As part of the Pastor Search Committee we are committed to being as transparent as is reasonably possible with the congregation throughout the process. We will give periodic updates on where we stand, limited by our need to obviously keep certain topics confidential.
The Committee takes the responsibility of finding a new pastor with the greatest of importance. It is imperative that we find a man who will be our spiritual shepherd for today and for future generations. Additionally, there are certain elements that are non-negotiable such as a belief in the inerrant Word of God and adherence to the Southern Baptist commitment to follow the truth of scripture as best as we interpret the Bible.
At the outset, we asked for the congregation to be mindful of the 3 P’s:
- Prayer : Be in constant prayer for our next pastor and for the search committee as they go through this incredibly meaningful task.
- Patience: This will not be a quick process, but one that will be very deliberate and adhere to the 6 Step Process (outlined below)
- Positivity: We must stand firm on the word of God but we must do so in a united front as we complete the search and interview process. Satan delights when we are divided and we are most susceptible during times of change.
We are adopting a 6 step process to facilitate finding our next pastor. We need to be mindful that a number of large Southern Baptist Churches across Georgia are in the same position we are and many are having difficulties in locating a pastor. The reasons are numerous but we need to be aware that items such as bylaws, organizational structure, church unity, budgets and allowances for pastors to help guide the church in a cooperative manner, all contribute to these lapses. First Baptist on the Square has been very deliberate in trying to address these issues proactively and has spent many hours on the revitalization team, bylaws committee, Pastor search committee and other teams to proactively address these areas of opportunity. Consequently, we have adopted the 6 step process to help walk us through the selection process:
- Discovery – The vision team has assessed who we are as a church and continues to seek further input to clearly articulate who we are as a congregation
- Profile – The teams are pulling together documents to identify where we are going as a church. To that extent we will be surveying ALL members of our church to establish what our goals are for our ministries for all age groups and for people outside of our church who we want to draw to the Lord.
- Recruitment – We have not yet started this process, but will begin in earnest to call candidates to First Baptist on the Square.
- Interviewing
- Selection
- Presentation
On behalf of the Pastoral Search Committee, we thank you for entrusting us with this responsibility and for your continued prayers and support.
God Bless,
Coleman Foss
Chairman, Pastoral Search Committee