Pastor Transition Process

We are beginning a journey together! Those who have gone through before have described it as exciting, tedious, joyful, spiritual, frustrating, inspiring, lengthy and powerful (just to name a few). We will probably experience most of these feelings along our journey, but know that we will be on it together. And while the path of the journey is uncertain, the destination is not: calling a new pastor who will serve with us at Madison Square Presbyterian Church.

Updates

This part of the MSqPC website will follow the transition process from beginning to end. It will be updated as we receive information from those involved in the pastor transition process. We will place the most recent stories at the top of the page, like a blog. So that you can follow the process the entire way, we will maintain the older articles at the bottom of the page.

We will also try to keep our Facebook group and Twitter account updated. You can follow those by clicking the icons on the bottom left side of this page.

January 2012

*Note--A report from the President of the MSqPC Coropration can be found here.

Part 2:  Transition Steering Committee State of the Church Report

Good Afternoon. I am speaking  today on behalf of your Transition Steering Committee. This committee was formed to plan the process we will use to prepare ourselves for choosing new pastoral leadership. I would like to introduce the committee members at this time. Betty Lynn Allen, Mike Ballentine, Paul Chapman, Micaela Reznicek, Tom Davis, Bill Walker and Gusti Nuquist.

So what exactly does a transition steering committee do, you might ask? Well, we were asking ourselves the same thing when we first met and maybe even at our second meeting. To understand our purpose, the first thing I had to do was let go of my idea that this interim period would be a time of passive waiting for a new pastor to come and give our church direction.  I think we all came to realize that the “steering” part our committee name was the key, because you can only steer something that is actually moving. And it’s our church family’s job during this interim period to actively move towards a vision of who we want to be, exploring who we are now, what gifts we have and how we can strengthen those gifts. 

Our product will be a well-defined vision for the future of  Madison Square. We are asking for your help in articulating this vision. We have handed out cards for you to fill out to indicate your willingness to participate in focus groups that will use a five-step process to lead us towards that vision.  The steps are outlined for you on the card, starting with defining the need for positive development and culminating in the delivery of our vision of how Madison Square will do Christ’s work in the world.

We will kick off our adventure on February 19th, our 130th birthday, with a guest speaker Michael Adee and a fellowship time after church with an audiovisual presentation of our church history. We will begin working on the 5 steps in the season of Lent as Gusti leads us in reflecting on our church’s mission statement with her sermons. Focus groups will meet throughout the Lenten season, using various strategies to lead us to our vision. We need everyone’s input to make sure we define our mission and vision in a way that truly expresses the wonderful family spirit of Madison Square .

I think the most important thing I have learned about this exciting process that we are beginning is that we cannot hope to choose the right leadership for our church family until we know where God is calling our family to go. With our vision clearly defined and our family fully committed to that vision, we will be prepared for God to lead us to the pastor who will understand what we mean when we say “Welcome Home.”

Margaret Erickson

Part 1:  Interim Pastor State of the Church Report

Rev. Newquist's Interim Pastor Report, as presented at the Annual Meeting, January 26, 2012:

What an amazing five months it has been! I am so pleased with the energy, enthusiasm, and new life that are emerging in our ministry together at Madison Square. I am eager to encourage the forward momentum as we prepare for a congregational self-assessment to begin next month on the mission and vision for the future of Madison Square. I believe with everything in me that even though 2012 will be the 130th year of ministry at Madison Square, the best days for this congregation are yet to come.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

In order to reflect accurately on where Madison Square is today and where the Spirit is leading tomorrow, we should take a brief moment to remind ourselves how we got here.

It was not all that long ago in chronological time that a long-term Senior Pastor announced her retirement: September 2010. Her ministry was celebrated, and a pastoral transition began. All was going according to plan. As is the case in most Presbyterian churches, I imagine the desire of most people at Madison Square was to move through the interim period as quickly as possible so that a new pastor could come and everything could get “back to normal.” You probably thought it would take a year. And of course the exact opposite occurred.

Can we simply say the experience of welcoming your first interim pastor was difficult? And that it resulted in the loss of yet another pastor. Or, to be more accurate, it resulted in the loss of a beloved associate pastor, an equally beloved Christian educator, and the first interim pastor, herself. Many of you have spoken with me about the deep pain associated with that period in Madison Square’s history. Some of you have shared with me that you are still grieving their loss. Others of you have shared with me that you are frustrated by the financial and administrative questions that were allowed to linger for too long. Others of you have shared with me that you are ready to put all of that in the past and move forward without another thought. And still others of you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about. All of that is normal. And all of that needs to be honored as we continue to heal and reconcile and rebuild.

