NOTICE FROM THE JOINT NEEDS ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE . . .

At the February South Alberta Presbytery meeting the Joint Needs Assessment report was presented. Presbytery received the report but chose at that time not to approve the recommendations as presented due to a question from a congregant which was raised at our congregation meeting in January. The question of a “Transitional Minister” was raised and Presbytery felt it needed further discussion. The Presbytery representatives then met with Church Council in February and council passed a motion (not unanimous) to search for a Transitional Minister. This motion changed the recommendation to Presbytery from “Southminster calling a single ordained minister” to “Southminster requesting an interim appointment of a Transitional Minister”. The “Transitional Minister”, once appointed, will only be for a short duration(1-3 years), during which a possible transitional team could be formed to assist the minister and invite congregants to share their gifts and talents. During this time a Joint Search Committee will be appointed to actively search for our “called” Minister who will then be with us into the future.

Our approval of the Joint Needs Assessment report at the congregational meeting, and later approval at the Presbytery level, changed the course of the pastoral relations for Southminster from a team ministry to a single charge. Our ministers at the time, Rev. Lois and Rev. Frank, were called as a team. The change in our call automatically ended their pastoral relationship with our church and they were informed by Presbytery that the date of June 30 2010 would be their last day. Most of you know that Rev. Frank had asked for and received an earlier end date to pursue his career as an interim minister in Victoria. Rev. Lois is still called to our church until June 30, 2010. According to the terms of the call Rev. Lois is allowed to apply for the interim appointment currently being sought by our congregation.

The Transitional Minister appointment is usually from 1-3 years in length and allows the congregation to adjust the process by which it functions. The Joint Needs Assessment report indicates the areas which the church will need to adjust to function with one minister instead of two, such as:  Committee structures will change, frequency of meetings will reflect those committee changes, tasks which need to be completed within the church and wider community will no longer be the role of the minister, but will be the work of the church as a whole. Some processes for these changes have already begun, but we have a long way to go before we are all “rowing with the same direction”. The Transitional Minister will help facilitate and provide the leadership needed to “chart our new course”—and set us up to—“maintain the direction God has chosen for this church to go”.

Following the March18 council meeting the Joint Search committee has met 3 times to start the process of the interim appointment of a Transitional Minister to pilot us into the future. The meetings have been very productive with the group formulating an advertisement, based on the Joint Needs Assessment, for the position. The Joint Search Committee will continue to meet, review, reflect and with the grace of God, recommend for appointment to Southminster a Transitional Minister who can guide us on our journey. Please keep the committee members in your prayers as they embark on this enormous task for this church.