“The Church’s ordered ministries described in the New Testament and maintained by this church are deacons and presbyters (ministers of the Word and Sacrament and ruling elders). Ordered ministries are gifts to the church to order its life so that the ministry of the whole people of God may flourish. The existence of these ordered ministries in no way diminishes the importance of the commitment of all members to the total ministry of the church. The government of this church is representative, and the right of God’s people to elect presbyters and deacons is inalienable [emphasis mine]. Therefore, no person can be placed in any ordered ministry in a congregation or council of the church except by election of that body.” (Book of Order G-2.0102 Ordered Ministries)
“The session shall call a congregational meeting to elect a pastor nominating committee that shall be representative of the whole congregation. The committee’s duty shall be to nominate a pastor for election by the congregation.” (Book of Order G-2.0802 Election of a Pastor Nominating Committee)
“According to the process of the presbytery and prior to making its report to the congregation, the pastor nominating committee shall receive and consider the presbytery’s counsel on the merits, suitability, and availability of those considered for the call. When the way is clear for the committee to report to the congregation, the committee shall notify the session, which shall call a congregational meeting.” (Book of Order G-2.0803 Call Process)
The above quotes are to remind us that Presbyterian Christians have a unique understanding of election to office in the church. We don’t have bishops who appoint pastors to congregations. The oversight we do recognize is that of the presbytery who acts like a bishop in exercising accountability.
Once the Pastor Nominating Committee is elected by the congregation, they will have work to do before a formal search for a new Pastor begins. That work will include:
electing officers from their own membership
receiving orientation from the presbytery, e.g. guidelines of the presbytery, how the new Church Leadership Connection operates
complete the church’s “information form” (now called the MDP / Ministry Discernment Profile)
These tasks usually take 2-3 months.
A reminder that the PNC will be seeking the person God is calling to be the next Pastor at Open Door. They’re not to select someone they know or like or “fall in love with.” They should ask themselves, “Will this person guide us into God’s future? Will they equip us to do our work of ministry?” (cf. Ephesians 4.12)