The church council has appointed a Call Committee for the purpose of calling a new Lead Pastor to serve Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church. This undertaking is vitally important to our congregation, so we ask that you hold these committee members in your prayers as they seek to discern the most important needs of the congregation and assess potential candidates for this role.
Eric Spangenberg – Chair
Ingrid Childress – ELCA Ministry Site Profile Administrator
Abigail McLane – Vice Chair
Gretchen Krumm – Candidate Hospitality Coordinator
Jessica Salo – Secretary
Jacob Yaeger – First Alternate
Eric Meyer – Chaplain
Karen Armstrong – Second Alternate
The Ministry Site Profile, which characterizes our congregation's history and aspirations, was completed and submitted to the synod in mid-February.
At the end of April, we met with Pastor Jason Asselstine, Assistant to the Bishop, and received a list of candidates. We are now in the process of reviewing their information and scheduling first interviews.
At this time, we must ask for your prayerful support and trust in the process as we now enter a phase that mandates strict confidentiality.
Please keep the call committee in your prayers as we prayerfully discern what this ministry could look like under the leadership of the candidates brought before us.
Thank you.
Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church Call Committee
The first job of the committee is to fill out the Ministry Site Profile. The committee is taking this task very seriously as this is the document through which we will convey the unique spirit, gifts, talents, and challenges of this congregation and community to any potential candidate. The committee is engaged in deliberate discussions, individual and collective tasks of writing and editing, and prayerful discernment of this congregation’s mission and emphasis. Once the committee is fully satisfied with the quality of the Ministry Site Profile, it will be uploaded to the Montana Synod office.
As the Ministry Site Profile nears completion, nominations will be invited from members of the congregation. Nominees for the position of Pastor must be on the clergy roster of the ELCA or eligible full communion partner denominations. Nomination forms will be offered to the congregation for this purpose, or members can provide names to the committee in writing, accompanied by as much information as possible, so as to aid the synod office in identifying the nominees. Nominees are not to be contacted by either the call committee or by the individual making the nomination. Rather, the synod office will determine if nominees in question are open and available for call. Receiving a nomination does not guarantee that the candidate will be presented to the Call Committee. Other factors of congregational fit and suitability are considered by the synod staff.
Upon completion and submission of the Ministry Site Profile, the synod office will identify candidates whom they believe have the gifts, skills, and experience appropriate for the position we are seeking to fill. They will reach out to those candidates to determine if they are available for call. These candidates may be persons serving congregations and ministries within the Montana Synod, or in other ELCA synods. Once the synod has compiled a list of suitable candidates, they will forward these names to the Call Committee along with their Rostered Leader Profile (RLP). The RLP gives the committee information about each candidate in order for the committee to get to understand the candidate’s experience, skills and priorities for ministry. It is at this point in the process that the Call Committee must ask you to understand the need for confidentiality. Protecting the identity of the candidates under consideration is important out of courtesy for the candidates and the ministries they currently serve.
Once the Call Committee has had the opportunity to get to know each candidate received, both through their RLP and online or phone interviews, the committee may decide either to release all of the names received and seek additional candidates or to invite a candidate or candidates to town for an in-person interview and introduction to the community. Until or unless the committee has selected a single candidate, this will not be an opportunity for the congregation to meet the candidate.
Once the committee has prayerfully decided to recommend a candidate for call, this recommendation will be shared with the synod office and our church council. The church council will, in turn, call a special congregation meeting for the purpose of extending a Letter of Call to the pastor. Simultaneously, the Call Committee, in consultation with the church council will prepare a proposed compensation and benefits package for the pastor. The Letter of Call and compensation package will be sent to the candidate who then has 30 days to respond whether or not he/she will accept the call.
As the Ministry Site Profile nears completion, nominations will be invited from members of the congregation. Nominees for the position of Pastor must be on the clergy roster of the ELCA or eligible full communion partner denominations. Those include the Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ, The Episcopal Church, The Moravian Church, and United Methodist Church. Nomination forms will be offered to the congregation for this purpose, or members can provide names to the committee in writing, accompanied by as much information as possible, so as to aid the synod office in identifying the nominees. Nominees are not to be contacted by either the call committee or by the individual making the nomination. Rather, the synod office will determine if nominees in question are open and available for call. Receiving a nomination does not guarantee that the candidate will be presented to the Call Committee. Other factors of congregational fit and suitability are considered by the synod staff.
There are literally thousands of pastors in the ELCA and there is no way the Synod can know all of them and whether they might be the perfect candidate for ORLC. But you know this congregation. You know a good sermon when you hear one. If you are traveling these days and you have an opportunity to worship at an ELCA congregation either on line, or in person, and you hear or see a pastor that you think would be the perfect fit for us, why not scribble down some notes on what impressed you about the person, and let the Call Committee know? Forms for submitting a nomination are available by the church office, as well as the church website.
Thank you for your continued prayers for the Call Committee as we learn, grow, work, and pray together through this call process.
Click here for the link to the nomination form
https://www.ourredeemerlives.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/CANDIDATE-NOMINATION-FORM.pdf