Moving Ahead: Celebrations, Ministry and Mission Study, Transitional Senior Pastor

by Barbara Brown, Succession Planning Team member

This summer three areas of the pastor transition process have moved ahead. First, the Celebrations Committee made plans to celebrate the Rev. Dr. Tim Hart-Andersen’s nearly 25 years of ministry at Westminster. Mark your calendars for the many October events.

In addition, the Ministry and Mission Study Committee dedicated August to listening to what people at Westminster say about the church and where they believe that we are being led as a congregation. The committee heard from people in facilitated listening sessions, and an online survey. At Coffee Hour people were invited to write and draw their ideas and give us a short video clip, if they preferred. Listening sessions with youth, staff, and small groups brought in more ideas. The next step is to weave these ideas together with other information about the church and present a first draft to Session on September 21, with a final report due to them in October. Thank you to everyone who has played a role in this important work.

Finally, the Personnel Committee for Staff and Ministers (PCSM) posted the job description for the Transitional Senior Pastor. PCSM will lead the hiring process, reviewing applicants and interviewing candidates. A final candidate will be recommended to Session for approval. The hope is to have a Transitional Senior Pastor in January, but PCSM will be flexible with dates in order to find the person called to lead Westminster during this transition.

Please visit the website to find past updates on the transition process and to view a graphic of the overall estimated timeline for the transition phases.