Fourth Presbyterian Church: A Light in the City

About the Pastor Nominating Committee

As defined by the Presbyterian Church (USA), a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) represents and is elected by the whole congregation. This committee has the ultimate responsibility for nominating a minister to the congregation for election as the next pastor.

In fulfillment of that role, over a number of months, the PNC works through the pastoral search process, listening for the call of Christ and “participating in God’s own choice” for our next pastor.

On May 19, 2024, the following members were elected by the congregation to serve on the PNC:

Liz Adams
Jeanne Bishop
Lloyd Culbertson
Beth Davis
Heather Gallenbeck
Kerry Grady
Elizabeth Hurley
Jared Light
Kash Morgan
Michael Mirza
Kent Stevens
Gretchen Wahl
Jessica Wang

You can read more about them here.

Questions or comments for the PNC can be emailed to the committee.

Electing a Pastor Nominating Committee

The current Nominating Committee of Fourth Church — which also presents the slate of officer candidates elected at our Annual Meeting — was responsible for accepting nominations for the Pastor Nominating Committee, reviewing the recommendations, and presenting a slate to the congregation for a vote to approve the PNC.

At the May 19 Congregational Meeting, the Nominating Committee put forth the above slate of nominees, selected for the breadth and depth of personal, professional, and spiritual experience necessary to represent on the PNC the rich and diverse perspectives of our community.

Requirements and Expectations of PNC Members

Members of the PNC must be active members of Fourth Church for at least one year, demonstrate faithful participation in both worship and the life of our church, and support the ministry and mission of Fourth Church through financial stewardship by pledging.

Responsibilities of the PNC include, but are not limited to

Meeting frequently (potentially weekly) as a committee to conduct activities related to the search process
Receiving, reading, and evaluating Personal Information Forms (PIF) from pastors in a spirit of prayerful openness to the movement of God’s Spirit
Narrowing the field of prospective pastors through listening to sermons, checking references (which is done both by the PNC and the Presbytery of Chicago), and conducting phone or video interviews, all while sharing, listening, and praying together
Traveling as necessary to visit and engage with candidates
Interviewing face-to-face a “short list” of prospective pastors
Arranging with the Presbytery of chicago for the necessary examinations and approvals of finalists
Providing regular reports to the congregation on the pastoral search progress
Committing to confidentiality of all discussions and decisions, during and even after the process is complete

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Process for Selecting the PNC

Nominations for the PNC were received from the congregation during March 2024 (with a deadline of April 7, 2024). All members of Fourth Church were invited to submit a recommendation for the PNC — on behalf of others or themselves. The Nominating Committee reviewed those recommendations in order to prepare a slate of candidates to present to the congregation for their vote.

That vote took place at the Congregational Meeting called by Session for Sunday, May 19.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the qualifications to serve on the PNC?
Members of the PNC must be active members of Fourth Church for at least one year, demonstrate faithful participation in both worship and the life of our church, and support the ministry and mission of Fourth Church through financial stewardship.

Individuals do not need to have served as a Deacon, Trustee, or Session Elder to be eligible for consideration.

What is it like to serve on the PNC?

The best way to learn about this is to hear from others who have served on previous PNCs. Thus the Nominating Committee hosted two information sessions in mid-March at which individuals who have previously served on a Pastor Nominating Committee or an Associate Pastor Nominating Committee spoke to their experiences. We also benefit from the perspective of our Interim Pastor Tom Are Jr., who has participated in more than a dozen pastoral searches in his ministry.

How does the Nominating Committee select nominees from the recommended individuals?

The Nominating Committee reviews all recommendations and confidentially deliberates to prepare a slate to be presented for a congregational vote.

The committee seeks to put forth a group of nominees that represent the diversity and inclusivity of our congregation and have a breadth of experiences at Fourth Church so they might, as a committee, dutifully represent different groups within our community.

In doing so, the Nominating Committee prayerfully discerns how to best match the needs of the PNC with the individuals recommended.

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How Long Does the Pastoral Call Process Take?

The length of time for a pastoral call process can vary widely, but for a church like Fourth Church, it is likely to take at least six months.

The last PNC process to call Shannon Kershner took approximately two years, but we have reason to believe this search will be more expedient. Critical accelerants to the process are both (1) the advances in technology that now facilitate virtual meetings and the ability to worship and listen to sermons online as well as (2) the work of the Long-Range Planning Task Force, which provides clarity around Fourth Church’s vision and strategy for our next horizon, information that is critical for conversations with pastoral candidates.

That said, the process is inherently uncertain, as we do not know what the pastor candidate pool will look like, and the PNC will only conclude its work when it finds the right candidate to recommend to the Fourth Church congregation.

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Questions, Comments, and Updates

If you do not already receive the Fourth Church weekly email newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe so that you do not miss any updates in this season. You can sign up at www.bit.ly/newsfromfpc or by sending us your email address.

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