June and July are going to be busy months for the members of your Transition Team. We continue to provide opportunities for more input from you about our next Senior Pastor. The [CAT] survey results will be back and in a format that will allow us to share them with the congregation. At the May council meeting, the Call Committee will be appointed (this article is being written prior to that date so look for the announcement of who is appointed, so you can be sure to pray for them as they begin their task). Having a Call Committee in place is so exciting! It means Zion is moving right along in the steps of the interim time period.
We look forward to welcoming Bishop Ann Svennungsen to Zion in June! The Bishop meets with every congregation in the Minneapolis Area Synod that is seeking a new pastor. The purpose of the meeting is for her to hear more about Zion and your hopes for the future. As Zion begins the interviewing process, this conversation is helpful to the Bishop as she seeks to match the gifts of potential candidates with the needs of our congregation.
We hope to be interviewing candidates for the Senior Pastor position in late June / early July. There are several factors involved in this timeline, not the least of which is the availability of candidates to take part in interviews and the schedules of the Call Committee team members.
Some have asked if this will be a nationwide search for potential candidates and the answer is yes, it will be. The ELCA has a robust database program that helps the Bishop and her team match potential candidates with Zion. Another resource is: each of you! If you know of an ELCA pastor who would be a great candidate for an interview with Zion’s Call Committee, please reach out to a member of the council who will then pass along that pastor’s name to the Call Committee, who will then submit that name to the Bishop to see if that person is eligible and open to interview.
Continue to keep this process in your prayers.
