Dear Trinity Friends,
We’re writing to give you an update on our progress and next steps related to Trinity’s pastoral transition. On July 15, Trinity’s Session met to discuss and approve the following:
Congregational Meeting August 4
The Session approved a congregational meeting to be held on August 4 during the 10:00 worship service. The purpose of the meeting will be to formally dissolve our relationship with Pam effective August 10. Following worship, there will be a farewell reception for Pam in Williams Hall, celebrating her ministry and expressing our appreciation for her nine years of service at Trinity. Please plan to be there!
Richard Floyd, Acting Senior Pastor
After Pam’s departure,
Richard will serve as acting senior pastor until we hire an interim pastor. A congregational meeting will be held on August 11 to amend Richard’s terms of call to reflect these new responsibilities.
I
nterim Pastor Hiring Committee
Hiring an interim pastor is the responsibility of the Session, which named the following members to an Interim Pastor Hiring Committee: Lesley Carroll (chair), Bert Broadfoot, Steve Karasick, Allen Moseley, Susan Reese, Sarah Shoup and Juanita Watson.
This group will be guided by Presbyterian polity, which includes the rules described in the Book of Order, but is ultimately governed by policy and guidelines of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, and will be supported by the Presbytery and by the Session.
Transition Process
Three entities are involved in hiring or calling a new minister — the congregation, the minister and the local Presbytery. As a part of the PC(USA), Trinity acts with the help, support and approval of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, which sets the rules and guidelines governing the transition process.
In our Session meeting, Chip Blankinship from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta (filling in for Joy Fisher, our Presbytery congregational consultant), presented a series of detailed documents (available for your review
here in the Session Packet
) outlining the pastoral transition timeline and process.
Interim Pastor Discernment and Transition Process
As we noted in
our letter
to you on June 21, the interim pastor is responsible for:
• Leading the church and congregation through a process of reviewing and coming to terms with its history
• Identifying and naming unresolved and potential sources of conflict in the congregation
• Preparing the church for new leadership
After the interim pastor is hired, the typical timeline for this process is 12 to 30 months, culminating in the hiring of the senior pastor.
Senior Pastor Nominating Committee
Calling a new senior pastor begins with the election by the congregation of the Senior Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). However, before the PNC can be elected, its formation must be approved by the Session, the interim pastor, the Presbytery congregational consultant and the Presbytery Committee on Ministry liaison.
This approval is based on satisfactory progress with the interim process as judged by this group. Only with that approval can the PNC begin their work. At some point during the interim process, both the interim pastor and the PNC will operate concurrently. Note that the Senior Pastor Nominating Committee is a committee of the congregation and will operate independently of the Session.
Who’s Eligible?
The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta has strict rules about who is eligible to serve as interim pastor or senior pastor. According to Presbytery rules:
• A senior associate or associate pastor
may
be eligible to become the interim pastor as an exception — but this is generally discouraged.
• An interim pastor is
not
eligible to become the senior pastor and must agree by contract to leave after the interim period.
• A current senior associate or associate pastor is not eligible to become senior pastor.
We will continue to keep you up to date as the process moves forward. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.
