Thursday, May 21, 2020

May 2020 update

Blessings to everyone from your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). The past couple of months have been challenging for everyone in so many different ways, but it has been encouraging to see Idlewild continue to answer God’s call, in our transition to online worship, to-go service at More Than a Meal, Mobile Food Pantry distributions, and so much more. We are finding ways to be the church for each other and our community, even in this season of social distancing. Thanks be to God!

We know many of you are wondering, “How do you conduct a search during a pandemic?” While we’re unable to gather in person, we’ve continued to meet every Monday night online. Fortunately, we had several in-person visits with candidate ministers in January and February. Of course, further travel by our committee and by candidate ministers is currently on pause. Since worship services across the country are being conducted online, it’s not possible to visit and observe candidate ministers in their home church at this time. However, this is actually providing a unique perspective on candidates that we would not otherwise have seen. We are able to observe, unfolding in real-time, candidates’ organizational agility, leadership during uncertain times, and ability to provide a comforting, non-anxious presence during stressful times. These will be important qualities for Idlewild’s next Head of Staff to possess, and we are taking advantage of this opportunity to gain insight on how candidates navigate challenging times with their congregations.

There is a lot to navigate, we know. A number of pastors have, understandably, felt called to focus on their current congregation during the pandemic, asking for some time to get their church back in a more normal environment before turning their attention to Idlewild. We would like to keep the search process on a direct path, but need to find the right balance between our desire to move forward, and giving candidate ministers the space to tend to their current ministry and consider Idlewild with a clear mind and heart. We know that the right person to lead Idlewild is not someone who could leave his or her current congregation during these times without first ensuring that they were on stable footing. 

So where does that leave us? We have continued to receive referrals and interest from potential candidates, including over the last couple of months. We continue to research, to consider, and to be in communication with quality candidates who are in discernment with us. In-person visits have proven to be a critical part of the process for us, but we also understand that travel may not be feasible for some time and are making adjustments to shift things online as needed.

We have consistently communicated that we are focused on finding the right candidate, regardless of the time that it takes. Your support and prayers throughout the process have been heartfelt and help provide the PNC with the necessary spirit to find the Head of Staff who is called to Idlewild. We ask for your continued prayers for our discernment. Please join us, also, in prayers of thanksgiving for the gifted leadership of Anne Apple and Sara Dorrien-Christians during these unprecedented times. 

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact any of us individually or at pnc@idlewildchurch.org .

Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

Betty Louis Sheppard – Chair
Jeanne Marie Cummings
Albert Johnson
Julie Markham
Cindy Moore
Mitchell Redd
Jeremy Sykes
Jeff Thompson

Friday, February 7, 2020

February 2020


Greetings from your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). We hope that 2020 is off to a good start for everyone. Advent season was a very busy time for all clergy as well as your PNC members. For the PNC, Advent was a time of hope and discernment. We wanted to make sure certain candidates had the time and space to attend to their own congregations’ needs without too much distraction of a potential new calling. With the Advent season behind us, we are back in communication with candidates and we felt the need to update you on the search.

There continues to be significant interest in the Idlewild Head of Staff position. While we get to know some candidates better through calls and visits, we continue to be introduced to new candidates. Our search is not like those that take place in the business world where resumes are collected, interviews conducted, and an offer made to the best available candidate out of the initial pool of candidates. Our search is continuous, without specific deadlines for us or candidates. We review and get to know candidates while continuously being open to new names, not knowing when the Spirit will present us the candidate who is called to Idlewild.

We understand there is a curiosity regarding our search and what kind of candidates we have prioritized. Will the new Head of Staff be:

  • a man or woman?
  • someone who already has experience as a Head of Staff?
  • from a Southern church or another part of the country?
  • a graduate of a DMin or PhD program?
  • young or old?
  • married or single?

While those are natural curiosities about who will ultimately lead the church, in order to discern the best call to Idlewild we have focused our efforts more on analyzing other personal characteristics, such as:

  • Connects with people – This probably seems like an obvious characteristic, but it doesn’t always present itself right away. Some candidates delivered terrific sermons and spoke with purpose and dedication in phone interviews, but we didn’t feel a connection once we got to know him or her better. With others, there may not have been an immediate connection, but one grew as we got to know them in different environments. In order to get a better feel for how a candidate might connect with Idlewild’s congregation, staff and the greater community, we have to move beyond watching sermons. Phone calls, dinners with candidates and their family, small group meetings, and one-on-one interviews have all been useful tools for us to determine how well a candidate connects with us, with other ministers, and with their congregations.
  • Leadership ability – We can sometimes use past experience and references as a guide, but leadership can take many forms. There is no bright line test to determine if a person has the right leadership qualities for Idlewild. Part of leadership is being able to connect with people, but it also includes being able to address difficult topics and situations, providing guidance and support to staff, developing other clergy who serve Idlewild, and inspiring congregants to serve the church in different ways.
  • Enthusiasm – Being the Head of Staff is a challenging job and requires enthusiasm during both times of joy and times of trial. Most pastors who we’ve met have enthusiasm for their preaching and teaching. Those are areas where most members of the Idlewild community see them in action. But a successful Head of Staff should be enthusiastic about other aspects of the job including stewardship, administration, and community involvement.
  • Discerning a call – More than any other quality, we seek a Head of Staff who discerns a call to Idlewild. All of us have learned much about the holy discipline of spiritual discernment during our search. We have experienced and grown in our own collective discernment, and we have also witnessed the personal discernment of the ministers with whom we have spoken. Even if a candidate minister possesses each of the concrete qualities listed above, if he or she does not discern the Lord’s call to Idlewild or if the PNC does not discern that the Lord is calling that candidate minister to Idlewild, we move forward in our search praising God.
We want to make sure we find the right candidate for Idlewild and are working to ensure we find the person who senses a call to our church and has the attributes that will strengthen and guide the church in the future.