In the meantime, amazingly gifted leadership has stepped up to the plate to support Madison Square, both within the congregation and from the presbytery. A committed member of the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry moderated the session, David Jones filled the pulpit, and Pastor Kent Miller swooped in for four months to whip the administrative foundation of the church into shape and point us all in a stronger, healthier, and vibrant direction. Every one of these saints was a gift of God in a time of turmoil and every one of them deserves our deepest gratitude for their witness to the gospel at Madison Square. We wouldn’t be anywhere close to this place of promise without them.

By the time I arrived last September as your second Interim Pastor, I felt strongly that the most important gifts I could offer you would be stability, trust, and joy. I have sought to assure you that God does indeed delight in who you are as a congregation, that God is healing and strengthening what is best about your ministry, and that I will do everything I can to ensure a solid foundation for you to build a truly fabulous future for yourselves and for the community you serve.

And so I have spent significant amounts of time these past five months “behind the scenes” with the Personnel Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Child Development Center Board to address immediate concerns in each of these areas. I am delighted that all three of these committees are thriving and energized to meet the needs of the future. By the grace of God and the hard work of these committees, we have weathered significant staff turnover, we have implemented good financial practices, and we have strengthened the ministry of the CDC. We have also had a whole lot of fun in worship!

My plan for the coming months is to work closely with the Nominating Committee and the Transition Steering Committee to support the self-assessment and visioning process that will ultimately result in the formation of a Pastor Nominating Committee. I have said that I think you will be ready for a PNC sometime between Easter and Thanksgiving. That’s a wide window! But it is flexible enough to allow for the leading of the Spirit instead of scrambling to implement a self-imposed timetable that may or may not meet the needs of Madison Square. The report from your Transition Steering Committee in just a few moments will explain the self-assessment process in a bit more detail. I will simply say that I hope as many of you as possible will participate with a spirit of openness and enthusiasm for the new thing God is doing in your midst.

I would also like to share a bit of my assessment of how Madison Square is doing at this point in the interim journey. There are what we call “Five Developmental Tasks of the Interim Period” that a healthy congregation will move through as they prepare to receive a new pastor. As I see it, Madison Square is moving through each of those Developmental Tasks in a fairly positive way:

• Coming to Terms with History—congregations usually see themselves through the eyes of their previous pastor(s); the interim period gives a congregation a chance to see themselves through different lenses and to claim the best of the former pastors’ legacies as their own. I think Madison Square is in a very good place with this task. There is still some healing to be done with the loss of Kenny and Linda in particular. My recommendation will be for the congregation to use the season of Lent as a time of letting go and reconciling. I also hope the self-assessment period will give the congregation the chance to claim the best of their legacy with Madison Square and to imagine the ways in which the congregation would like to embrace similar values as their own for the future.

• Discover a New Identity—pastoral change brings a unique opportunity for a reappraisal of a congregation’s ministry; an open, inclusive and honest self-assessment allows the congregation to ask, “where is God leading us now?” Again, I think Madison Square is in a good place with this task. Over and over again I hear the phrase, “We aren’t the same congregation we used to be.” There is some completely normal questioning of “who are we going to be next?” This is the fun part of the interim period! The Transition Steering Committee will share its report with the congregation about the self-assessment process in just a few moments.

• Strengthening and Developing New Lay Leadership—an interim time allows for a re-assessment of lay leader recruiting and training; what are the “real” needs (vs. perceived needs), and what fresh faces and personalities might God be calling to the leadership of the congregation? I am thrilled with the leadership that has stepped up to the plate in this transition and with the commitment and dedication the Nominating Committee is expressing in their role for discerning and developing new lay leaders for Madison Square.

• Renewing Relationship with Mission Partners (including Denominations)—whose needs are being met by the congregation’s mission activity? What past hurts in the denomination need to be healed? How might be embrace a positive/mutually respectful working relationship with the presbytery? This is one area I would like to address more intentionally in the next few months. Mission is such a strong commitment for Madison Square, but so much of it happens without much fanfare. This is as it should be! But let’s talk about the partnerships that can be cultivated to support the mission of Madison Square well into the future. And let’s talk about what relationships need to be healed with the presbytery.

• Commit to New Future and New Leadership—the key goal of the interim time is to prepare the congregation to receive and embrace new pastoral leadership, working in collaboration with re-energized lay leadership. We are well on our way!! Alleluia!!

November 2011

We, at Madison Square, are in a time of “active waiting,” which is the best way to describe the “interim” period we are in. God is birthing a new ministry here, and we are just starting to see the signs of that gestation. The session and the staff have been working diligently with me “behind the scenes” to re-invigorate our administrative foundation. The worship life of our community has been strong, in no small part due to the leadership of our Music Director, Organist, and Amazing Choir. And our energy is becoming focused on the question of “what next?” in the life of our community together.

