Transition

Fourth Church is currently in a season of transition relative to pastoral leadership.

We are presently in that time between a Pastor’s leaving and an intentional Interim Pastor joining us.

Typically the process of identifying an Interim Pastor takes three to six months.

During the transition period, the congregation, as a Presbyterian body, continues to have final responsibility for decisions.

To facilitate that, the co-chairs of the Personnel Council and the co-clerks of Session are working together as the Congregation Leadership Resource Team (CLRT).

The members of this Congregation Leadership Resource Team are

Arlene Faulk
Patsy Habicht
Jared Light
Jim Kulich
Allison Youngblood

During the transition period the CLRT is serving as representatives of the congregation and as a resource for the leadership of Fourth Church.

In that role, they work to moderate and facilitate decision-making that affects the congregation broadly.

They also collaborate with clergy, staff, and lay leadership when appropriate.

The role of Acting Moderator of Session is being filled by Lucy Forster-Smith.

Lucy is also serving as Acting Head of Staff until the Interim Pastor arrives.

The critical work that the Clergy, Senior Leadership Team, Program Directors, and the entire staff of Fourth Church and Chicago Lights do continues as it always has, with, for some, the addition of transition-related responsibilities.

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Interim

Session approved a transition plan of hiring an intentional Interim Pastor, with a contract for one year maximum that is renewable.

The Interim Pastor will not be our next Senior Pastor.

Rather they will be someone to guide us during the year or more when we are searching for the next Pastor, and they will help us do the kind of preparatory work that is always important in advance of welcoming a new leader.

This includes actively discerning as a congregation our call for the future and making room for change where it might be needed.

The first step in this intentional interim process is to identify possible candidates for the Interim Pastor position.

This is the work of the Interim Pastor Nominating Committee (IPNC), which is made up of the following Fourth Church members:

Mark Hurley, Chair
Jared Light
Sally Scott
Gretchen Van Natta
Jessica Wang

The IPNC brings together members of the Personnel Council and representatives from Session and Trustees, and together they are working with Craig Howard, Executive Presbyter of the Chicago Presbytery.

It is this committee’s responsibility to recommend an Interim Pastor candidate to the Personnel Council. Per Presbyterian Church (USA) policy, the Interim Pastor will be hired on a temporary contract approved by Session.

The IPNC has finalized and submitted a Ministry Information Form (MIF) — the job description that provides background about Fourth Church and details what we are seeking in an Interim Pastor. This is an important tool in searching for and having conversations with candidates for this interim role of guiding us during the year or more when we are searching for the next Pastor.

The MIF has been approved by the Presbytery of Chicago and shared with the Presbyterian Church (USA) for posting. As a result, the IPNC will begin receiving names of interested and recommended candidates to consider as they look for someone to guide us during the year or more when we are searching for the next Pastor.

At the same time, the IPNC has already begun contacting potential candidates who were referred by members and friends of Fourth Church. The committee is also reaching out to PCUSA leaders to ask for their recommendations as well.

A search process like this has no definitive timeline; we would expect that the earliest an Interim Pastor might join us would be in the fall.

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Pastor Nominating Committee

The formation of a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) to call our next Senior Pastor will not take place for several months yet.

It is during the ministry of the Interim Pastor that a PNC is elected by the congregation and begins the search for a new called Pastor.

When we are ready to begin that process, it will be the work of the Nominating Committee to recommend a slate of candidates for the PNC and present that to the congregation.

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Questions, Comments, and Updates

Throughout this time of transition, please do not hesitate to send questions or comments to transition@fourthchurch.org.

And 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 (such as the following) in this season. You can sign up at www.bit.ly/newsfromfpc or by sending us your email address.

Previous updates
Shannon’s New Call
Interim Plan Announcement
IPNC and Transition Leadership Announcement
Entering a Season of Transition

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