SO WHAT NOW? FAQS IN LIGHT OF PASTOR CONNAN’S BIG ACCOUNCEMENT
By now, I’m sure you have all heard that Pastor Connan has been called to leave New City Hamilton to serve as the lead pastor of New City Calgary. We know you have lots of big questions, so we wanted to try to address some of them here.
When is Pastor Connan’s last day at New City? And what are we doing to send them off?
Pastor Connan’s last Sunday at New City will be August 20th and he and his family expect to begin their long drive to Calgary on August 25th or so. We will continue to support them financially until September 4th, as he is expected to begin in his new role as lead pastor of New City Calgary on September 5th.
On the evening of August 20th, you are all invited to a farewell party at Len and Tracey Vis’s barn as we send the Kubliks off in style! More details will follow shortly, but be sure to save the date!
What happens when a pastor resigns in our church?
In the Presbyterian Church in America, it is the people of a congregation who calls a man to serve as its lead or associate pastor. However, it is the presbytery that formally establishes and dissolves the pastoral relationship, serving as gatekeepers to ensure that the relationship begins and ends in a fitting and orderly way for the peace, purity, and the building up of the church (1 Cor 14:40). So, when a pastor tenders his resignation to his presbytery, the congregation that called him must gather to approve the dissolution (Book of Church Order 23-1), then report to the presbytery, who then formally dissolves the official pastor-congregation relationship.
What is the purpose of the congregational meeting on August 13th and what will happen there?
As noted above, the goal of the congregation and the presbytery are one and the same: to ensure that the pastoral relationship between the man and the church ends in a fitting, orderly, and edifying way, with no irregularities or improprieties. However, in a situation like ours, when the pastor is leaving to pursue another call, the congregational meeting is largely ceremonial, serving mostly as an opportunity for the congregation to show its love and support for the outgoing pastor as he embraces a new ministry opportunity. While we are understandably sad in light of having to say goodbye to our senior pastor and his family, it is good and right for us to use this opportunity to bless them by making their transition as smooth and meaningful as possible.
The format of the congregational meeting on August 13th will be as follows:
Call the meeting to order
Determine quorum (1/4 of resident communing members)
Appoint chair and secretary
Explain proceedings and take questions
Motion to dissolve pastoral relationship between Pastor Connan and New City Church
Explain the Session’s plans for next steps
Speaking of next steps, what does a church do when it is without a lead pastor?
The PCA Book of Church Order (BCO) makes it clear that “every church should be under the pastoral oversight of a minister, and when a church has no pastor, it should seek to secure one without delay” (BCO 20-2). How do we do that? The Session (the elders) must call a congregational meeting (yes, another one) to elect a pulpit committee (a pastoral search committee). The pulpit committee, “after consultation and deliberation” makes its recommendation to the congregation of the candidate best suited to be its next pastor (BCO 20-2, 20-6).
What about churches that have an associate and/or assistant pastor like ours? What happens to them when there is no lead pastor?
From the BCO 23-1:
“The associate or assistant pastors may continue to serve a congregation when the pastoral relation of the senior pastor is dissolved, but they may not normally succeed the senior pastor without an intervening term of service in a different field of labor. However, a congregation by a secret ballot with four-fifths (4/5) majority vote, may petition Presbytery for an exception, which by a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote Presbytery may grant. Presbytery needs to determine if the dissolution of the pastoral relationship with the senior pastor was brought about in Christian love and good order on the part of the parties concerned.”That’s all well and good, but what are we at New City going to do?
Your elders will gather shortly after the August 13th congregational meeting to determine how we will go about securing a new senior pastor for New City. After our deliberation, we plan on calling a congregational meeting in early September.
What can we, the congregation, do during this time of transition?
We want you to know that your elders have committed themselves to a season of fasting and praying during this time of transition. Please join us in prayer as follows:
Pray for your own hearts, that you would grow in your trust in the sovereign Lord, the Head, and Good Shepherd of His Church.
Pray for your elders, for extraordinary wisdom, strength, love, and unity as they make big decisions and strive to care for Christ’s flock well.
Pray against the work of Satan who so often tries to sow seeds of division, mistrust, and confusion in times of pastoral transition.
Pray that God will be preparing our new pastor wherever he is serving now.
Pray for our staff (Moses, Phil, Josiah, and Catherine) as they carry extra responsibilities during this time, as well as dealing with the transition to a new lead pastor.
Pray for Connan, Brenda, Brysan, Evan, and Rylan, as they make the move west in a few weeks, and for Kira, as she remains in Hamilton and bids farewell to her family. Pray that the Lord would abundantly provide for all of them in their transitions, including the quick sale of their current home and the finding of a new home in Calgary.
In addition to praying, please keep supporting and serving your church family. God uses seasons like these in a church to challenge people to step up and use their gifts in new ways. As a church, we are still committed to bringing the whole gospel to Hamilton until Hamilton is whole! How do you think God is calling you to serve?
Your elders intend to communicate regularly in this season, but please respect that there are still a lot of unknowns and that we must respect the privacy of potential candidates. We will use our Friday Digests, monthly newsletters, and our website to communicate as frequently as we are able. So please be sure that you are subscribed to our mailing list (click HERE to subscribe). If you have any questions, please contact your elders at elders@newcityhamilton.com.
We love you, Church.