Pastor Transition Status

PERMANENT PASTOR SEARCH

The pastor nominating committee's goal is to find the pastor who has the qualities to lead Bower Hill into the future. One of the inputs will be the information provided by the CAT Scan survey. A process will used to try to discern that the pastor we choose will lead the church in a direction that is the will of God.

Besides updates on these web pages, we will communicate our progress through the newsletter and bulletin. Please check back for frequent updates.

PNC - Pastor Nominating Committee Members
Theresa Child
Mary Good
Dave Hicks
Rick Jacobs - Chairperson
Gordon Mitchell
Kiri Rising
Margaret Zabo

Contact PNC Chairperson - Rick Jacobs

PROGRESS REPORTS

Diagram of Pittsburgh Presbytery's Search Process - Showing our progress

February 2009 Newsletter Article
It’s a year since the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) began its work to find a new pastor for Bower Hill Community Church.  You may remember our process. We spent several months preparing a Church Information Form (CIF) based on the congregational survey completed in late 2008, conversations with church members, consultation with  Session and the pastor, and a lot of prayer. This CIF was then advertised on the PCUSA’s Church Leadership Connection website, where it was available to pastors across the country who were seeking a new position. These pastors submitted Personal Information Forms (PIFs) describing their qualifications and their experience to the same website.  PIFs are matched to our CIF by the computer using key words and phrases and these matches are reviewed further by PCUSA to produce referrals to our PNC. This process has produced more than 170 referrals since last April.

In addition, pastors who review our CIF and find it interesting, may self-refer their PIFs to our PNC with a request to be considered for our position.  To date we have received more than 50 self referrals. Our PNC has evolved to focus mainly on the self-referrals.

We have discovered that the characteristics of our church that attract candidates are:

• Our commitment to mission

• Our welcoming of spiritual and lifestyle diversity into our congregation

• Our desire to grow spiritually and reach out to our community with God’s love.

What we’re looking for is a candidate who:

• Enjoys interacting with people and will love our congregation

• Is a strong preacher

• Is energetic and enthusiastic about coming to Bower Hill

      and will help us grow spiritually and in service to Christ.

Once we have found matches, the committee interviews prospective candidates and their references, listens to sermons on either CD or a website and interviews promising prospects by phone.  We eliminate candidates who do not have enough experience, whose qualifications do not match our needs,  or who do not show a genuine interest in Bower Hill. We have several candidates that have successfully made it to the stage where our PNC meets with them at Bower Hill to discuss a potential call to our church. Although we have been close, these interviews have not produced the match we are looking for so far.

The holidays and the snow have given us time to contemplate where we are and how to continue.  We are not discouraged.  In fact right now there are several definite possibilities.  Women and men, young and not so young are under consideration. They are all viable candidates, have good preaching skills, support mission projects, meet the theological parameters outlined in our Church Information Form and profess to love the Lord. This is a difficult task and the committee wants to be very careful in making the selection of the next pastor for Bower Hill Church. The committee continues to request your prayers and welcomes your questions or comments on the process.

January 2009 Newsletter Article
It is time for another update from the PNC.We are making  progress, but we are not finished.of our seven PNC members has diligently reviewed many pages of application forms, called Personal Information Forms, which have been sent to us by potential candidates for the position of Pastor at BHCC .we discuss what we have read and vote about whether or not we should interview the person by phone. We are following the Presbyterian polity closely to make sure what we are doing is fair and comprehensive.

We identified the strongest candidates and our team has done personal interviews of candidates on the telephone. We dropped some of the candidates after the initial phone interview. The next step is to check references of the candidates we think fit our criteria.We have visited churches to hear preaching and were serious about several candidates, but for one reason or another we did not feel the mutual call from God. The Presbytery will be involved at the very end of our process to examine the candidate’s suitability and qualifications.

The committee shares this detail, again, to make sure you are aware of the process we are following and the efforts of the committee to this point.are still committed to finding the right person for Bower Hill.  We have grown spiritually as a group through our many meetings, where we have engaged in prayer and thoughtful deliberations.fact is that this process just takes time.pray that you will continue to support us with your prayers and patience.are trying very hard to discern God’s will and determine who He wants to call.

December 2009 Newsletter Article
Your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has been meeting regularly for one year now. While we have interviewed several promising candidates, each has fallen short of a mutual call to serve Bower Hill. We are not discouraged because we feel God’s guidance in the process to find the right person. Plus, there is no shortage of interesting applications.

