Most of you know that Matthew is in the process of looking for a ministry job for after he graduates in May. Many of you have been praying for this search and some have been asking how the process is going so I thought I'd give you an update.
Over winter break I worked on preparing my resume and gathering resources for the job search process. I also completed the lengthy application for accreditation with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), the denomination I grew up in. I also decided to focus his search (at least initially) on Associate Pastor positions working with Adults in teaching and discipling type ministry (jobs that weren't primarily Youth, Administrative or Worship Pastor duties). This narrows the focus considerably but it is where I think I can be most effective in ministry.
At the beginning of February I began to circulate his resume, sending it to just about everyone I knew who might know someone who might know about a job opening that might be right for me. I also began checking for job openings that might fit him on Ministry job search sites. To date I’ve submitted more than 30 resumes for Associate Pastor positions that looked like they might be a good fit at churches all over the country (from NY to FL to AZ to WA). For the most part these churches are still in the process of reviewing resumes and deciding which individuals to give consideration to so I’m in waiting mode for those.
A few churches have responded either indicating they are considering other applicants while a couple others have sent more detailed information and requested applications to be returned or suggested we set up a time to speak on the phone. This has been encouraging but still leaves us a very long way from finding the right position so even as I prepare to begin a few conversations I am continuing to review websites for new openings, consider potential referrals from people I know and wait on churches who are still considering my resume. I’m also waiting for the C&MA to finish reviewing my application and schedule an accreditation interview which might open up some additional opportunities.
The process of settling on the right ministry position is lengthy and complex. After considering resumes a church will generally want more detailed information from a candidate either by filling out an application or speaking on the phone. Additionally I need to find out more about the church and the position to decide if I want to continue to pursue that job. If things move along from there the next step would usually be for Emily and I to visit a church to get a better feel for it and talk to the leaders in charge of making the decision. Again we would be interviewing them even as they interviewed us to make sure both sides felt it was a good fit. Often a second or even third visit would be desired before a church would officially decide to “call” me and we would be able to confidently accept. At this point, depending on the church, there could be additional steps required before I could officially be hired, such as a congregational vote or denominational approval.
As you can imagine even if one of the churches I’ve already contacted turns out to be the right fit it is likely that we won’t know for sure for a number of months. This means that we’re not optimistic about knowing for sure where we’ll be heading long term when we have to move in June. That’s OK because assuming things are still up in the air we’re planning to move to the Sacramento area for the interim while I continue to search and follow up with the process and perhaps work some. This would allow us to be close to family when our baby is born and get in good visits with the people we’re closest to before we potentially move far away.
So that is where things stand. We appreciate your continued prayers and any other leads you might hear about. The more contacts we make the more conversations we can potentially start the better chance we have of finding a really good fit in reasonable amount of time. Thank you all. We love you!
Over winter break I worked on preparing my resume and gathering resources for the job search process. I also completed the lengthy application for accreditation with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), the denomination I grew up in. I also decided to focus his search (at least initially) on Associate Pastor positions working with Adults in teaching and discipling type ministry (jobs that weren't primarily Youth, Administrative or Worship Pastor duties). This narrows the focus considerably but it is where I think I can be most effective in ministry.
At the beginning of February I began to circulate his resume, sending it to just about everyone I knew who might know someone who might know about a job opening that might be right for me. I also began checking for job openings that might fit him on Ministry job search sites. To date I’ve submitted more than 30 resumes for Associate Pastor positions that looked like they might be a good fit at churches all over the country (from NY to FL to AZ to WA). For the most part these churches are still in the process of reviewing resumes and deciding which individuals to give consideration to so I’m in waiting mode for those.
A few churches have responded either indicating they are considering other applicants while a couple others have sent more detailed information and requested applications to be returned or suggested we set up a time to speak on the phone. This has been encouraging but still leaves us a very long way from finding the right position so even as I prepare to begin a few conversations I am continuing to review websites for new openings, consider potential referrals from people I know and wait on churches who are still considering my resume. I’m also waiting for the C&MA to finish reviewing my application and schedule an accreditation interview which might open up some additional opportunities.
The process of settling on the right ministry position is lengthy and complex. After considering resumes a church will generally want more detailed information from a candidate either by filling out an application or speaking on the phone. Additionally I need to find out more about the church and the position to decide if I want to continue to pursue that job. If things move along from there the next step would usually be for Emily and I to visit a church to get a better feel for it and talk to the leaders in charge of making the decision. Again we would be interviewing them even as they interviewed us to make sure both sides felt it was a good fit. Often a second or even third visit would be desired before a church would officially decide to “call” me and we would be able to confidently accept. At this point, depending on the church, there could be additional steps required before I could officially be hired, such as a congregational vote or denominational approval.
As you can imagine even if one of the churches I’ve already contacted turns out to be the right fit it is likely that we won’t know for sure for a number of months. This means that we’re not optimistic about knowing for sure where we’ll be heading long term when we have to move in June. That’s OK because assuming things are still up in the air we’re planning to move to the Sacramento area for the interim while I continue to search and follow up with the process and perhaps work some. This would allow us to be close to family when our baby is born and get in good visits with the people we’re closest to before we potentially move far away.
So that is where things stand. We appreciate your continued prayers and any other leads you might hear about. The more contacts we make the more conversations we can potentially start the better chance we have of finding a really good fit in reasonable amount of time. Thank you all. We love you!
Our new Dell Laptop (left) doesn't look all that different (except for the duct tape on the power cord) from our old HP (right) but it functions on an entirely different level.