CCEH is ready to begin the important process of forming a Search Committee to help us find our next settled minister. As we begin this journey, we recognize that there are many possibilities ahead of us. At this point, we are not yet certain what our future ministry model will look like. We know it will likely be a part-time position, but questions remain about the number of hours, whether we might share a minister with another congregation, or what other creative options may emerge.
To begin discerning these possibilities, we hope to form a Search Committee that will guide us through this process with prayer, care, and thoughtful leadership.
Our bylaws state: “The Church Executive Council shall form a pastoral Search Team which shall interview candidates and make recommendations to the Governing Body for filling the office.” The committee will guide the church through the “Search and Call” process, including drafting a Local Church Profile, reviewing ministerial profiles, interviewing candidates, and ultimately presenting a final candidate for a congregational vote.
Ideally, the committee will consist of 5-7 people with a deep commitment to the well-being and future of the church. In the past, the search process has often been handled by a single committee overseeing everything from discernment through selection. However, this can be a significant commitment, and some people may feel more called or better suited to certain parts of the process than others. Some may be especially interested in helping create the church profile and participating in the discernment work, while others may feel more comfortable assisting with interviews and candidate selection.
Our hope is to form a group or groups that represent the church as fully as possible. This representation may include diversity in age, length of membership, gender, life stage, racial and ethnic background, and areas of church involvement such as Christian Education, choir, justice ministries, and other activities.
We are not alone in this work. Our Area Conference Minister, Rev. Leslie Jackson, who preached with us on May 10, along with a Search and Call Program Associate from the Southern New England Conference of the UCC, will walk beside us throughout this journey.
In the coming days, we ask everyone to prayerfully consider how you might contribute to this important process. You may feel called to participate in the entire journey, or perhaps only in a particular phase, such as the initial church profile and discernment work or the interview and selection process.
If you are interested in serving in any capacity, please speak with Mary or Kim. Our goal is to have a group formed by the end of June.
Please keep this process, our congregation, and our future Search Committee in your prayers.
With hope and faith,
Kim Clouser and Mary DeCoursey, Co Chairpersons Congregational Church
of East Hampton