To review, the process begins when we receive a Pastor Information Form (PIF.) A self-referral shows interest in us because that candidate has already read our Church Information Form (CIF.) The seven of us review every self-referral. As a committee, we decide who merits the next step: one-on-one phone interview. If it is a positive discussion, we contact the references and listen to recorded sermon samples. This additional information, we decide whether or not to proceed with a whole-committee phone interview. If we are still interested, we visit (as incognito as possible) their churches on a Sunday morning. For a very select few, we will conduct an in-person interview and arrange a neutral pulpit worship service experience. Once we decide to offer the position, the Presbytery will double-check the candidate’s suitability for our church.

You should know that prayer is an integral part of the process and, because of it we, as a committee, have grown spiritually. Thank you for your continued prayers for our deliberations. Please contact any of us with your questions or concerns. Jacobs (Chair), Theresa Child, Mary Good, Dave Hicks, Gordon Mitchell, Kiri Rising and Margaret Zabo.

November 2009 Newsletter Article
Pastor Search continues with Renewed Energy
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) continues to interview prospective candidates, listen to sermons on either CD or a website. Since our continuation of the search began again we have reviewed 10 new PIF’s, interviewed several prospects by phone and have scheduled 3 more phone interviews within the next several weeks.
The members of the group under consideration include men and women. They are all viable candidates, have good preaching skills, support mission projects, meet the theological parameters outlined in our Church Information Form and profess to love the Lord.
We have a renewed sense of commitment and are encouraged by continued support from the congregation and the Presbytery. We are striving to be more thorough in our questions and more diligent in our discussions with each new candidate to find the one that the Lord is directing to us.
The committee continues to request your prayers and welcomes your questions or comments on the process.

October 2009 Newsletter Article
The process of discernment of God’s will for a new pastor for Bower Hill is not always easy.  “The Lord does not look at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) It is with disappointment that the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) reports that neither of the previous two candidates about whom we told you last month will be coming to BHCC as our new pastor. After hearing one preach at a neutral pulpit, the PNC decided that person was not a fit.  The other whom we all chose as the right person for the job, decided that they were not being called to BHCC. It takes both parties to make a match.  

So, that puts us back into the search process.  With the help of Presbytery and Doug Portz, our Presbytery advisor, the committee is beginning the review of new PIFs (Pastor Information Forms) and self-referrals.  There are lots of good prospects out there.  The committee believes the Lord will guide us in the process, and help us to discern the person he has chosen to be the next pastor of Bower Hill church.

Please keep the committee in your prayers.

September 2009 Newsletter Article
Through an involved process and with God’s help the Committee has narrowed the search to two candidates.
Many candidates submitted a Pastor Information Form as a result of seeing our Church Information Form on the PCUSA’s Church Leadership Connection website. The forms gave us not only their educational backgrounds and church history, but also included answers to such questions as describe your leadership style; explain your key theological issues; and express the characteristics of the church you would like to serve.  The committee looked at the answers from all the PIF’s submitted and found 10 or 12 that, on paper, seemed to match BHCC’s needs.
Candidates were then interviewed by phone and select candidates were reviewed in person by Committee members who traveled to see them preach in their home churches. From those we choose several to interview in person.  In those interviews it became evident that two of these folks were possible pastors for BHCC.    The next step is to have the entire committee hear them preach in a neutral pulpit and that will take place over the next couple of weeks.
After hearing them and meeting with them again, it is the hope of the committee that one will emerge as the one to whom the Lord is guiding us.   When the committee has selected that one person and reached agreement on the terms of call, a recommendation for the terms of call will be made to Session.   Session will then call for a congregational meeting, and the candidate will be invited to preach in the Bower Hill pulpit on the Sunday of that meeting. Notice for the meeting will be made from the pulpit for two Sundays preceding the meeting.  After the candidate preaches, the terms of call for the candidate will be presented to the congregation for a vote to accept the call.
Once the congregation has accepted the call, it must be approved by the Presbytery.  The PNC is targeting to have the call presented for approval at the October Presbytery meeting. The call will become effective after it has been approved by Presbytery. Again, the committee continues to need your prayers and really appreciates your questions or comments on the process.

August 2009 Newsletter Article
Since our last report, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has begun to conduct face-to-face interviews with prospective candidates where the questions are more inquiring and thoughtful. Members of the committee have also continued to visit churches to hear and see the preaching style of other candidates. In addition, we have had a meeting with Cal to reinforce our criteria for choosing the next BHCC pastor. A meeting with the Think Tank is scheduled to be sure the plans and purpose of the groups are in sync. The committee continues to request your prayers and welcomes your questions or comments on the process.