In the season of Advent, I will be encouraging us to engage that question of “what next?” in an attitude of prayerful discernment. Many of us have concrete ideas of programs and missions and outreach that we would like to carry the day in the next season at Madison Square. Others of us may have a general sense of what this community means to us but are still forming the words to express our hopes for the future. And the Holy Spirit is at work throughout it all with wild visions and big dreams that we cannot even begin to imagine on our own!

In 2012 we will gather with great intentionality to work on the “what next?” question. But in Advent we are preparing, gestating, contemplating, reflecting... focusing on what matters and letting go of what does not... so that we may welcome the new life Christ has in store for us in the year and years to come. I look forward to that waiting—actively!—with you!

All the best,
Gusti

September 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011 marks Rev. Gusti Newquist's first service with MSqPC.  She has already begun setting up her office, getting to know the staff, and meeting various church members that stop by.  This marks the beginning of our work together toward finding a permanent, installed pastor.  In the weeks and months ahead, this page will be updated as we walk the journey of transition together.  We will talk about the role of an Interim Pastor and the process to find an Installed Pastor.  Check back regularly for updates.  For the next few weeks Rev. Newquist will be getting to know who we are as individuals and as a congregation, as we get to know her better.  Welcome to San Antonio, Gusti!

August 5, 2011

The MSqPC Interim Pastor Search Committee is pleased to announce that we have contracted the Rev. Gusti Newquist to be our Interim Pastor.  We look forward to walking through this transition together and welcome her open spirit and loving guidance.  Below you will find a letter of greeting from Gusti.  Check the front page of the MSqPC website soon for an audio greeting from Gusti!

"Dear friends at Madison Square,

I am delighted the Spirit is bringing us together for a season of joyful rebuilding and creative renewal in preparation for your next installed pastor. Your long-standing legacy of bearing witness to the generous grace of our loving God and the radical hospitality of the living Christ is an inspiration to all who strive to proclaim the gospel, and I know the Spirit has gifted you with great talent and heart-felt commitment for living out your legacy into a new era. I pray this time of “interim” life together may give us space for hope-filled and Spirit-led opportunities to reclaim God’s vision for this fabulous community of faith.

As for my own background, I consider myself to be a poet, a preacher, a teacher, and a lover of souls. In the past, I have served the national church as the staff person for the National Network of Presbyterian College Women and the local church as an elder, liturgist, and adult education instructor at Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY. I currently serve as the Pastor of St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Tucson, AZ. In each of these ministries I have sought to provide stability in the midst of transition and to inspire progressive communities of faith to embrace new opportunities for ministry and mission. I trust God will use these experiences to assist your transition at Madison Square, as well.

My plan is to begin keeping regular office hours on Tuesday, September 6 at 9am. I may be reached at the church office or by cell phone Monday through Thursday and during the weekends, as necessary. Fridays will be my Pastor Sabbath. I will begin meeting with committee leaders and setting immediate, short-term, and long-term priorities in those first couple of weeks and will provide regular reports to the session and the congregation to share our priorities and our progress throughout the interim period. And of course, I look forward to getting to know each one of you as quickly as possible.

God’s good timing has allowed us to gather for our first Sunday in worship on Sunday, September 11. The Scripture texts for this anniversary of pain in our common life speak of healing, wholeness, and even forgiveness. My prayer for all of us is that we may use this moment as an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to God’s peaceable kingdom and our ministry within it, for our own lives, for the congregation, for our nation, and for the world.

May it be so,

Gusti

Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist"

June/July 2011

The work of the committee is ongoing.  We have reviewed applications, contacted references, conducted phone interviews, and now plan to meet the candidates in person.  We excited about the candidates and the process and are currently on track to meet our September 1 deadline.  As always, please keep the committee and our work in your thoughts and prayers.

June 2011

The committee continues to work hard, contacting references, conducting phone interviews, meeting with our Committee on MInistry representative, and listening to sermons from our candidates.  We hope that the process will go quickly and smoothly.  Our goal is to have someone ready to start by the time Rev. Miller's term ends. If you have questions about the process, please feel free to contact Matt, Ken, or Micaela.  Of course, we ask for your prayers during this process that we find someone that fits well with MSqPC.

April 26, 2011

The Session voted to contract Rev. Kent Miller as Temporary Supply Pastor for the next four months.  Rev. Miller, from the Austin area, plans to be in San Antonio on Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays.  He will be working about 3/4 time, but will always be available by telephone and email when he is home.  Rev. Miller will pastor the church through the summer, thus giving the Interim Pastor Search Committee time to do its job fully and well. 

