I am happy to officially announce the Council has selected the members of the Call Committee for the Associate Pastor. I want to personally thank and recognize the congregants who have volunteered to be part of this important next step for Zion. The members are a good mix of individuals, with varied backgrounds, and are eager to initiate the call. Zion’s constitution outlines the parameters for our Call Committees. We will have seven voting members and two alternates serving on the Call Committee. Voting members will attend each meeting of the Call Committee. Those who are listed as “alternates” serve an important role and will have the opportunity to attend every meeting but will not have a vote [*unless a voting member leaves the committee, then the alternates will be given a vote]. The group decided at the first meeting in May for the alternates to have a voice at the meetings, which is great to allow everyone to have their thoughts heard.
Voting members include Paula Herda (Co-Chair), Brandon Prell (Co-Chair), Taryn Bullert (Communicator), Heidi Gallert (Devotions Leader), Eric Mattson (Past Chair), Dusty Finke, and Chad & Laura Peterson (sharing one vote). Alternates are Diane Paulu, and Jennifer Forsberg. Please join me in welcoming them to the committee and thanking them for their commitment of time, energy, and perspective as they search for an Associate Pastor who will share in our mission at Zion. The group held their initial meeting on May 10 with Assistant to the Bishop Pastor John Hulden, who provided an overview of the process, rules of confidentiality and answered questions from the committee members.
There are many steps in the process and I will highlight some of the upcoming near-term actions. The committee will update the Ministry Site Profile, a.k.a. Zion’s resume, with key information about our church, community, and ministries. Once final, this document will be provided to the Synod, who will help identify candidates seeking a call or pastors that would be a good fit for Zion. If you have any candidates to recommend, please send those names and their current church to Taryn at callcommittee@zionbuffalo.org for consideration, with assistance from Synod. Upon receiving a list and reviewing interested candidates, interviews will be scheduled and the selection process will begin.
I am sure you are thinking about how long the call process might take and while there isn’t a firm schedule, trust the committee is working diligently to complete their work. They will provide periodic updates to keep us all apprised of their progress. Please join me in thanking and keeping each of the Call Committee members in your prayers as they continue in this endeavor
