We’re there
by Larry Hovis, CBFNC Executive Coordinator
when you need us
A well-known insurance company makes the claim, “We’re there when you need us.” It’s brilliant. No one wants to crash their car, have their house burn, experience illness or injury, or be the subject of a lawsuit. But all of these things happen. And when they do, it’s good to know that they will back you up. CBF of North Carolina has many wonderful ministries. Our oldest ministry is one that churches and ministers would prefer not to utilize, but eventually almost all of them will need it. I’m referring to our ministries that assist churches and ministers in transition. When CBFNC was founded in 1994, David Hughes, pastor of First, Winston-Salem, was elected as our first moderator. We had no staff. Almost immediately after CBFNC was constituted, ministers and churches began writing and calling David to ask for help with ministerial placement issues, or what came to be known in CBF circles as “reference and referral.” Through the years, different persons have coordinated this ministry. In 2007, CBFNC called Jack Causey, a well-known and widely respected North Carolina pastor to provide focused leadership for this important task. Our confidence in Jack and our commitment to this service was symbolized by Jack’s new title: Ministerial Resources Coordinator. Under Jack’s leadership, this ministry has evolved to include the following components:
Supporting Ministers – Jack serves as a “pastor to
ministers” and spends time counseling and praying with ministers who are seeking God’s direction for their ministry. He also shares their resumes with prospective congregations and in those unfortunate situations in which a minister has suffered employment termination, Jack, with input from the CBFNC Leadership Development Council, provides support, including in some cases, limited financial assistance.
Assistance to Search Committees – Because (hopefully) churches don’t frequently search for new ministers, committees often don’t know how or where to begin their search. We train search committees in this all-important task and share resumes of ministers who might be a good match. A new service involves providing ongoing coaching with committees to ensure they follow a healthy and effective search process. Interim Ministry Assistance – Through our experience with assisting search committees, we have learned that it is critical that churches begin with a healthy approach to the interim period between pastors. A relatively new service is helping congregations with a “bridge to the interim,” referring trained resource persons 2 • The Gathering – November/December 2013
who can not only fill the pulpit, but also explain to the congregation the various interim options at their disposal, including: n Part-time traditional interim n
Full-time traditional interim
n I ntentional
interim (through the Center for Congregational Health)
n P art-time
traditional interim with transitional facilitator (in partnership with the Center for Congregational Health)
As Jack explains, “A healthy interim process is as important in the search for a minister as a GPS system and is often essential to arriving at a desired destination. A healthy process includes engaging the congregation in clarifying its God-given mission, prayerfully discerning God’s leadership and relating to every minister it considers with integrity and compassion.” In an address I gave in March 2005 during my first CBFNC General Assembly as executive coordinator, I said the following: I dream of the day when we can develop a comprehensive Pastoral Transition Strategy which will include a network of folks all over our state who will work together to be aware of churches who lose their ministers and will step in to offer assistance to that church at every step in the process, from finding the initial supply preacher, to enlisting a strong interim minister, and, ultimately, to securing the next installed pastor who will be a good fit for that congregation, who will share their Baptist principles, who will lead them to discover and fulfill their unique, God-given mission, and who will maintain a close relationship with CBF, in North Carolina and around the world. I’m pleased that dream is becoming a reality through the development of our regional coordinator network. We have divided the state into eight regions and have enlisted a coordinator for each region to help us maintain closer contact with congregations and assist them with transition issues, along with other regional needs. Jack adds, “Our eight regional coordinators are seasoned ministers who, with competence and integrity, have a passion for working with ministers and congregations on their faith journey. I have the highest regard and respect for each of these ministers.” CBFNC is committed to the health, well-being and missional vitality of partner congregations. Congregations cannot thrive without ministers who share their values, have the gifts for ministry the congregation needs, and who, as servant-leaders, can equip them to participate in God’s mission in their communities and the world. Sometimes that means saying goodbye to one minister and searching, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for another one. When that happens, CBFNC is “there when you need us.”