Most recently, Rev. Miller served as Interim Pastor for University Presbyterian Church, San Antonio.  He has a long history of service both in the church and with the Rotary Club.

A reception welcoming Rev. Miller and his wife, Barbara, will be held this Sunday, May 1, directly following worship.  Cake and drinks will be provided.  Please feel free to bring cookies.  (Oatmeal raisin are his favorite!) Stop by to get to know Kent and Barbara better.  All are welcome!

April 12, 2011

The New Interim Pastor Search Committee, made up of Ken Harvey, Matt Stroud, and Micaela Reznicek, has been formed.  The committee received three names from the Committee on Ministry of Mission Presbytery and is looking for more.

The search committee is at the very beginning of the process.  We are formulating questions of ourselves and the candidates so that we can be clear as to who we as MSqPC are and what we want in an interim pastor.  The next step will be to check references, interview the candidates, and listen to them preach.  

They will keep us posted on progress as they move through this very exciting time of change at the church we call home.

October 14, 2010

The Pastoral Call Process – A Spiritual Practice

Throughout the Pastoral Transition Process you will hear the word “call” used quite often. Currently the church is without a called Head Pastor. The session, which has been called to leadership of Madison Square, will call an Interim Minister to be with Madison Square in the interim process. When it’s time, the congregation of Madison Square will call a Pastor Nominating Committee to search for the next Head Pastor of Madison Square. They will bring to the congregation for a vote that person they feel has been called to lead Madison Square into the future. If the congregation agrees, we will extend a call to the new head pastor of Madison Square.

Call is important to Presbyterians. Our Book of Order tells us that “Christ calls the Church into being, giving it all that is necessary for its mission to the world, for its building up, and for its service to God. Christ is present with the Church in both Spirit and Word.” (G-1.0100b) So in following Christ, the head of the church, we seek to discern the will of God for our church’s life and faith, including discerning whom God is calling in leadership with our congregation. So essentially all this “calling” we believe is not ours, it is God who calls and it is our job to listen. Charles Olsen of the Alban Institute describes the call process this way, “The question before us could be framed thusly: ‘God, whom are you selecting/ calling at this time to lead this church? Show us your choice.’ We are invited to participate in God’s own choice.”

So while some may see this as just church talk for hiring a new employee as would be done in a secular workplace, for the church it is participating in God’s own choice for the church by opening ourselves to the work of the Spirit to guide, nudge, empower, inspire, comfort and inform us on our journey towards finding new pastoral leadership. Presbyterians believe that God uses committees, papers, procedures, polity and a whole lotta prayer to discern who it is that God is calling to be our pastor.

It may not feel like it at times, but trust that this is a spiritual journey we are on and as with any call from God, the path taken and the time spent are as important as the destination.

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Kenny

October 1, 2010

Rev. Ilene Dunn, senior pastor since 1996, retired to Round Rock, TX on October 1, 2010.

The Session of the church, along with the Committee on Ministry of Mission Presbytery, has begun the transition process for Madison Square. The process from pastor leaving to a new pastor walking in the door, for most Presbyterian churches takes from a year to a year and half, but it could take longer.

Even before Ilene left, we were receiving questions about the process.

Some of you are new to being Presbyterians, some of you have never been through the pastor search process before, and some of you just can't remember what happens. In a nutshell:

• The MSqPC Session, with the help of our Presbytery Committee on Ministry, will search for and contract with an Interim Minister to serve for at least a year, if not longer.
  
• During that time, the Interim Minister will help lead the church through a visioning process to determine who the church is, who we hope to be, and how we hope to get there. 
• When we are ready, the Committee on Ministry will give us the green light to begin our search for a new pastor.
  
• The congregation of Madison Square will call a Pastor Nominating Committee, whose task it will be to work on our church's resume, called a Church Information Form, and submit that into the Presbyterian Church's national search process.
  
• The Pastor Nominating Committee will find, interview, and bring to the congregation, for it's approval, that one person they believe has been called by God to lead us shepherd us into our future.

We have already begun the very first step of this process.

On Tuesday, September 28, 2010 the Session of Madison Square met with our liaison, Keith Greene, from the Presbytery Committee on Ministry.  At that meeting the Session selected its Interim Pastor Search Committee:  Suzy Gray, Ben Baker, and Rich Nelson. They will immediately begin their work of finding an Interim Pastor that will help us grieve the loss of Ilene and look toward our future. We do not yet know how long it will take them in their search. Please pray with and for the committee and the church.