Glad Tidings

In Anticipation of the Ministry of
Rev. Douglas Moore

vDouglas Moore and Central-St. Matthew have signed a formal contract which has been reviewed by our South Central Conference minister, Douglas Anders. Reverend Douglas Moore’s tenure will begin on Sunday, March 1st. At this writing we do not know where he and his wife, Judy, will be living. But we do know that they are looking forward to their time in New Orleans and at Central St. Matthew, just as we look forward to their help and presence in 2009. We feel it is important to share some of the specifics in the contract so that everyone understands what is anticipated and expected. We have goals for Rev. Moore; he has expectations for us.

First, it is important to know that the length of this contract is one year. After that it will be renewed monthly until shortly before the arrival of a permanent pastor. The interim pastor’s responsibilities include:

• Working with both governing bodies to maintain the schedule of worship services/preaching, education and pastoral care

• Providing special services (weddings, funerals), calling on the sick and shut-ins and visiting newcomers

• Providing administrative oversight of all staff • Participating in each congregation’s governing body’s meetings

• Providing the primary leadership of worship while insuring that others are scheduled to participate

• Encouraging and providing leadership for the training of lay ministers

• Participating in activities involving the Association, the Conference, and the local community that will benefit Central St. Matthew.

In addition, there are important developmental tasks for the interim period. Quoting directly from the contract:

“The time of transition between permanent pastors is an opportunity for healing, renewal and re-nergizing the Congregation in its life and mission. Beyond maintaining effective ministry during this period, the Central Governance Board, the St. Matthew Church Council and Interim Pastor shall work together with the Search Committee to prepare for a healthy transition to the next permanent pastor. Specific tasks to be addressed include:

1.1. Coming to terms with the history of the congregations and their relationships with previous clergy, lay leaders, and with each other.

1.2. Assisting each congregation regarding calling a permanent minister, including helping the two congregations to determine if they wish to work together to call one minister, or if they will be working to seek individual ministers.

1.3. Exploring and discovering the identity of the covenanted community and each congregation's special identity, traditions, and history, and enabling the execution of the vision of the covenanted community and
churches, apart from previous clergy and lay leadership, as part of preparing for new leadership.

1.4. Dealing with shifts in leadership roles that naturally evolve in times of transition, allowing new leaders to come to the fore constructively, and integrating these potential new leaders of the Church with those who have previously borne this responsibility.

1.5. Developing and completing a process to consider specific alternative models for the future relationship of Central and St. Matthew and achieving a congregational consensus and commitment to a preferred model.

1.6. Building and developing commitment to the leadership of the new Permanent Minister(s) in order to prepare the congregations to move into the future with openness to new possibilities of joint mission and ministry.”

The overall goal of the Interim Pastor’s ministry is to prepare the congregation for the coming of the next
permanent pastor(s). The Interim Pastor is NOT eligible to be a candidate for the permanent pastor position. There is also language in the contract about our responsibilities:

“All ministries other than those reserved to ordained leadership (i.e., administering the sacraments) are
understood as mutual ministries of the laity of both Congregations and the Interim Pastor. The Congregational Governing Bodies shall lead the laity to support, cooperate and work with the Interim
Pastor in pursuit of Congregational goals and in the performance of the developmental tasks of the
interim period. The Congregational Governing Bodies are the legal agents for each Congregation in all
matters concerning its corporate property and in its relationship with the Interim Pastor. The Congregational Governing Bodies will see that the Interim Pastor is properly supported, personally and
organizationally, as well as in the Congregational Governing Bodies’ financial obligations to the Interim
Pastor.” (Quote from contract.)

The bottom line is that we are responsible to each other; we need each other in order to move forward. Neither Rev. Moore nor we can do this by ourselves. To that end there will be a mutual review of the total ministry of the Congregation at least twice a year in order to:

• Assess how well we are fulfilling our responsibilities to each other and the ministries • Evaluate progress on the developmental tasks and adjust goals

• Isolate areas of conflict or disappointments which have not received adequate attention

• Clarify expectations of all parties to help put any future conflicts in manageable form

• Plan healthy closure for the interim ministry and prepare for the coming of the new pastor

The entire five page contract is available for any who wish to see it. Please speak to an officer of either
governing body. (Officers are listed in the insert of this newsletter.) If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask them. With skilled leadership to guide us and a commitment from us to work with Douglas, let us begin the next stage of our journey.

In the Unity of the Spirit,
Joan and Dale and the Transition Team