Emmanuel Lutheran Church Asheville

December 2021                                   

THE PASTORAL CALL PROCESS ~ A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE

Earlier this year a call went out for members to consider serving on the Pastoral Call Committee, following Pastor McFarland’s announcement that he would be retiring from active pastoral ministry around the time of his 66 birthday, which is in January 2023.  We have been, and continue to be, richly blessed by Pastor McFarland’s ministry as the Lord’s called shepherd here at Emmanuel Lutheran Church and School, keeping us focused on the saving grace of God through the cross and empty tomb of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   Pastor McFarland will be greatly missed. 

The Vacancy Created When Jesus Ascended

In Ephesians 4:1-16 Paul teaches about God’s design for ministry in a congregation.  When Jesus ascended it would seem as if this was the most significant vacancy in all history.  What would the world do without the physical presence of Jesus?  The answer came when Jesus poured out His gifts on the people through the Holy Spirit’s work in the Means of Grace.  In God’s divine design He continues to pour out spiritual gifts on his baptized people, and to some the gifts to serve in public ministry.  “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…” Ephesians 4:11.  This is a holy time.  God already has a design and plan for our congregation and our next pastor.  Our responsibility is to prayerfully seek God’s guidance and to do his will through this process.  Here we go!

The Role of the Call Committee

The Call Committee is made up of parish members, responsible to the elected Board of Directors, charged with guiding and guarding the process of calling a pastor.  The committee does not make decisions for the congregation, but ensures that members have full information about, and access to, the decisions rightfully belonging to the entire congregation.  Prayer for  spiritual discernment, unity, accountability, humility and transparency will be essential at every step in the process.  A strong and diverse group of members answered the call to serve on the Pastoral Call Committee.  The committee has already met several times and is moving forward, following the SED guidelines for calling a pastor.

Please feel free to contact any member with questions, comments or suggestions.

Your Call Committee Members Are:

Lisa Baldwin

Glenn Black

Deb DeBerry

Christi Lorenz

David Meyer

Shirley Parker

Heather Renner

Tommy Ridgeway

Rojeanous Rush

John Russler

Steve Ude

The Pastoral Call process is well defined, communicated and supported by the Southeastern District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  We have already engaged our Facilitator for Mission Engagement, the Rev. Dr. Mark Schroeder, in a Call Committee meeting review of a draft of our Congregational Profile, a 27-page document which we prepared and submitted to the District following approval by the Board of Directors.   The recent surveys conducted within our church family and school, in addition to the summary provided by the Strategic Vision committee, were invaluable in the completion of the profile, which will be used as a reference tool by the District President, the Rev. Dr. John Denninger when developing a list of pastoral candidates for our church.  Our Circuit Visitor is the Rev. Howard James who will assist us throughout the process as well.  It is not possible to determine when we will install our new pastor but we are targeting the end of 2022. 

What’s Next?

1. Do you know of a LCMS pastor who would be a good match for Emmanuel Church and School? A request for Pastoral Nominations from our church members will be made early in 2022 with a deadline for submittal. Nomination forms will be available in the narthex of the church and on our website.  Only written and signed nominations from members will be accepted.   There will be a secure box in the narthex to submit the forms.   The Call Committee will publish the list of nominated pastors so all will see that their nomination has been received.   This list and copies of the nomination forms will be sent to the District President.  

2. The District President will return a final list of candidates with added names of pastors who he determines align well with our church and school. The District President reviews the PIF (Personal Information Form) and the SET (Self Evaluation Tool) provided by each pastor but at no time does he contact pastors to consult with them about the potential of being on our call list. It is possible that a pastor who has been nominated cannot be included on the list the District President sends back to the congregation for consideration.  Examples of exclusion are short tenure at a current church, a current ministry challenge that would cause hardship should the pastor deliberate another call, confidential information about a nominated pastor that would indicate he would not be a good fit for the congregation, review of a pastor’s PIF and SET may reveal areas of worship, practice or mission outlook that do not match that of the congregation. Nominations of pastors from other districts requires permission from that District President to release the named pastor for the call list.  This can create an unforeseen delay, however the SED President sets a goal of six weeks to return the call list after receiving the Congregational Profile and nominations. 

Brief Overview of Next Steps:

1. Circuit Visitor, Rev. Howard Jones, will contact each candidate to ask if they can consider a call and the final list will be provided to the Call Committee.
2. Call Committee reviews all candidates’ PIFs and SETs.
3. Interview questions are designed that are relevant to ELCS and each candidate will be asked the same set of questions in phone, in-person or virtual interview settings. Other reference information from members who may be familiar with listed candidates is also very much welcomed by the Call Committee.
4. A list of candidates and summary of each is published to the congregation in preparation for the Call Service.
5. A Call Service is scheduled with the Circuit Visitor and announced to the congregation. A former District President wrote “There is no more important decision a congregation faces than the call of its pastor!” A paper ballot majority of votes is the pastor who receives the call.
6. The pastor is notified immediately and an offer to have him visit with his spouse if married while considering the call (allow about 4 weeks).
7. If the call is accepted, the call documents are prepared and sent detailing the commitment being made by the congregation and the pastor.
8. If the called pastor declines, we go back to the Call Meeting step.
9. We prepare to receive the new pastor and family, schedule and hold the Installation Service, and plan a welcome celebration.

If we become weary let’s be reminded of Jesus’ words…

“On this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  Matthew 16:18

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Please click on the link below to view, print or download form; thank you.

ELC_Pastoral_Nomination_Form_-_Jan_2022.pdf

Click the Headers below for Information on each position

 No positions are available at this time.