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.