June 23rd
With this update we would like to encourage several groups of God’s Saints who have encouraged the committee during this process.
We have been fortunate to run across some devotionals for Pastor Search Committees by Gene Roncone. This is based on his devotionals.
“I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.”
2 Corinthians 7:4-13
The search process can have its moments of discouragement. Many areas of our church need to be encouraged during this time. Our committee, individuals seeking placement, the church staff, working without a pastor, and the church body all need encouraging that the work is being done and that, in God’s time, a candidate will be presented to the church for consideration.
So how exactly do you go about this encouraging process? From the Scripture passage above, three fundamental principles of encouragement stand out:
Expresses trust in each other. Paul affirmed that he had great confidence in the Corinthians. He mentioned that he took great pride in them and that he was greatly encouraged by them (v. 4). We build up people by expressing our confidence in them and their ministry.
Comfort each other. Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth by his sensitive awareness of their struggles. Just as he was comforted by Titus, he extended his comfort to them, assuring that God will provide his comforts when they are downcast (v.6).
Demonstrate concern for each other. The church in Corinth encouraged Paul by exhibiting concern for his well-being and for his ministry. He was overwhelmed with joy because of their longing for him and concern for him (v. 9). Paul was also, especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit had been refreshed by the Corinthians (v. 13).
This week, please join in prayer for the applicants, the staff, the church body, the search committee, and our community as we move further towards finding our new pastor. Make it a priority to reach out to a member of one of the bodies listed above that the Lord has laid on your heart and encourage him or her this week by placing trust, comforting, and/or demonstrating concern.
We reported the past couple of months that we had collected about 100 resumes that had been submitted and we had stopped actively pursuing applicants and had taken down all postings of the position on external sites. We have looked at each of these resumes and discussed, composed interview questions, completed a small packet about our church, community, and the position, and notified those candidates whom the Lord is not leading us towards. We have also been notifying the candidates who were unanimous with the committee regarding moving forward soon with their process. As mentioned last month, prayer is the foundation and basis of everything we do and we greatly appreciate your prayers for us, our church, our staff, and these candidates during this time. We are meeting each Monday at 6:30 pm. If God leads you to do so, please pray for us anytime but especially Mondays at 6:30 pm. The prayer guide is located on the pastor search site on the church website. You may access it below or on the main page.
June 2nd
Many resumes have been submitted and we have stopped actively pursuing applicants and have removed all postings of the position on external sites. We are working our way through the resumes, by order of submission, in groups and are also refining our processes we are using in finding our next pastor. So far, we have been through the resumes for over half of the candidates.
The search for our pastor is a very different process than most organizations would normally undergo in searching for a new CEO or head of an organization or even for an educational leader. Even though in the world, prayer may be done by those involved in the hiring process, prayer is the root of our work and we desperately and urgently request that you continue to join us in prayer about this process. To help with this, we are providing a one-page/two-sided prayer guide that we ask you to take and tuck away in a place to refer to daily as you spend time in prayer in your prayer closet talking to and listening to the Lord. One side is a guide in praying for the committee and the other side is a guide for praying for the church during this time. We are very grateful that each area of prayer includes supportive Scripture from God’s Word. Church-wide prayer is critical and necessary to the success of this work.
We thank you for your participation, including your prayers for the committee and for our church during this time, that we as a church are unified behind Christ, that we stay clean with a heart full of repentance and confession, and that we stay in tune with the Holy Spirit so that we may hear His voice clearly. Please make it a part of your daily prayer life as you go about each day. A link for the prayer guide is on this site. Please contact the church office if you have trouble locating this link. Again, thank you for your support and we appreciate your prayers for us, our church, our services and ministries, our staff, and our interim pastor.
The Pastor Search Committee
May 1st
The pastor search committee would like to announce a new member of the committee, based on the original process used to select the committee. Nicole Austin will be joining and will also be serving as the secretary of the committee. Nicole and her husband, Brandon, have been active members of our church for the past several years and have served our church in various capacities. Nicole was raised in a Christian home in the area, attending and being saved through the ministry of a Southern Baptist church in our county. Welcome, Nicole! Tim Brown will begin serving as chair of the committee.
The committee would like to also thank church members who submitted pastor search surveys during the recent survey period. These have already provided valuable information for our committee's search process. Please continue to pray for the committee for the Holy Spirit to communicate clearly with all committee members and for the committee to work on God's timing to select the Pastor God has already selected for New Salem Baptist.
The Pastor Search Committee
April 29th
The pastor search committee extends condolences to Cathie Copeland and her family in the passing of Dwight Copeland. We will continue to pray for each member of the family in the coming days, weeks, and months. Dwight has been an integral member of the pastor search committee and served as its chair. Dwight displayed the characteristics of what it means to be a Christian in his leadership of the committee as he led with a servant's heart. He led with wisdom, love, patience, a strong work ethic, and loyal dedication. Each of us is very grateful for his leadership, character, and integrity.
In Loving Memory of Dwight D. Copeland
A Faithful Servant to God, His Family, and His Church
The Pastor Search Committee
February 26th
The pastor search committee is pleased to announce that Mike Woods has accepted an offer to be the interim pastor at New Salem. Mike retired from First Baptist Church-Powder Springs in 2021 after serving for 40 years there. Mike holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Reigion from Shorter College and a Masters of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Mike and his wife Myra have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. Mike will begin his ministry at New Salem Sunday, March 2nd. There will be a meet-greet reception after the morning service the following Sunday March 9th. Mike will be serving in the interim pastor role until such time as a senior pastor is called. We know that you will give Mike and Myra a warm greeting and that you will be praying for him and his ministry.
The Pastor Search Committee
January 13th
One of our goals as a pastor search committee is to keep the church congregation fully informed of our progress. We are currently in the process of interviewing candidates for the position of interim pastor. As we do this, it has been a tremendous blessing to speak with men who have dedicated their lives to the service of God's work. It is also gratifying to know that these men are willing to help our church as we go through a transition phase. We, as a committee, promise to do the best that we can, but as the same time lean wholly on the Lord, not on our own understanding.
The Pastor Search Committee,
Tim Brown, Dwight Copeland, Charlie Johnson, Adam Starnes, Robby Steltenpohl
Pastor Search Committee members:
Tim Brown
Charlie Johnson
Adam Starnes
Robby Steltenpohl
Nicole Austin
