Today, Judy White preached an inspirational message and I shared the following with my congregation:"Dear Family,
Within the last year, we have seen significant changes in the leadership structure of the Baptist Union of Scotland. Both the national Mission & Ministry Advisors were called back into pastoral ministry, and the Union’s Council agreed that a new post be created, with responsibility for oversight and advising in the development of a unified understanding of Mission and Ministry within our Baptist Union of Churches.
As some of you know, I have been involved in the work of our Board of Ministry since 1997, and was invited onto the Search Group to find the right person for the new position. The Mission & Ministry Advisor together with the General Director will hold full time, stipendiary office as part of the core leadership of our Union of churches. After the 1st meeting of the Search Group, I realised that this was a ministry to which I felt strongly drawn. However, I was persuaded that if God was saying this to me, He would also say it to others. I resolved not to apply for this position nor discuss my thoughts with colleagues. My prayer, however, was that if God was in this, another member of the Search group would approach me with this conviction on their heart too.
The Search Group had decided to consider recommendations as well applications. A colleague on the Search Group did unexpectedly come to speak to me, and a commendation was subsequently made by them and their colleague in pastoral ministry. I immediately resigned from the Search Group and took no further part in discussion or proceedings from that moment onwards. The Search group met after the deadline for applications and considered a number of applications together with this commendation. Consequently, the Search Group then invited me to interview: references from the wider church were also obtained and considered. As a consequence the group unanimously recommended my appointment by the Council to the post of Mission and Ministry Advisor. The members of Council then had 2 weeks to prayerfully consider this recommendation, and 2 days ago the result of a secret ballot was an overwhelming confirmation by our Scottish Baptist Union’s Council that I be appointed to the post of Mission and Ministry Advisor.
The long and thorough process of communal discernment, together with the fact that all initiatives in this matter have come from others, persuades me that this is God’s will. Accordingly, at the beginning of 2012, I will be stepping down from the office that I have sought to serve in for 17 years, as pastor of Bristo, and will take up a national leadership position as Mission and Ministry Advisor to the Baptist Union of Scotland. I ask for your prayers. And I would also ask you for your support in this new relationship which I will have with you as a congregation in membership of our Union.
It has been a privilege to be your pastor. But I do believe it is time for the church to move forward with a new pastor. Whilst my new role will be to give you advice, the pastoral oversight of this congregation will need to be entrusted to another. To that end, recommendation for the appointment of an interim moderator will be considered at the next deacons’ meeting, and hopefully by this time next month a congregational meeting will be convened for you to consider a nominee for appointment as interim moderator who, experienced in oversight yet detached from emotional involvement in Bristo, will guide you through due process towards the appointment of the next person to hold the office of pastor of this congregation.
I do believe there are challenging and exciting times ahead for Bristo. And this I say to you: be humble before God, seek His will alone, discern together and submit to what He commands. Do this, and you will be blessed much and also be a blessing to many others in Jesus’ name. I love you and would trust you to pursue the baptistic way in these matters. Be faithful.
In His love,
Jim"
Difficult to face the parting. But exciting to face the future too.
