by Geoff Gehring
The Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC) has 92 candidates this year. Where did they come from?
· 86% (79) were from three automatic matches or referrals from three separate PC(USA) presbytery matches that occurred on 1/20, 6/3 and 9/29.
· 10% (9) were self-referrals from the PC(USA).
· 4% (4) were from outside of the PC(USA).
Where are the candidates in the process?
· 15% were not contacted to engage in the process.
· 40% were contacted and did not respond. All were from the PC(USA) match process and account for 53% of all candidates that matched with Hebron.
· 24% were contacted, responded, and indicated that they did not want to proceed. Hebron Church was not a fit for them or they accepted another call.
· 14% responded affirmatively and the committee reviewed the details of their Pastor Information Form (PIF) but were not selected for an interview.
· 7% were selected for a first interview with the committee.
The committee has contacted 85% of the 92 candidates since February 2020. The process of analyzing candidate fit and confirming candidate interest before a formal interview has disqualified 79% of the candidate field, leaving the committee with approximately 19 viable individuals to consider. The greatest factor is that the PC(USA) match criteria is a simple algorithm connecting pastors and churches by two criteria: (1) Desired geographical location of call; and (2) Independently assessed ten "leadership qualities" from the candidate PIF and Hebron’s Ministry Information Form (MIF).
We have interviewed (or will interview by 11/2) 32% of the viable candidates in the field. Further stated, one in every 3 candidates that are actively interested in the Associate Pastor position have received a behavioral-based interview process, including an assessment of their statement of faith, lasting at least 30 to 45 minutes per candidate. All interviews have been completed via Zoom with the entire committee.
We continue to aim to select a pastor that would be eligible with a target start date of January 2021. The more important focus is to select the individual that has been discerned as the Lord's will to serve the congregation as the Associate Pastor, irrespective of the actual start date. The APNC asks for your prayers as the team prepares to identify candidates in November that will move into the next phase of the process to interview with Pastor Knapp.
APNC Members: Geoff Gehring (Chair), Amy Hehn (Co-Chair), Doug Keim, Steff Knabe, Henry Knapp, Bill Martin, David Mills, Kristy Tomashewski, Steve Sanders, Lona Wilson
