Like the first leg of the relay race, their job is only a beginning. They do not have sole responsibility in choosing a leader. They, metaphorically speaking, only seek to begin the race on a with a good lead. Their task is achieving unity, teamwork and trust. It is their job to ask hard questions and not just forming a clique. The search committee relies on the church community to support them as they represent the church to the potential candidates, decide which candidates fit the needs of the church, and seek to be in tune with God's lead for our church. These are (Joseph Umidi , "Confirming the Pastoral Call") the author's opinion of a method and means of choosing a search committee. I'll let him introduce, in his own words, the strategy of the search team as follows. The pastoral or leadership search committee will seek to uncover the depths of a candidate's character and calling. In the process of preparing for this important " gatekeeping ...
Leaving and Cleaving. This is the title for the second chapter; part 2 of renewing the relationships of trust and commitment of the church. The Author emphasizes the need to leave a former leader and cleave to the new leader. He equates it to the relationship of a man and woman in Gen. 2:24. It is a same parallel which Paul makes when referring to the leadership in the church. A dysfunctional relationship can evolve if the congregation can not commit to a new leadership; whether from hurt, fear, or an unhealthy loyalty toward previous leadership. As we move forward, notice the importance of closure; that the first step in a successful leadership transition is the development of an effective strategy for dealing with the past. The author of "Confirming the Pastoral Call, Joseph Umidi , defines 3 main steps a church can make to ensure a healthy transition into new leadership: 1) a successful Exit interview, 2) Strategic Prayer, and 3) Communication. It is noted that 20% of t...