Senior Pastor Search

The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) was elected by the Congregation at the February 2023 Congregational Meeting and began its work immediately. The PNC is currently in the process of determining several key points of information for both candidates and the congregation. This page will be your primary source of information for the committee’s work and progress, so check back regularly for updates as the committee’s work continues.

We are confident that with prayer, discernment and God’s leading we will find the candidate that God has chosen for this position.

– Laura Ray, Committee Chair – Cathie Bonner, Secretary

Latest Updates (click headlines to read)

January 19, 2024PNC Update January 2024

At both worship services on Sunday, January 14, 2024, members of the Pastor Nominating Committee offered a status report on their work. Watch their 11 a.m. update below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fyz9duN00M&t=1389s Thumbnail is for the sermon, but the Play button goes right to the PNC update.

December 5, 2023December Process Update

Greetings, South Highltanders! The Pastor Nominating Committee continues to be hard at work preparing for our upcoming pastoral transition. As noted in our previous update in October, on a weekly basis we have conducted both internal and external meetings. As the SHPC family knows, in all circumstances God’s blessings abound and that certainly applies to the PNC’s discernment process. During our short time together since late June …

November 8, 2023Interim Pastor Named

On recommendation from the Transitional Pastor Nominating Committee, the Session has unanimously named The Rev. Sam Henderson as Interim Senior Pastor starting in January 2024. Sam is a familiar face to long-time South Highlanders, as he served as an Associate Pastor here from 1991-1997, during the Senior Pastorate of Dr. Dana Waters. Following service in four called pastorates, he retired from full-time parish ministry after sensing a …

Pastor Search FAQs

How can I help? The PNC needs your prayer support. Please pray for the committee and the process, for the SHPC community, and for the pastor whom God is already preparing to receive the call.

Will the PNC be asking the congregation for its input? Absolutely. Be on the lookout for a survey currently being developed by the committee to guide us in our search.

How can I recommend a candidate to the PNC? You may contact any member of the PNC with your recommendation by sending an email or speaking to a member in person (see the list of committee members below). Please include the pastor’s name, current location, and contact information. Also please include your comments about why you recommend this person, their particular gifts and why you see this person as a good candidate for SHPC.

Will you be sharing with us some details about candidates? Due to the sensitive nature of the information that potential candidates share, as well as the identities of these individuals, we hope that you will recognize that a lot of the work carried out by the committee is confidential. We will make every effort to make you aware of our progress within the framework of that confidentiality.

Pastor Nominating Committee

The committee was elected by the congregation at the Annual Congregational Meeting February 5, 2023. The members are: