Call Process
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. ( Philippians 4:19)
It is time to give God thanks and praise! God has provided! I would like to announce to you that the Transition Team has completed the work of submitting a detailed report reviewing the history and ministries of our congregation. We also have completed the Ministry Site Profile ( MSP) and have submitted these two documents to the Council for approval. This MSP is intended for use by congregations that are seeking to call an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The MSP is designed to stimulate a reflection, to be a summary of the characteristics and ministry of the congregation, and to serve as the first impression that you wish to give to prospective candidates.
After the Council approves these two documents we will be submitting them to the Synod for approval. At that point these documents are available for your review as there will be copies available in the church office. I would like to take a moment to give a special “THANK YOU” to the whole Transition Team who literally spent dozens of hours discussing and writing the language for these documents. The team consists of : Pete Pederson, Mark Mittelstadt, Randy Karrer, Garrett Bryant, Laurie Karlen-Smith, Terri Lappin, Steve Claasen, Jodi Layton and Erica Clark. If you see these individuals please let them know you appreciate their hard work!
I do believe God inspired the language we came up with in these documents. It definitely felt Spirit led. We believe they represent who we are and who it is we are looking for in our next ordained pastor. The next step for the congregation now is to officially elect our Call Committee and have them get to work. They will review the documents and get familiar with the language so that when the time comes for the synod to send us names… which could be a while yet… they are able to compare the paperwork of the candidate with our paperwork to find the commonalities. This part of the process could take a while as there are very limited candidates at this time and the Bishop’s office does carefully review the candidates to send us only people who will fit into our desired needs. The process literally could take months to complete and so, let’s let God do the work.
There has been a question asked to whether or not I could be considered a candidate for Beautiful Savior even though I am your Interim Pastor. The short answer is yes… but there still is a process. I would have to go through the same interview process as any other candidate. However, first, I would have to be released by Synod Council and the Bishop’s Office from my current position as an called interim working for the synod. At this time, I can honestly say, I am in discernment as to what is next for me in my call and ministry. I am listening to what God is showing me and telling my heart. There are a few factors that I am searching for in life that will help me through this process. Right now, what we all need to do is continue to PRAY for this process to continue… pray for me and my discernment…. as we begin this search and WAIT patiently for God to work through the synod, the call committee, and YOU.
It is an honor to serve you as your Interim Pastor.
Pastor Tony