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact any of us by phone, email or in person.

Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

Betty Louis Sheppard – Chair
Jeanne Marie Cummings
Albert Johnson
Julie Markham
Cindy Moore
Mitchell Redd
Jeremy Sykes
Jeff Thompson

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

November 2019 update

Dear Idlewild members,

Since our last update in early October, the Idlewild PNC has met regularly. We are in conversation with ministers who are discerning whether they sense a call to Idlewild. We trust in the process which has led us to this moment, and we trust our direction.

Our PNC meets at 6:00pm on Mondays at the home of our chair, Betty Louis Sheppard. We held our very first meeting in the old Session Room, which is just to the northeast of the sanctuary, but we have met at the Sheppard home since. We always know to expect hors d’oeuvres and a weekly helping of brownies—based on a family recipe—to sate our early evening appetites. The in-home weekly meetings have given us the opportunity to know each other extremely well, but they have also taught us love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Our discussions are productive, and our unity of purpose is genuine.

As to the work of discerning the next head of staff for Idlewild, we are in serious, productive conversations with ministers. We are making progress. Visits to ministers have already occurred, and more will happen in the coming months. We are excited about the possibilities opening to our church in this interim period.

Having an interim period between ministers is typical for most PC(USA) churches. For many, an interim minister is needed to bridge the timeline between a senior pastor’s departure and the completion of a new search. For others, an interim minister provides space for the church to grieve after the departure of a pastor and to prepare the congregation and staff for the transition that lies ahead, often implementing administrative and other changes. While potential heads of staff may differ in their opinions on the need for an interim minister, nearly all view the work done during the transition as an important part of having a successful start to their new ministry. 

We continue to be grateful for the work Anne Apple is doing in her new role to set the table for our next Head of Staff. Anne’s pastoral gifts and familiarity with Idlewild’s vision and direction are blessings both for our church and for our search. We are also thankful for Sara, Elizabeth, and the rest of our staff’s commitment to our church. Pastors around the denomination have already begun to take notice of our interim period and the good work of transition at Idlewild. We are confident that the Idlewild which emerges from the interim period will continue to be the strong, vibrant church it has always been.

We invite you all to persist in prayer for our PNC and for our church. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as a group or individually with suggestions or concerns. We are truly blessed to be doing the work of the church and to be serving alongside one another. Thank you for your continued trust. 

“Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11

The Idlewild PNC
Betty Louis Sheppard (chair), Jeanne Marie Cummings, Albert Johnson, Julie Markham, Cindy Moore, Mitchell Redd, Jeremy Sykes, Jeff Thompson

Friday, August 23, 2019

August 2019

The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has been in communication with the Transition Working Group (TWG) throughout the summer in relation to the timing of our search for permanent Head of Staff. At the outset of our appointment, we were hopeful to be able to discern a candidate that could begin this fall after a short transition period following Steve’s retirement. The PNC is still seeking clarity on God’s call of a candidate to Idlewild and has communicated that to the TWG in order for the Session to make leadership decisions beyond the summer’s transition period.

As we mentioned in earlier communications, the PNC has been committed to finding the very best candidate for Idlewild regardless of timing and have every faith in that outcome. We have been encouraged throughout the process by the quality of candidates we have met, their interest in the Head of Staff position and the importance of Idlewild in PC(USA). As we continue our work, we ask for your ongoing prayers and support.

Grace and Peace,

The Idlewild PNC

Betty Louis Sheppard (chair), Jeanne Marie Cummings, Albert Johnson, Julie Markham, Cindy Moore, Mitchell Redd, Jeremy Sykes, and Jeff Thompson

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

April 2019 update

Dear Idlewild Congregation,

Your Pastor Nominating Committee continues to be optimistic in our search for a new Head of Staff for Idlewild. As we reported last month, we have been in conversation with prospective candidates and have made visits to some of them. Those visits have proven valuable and we expect to make others.

