A step-by-step guide to
the work of a Pastor Nominating Committee now is available.
Selecting An Evangelical Pastor … A Lay Perspective: A Guide
For Pastor Nominating Committees by elder Robert B. Fish has been
significantly expanded and enhanced with additional appended resources.
The book includes a preface by Robert L. Howard, longtime chairman of
the Presbyterian Lay Committee. Howard said this new volume is a revised
and expanded edition of a 1988 work that was one of the best-received
resources ever published by PLC Publications, going through many
reprints.
Howard said the new volume "ought to be read by every active PCUSA
elder."
In the book, Fish writes: "Serving on a Pastor Nominating Committee
is one of the most crucial tasks requested of lay people in the
Presbyterian Church (USA). The person you select will be the central
focus for the spiritual leadership of your congregation as it helps to
build up Christ's Church in your community. Each of us can only imagine
the wonderful ministry that could be achieved with pastoral leadership
that 'fits' a congregation….
"Selecting the right candidate is a joyous accomplishment, a
blessing from God. On the other hand, selecting the wrong candidate
often can be a painful, frustrating exercise in disappointment that can
wound a congregation for years to come. That is why the job of a Pastor
Nominating Committee – struggling through the step-by-step process
to find a pastor with the necessary qualifications to complement a
congregation's witness – is so crucial.
"And, because it is so crucial, that job cannot be conducted
willy-nilly. The search process that a Pastor Nominating Committee
undertakes must embody the procedures of Presbyterian polity. Unlike the
Episcopal Church USA's hierarchical call process or the Baptist Church's
congregational call process, the local congregation in the Presbyterian
Church (USA) authorizes the Pastor Nominating Committee to conduct the
search with counsel and guidance from the presbytery's Committee on
Ministry and the executive presbyter. That counsel and guidance is
designed to complement – and not take the place of – the hard
and necessary work of a Pastor Nominating Committee, which makes a
recommendation on a candidate to its congregation. And while it is true
that the presbytery ultimately approves a call, it is the congregation
alone that elects a pastor (
Book of Order G-14.0501b)."
As a service to the church, and because it believes this book is a
valuable resource, PLC Publications is offering a free copy to the
chairperson of every Pastor Nominating Committee who requests it. Bulk
discounts are available for other copies.
For more information, call 1-800-368-0110.