It is the view of the Leadership Team that the ideal approach for FBC is to initially appoint an interim pastor, and then consider together as a church the potential appointment of a transitional one.
Part-time Interim Pastor
We are delighted to announce that Steve Clark has made himself available on a part time basis to undertake an interim pastor role. He is available to do this from the time Tim leaves, until 30 April next year. God is good!
It is important to note that it is not the intention that Steve does exactly the same job that Tim has been, nor all the aspects of the job he did when he previously worked at FBC. We are blessed by a staff team with a range of incredible strengths, and between them all (including Steve) we have found a home for the critical Tim tasks!
We will share a bit more in a future communication, everyone’s general areas of responsibility. Like all staff (apart from the Senior Pastor), Steve will report to the Executive Pastor (Penny).
The Search Team
We are continuing our preparatory work in this area. To start with, the LT is preparing a package of information which will contain details on:
— The role and recommended size of the Search Team
— The skills/characteristics required of members
— The tasks it will perform
— The likely commitment needed e.g. meeting frequency etc
The FBC constitution confirms that the LT has the responsibility of setting up the search team - clause 3c says “When a vacancy occurs in the Senior Pastorate, the Leadership shall appoint a search committee.”
The LT intends to provide church attendees with the opportunity to nominate individuals to be part of this team. We will then bring the final list back to the church for confirmation.
We want nominees to be aware of what is involved, so we hope this information package - which will be available before the Christmas break - will be useful in that regard.
Prayer
Ian Moorhouse has kindly agreed to co-ordinate our prayer focus over this time – thank you Ian! More information on what this might look like will come soon. In the meantime, we would appreciate your prayers for:
— The staff team as they adjust to a different way of working.
— God to be prompting potential search team members about their possible involvement.
Please do approach any of the LT members if you have any questions at all.
Faye and the Leadership Team