From the beginning of the search we were aware that the Idlewild staff could change as the Holy Spirit moves. All of us have seen these changes in the last month. But Idlewild Church is still here—in the Sunday morning congregations, in the Sunday School classes of adults and children, in the choirs, in those who offer hospitality at More Than A Meal, in QUEST and BASIC, in the youth who led the Youth Service so ably, in Presbyterian Women, in CAFÉ, in MICAH, in Clean Water projects, in our strong support and house staffs, in all of us who find ways to show that our worship leads to service. So as we continue our search, we are certain that the next Head of Staff will be coming to a strong and vibrant congregation.

At this time, as much as we would like to see into the future, we cannot say when a call will be made. Our focus remains on identifying the best candidate for Idlewild, regardless of timing. We will continue to give periodic updates to provide as much clarity as possible, trusting that we are following the lead of the Holy Spirit. As we move forward, we will keep in mind the advice from a seminary president that “you may not yet know the person God has prepared for Idlewild.” For your patient support we are very grateful. 

Please continue to pray for the search, for our faithful Idlewild staff, and for our church as we move forward together.

“Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11

In Christ,

The Idlewild PNC

Betty Louis Sheppard (chair), Jeanne Marie Cummings, Albert Johnson, Julie Markham, Cindy Moore, Mitchell Redd, Jeremy Sykes, and Jeff Thompson

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

March 2019 update

Dear Congregation,

Your Pastor Nominating Committee continues to be optimistic in our search for a new Head of Staff. We have heard many words of encouragement from around the PC(USA), such as “This is a sacred time for your congregation and your committee” and we are thankful for the loving support and sincere concern from all of you. Indeed, we are all in this search together.

As we reported in February, we have developed a short list of strong candidates. We are getting to know them by watching livestream services, listening to online sermons, reading their church websites, and looking at their writings as well as their work in their presbyteries and in the PC(USA). We have begun making visits to these selected candidates to get better acquainted in face-to-face meetings and to attend their church services. These visits will continue into April.

We celebrate Steve Montgomery, his faithful ministry to Idlewild and in Memphis, his guiding leadership in a time of shifting cultures, his loving care for our congregation, and his special tenderness in times of grief. We as the PNC are NOT in a search to replace Steve. Rather, we are charged to search for a new pastor to serve as Head of Staff with his or her own particular gifts. This person will bring new vision, new skills and talents, new leadership, but the same faithfulness to Christ and his call to love and serve God. We trust that we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit to the person that God has prepared for Idlewild.

We are hopeful that a new Head of Staff can be in place after a transition period following Steve’s retirement. The Administrative Leadership Team, chaired by Mitchell Redd, is working on the specifics of a transition plan. We plan to give another update at the April Session meeting and will provide as much additional clarity as possible at that time. We are grateful for your patience. We are at work and will continue to make regular reports.

Please continue to pray for the search and for our faithful Idlewild staff.

“Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11 

In Christ,

The Idlewild PNC

Betty Louis Sheppard (chair), Jeanne Marie Cummings, Albert Johnson, Julie Markham, Cindy Moore, Mitchell Redd, Jeremy Sykes, and Jeff Thompson

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Idlewild PNC update - February 2019

The PNC is optimistic about the search for a new Head of Staff. During our conversations with the exceptional women and men of the PC(USA), we have heard comments such as: “Idlewild is the conscience of Memphis” and “Idlewild is the tall-steeple church of the Mid-South.” We have been humbled and thrilled to discover the high regard for Idlewild found throughout the denomination.

Since posting our Ministry Information Form (MIF) in late September 2018, we have received referrals from members of the congregation, contacts throughout the PC(USA), other ministers, and matches with our MIF through the Church Leadership Connection system. In total, we have received referrals for over 100 potential candidates. Since about mid-October, we have been in contact with many of these candidates, have reviewed their Personal Information Forms (PIF), have listened to online sermons, and have conducted limited phone interviews.

Most candidates we’ve contacted were aware of Idlewild’s Head of Staff search and were honored to be contacted. After consideration and discussion, the PNC determined that some candidates were not a good fit for Idlewild while others advised us that they were unable to consider a move at the current time.

As of February 2019, the PNC has identified several strong candidates and is in the process of more thoroughly vetting their qualifications and fit for Idlewild. This will include making in-person visits for church services and getting to know them better on a personal level. The PNC expects these more detailed conversations to take place over the next several months prior to making a call. Our focus has been, and will continue to be, on finding the best Head of Staff for Idlewild, regardless of timeframe. The PNC will continue to provide the Session regular reports on the status of the search to assist with the planning process.

One of the many things the PNC has learned is that a thriving ministry is taking place all across the Presbyterian Church. It is a joy to hear that a pastor feels there is “more call” where he or she is currently serving. For this and for the continued support of our Idlewild congregation we give thanks. We are all in this together.

As always, feel free to reach out to members of the PNC with questions or concerns about the search, or e-mail us at pnc@idlewildchurch.org.

Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

Grace and Peace,

The Idlewild PNC