CONGREGATIONAL MEETING


The Session of the First Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa, Alabama hereby calls a Congregational Meeting for August 6th, 2023, immediately following the 10:00 am Worship Service for the purpose of electing a Campus Minister Search Committee (“Pastor Nominating Committee” according to the PC USA Book of Order).

 

Background:


The pastoral relationship with our Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry, Rev. Andy Spaulding, was dissolved on April 30, 2023, as Andy took a new position in Oxford, MS. 

 

The Session approved on June 26, 2023, at the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, to engage Ministry Architects (MA), a ministry personnel consulting firm, to conduct a mission study of our College Ministry, UKirk.  This is a step in the process to assist First Presbyterian in defining what type of leadership we need for Campus Ministry in the future.

 

The mission study has not yet begun but will begin this fall once our college students have returned.  The congregation should be prepared to participate in this study.

 

There is no preconceived outcome for this study.  We have engaged MA to perform an independent assessment of our College Ministry environment and potential.   The study could inform First Presbyterian that it needs to hire a director level, non-ordained staff member, to lead Campus Ministry or it may inform us that we need to pursue an ordained minister to replace our vacated Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry position or perhaps some staffing structure we’ve not previously considered.  The direction we take will ultimately be First Presbyterian’s decision under the leadership of Session and this search committee.

 

The Nominating Committee has identified six members who are willing to volunteer their time to this Campus Ministry search and they are:

 

  • Renee Agee – Deacon and College Committee Member
  • Covey Byars – Former Youth Elder and UA College Student
  • Shelley Hancock – Elder and Session Member
  • Rudy Gibson – Elder
  • Kate Kilgore – FPC Member and UA College Student
  • Tommy Danner – Elder

 

The Book of Order requires a Congregational Meeting to elect a pastor nominating committee for all ordained leadership.  The Congregation does not have to elect a committee to find non-ordained leadership.  Either way, non-ordained or ordained leadership, you will have elected a search committee to proceed with the Campus Ministry search and we will be positioned to move to the next step of defining our search and position description at the completion of the mission study.