Frequently Asked Questions
Student Ministry
FBC Pensacola
Here are a few things you need to know about our process that will lead us to make the right call for our next Student Minister:
Who will be serving on the Student Ministry Search Team? Maddie Dempsey, Tripp Hill, Leslie Hutcherson, Janet Strange, Luther Taylor, and Robert Turnage. (Allen Turner, Don Minton, and Barry Howard are ex-officio members)
How will the process progress? Once the Search Team has identified and chosen a candidate that best fits our opportunity at FBCP, they will present that candidate to the Personnel Committee and Administrative Council for endorsement. Once a candidate is affirmed by all three of these leadership groups, the candidate will be introduced to our congregation on a Wednesday evening. The candidate will share a testimony and then be interviewed by me and some of our students regarding issues that are relevant to life and ministry. Afterward our congregation will vote on whether to call this candidate to join our staff team.
How long will this process take? A staff search can take anywhere from a few months to a year or more. Our intention is to make this an expedient search. I am hopeful that we will have a candidate ready to begin within a two month time frame. However, we will take as much time as we need to make “the right call.” My philosophy is that it is better to be patient than to call the wrong person by moving too quickly.
Who will provide interim leadership until a new Student Minister begins? An interim leadership has been formed to oversee the events and activities related to Student Ministry. The members include John Robert Hill, Garrett Hodges, Debbie Norris, Nicole Strange, Charlie Wert, and John Wise. Don Minton will serve as the primary adviser to this group and Barbara Burks will play an instrumental role as the ministry assistant for Student Ministries.
What do we need from our members during the interim season? We need to be praying for the search team and the call process. And we need to be praying for our students and their leaders as they continue their discipleship journey during the interim weeks.
What do we need from our students and their families during the interim season? My observation has been that during an interim time, individuals tend to either sit on the sidelines waiting for the next minister, or they upgrade their participation and continue to grow during the interim time. To me, sitting on the sidelines is just unthinkable. Because Brad has planted good seeds for the future, I fully expect that our students, their leaders, and their families will bring out the best in each other and strengthen the spirit of community.
At FBC Pensacola, we are blessed to have an extraordinary group of students and student leaders. I am excited about the future. And together we will make “the right call” of a new student minister.
- Dr. Barry Howard