Pastoral Search
Pastor Jerry Andrews retired from his position as Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church at the end of January, 2023. We are thankful for his over thirteen years of ministry to this congregation. In accordance to the guidelines outlined by the Presbytery, First Presbyterian Church of San Diego is working to seek God's calling for our next Head Pastor. Information regarding this process of discernment and preparation is outlined below. The information will be updated periodically throughout the search process.
.jpg)
Mission Study Document
The Session of First Presbyterian has appointed a Mission Study Team to create a document that describes the mission of our church to help in the search for a new Head Pastor. The Mission Study Team invited the congregation to fill out a congregational survey to aid in that document creation. With that step being done, the Mission Study Document has been completed.
If you have any questions please reach out to any member of the Mission Study Team (Sara Delgado, Marilyn Carnes, Rick Kennedy, Josh Reyes or Dan Walls).
Timeline
June of 2022
Retirement Annoucement
July of 2022
Appointment of Mission Study Team
July of 2022
Interim Pastor Search Committee Named
September of 2022
Congregational Survey Open
November 10, 2022
Mission Study Distributed
November 13, 2022
Townhall Meeting
February & March, 2023
Seeking Interim Pastor
March 12th, 2023
Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC)
April 2023
March 15th, 2023
Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC)
March 20th, 2023
Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC)
Pastor Jerry Andrews announced to the Session, staff, and congregation his desire to retire by January 31, 2023.
Session was asked to prayerfully consider joining the mission study team. The following members volunteered: Rick Kennedy, Sara Delgado, Dan Walls, Marilyn Carnes and Josh Reyes.
The nominating committee proposed the following candidates for the Interim Pastor Search Committee: Bogar Hernandez, Liz Nemeth, Laura Barajas, Ben Cater, and Sheri Soldau. Session approved the candidates.
The Mission Study Team put together a congregational survey to gather feedback from our members and regular attenders regarding our vision for the mission of First Presbyterian Church.
On November 10, the Mission Study was distributed to the congregation via our website and email. Hard copies of the report will also be available on Sunday, November 13.
The Mission Study Team hosted a townhall meeting to review the Mission Study and answer questions from the congregation.
The Interim Pastor Search Team, after receiving applications for interim pastors, listening to sermons, and conducting interviews, works to recommend a candidate. With the help of the Presbytery, it is the session's responsibility to hire the interim pastor, who will serve in pulpit teaching, head of staff, and moderator of session and congregation.
The Congregation will meet to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). In transition, the congregation gives responsibility to a PNC to find and nominate our next pastor. The meeting will take place after the worship service, in the Assembly Room.
The Congregation will meet to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). In transition, the congregation gives responsibility to a PNC to find and nominate our next pastor. The meeting will take place after the worship service, in the Assembly Room.
Pastor Jan Armstrong arrives in San Diego with his wife, Debbie, to serve as Interim Pastor. Pastor Jan serves as head of staff, moderator of session, and moderator of congregation until a permanent pastor is installed.
We had our first official meeting today. Our first order of business was to elect positions. Ben Montoya and Kirk Rogers will be Co-Chairs and Sara Delgado, Secretary. Also on the committee are Peggy Baker, Chris Crockett, Lloyd Tooks and Suzy Walls. We decided to meet weekly. We reviewed the pastoral search process and assigned tasks to get the process started. We ask for prayers during this journey as we seek to hear the call of Christ and participate in God’s own choice for our next pastor.
A member from the Committee on Ministry, Wells Lyman, joined us at the beginning of our meeting today. He gave us encouragement and we were able to ask questions about the search process. We spent the rest of the meeting working on the MIF (Ministry Information Form). This form gives information about our church and the position and will help with matching us with call seekers. Please continue to be in prayer for us.