Pastor's Pen

Dear Members and Friends of Immanuel Lutheran Church,

The time continues to draw ever closer to that all important event;     the calling of your next pastor. As your call committee diligently works on the nuts-and-bolts issues (reviewing profiles, interviewing candidate, making site visits when possible) the people of Immanuel need to also be preparing themselves for how you will receive your new pastoral leader. Last month I touched on some of the things that you can already be doing to make your next pastor feel welcome. This month, I would like to spend a little time addressing the first Sunday that your new pastor (and his/her family) will be with you.

Once your new pastor as accepted your invitation to come, it is important to celebrate the first Sunday that she/he will be with you. Often this involves holding a very special service known as a “Service of Installation.” When the date of your pastor’s first Sunday with you is known, a call should immediately be made to the synod office, inviting either the bishop (or one of the bishop’s assistants) to preside at the service. Therefore, the sooner you call the better. Also, there is a prepared service of installation that can be found in the “Occasional Services” book on pages 224-231. I will make sure to leave a copy of this service with you.

Because of the important emphasis of this event for the entire congregation, it would probably be best to have only one worship service on that day. Of course if you plan to do this, the change in worship times (or the elimination of one of the services) should be announced just as soon as possible to avoid confusion. A second option might be to hold the installation service in the afternoon. The advantage of doing this would be that other area pastors and community members could also then join you in the celebration.

Finally, it would be appropriate for Immanuel to host some kind of a reception following the installation service, to welcome the new pastor (and family) to the congregation and community. If you plan to hold a Sunday morning installation service, you might still want to invite area pastors and others in the community to attend the reception. Keep in mind that this is meant to be a joyous and festive time for all, so keep it simple in order that no one feels over burdened on this special day.

I invite you to continue praying for your leaders and call committee members, as they faithfully carry out their responsibilities and move this process along.


Shalom,
Pastor Matt