People of Hope,
Here at Esperanza, we are in the midst of the interim process. Here’s what has already happened:
- Pastor Annemarie’s letter of resignation was submitted to the council, copied to the synod office, and accepted by the council.
- Council contacted the synod office regarding the transition process, completed necessary paperwork, and notified the congregation.
- Bishop led an exit interview with Pastor Annemarie and council, and we held a farewell event for Pastor Annemarie.
- Synod office recommended an interim pastor, and council interviewed me and agreed I was a good fit.
- Synod issued a letter of call to me, and I began serving.
- The transition team was selected by the council, and the transition team led the congregation through Discernment gatherings and drafted guiding principles and a mission statement.
WE ARE HERE
At this juncture, the transition team again needs your help! We have put together a simple survey we ask each participant in the Esperanza community to complete. There are only two questions, but they are two of the most important questions asked in the Ministry Site Profile. They are about the tasks this congregation desires the next pastor to do and the characteristics this congregation desires in the next pastor. To fill out the survey, click on the link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7C9SVGR
What is coming in the next several months:
- Congregation will approve guiding principles and a mission statement.
- Transition team will write the Ministry Site Profile with input from the congregation (see survey link above) and the council.
- Council will select call committee members.
- A representative from the synod office will meet with the council, transition team, and call committee to finalize the Ministry Site Profile (MSP); MSP will be submitted to the ELCA database.
- Synod office will discern names of potential candidates to offer the call committee for interviews.
- Call committee will review names and Rostered Leader Profiles and interview candidates; after initial interviews, the call committee will release the candidates who do not feel like a good fit for the congregation.
Of course, once Esperanza has completed these steps, actually calling a pastor will involve a few more steps, but we will update you when we get there.
When I was in seminary, our contextual education director often told us: “Trust the process.” As part of her job, she selected internship placements, oversaw the “teaching parish” program, helped students with candidacy questions, and held meetings where we learned how to get called to our first congregation. She was always navigating processes, and she saw the Holy Spirit in the process. Like her, we can trust the process because the process really is not about jumping through hoops. It is about honoring the movement of the Holy Spirit among us. As much as we might wish for God to speed up the process, we can’t hurry God. We can simply trust that God is in the process.
Trusting the process,
Pastor Sarah