July 2009 Newsletter Article
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) continues to interview prospective candidates and listen to sermons on either CD or a website. We have interviewed six prospects by phone and eliminated three that either did not have enough experience or did not show a genuine interest in Bower Hill.  Members of the committee have visited several churches to get a sense of how the candidate conducts a worship service.  There are four more pastors with whom we have scheduled phone interviews.  Once those calls have been completed (by June 17), another contact for further discussion will be made with all whom we feel would be successful pastors with the BH congregation.
The members of the group under consideration include men and women. They are all viable candidates, have good preaching skills, support mission projects, meet the theological parameters outlined in our Church Information Form, and profess to love the Lord. 

June 2009 Newsletter Article
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) continues to search for the new Head of Staff for Bower Hill Community Church.  To date there have been 265 “hits” to our Church Information Form (CIF).  “Hits” are when a Pastor Information Form (PIF) with similar information comes up as being a possible match to Bower Hill’s CIF.  These hits were automatically screened and 28 PIFs were found to have more of the criteria for which the committee is looking. These PIFs have been forwarded to the PNC. There have also been 16 self referrals.  Self referrals are pastors searching for new positions who have reviewed our CIF, like what they see and have sent their PIF directly to the PNC.
To date we have reviewed 28 PIFs and contacted 8 people for preliminary interviews. After these interviews and talking to their references, we have eliminated three and had a group telephone conversation with one. The other four continue to be definite possibilities and group telephone interviews with them will be scheduled in the near future.   With the use of technology the committee is able to review many of the resumes on-line, listen to sermons on CD’s and gain more information about each candidate through the Internet.
Presbytery continues to send us PIFs to review.   The committee meets at least once a week and communicates almost daily by e-mail.   We are excited about the people with whom we have spoken and look forward to more in depth discussions with each of them.
The committee continues to request your prayers.

May 2009 Newsletter Article
By the time this is delivered to your mailbox the committee may have already received the resume of our future pastor.   On April 7th we learned that our CIF (Church Information Form) had been accepted by Pittsburgh Presbytery and was now available on the Church Leadership Connection.  This is the website that pastors looking for a new position would log into to see information from churches that are looking to fill a vacancy.   There is also a matching component of this process.  Our CIF will be compared to Pastor Information Forms (PIFs), and resumes of those who meet our criteria will be sent to us for review. Pastors searching will also be able to “self-refer” their resumes to us. We have already received the first batch of resumes and a self-referral, so our review process has already begun.

The PNC worked together since early January to prepare the CIF so that any pastor searching for a new call would know who we are, what our church is about, and be attracted to want to get to know us better by submitting their resume in response to our listing.  We used the findings of the recent survey members completed. We talked to members and former members to be sure we were presenting a clear picture of Bower Hill at this time.   Session met with the committee and further defined the information included in the form. We listed three references, Cal Wilson, Beverly James and John Yohe as people anyone could call to ask questions about Bower Hill. As we complete the review of PIFs we already have, we can request additional matches and referrals  from Presbytery.  After resumes have been reviewed, we will contact possible candidates for phone and or personal interviews.

The committee continues to request your prayers.  

Week of 2/22/2009
UPDATE FROM THE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has been meeting weekly to work on the Church Information Form (CIF). This is the document that will be posted by Presbytery on their job-search website. It will be available for review by pastors who are seeking new positions of leadership within the Presbyterian Church on a national basis.

We have completed the CIF sections covering Mission Statement, Church Programs and Accomplishments, Church Gifts, Skills and Experiences, Pastor Skills and  Pastor Characteristics.  The final section is Key Theological Issues and this is a bit tougher to answer. We plan to complete the form by the end of February. After this, it will be reviewed by the Presbytery Committee on Ministry and then submitted to BHCC Session for approval at their March meeting.  Once the CIF has been approved by Session and the Presbytery, it will be posted on the Presbytery website, and the next phase of the search process begins.

During this time, the PNC plans to visit some area churches that are growing to get some ideas about their programs and worship services. We will also be open to receiving referrals from pastors who are seeking a change in employment and might be interested in Bower Hill.  Please continue to pray for us as we enter this next phase of our search.

Week of 1/26/2008
Holy Cow! BHCC’s Vital Signs:
A Report on the church assessment Tool results

Late last fall, as a start to our pastor search process, Bower Hill members were invited to complete a survey (Church Assessment Tool) to provide a picture of who we are as a church and what directions might be important for our future.

