We, the Congregation of St. Matthew, are in the midst of calling a pastor. It is a process which, guided by the Spirit, which will bring us a Minister of Word and Sacrament to lead us for many years.
Council is the body that is preparing the ministry site profile that will guide our bishop in recommending candidates to us and then informing those candidates just who Saint Matthew is. It must include our mission and vision, both as it is now and as we envision it for the future. St. Matthew isn’t the Congregation of 13 years ago when Pastor Wengert was called. Our profile must reflect who we are today.
Council has conducted a survey to capture the perceptions of individual members of the parish. About 130 have responded, or 25% of confirmed members. There is a significant gap in the responses, for members between ages 20 and 40.
We are moving to the next step, interviewing our various groups and ministries for their thoughts on what St. Matthew is today, and where we want the Spirit to take us with a new pastor. Council is putting together a small Transition Team to assist with this. Finally work is starting on drafting the Mission Site Profile document itself.
We ask for your prayers as we undertake all this, so that we can efficiently put into a single document a clear vision of St. Matthew today, and our hopes and prayers for the future.