This temporary filler text disappears once you click it. This is just placeholder example text that can be deleted. Type your own unique, authentic, and appropriate text for this tab here.

Nine people from the congregation, including Pastor Brian and Jen Hartman, our  Council President, will make up the Call Committee. Please express your interest in being considered for the Call Committee, or nominate someone else, by contacting the church office. Nominees must be active members of the congregation. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. 

Electing the Call Committee will be the ONLY business at that meeting. The constitution defines voting members with a voice as members of St. John who are baptized and confirmed, who have contributed and communed this past year.  Once the committee is solidified, the search process can begin.  Thank you for your prayers as we move through this work. 

ELECTED CALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE:  Rod Hamer, Jen Hartman ( Council President), Alex Heinen (Youth), Josh Hones, Danielle Jennings, Jim Korte, Kristin Moser, Scott Striegel and Pastor Brian. 

Ministry Site Profile: The committee develops a Ministry Site Profile (MSP), which describes the congregation's mission, ministry, and needs.

Communication: They communicate with the congregation and synod staff about the process, but not with specifics about candidates.

Prayer: Prayer is a crucial element throughout the entire process. 

Our Ministry Site Profile (MSP) describes our congregation – who we are and what we are working on – and lets us introduce ourselves to pastors who might be interested in coming to St. John Lutheran Church. The MSP is prepared in collaboration among the Call Committee, Church Council, St. John Church staff, and the Northeastern Iowa Synod. Once completed and submitted, the MSP will be stored within the ELCA’s Mobility Database System (MDS). The web page, "Current Openings," allows rostered ministers and others to search the database of MSPs to learn of ministry openings, to read a basic snapshot of information about each opening, and to learn about the appropriate contact person for each call process.

Candidates for our pastor position are identified from three sources: (1) candidates identified by members of our congregation; (2) candidates who express an interest in our position to the Northeastern Iowa Synod; and (3) candidates identified by the Northeastern Synod as “good fits” for our congregation. The Northeastern Iowa Synod coordinates this process and provides Rostered Minister Profiles (resumés for pastors) for the candidates to the Call Committee.

The Call Committee conducts a review process with each candidate provided by the Synod. This process may include an initial interview (ideally in person, but potentially via videoconference for out-of-town candidates); attendance at worship services and sermons conducted by the candidate (in person, online, or both); a second, more in-depth interview; and reference checks. Candidate identification and interview steps may take multiple rounds if the Call Committee determines that the interviewed candidates are not good fits or if a selected candidate decides not to pursue our position.

Beginning with this step the Call Committee needs to observe strict confidentiality. Decisions made during our call process can be very sensitive – for St. John as a congregation, for candidates for our associate pastor position, and for the congregations that those candidates currently serve. For example, it would be awkward for a congregation to learn that its beloved pastor was pursuing a call with St. John, particularly if the call was not extended and the pastor remained with her congregation. Similarly, it would be awkward for our congregation to learn that a pastor well known to our congregation was offered our position but decided not to take it.

For these and other reasons, the Call Committee will conduct all candidate evaluations under strict confidentiality. We will be as transparent as possible about our process and the status of our work, but we must keep information about specific candidates confidential.

Thank you for your understanding!

The Church Council meets the candidate and reviews the recommendation with the Call Committee.