Pastor Nominating Committee Updates
Periodic updates from Shadyside Presbyterian Church’s Pastor Nominating Committee will be posted to this location. Thank you for your interest and prayerful support during the search.
Twelfth Senior Pastor Announced
June 30, 2021
With joy and thanksgiving, Shadyside Presbyterian Church is delighted to announce that the Reverend Austin Crenshaw Shelley has accepted the call to be our twelfth Senior Pastor.
Read the full announcement on the website.
Pastoral Candidate Introduced
June 23, 2021
On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, a congregational mailing was sent to all members via the United States Postal Service. Read the full text of the letter on the website and view the brochure as a .pdf file.
Pastoral Search Complete
June 6, 2021
On Sunday, June 6, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) shared an update with the congregation during worship through an announcement delivered by Elder Percy M. Jackson, chair of the PNC. You may view Elder Jackson’s announcement on video by clicking here.
With the completion of our pastoral search and selection of a pastoral candidate, the PNC has scheduled a candidacy weekend for Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27. A congregational letter containing more details has been mailed to all church members via the United States Postal Service. Read the full text of the letter on the website.
Candidacy Weekend Events at Shadyside Presbyterian Church:
- Meet & Greet Reception: Saturday, June 26, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
- Worship with Candidacy Sermon: Sunday, June 27, at 11:00 a.m.
- Congregational Meeting: Sunday, June 27, immediately following worship
We hope you will plan to join us as we welcome our candidate and our candidate’s family at the end of the month, and we ask that you continue to pray for Shadyside Presbyterian Church and our pastoral candidate as we anticipate our ministry together.
You may contact the PNC via email at pnc@shadysidepres.org.
PNC Spring Update
April 25, 2021
On Sunday, April 25, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) shared an update with the congregation during worship through an announcement delivered by Elder Percy M. Jackson, chair of the PNC. After thanking the ministers and staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church for their support, and thanking the members of the PNC for their continued hard work, Elder Jackson requested the continued prayers of the congregation as we enter the final stages of our search process.
The committee has focused their attention on a very small group of ministers, of which one will be the next pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church. “With much prayer and discernment, we believe that we are extremely close to that decision,” said Elder Jackson before encouraging the church to pray that the Holy Spirit would deliver to us soon our next pastor. “May God smile on Shadyside and continue to bless us,” he concluded.
Please pray for the Holy Spirit to guide the hearts and minds of our committee and of our next pastor, that we may begin our work together in the near future.
You may view Elder Jackson’s announcement on video by clicking here. You may contact the PNC via email at pnc@shadysidepres.org.
PNC Identifies Group of Finalists from Among Prospective Candidates
January 3, 2021
Elder Percy M. Jackson, chair of the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), provided the following update to the congregation during worship on Sunday, January 3, 2021.
To date, the PNC’s activities have included:
- Received over eighty Personal Information Forms (PIFs), both matched and self-submitted, from prospective candidates, and selected more than thirty for further detailed sermon review and PNC discussion.
- Researched approximately 500 churches with membership exceeding 500, including all east of the Mississippi River, as well as many states west of the Mississippi.
- Reached out to the following seminaries:
- Princeton Theological Seminary
- Union Presbyterian Seminary
- McCormick Theological Seminary
- Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
- Louisville Seminary.
- Also contacted pastors of large congregations and other Presbyterian leaders throughout the denomination, and received an additional thirty recommendations.
- With potential candidates identified by the PNC from churches with more than 500 members and recommendations, identified more than forty candidates for further consideration, and viewed or listened to multiple sermons and discussed each in detail.
- Identified and contacted approximately thirteen “passive candidates” who had not applied for the position.
The PNC has selected several candidates for closer review and believes that we now have a group of finalists that will be submitted to the Pittsburgh Presbytery by the end of January 2021. In conclusion, it is the belief of the PNC that we will be bringing Shadyside Presbyterian Church’s new senior pastor to the church in the first part of 2021. This decision is based on much prayer and the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Elder Jackson thanked the congregation for their prayers and especially thanked the members of the PNC for their dedication, meeting every Thursday of the past year with the exception of holidays.
You may view Elder Jackson’s announcement on video by clicking here. You may contact the PNC via email at pnc@shadysidepres.org. Please continue to pray for the PNC and for the individual whom God has in mind to join us in ministry at Shadyside Presbyterian Church.
PNC Fall Update
September 13, 2020
On Sunday, September 13, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) shared an update with the congregation during worship through the welcoming announcements delivered by the Reverend Lynn M. Portz, Associate Pastor for Parish Life. The PNC wants you to know that they have been meeting every Thursday throughout the summer, actively considering and interviewing prospective candidates to be our next senior pastor. They do appreciate your prayers as they continue in this important work.
You may contact the PNC via email at pnc@shadysidepres.org.
PNC Enters First-Round Interview Phase
June 10, 2020
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) continues to meet every week via Zoom videoconferencing. Social distancing has made their work somewhat cumbersome, but it has not halted their progress. The PNC has conducted first-round interviews with a number of candidates, and there are pastors with whom the committee is still eager to begin discussions. Some candidates have withdrawn from the process, deciding that this is not the right time for them to be searching for a new position. Others, however, have recently submitted their names.
