Session

Undeniably, 2001 was one remarkable year at Central. As you are beginning to hear, your Session brought the year to a close by making some significant decisions that we believe will propel Central into the future, better equipped to fulfill our mission of "Moving People Toward Christ."

At its December meeting, the Session approved the Philosophy of Ministry that appears inside the front cover of this Annual Report. The Session also set in motion the process through which the Session will be reduced from 21 to 9 elders and a "Ministry Empowerment Team" will be formed to help facilitate the day to day nurture and support of our ministries. This philosophy and ministry structure are the culmination of more than 18 months of introspection, study, surveys, conferences, consultations, and most of all, prayers for God's guidance. After hearing this theme of a more de-centralized, permission-giving structure of ministry teams, led by a smaller Session, repeated from so many different sources, the Session felt confident that God was leading us in this new direction.

Some have asked, why make such a change before the new senior pastor comes on board? Shouldn't we wait to see what structure that pastor might prefer? This was one of the last difficult issues that we wrestled with. In the end, the Session determined that waiting would mean delaying the change for a long time, because it would be several years before a new pastor would have an understanding of the congregation and the solid footing required to lead such a transition. By making the change now, we have avoided what would be felt as a frustrating delay. In addition, we have clearly communicated to those considering a call to Central what kind of church we are, our vision for ministry, and the fact that we are bold enough as a congregation to take new initiatives, even in an interim time. Having moved forward in this way, we have the firm conviction that we have now done all that we needed to do to prepare for the new pastor and, in fact, suspect, that God may have slowed down the work of the PNC long enough to allow us to finish the task.

We have also seen God's gracious hand at work in many other ways this last year. We have added three new members to our staff, Bill in January, Brian in September and Andy in November. If you saw the 175 middle and high school students on the back lot for the Student Ministries kickoff, or experienced the Taize service, or have been a part of EPIC worship, you cannot help but stand in awe at the wonderful way that God has provided for this congregation by bringing just the right people at just the right time. Reflecting on God's bringing of these three to minister along side of the rest of our gifted, creative, and dedicated staff, we can only conclude that God is also preparing for us now, just the right senior pastor.

As we enter 2002, we ask that you show patience as we go through these transitions together. We deeply appreciate the trust that you have placed in your leadership thus far, and ask that you continue to display that trust as we work through whatever glitches we may encounter. We ask that you keep the lines of communication open, that you bring any concerns that you may have to our attention. Most of all, we ask that you continue to enfold us in your prayers.

Richard Ames-Ledbetter.
Clerk of Session, Central Presbyterian Church