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If you have a pastor in mind who might be a good fit for Normandale Lutheran Church, please let the Call Committee know. You can email us or speak to a Call Committee member directly.
Please send your recommendations by September 30, 2024, and include (a) the name of the candidate, (b) the name of the church or organization the candidate is serving, and (c) the city and state in which the church or organization is located so that we can locate the candidate.
Please know that the Call Committee will carefully consider all recommendations, but we may decide not to advance a recommendation to the interview stage of our process.
If you identify a candidate after September 30, please send us the recommendation as soon as possible and we will do our best to include the candidate in our process.
Thank you!
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me at handbell choir rehearsal or Normandale House meetings.
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me listening to the organ postlude on Sunday and often at Wednesday Women’s Bible Study.
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me chatting in the Fireside Room or working on the worship environment in the sanctuary.
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me in the back pews corralling children until they run to get a donut at the end of church.
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me in the last pew stage left on a Sunday morning, wrangling my two kiddos, along with my niece and nephews! Or, you might see me playing the cello for Sunday morning worship.
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me with my family in the second pew, stage right or transporting kiddos to and from choir practice on Wednesday evenings.
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me at Wednesday Women’s Bible Study or with my family in worship toward the front on the font side.
If you are looking for me around Normandale, you might find me in the Normandale Center for Healing & Wholeness or enjoying a cup of coffee in the Fireside Room with new and longtime friends.
Our Pastor Informs Us of His Retirement and the Church Council Appoints a Call Committee. This step starts the congregation’s process for bidding farewell to the departing pastor and calling a new pastor.
An Interim Pastor Is Installed. The Church Council determines whether to name an interim pastor to lead the congregation during the transition time between the prior pastor’s departure and the arrival of the newly-called pastor. If the Council decides that an interim pastor is needed, candidates for the position are identified, an interim pastor is selected and installed to serve the congregation.
We Prepare Our Ministry Site Profile. 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 Normandale Lutheran Church. The MSP is prepared in collaboration among the Call Committee, Church Council, Normandale Lutheran Church staff, and the Minneapolis Synod.
Identification of Potential Candidates. 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 Minneapolis Synod; and (3) candidates identified by the Minneapolis Synod as “good fits” for our congregation. The Minneapolis Synod coordinates this process and provides Rostered Minister Profiles (resumés for pastors) for the candidates to the Call Committee.
The Call Committee Interviews Candidates. 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.
Final Candidate Recommendation. After the interview process, the Call Committee recommends a final candidate. The Church Council meets the candidate and reviews the recommendation with the Call Committee. The Council sets a special congregational meeting for the congregation to meet the candidate and vote on whether to extend the call.
The Congregation Votes to Extend the Call and the Candidate Accepts. Thus endeth the call process!
Decisions made during our call process can be very sensitive – for Normandale Lutheran as a congregation, for candidates for our lead 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 Normandale, 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!
Our congregation plays three (3) very important roles in the call process, including the last step – voting to call the new lead pastor.
Do you have a question about the call process? A pastor to recommend for our lead pastor position? Looking for a status update? Please stop one of us when you see us around Normandale or send us an email.