Dear Centre Church,
As Robert has recently announced his retirement and we have begun the pastoral search process, several people have asked me for clarity regarding my own plans. I thought this month’s post might be a great place for me to express my hopes and shed some light on the transition process.
So let me get this out there first: My hope and desire is to become the next Senior Pastor of Centre Presbyterian Church. When I first interviewed in early 2020, Robert, the Session, and I discussed the potential of a succession whenever he decided to retire. I was hired with the knowledge that if things went well, I would be considered for the position of Senior Pastor, and I will be honored if you decide to call me this summer.
Over the past three years, the Lord has increasingly drawn my heart into the unique ministry opportunities at Centre Church. When we first arrived in town, I felt like a fish out of water. The big culture shift from urban New England back to the suburban south took some adjusting. It was also a daunting journey figuring out how to navigate the systems of a 255 year old church when most of my ministry had taken place in upstarts and new congregations. It’s fair to say I made my share of missteps in those first six months, but you all were always very gracious and supportive while I figured things out.
During my time here, I have come to realize that Centre’s greatest strength is our congregation that genuinely loves the Lord. I have known many historic churches that were little more than social clubs with little grounding in scripture and no reliance on the Holy Spirit: not so at Centre! For that, we owe a great debt to Robert’s faithful preaching and pastoring over the years. Thanks to God’s working through him, today we have a group of men and women who deeply want to glorify God, and that means we have every reason to be hopeful as we look towards the future.
What will that future look like? Well, that’s the process we are entering into now. We really have two processes running concurrently that you should be aware of:
- The Book of Order process for selecting a new pastor
- The visioning and transition process assisted by K.N.O.T Navigators (knotnavigators.com)
The Book of Order lays out the exact process every EPC congregation must follow to choose a pastor. This process is tried and tested, and will ensure that you, the congregation, will have the final say in who becomes the next Senior Pastor. We currently have a search team formed, and they have been tasked with considering my candidacy first, should they approve, my name will then be put before the congregation for a vote in the next month or so. If they do not recommend me, then they will transition to an open search of other candidates. If you would like to know more about this process, it is detailed in the previous blog post
K.N.O.T Navigators has been hired to help us with both the emotional and directional needs of the church as we transition to a new senior leader. Their role will be to meet with and interview each person involved with our church – leaders, members, attenders, staff, and anyone else who wishes to participate. They will help us to get everyone’s feedback, to communicate clearly and often with the congregation, and to think strategically about our future. On Sunday July 9th, Rev. Ellen Gardner will be here to lay out the visioning process in detail as well as answer any questions you man have. The visioning process will help us discern what God is doing in our community and determine Centre’s “piece of the kingdom pie.”
In my relatively short time at Centre, I have seen the Lord do some wonderful things. Our community is filling up with people who have no church home, and many who have little or no knowledge of the Gospel. We have a great opportunity around us, and I am thrilled about what the Lord may do here! As we enter this transition, I want to encourage you all to approach me or any of the elders if you have questions, and I want to ask you to join me in regular prayer for the church. May God richly bless this congregation as we seek to follow his lead.
Blessings,
Pastor Logan Keck