Central’s Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) dedicated a vast amount of their time and energy towards calling our new Senior Pastor over their three years of service. Many times along the way, they had to pause, pray, and change direction. We applaud their hard work, tenacity and devotion as God led them to complete this important task.
The Process
Replacing a Senior Pastor of a PC (USA) church is a structured process. The first step is to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) from church members. Then, the PNC must determine and supply the Denominational Recruiting Platform of PC (USA) with specific, detailed information about the church, and the characteristics and traits of the pastor you want to call. The Recruiting Platform then uses this data to send the PNC Personal Information Forms (PIFs) of clergy seeking to move, and who also meet your church’s requirements. From these PIFs, the best pastoral candidates for your church are selected for review. This process is often more complicated than it seems.
Starting The Journey
After Pastor John Schmidt retired, the newly elected PNC began its task on June 20, 2021, working closely with the Session. The PNC met in the early summer to get acquainted with each other, learn each member’s strengths and gifts, and decide on a chairperson.
During the Fall of 2021, the PNC assembled data and other information about our church, including the traits and characteristics of the pastor we wanted. The PNC took advantage of an opportunity to speak with a consultant working at Central. The consultant referenced congregation surveys from recent years, talked with staff, and gathered additional information for the Recruiting Platform. They also developed a job description for the next Senior Pastor.
The PNC then developed processes to evaluate candidates, manage information received, record what the evaluations provided, and track communications. These tasks consumed most of the team’s time for the rest of 2021, before the PNC sent the required information to the Recruiting Platform.
The Search Begins
In early 2022, the PNC requested their first batch of Personal Information Forms (PIFs) of possible candidates. These candidates were registered in the Recruiting Platform as seeking a new position. The PNC started fishing for candidates through the Recruiting Platform, and also decided to throw their nets to the other side of the boat by networking with trusted friends of Central and sending ads to seminaries. For any candidates identified in this way, the PNC had to contact them via cold calls. This provided a wider pool of possible candidates.
This work continued through 2022, reviewing more batches of PIFs and networking. While this process was time-consuming, it did not yield the expected results.
The Ups and Downs
In 2023, things started to change. As the PNC looked at many possible candidates from the Recruiting Platform, they did not resonate with Central’s priorities, despite impressive qualifications. In response, more focus was placed on networking
During the Spring of 2023, a pivotal moment occurred when the PNC learned about The Fellowship Community (TFC), a network of churches and leaders within the PC (USA) dedicated to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. This organization offered a new and promising avenue for our search. In early May, two PNC members attended the annual three-day TFC conference in Plano, Texas. They were easily identifiable with their “I am Searching” ID badges. During the three days, they had ample opportunity to engage with the attendees and discover potential candidates. The TFC also posted our Ministry Information Form on their website, describing Central and the qualities of the new pastor we sought.
At this time, the PNC identified a promising candidate through networking efforts. Further discovery and discussion led the PNC to decide that this candidate fit our requirements for being our new senior pastor. Talks ensued, and the PNC agreed to extend a call. As the candidate took time to reflect on this offer, the end of the search seemed near. Hope was high. But this candidate returned to inform us that after discernment, she took another call.
Around this time, the Recruiting Platform changed the information they wanted from churches seeking new pastors. The PNC and potential candidates would have to resubmit. This change meant we would have to start all over, which would have been a significant effort and further delay the search for Central’s long-awaited pastor. So, the PNC paused the use of the Recruiting Platform as a source of candidates and focused entirely on networking with TFC and other sources.
Things Come Together
Through TFC, the PNC identified 33 candidates by mid-summer 2023 and started making cold calls to see who would be interested in the position. They finally narrowed the list to five candidates.
Quickly, the PNC gathered more data on each candidate to see which one might be the person we were looking for. Through all of this, it became clear that Jeremy Sanderson, recommended by two different network connections, became a front-runner, a candidate worth pursuing.
The Call
From here on, things moved rapidly. The PNC contacted Jeremy in September 2023, and he was open to this opportunity. The PNC requested additional information from him by the end of October. In November, the PNC held a Zoom call with Jeremy to start more serious talks and to plan a visit to Central in February of 2024. As the PNC continued to learn more, their unanimity grew so that they were in complete unity when they issued the call in the Spring. Jeremy requested two weeks to pray about this significant move. In March, he made his commitment to come to Central. The PNC then submitted his name to the Presbytery for their acceptance and to work out the details of presenting Jeremy to our congregation.
Once the PNC had completed all their tasks, they announced Jeremy Sanderson as our new Senior Pastor in June 2024.
Thanks to the PNC
The PNC devoted three years to Central, working tirelessly, trusting God, and changing directions as needed to call and hire our new Senior Pastor, Jeremy Sanderson.
So, if you pass Hilary Hargis, Jeremy Blair, Troy Clark, Marty Hansell, Katie Kavalski, Dan McWilliams, or Maria Schwartz, at church, please take a few minutes to express your thanks for their noble effort and dedication.
Click on the images below for their personal reflections on the process.
