Greetings from Pastor Jeremy!

Last Tuesday, January 14, 2020, the Session heard the first reading of a new staffing plan for our church. The staffing task force confirms that a three-pastor model is the best way for our church to ensure that all our members have their needs met. Along the way we kept finding that the Mission Study conducted a few years ago holds true; we value worship, learning, fellowship, and service. Helping our members live out their faith through these pillars guided the work of the task force.

But it does not stop there.

While a three-pastor model seems to work best for us, the task force also uncovered ways of creating positions that would: (1) prevent gaps in support and care for our members; and (2) be more attractive to the most talented candidates. The positions would include:

1. A Senior Pastor who serves the leadership and staff of the church, and who has a specific focus on the supportive ministries of the church that allow our programmatic ministries to thrive, along with worship leadership and preaching, vision-setting, and stewardship of our resources and core values.
2. A Pastor to serve our children and youth and their families from cradle into young adulthood and serve as a connection with families in our larger community.
3. A Pastor to serve life-long engagement with a particular focus on learning, fellowship, and the care of our adult members, from singles and empty-nesters to our senior members.

These proposals will be heard by the Session on Sunday, January 26th at 11:30 during a specially called meeting for this specific purpose.

Next Steps

If the Session agrees with the staffing model designed by the task force, the congregation will be asked to approve two Associate Pastor Nominating Committees to help us find the next pastors God is preparing to join us in ministry to our neighbors in Westfield and beyond. The timing of this vote will be determined as we begin to work closely with leadership at the Presbytery of Elizabeth and will be reported to the congregation as soon as something is known.

If you would like to share your thoughts on this structure, please contact Staffingplan@westfieldpc.org.