Church Orders Committee Will Recommend Referral of PNC Overture

This afternoon the Church Orders and Ministry Committee of the 219th General Assembly voted to recommend referral of PNC's overture to establish a process to evaluate the CALL Process to the Office of Vocations. Added was a stipulation that a report of findings and recommendations be ready for distribution no less than 180 days prior to the 220th General Assembly. The good news is that, in fact, this evaluation is already underway! The Office of Vocations is in the early stages of inviting a number of Church Leadership Connection (CLC) users and presbytery leaders into conversation to review and evaluate the current call process and system and they have indicated they would welcome bringing New Covenant's concerns into the process.

In conversation with members of the Office of Vocations, I am encouraged that our presbytery WILL have a voice in this evaluation and that many of the concerns we have identified within our Committee on Ministry are already on the table for discussion in Louisville. There was agreement among us in this conversation that the current CALL Process was established in a different time -- e.g., when most pastoral positions were full-time; when position descriptions were fairly standardized; and when churches had money! New times require new ways of meeting the pastoral, preaching and leadership needs of the denomination's churches. And so, the work begins! As for the time requirement, I am assured that as insights are voiced and solutions proposed, these will be shared in a timely fashion, and will not be held until a final report is prepared and circulated.

Gratitude is expressed to the session of FPC Pasadena for bringing their concerns to the presbytery in a positive and proactive way, by way of this overture to the General Assembly. (dkp)