Pastoral Transition in the Presbyterian Church: The Short-ish Version. I announced my retirement from the Reedville Church this coming July after 26 years of shared ministry in this place. We have the blessing of a good chunk of time (like the biblical 40 days) for congregation and pastor to prepare for the transition ahead. The short version is, the Presbyterian Book of Order and the Presbytery of the Cascades have a well developed structure and process for shepherding it. When the time comes, and not till then, Session will invite a an interim or “Transitional Pastor” to serve here from a short slate suggested by presbytery. In due time a representative Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) will be elected by the congregation. Reedville’s liaison with the Commission on Ministry – Northwest (COM) will guide the PNC through the preparation of a Mission Information Form (MIF) describing the congregation, its ministry, concerns, hopes, dreams, and needs in its next leader. In the meantime the Transitional Pastor will provide leadership and care for the congregation. We’ll all be learning more in the weeks ahead. In the meantime of you want the whole enchilada you can click here for “On Calling a Pastor: A Resource for Nominating Committees and Mid-Councils Prepared by Church Leadership Connection and the Office of the General Assembly.”