8/17 Congregational Meeting Recap

Sunday, August 17th, a quorum of the congregation’s members voted to release Rob Pendley to his call in Alabama.

At the meeting, the session also distributed a handout detailing the options set before the congregation in seeking a new pastor. That information is provided below. Please feel free to bring any questions or concerns to our attention. You can easily find contact information for our elders and the staff on our website. Our next congregational meeting is this Sunday, August 24th, immediately following the worship service.

THE BOOK OF CHURCH ORDER (BCO) OF THE

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA

20-2. Every church should be under the pastoral oversight of a minister, and when a church has no pastor it should seek to secure one without delay.

A church shall proceed to elect a pastor in the following manner:  The Session shall call a congregational meeting to elect a pulpit committee which may be composed of members from the congregation at large or the Session, as designated by the congregation (see BCO 25). The pulpit committee shall, after consultation and deliberation, recommend to the congregation a pastoral candidate who, in its judgment, fulfills the Constitutional requirements of that office (e.g., BCO 8, 13-6 and 21) and is most suited to be profitable to the spiritual interests of the congregation (cf. BCO 20-6).

The Session shall order a congregational meeting to convene at the regular place of worship. Public notice of the time, place, and purpose of this meeting shall be given at least one week prior to the time of the meeting.

In following the BCO, the congregation has two clear options for composition of a pulpit committee:

• Members of the Congregation at Large

OR

• The Session

We will vote as a congregation on one of the above options next week on 8/24 in a congregational meeting immediately after the worship service.

If the congregation votes for Members of the Congregation at Large to compose the pulpit committee, the session would propose a committee of 7 members that would include 2 elders, 1 deacon and 4 members.  This structure would be voted on by the congregation. If the congregation votes for the Session to compose the pulpit committee, the session would seek input from members to ensure a minister is found that is most suited to the spiritual interest of the congregation.

Next Steps

• 8/24 / Congregational meeting to vote on composition of the pulpit committee.
• 8/24-9/7 / Nominations for members of the congregation at large (if that option is selected)
• 9/14 / Election of the pulpit committee (if that option is selected)

The session has been researching and planning for the upcoming pastor search over the past month.  Based on the experiences of others who have gone through this, we expect this process to take anywhere from 9-12 months.  It could be shorter and could be longer.  Our highest goal is to find the man God has planned to lead CCC.  We intend to do this in a prayerful and faithful way that depends on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us.

We trust that God is going to use this time together as a church family to build our sense of mission and community.  We know it is tempting to view this period in the life of our church as a trial but we truly believe God has great things planned for us in the next year in community together.

Please don’t hesitate to talk with Charlie, Larry, Mike or Nate about any questions you have. Contact info available here.