Candidate Week - January 9 - 13

Candidate Week

January  7—12, 2013

Tuesday

7:00PM            Joel to meet with the Deacon Board

Wednesday 

5:30PM            The Lawrence family will be present for Super Supper

7:00PM            The Lawrence children will be attending programs and Joel and Myndi will be available for visiting in the garden room, church library, or just around church

Thursday

7:00PM            Joel to meet with the Board of Stewards

Candidate Sunday

January  13, 2013

9:00AM            Combined adult Sunday School classes meet with Joel Lawrence in lower auditorium for a brief introduction, followed by a time for questions and answers. Questions will be entertained from the floor, but if you prefer, you may submit questions in writing prior to this meeting to Kirby Stoll, in person or by email at krstoll@nwc.edu.

10:30AM            Morning worship

                             Dr. Joel Lawrence preaching

11:45AM            Church business meeting to consider a motion to call Dr. Joel Lawrence to be the next senior pastor of Central Baptist Church.

  

The Voting Process

Voting will be by paper ballot.

Regular voting will take place at the business meeting announced for January 13.

Absentee ballots will be sent out from the church office on     Wednesday, January 9 to any member who has requested one by  telephone (651-646-2751) or email (ssolson@centralbaptistchurch.com). Absentee ballots may be requested by any member who cannot be present on January 13, or who feels that he or she will not be ready to vote on January 13. Absentee ballots must be mailed so as to arrive on or before Friday, January 18.

Votes cast at the business meeting, together with absentee ballots will be counted on Saturday, January 19 so that results can be announced on Sunday morning, January 20.

We must have at least 75 votes to be official. The motion to call Dr. Lawrence as the next senior pastor must be approved by 75% of those voting in order to pass.

For Informational Purposes Only

Though the votes of non-members will not count in the official tally  to approve the next pastor, we are interested in the opinions of          non-members who are regular participants in church activities and encourage their vote; there will be an opportunity for non-members to register their opinion.

Sermons Online

Opportunities to hear Joel Lawrence speak are available on the internet. Recommended are the video sermon from August 19, 2012 and the  audio sermon from March 25, 2012. Check them out here.

Questions?

If you have questions that you would like answered, prior to the Sunday, January 13, please feel free to contact …

Kirby Stoll                 651.261.0761

Wayne Roberts          651.765.2871

Joel Lawrence -- Highlights

Family Snapshot

• Married to Myndi Helm Lawrence since January, 1997
• Children::
• Bethany, age 9;
• Twins Anna and Katherine, age 7;
• Micah, age 4 (although he's soon to turn 5)
• Currently residing in Shoreview, MN

Personal Mission

• The calling of God on my life is to shepherd a vibrant community of Christ-followers to grow up into maturity in Christ through intentional Christian discipleship, and to equip the church to engage the world with the good news of God’s Kingdom reign.  This mission is accomplished through Biblical preaching and teaching, vision casting, one-on-one discipleship, team mentoring, and equipping leaders to fulfill God’s calling in their life and mission.

Gifts / Skills

• Preaching
• Writing
• Vision Casting
• Strategic Thinking
• Relationship Building
• Mentoring
• Discipleship
• Team-oriented shepherd
• Empowering others to lead

Education

• B.A. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX – 1995
• ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX – 2001
• MPhil, Jesus College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England – 2002
• PhD, Jesus College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England – 2007

Strengths (from Clifton Strengths Finder assessment)

• Relator
• Strategic
• Developer
• Ideation
• Context

Personal Character Qualities (others’ perspective of Joel)

• Wise – wisdom beyond his years
• Solid – ordered in his life, his family, a ‘well lived life’
• Approachable – an anchor for people when the world around is feeling unstable
• A thinker – not satisfied with first answers or easy answers
• Presenting information in a way where that people haven’t heard before

Candidate Search Process -- Road to Next Senior Pastor

The PSC reached a decision on Saturday, November 10, 2012 to bring to the Board of Stewards Joel Lawrence. Looking back, there were a number of steps that led to the PSC arriving at this decision.

The CBC Pastoral Profile certainly set the stage for all who showed interest in this position and it served as one test for those who inquired about the position of senior pastor. Each component of the profile—Servant Leadership, Preaching, Urban/Community Focus, and Spiritual Formation—served as the basis for most every point of discussion. The PSC was very blessed to hear from many great people throughout the process.

There were several other documents and steps that aided in this decision making process. The MIBC was able to provide access to the Ministry Placement Network (MPN) assessment on those who made it into our top prospective candidate pool. This document listed spiritual gifts and values as well as a background on the person and a thorough listing of questions and answers on a number of topics.

One of the homegrown tools the PSC utilized during the team interview phase of the process as a series of questions that tied directly to the CBC Pastoral Profile document. Each person included in this phase was able to answer in writing questions we asked of them.

The following items were high on the list of major considerations as the PSC narrowed the field of prospective candidates based on the pastoral profile: 

• Must evidence excitement for the position and pursue Central Baptist Church and this position
• Must demonstrate what is means to honor the heritage of Central Baptist Church and to build all the generations of those who call Central their church
• Must be able to convey the Gospel message in a way that is real and practical to those who hear it
• Must show a commitment to urban ministry in St. Paul’s Midway community and be able to describe what that would look like
• Must have a heart for deep personal and spiritual development
• Must show the ability to raise the visibility of Central Baptist Church to throughout and beyond our community
• Must hold to an egalitarian framework with regard to women in ministry and leadership in the church

The following additional items were of major discussion as the PSC narrowed the focus a select few: 

• There was a desire to have a person whose academic background would allow the church to experience an intentional, challenging, and vibrant worship experience.
• There was a belief that the candidate should have a strong commitment to Christian discipleship and Christian spiritual growth. There should be a strong emphasis on prayer and understanding the Bible.
• Growing the church and attracting new people of all generations should be a focus of the next senior pastor. The skills need to include the capacity to be appreciated by younger people and the courage to try different ways of communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ.