That God would give us (the Search Team) wisdom and discretion
For guidance for the Northwest Conference staff reviewing candidates for potential matches to our church’s profile
For God to be working in the life of whomever our next pastor will be and preparing their hearts for the transition
Several factors impact the duration of the search for a new pastor, on average it can take a year (give or take a few months).
-Karl Swenson (chairperson)
-Mary Pascua (secretary)
-Amy Monson (communications)
-Todd Dorn
-Mackenzie Hoy
-Katie Jeske
-Mike Treachler
The Northwest Conference breaks the process into 7 phases:
1) Organization Phase (a search team is assembled)
2) Information Gathering Phase
-Gain insight from church attenders via Congregational Input Survey
-Prepare packets of church & community info for candidates
-Make sure church website is up to date
-Establish job description, compensation, benefits for new pastor
-Submit church profile to CovConnect to match with potential candidates
-Search Team meets regularly to review potential candidates
3) Contact Phase (conduct interviews of potential candidates) (← WE ARE HERE)
4) Candidating Phase (present a candidate to the church)
5) Call Phase (proposal is approved by church members and accepted by pastor)
6) Commitment Phase (prepare for move and installation of pastor)
7) Ministry Phase (begin ministry together as church and pastor)
Ways we make known the open pastor position include:
Posting our church’s profile to the Northwest Conference CovConnect site where they review our profile and the profile of potential applicants for possible compatibility
If anyone in the congregation knows possible potential candidates, that can be passed along to the Search Team for consideration
The Search Team conducts interviews of potential candidates and reviews sermon samples. The Team then comes to a decision and presents their recommendation to the members of Real Life Church for a vote.
While Pastor James loves Real Life Church, it is important for his family to continue living in western Wisconsin. As he has shared, both his wife and mother-in-law are in the midst of a cancer journey. Staying near the medical ecostystem and constellation of doctors they have assembled makes the most sense right now. Thus, he will eventually be looking for a permanent pastor position near his home in Hudson, WI. Please continue to pray for him as he serves our church and his family, as both are experiencing significant transitions.
If you have additional questions not covered in this FAQ, please email Amy Monson at amysmonson@gmail.com. She will be more than happy to address your inquiries or, at the very least, find someone who can!