The discernment process is not fast, but the committee feels confident that they will find the person God has in mind for our next senior pastor. The PNC asks for your continued patience and prayers.
You may contact the PNC via email at pnc@shadysidepres.org.
PNC Work Continues Despite Pandemic
April 8, 2020
Your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) wants you to know that the COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed their efforts. As evidenced by this photograph, the PNC has continued to meet via Zoom videoconferencing so that our pastoral search process may continue. Joining them remotely in this photograph is Mark Roth, an elder from the East Liberty Presbyterian Church and our Commission on Ministry (COM) liaison.
Elder Percy Jackson, chair, assures us that nothing can stop a Shadyside Presbyterian Church PNC, and they will continue their work until the Holy Spirit relieves them of their duty. Please continue to pray for them as they work to discern whom God is calling to be our next senior pastor.
You may contact the PNC via email at pnc@shadysidepres.org.
Prayer Meeting Scheduled
February 16, 2020
The members of the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) invite you to participate in congregational prayer for the pastoral search process. On Sunday, February 16, please join us in the Hulme Room at 12:15 p.m. for a time of silent and spoken prayer for God’s guidance and direction in our search process. Following the time of prayer, the PNC will hold a brief question-and-answer session to share pertinent information. They will be glad to answer any questions that are not of a confidential nature.
Ministry Information Form (MIF) Approved and Published
January 5, 2020
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has completed its work in creating the Ministry Information Form (MIF). The MIF is a document that describes in some detail our congregation and its hopes and needs for our next Senior Pastor/Head of Staff. The MIF has been reviewed and approved by the Session of Shadyside Presbyterian Church and, subsequently, the Commission on Ministry (COM) of the Pittsburgh Presbytery also has approved our church’s MIF. Next, it will be posted with the Church Leadership Connection of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Louisville, so that pastors who might be interested in serving here may learn about our search.
Soon, we anticipate receiving Personal Information Forms (PIFs), which detail the education, experience, and theological stance of each pastor, and we begin carefully and prayerfully reviewing them. You also may have pastors whom you wish to suggest to the PNC; feel free to do so by contacting the committee via email: pnc@shadysidepres.org. Please keep in mind that much of this work is strictly confidential. The PNC will not be able to share with the congregation who is being considered. Please continue to keep the PNC in your prayers as their work enters this new phase.
Congregational Survey Inventory Results Published
November 24, 2019
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) thanks everyone who participated in the congregational survey this fall. Bound copies of the results are available to review in the Walton Library. If you have questions or comments about the survey results, you are welcome to contact the PNC by email at pnc@shadysidepres.org. Please continue to pray for the PNC as they consider these responses to better inform our search process.
Pastor Nominating Committee Announces Congregational Survey
September 8, 2019
The call of a new pastor is a critical event in the life of a congregation. It is an important opportunity for us all to engage together in reflecting upon who we are and where we see God leading us.
To assist in this task, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) invites all members and friends to participate in a congregational inventory developed by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Connecticut. The survey not only asks questions about our current ministry and your own involvement, but also seeks your input on pastoral leadership and your hopes for our future.
Instructions to access the survey will be sent to members via email; a paper alternative also will be available for those members who are unable to access the Internet. (If you did not receive the link to the survey, or you need to request a hard copy, please contact the church office for assistance.) Your individual input is important! Completing this survey by September 30 ensures that your views have been heard, and the collective results will provide valuable insights for our PNC’s efforts. We hope you will share your thoughts with us during this pivotal and purposeful process.
Email Address Established for Pastor Nominating Committee
August 2019
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has established an email address through which you may contact them: pnc@shadysidepres.org. The PNC welcomes your comments and invites you to communicate with them directly through this address. Please continue to pray for the members of the PNC as they work to discern whom God is calling to be our next senior pastor.
Pastor Nominating Committee Officers Elected
June 10, 2019
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) held its organizational meeting on June 10, 2019. During this meeting, the following individuals agreed to serve as officers for the PNC: Percy M. Jackson, chairperson; Ann E. Pauley, recording secretary; and Donald P. Coffelt Jr., corresponding secretary. Mark Roth, who is an elder from the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, is our Commission on Ministry (COM) liaison and works closely with the PNC. Our Interim Senior Pastor and Head of Staff, the Reverend Dr. John A. Dalles, does not serve on the PNC, but is available to them in an advisory capacity, at the committee’s request. The PNC plans to give the congregation regular updates. Please keep them in your prayers as they do their work.
Pastor Nominating Committee Elected
May 19, 2019
The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) was elected at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation on May 19, 2019. The members of the PNC are Susan W. Balaan, Sara G. Brooke, Donald P. Coffelt Jr., Percy M. Jackson, Adam D. Loucks, Ann E. Pauley, and Janet B. Rohrer. We thank each one of these members for taking on this important responsibility. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin their work.