Ninety-one members completed the questionnaire. This was a critical step in providing the information required for the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) to complete the Church Information Form (CIF), the key means for matching us with potential pastors. The survey was conducted by Holy Cow! Consulting of Columbus, Ohio, consultants who were recommended by Pittsburgh Presbytery.

In December, Russ Crabtree, head of the firm, personally presented an analysis of the survey results to our Session and the PNC. The survey results were also detailed in a 25-page printed report. Session will send a summary of the consultant's report to congregation members within the month. The full report will also be available.

Week of 12/17/2008
At the special meeting of session and the PNC committee was held to review the findings of the membership survey. The survey creator, Russ Crabtree, presenting the results with his interpretations.

Week of 11/16/2008
At the special congregational meeting on Nov 16th. the congregation approved the names submitted by the nominating committee for the PNC (Pastor Nominating Committee).

______________________________________________________________________

INTERIM PASTOR SEARCH - COMPLETED

The transition team goal is to have an interim pastor at Bower Hill by the end of October. Besides updates on these web pages, we will communicate our progress through the newsletter and bulletin. Please check back for weekly updates.

Transition Team Members
Jim Burke
Bill Cadwell
Glenn Child
Pat Jacobs
Joan McAnulty

Contact Transition Team Chairperson - Pat Jacobs

PROGRESS REPORTS

Diagram of Pittsburgh Presbytery's Search Process - Showing our progress

Week of 11/24/2008
The membership survey was completed with 91 members responding. Russ Crabtree will be compiling the results and presenting the information to session and the PNC committee.

Week of 10/26/2008
Session approved the names submitted by the nominating committee for the PNC (Pastor Nominating Committee). A special congregational meeting will be called for Nov 16th.

Week of 10/19/2008
The last month has been very busy for the transition team. With the help of Laurie, the session, the nominating committee, Presbytery and others, we believe the process of finding a new pastor will be much shorter than in the past. The Presbytery has made changes that streamline the process without sacrificing the time necessary for discernment. This process has 21 steps. We have completed Steps 1-7 and are working on Steps 8-9. A diagram of the steps of the process is posted on the web site (link above).

The team met with three potential interim pastor candidates, selected our first choice, created a contract, got acceptance from the candidate on the contract and approval from session and the Pittsburgh Presbytery. At the worship service on Sept 19th, our selection of Cal Wilson was announced. For the process of selecting an interim pastor, only session approval is needed, whereas with the selection of a regular pastor, both session and congregational approval is needed.

Session Actions
Session held a special meeting to discuss the pastor nominating process. Representatives from Presbytery went over the various options and explained how they had streamlined the process. While many of you have experienced the process taking 18-24 months in the past, the Presbytery representatives said most of the recent searches were being completed within 12 months. As a result of these discussions the session decided to:

• Form a Pastor Nominating Committee composed of members from the congregation
• Use the expedited traditional route of selecting a new pastor
• Have the Transition Team conduct the Mission Study – CAT Scan as soon as possible
  

Mission Study – CAT Scan
In the past the Mission Study has been one part of the pastor selection process that often took a significant amount of time. It is a critical process that allows Bower Hill to fill out the Church Information Form which is the key means for matching us with potential pastors. This process has been replaced by a congregational survey that can be analyzed to get a profile of our church. The survey is called the Church Assessment Tool (CAT). This tool will provide a picture of who we are as a church and what directions might be important for our future. The details on the survey will be communicated in the coming weeks through the bulletin, newsletter and a letter mailed to your home.

Week of 9/21/2008
Transition Team Report to the Congregation

The Transition Team charged with making a recommendation to Session for the
hiring of a full-time interim minister has met five times since being
appointed by Session on Aug. 26.

The team received names of four potential interim candidates from Presbytery.
We have thus far contacted all of the candidates to determine their interest
in further discussions regarding the interim position at Bower Hill. The
team had a preliminary meeting with one candidate on Sept. 20 and has
scheduled a meeting with another during the week of Sept. 21. The third
candidate is traveling and not available for discussions until mid-October.
The fourth candidate is not longer available as an interim since the church at which he is currently serving as an interim will need his services longer than expected.

Week of 9/7/2008
Working on information needed by Presbytery to hire an interim pastor

• Will be meeting with Laurie and other committee's to balance duties
  
• Requested that the Nominating Committee begin the process of determining names to present for the Pastor Nominating Committee.

Week of 8/31/2008
Prepared and sent out Letter to Congregation Detailing Pastors Status 9/5/2008

Week of 8/25/2008
Session approved the formation of the transition team.

Back To Main Page