A Letter from the Interim Pastor

As the Visioning Team has met over the past months, we have been inspired by Scriptures that have shaped our work, “put out into the deep,” and “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). This last Scripture is a powerful promise to guide us through these days of transition through to the future that God is preparing.

As the Session has worked to tailor the church’s staffing and stewardship resources to suit our changing membership, we have found useful a distinction offered by the Alban Institute (a church consulting resource). Their categories suggest that our church has over the past several years moved from being what they term a “corporate” church, with between 400 and 1000 members in worship attendance most Sundays, to more of what they call a “program” church, with fewer than 350 members attending most Sundays.

This is not just a change of size, but has also impacted the way the church is organized to do its ministry and mission. In the “corporate” churches, paid staff members take on key duties, and carry out much of the hands-on work of Christian service. In the “program” churches, members and volunteers are more active in the church’s work, with all disciples using their gifts in service. As our church has been in transition from one model to the other, the Scripture “put out into the deep” (Luke 5:4) calls us to go deeper in faith and service, as we each need to do our part to serve Christ and his people. With our staffing being curtailed in response to budget and changing program priorities, we will be farewelling several valued staff members at the end of the month, and you are invited to join in a time of thanking them for their service to the church. While this has been a heavy time, we trust that the God who holds our future as a church will also lead them to new avenues of service.

In the coming weeks, we will mark several milestones along the interim journey, with the Visioning Team presenting the draft of the church’s Mission Study to the Session, and to the congregation at our annual meeting on the 24th. This will set before us a call to serve Christ, his people and community, as the lively and vital church we are today.

At the annual meeting we will also elect the PNC (the Pastoral Nominating or “search” Committee) who will meet over the coming months to seek God’s guidance in choosing a new Senior Pastor.

On a personal note, I am looking forward to celebrating another milestone, my parents’ 50th anniversary, meeting with family at a lodge in Canada. I want also to thank you for your thoughts and prayers with the staff over the past weeks.

“We walk by faith, not by sight,” knowing God who is faithful will lead us on,

Audrey Schindler