The 2023 PNC Report to the Congregation - excerpt from the Feb 4th 2023 Annual Report

The Search and Call of the Next Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg

Our church has been on a journey of transition under the thoughtful leadership of Pastor Ginny Ellis which has brought exploration, healing, discernment, and study, and has ultimately led us to embark on the process of calling our next Pastor.

Your Pastor Nominating Committee — Bryan Bardin, Don Doddridge, April Hussung, Lynne Mormino, Chris Mossman, Kirby Volz, and Annie Zuecher — was elected on October 15 and continued to meet through the end of the year.

Our work began by receiving formal training from the Presbytery, led by General Presbyter Rev. Holly Dillon and Rev. Bobby Musengwa. We learned that we would be using a newly released internet-based matching and referral system called "Church Leadership Connection." This tool was created by the Office of the General Assembly to produce algorithmic matches based on the criteria and experience requirements defined by the Committee.

The bulk of our work to date has been drafting and reviewing the components of the Ministry Discernment Profile. The profile is composed of Ministry Information about the Church, Position Requirements, Narrative Questions, Ministry Competencies, and References. The position Requirements and Competencies will inform the algorithmic matches and the Narrative Questions will serve to help the candidates discern their call to ministry with us.

The Committee expressed both utter outrage and genuine excitement for Chris Mossman as he shared that he was accepting a position as General Manager of a television station in Lexington, Kentucky. The Committee asked Nominating to fill the vacancy left by Chris, which they accepted and are presenting a replacement candidate for congregational vote at the Annual Meeting.

The Pastor Nominating Committee has appreciated all the questions, kind words, and prayers we've received since our election and we're honored to join alongside all of you in discernment, search, and calling. We know that our work will likely continue through all of 2024, and we are grateful for your support.

We will continue to keep the congregation updated on our progress regularly at Worship, First News, and on a webpage on the church’s website: fpcstpete.com/pnc-blog.

Submitted by Bryan Bardin