Greetings All! As most of you know, your Search Committee was approached by the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ on behalf of the Mont Vernon Congregational Church to see if Second Congregational Church had any interest in “sharing a Pastor”.
Meetings:
- After several meetings with the entire search committee and Mont Vernon, a small sub-committee was formed which met with Mont Vernon’s folks. It was a general feeling that it was something both sides wanted to explore.
- At this year’s annual meeting, the topic was presented and with the information provided at that meeting, the committee continued the conversation. As part of the discussion, Mont Vernon wanted to have me preach at their Church, which I did on February 27, 2022.
- At the retreat “Part-Time is Plenty” the issue of sharing a Pastor was also talked about. It was the opinion of the search committee that by entering into this arrangement it might be advantageous to both churches, as it would present a combination of 30 hours of salary instead of just 20 hours. This would be a more attractive package when it’s time to call a new pastor.
- Because of circumstances beyond their control, Mont Vernon was unable to have their Annual meeting until April 3, 2022. At that time they voted to go ahead with exploring a shared pastor with Wilton.
As a result of all the conversations, the question was always “how do we do this?” There are a few churches that do have a shared Pastor situation, and so I have contacted one of them. They are willing to share the documents that they produced. (As of this date I am still waiting for some of it).
So, perhaps you are asking yourself, “how does this affect me?”
First, be assured that the two churches still maintain their own identity. There are some opportunities that both churches would join, as was the case for Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and if you missed it, a beautiful Easter Sunrise service. Mont Vernon was also invited to our 10 am Easter Service.
As I said on Palm Sunday, this is not something that can happen overnight. The two churches must meet and form a joint search committee, they both need to finish their profiles showing a candidate that they will be serving two churches. This also needs to have the approval of the Hillsborough Association as well as the NH Conference. Bylaws will have to be established showing how “conflicts” will be dealt with, as well as a clear and concise job description.
So, what’s the impact?
About the only thing that would impact both churches would be time of service. During the early conversation between the full search committee, Wilton felt that earlier was better for them. None of this is set in stone, the idea from the NH Conference was that during this time of Interim Ministry that it made sense to try it for a year or so.
It is my understanding that the Deacons are responsible for establishing the time and place of the Worship Service (according to bylaws). I hope this helps clear up any misunderstandings you might have had or heard.
Should you have any questions I would like to suggest you reach out to either your Search Committee or the members of the Diaconate.
Happy Easter!
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Kerry