by Dec 2nd. A huge “thank you” to those who contributed by submitting a form. The CPF will be shared with prospective candidates and our church family. Reestablishing central doctrinal commitments, reviewing the gospel and CCC’s mission statement, have been crucial in organizing what we are committed to in the days to come. Our first step in building unity has been to establish again our theological center–the gospel, the person and work of Jesus, the sufficiency of His Word, and our purpose in Gainesville.
- Meetings are scheduled for November 18, December 2, and December 17.
In Christ,
The Pulpit Nominating Committee
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