It’s the opening week of the baseball season. Every team is full of potential – this could be the year! March Madness is upon us for both the women’s and the men’s college basketball programs. Sixteen teams in each division still have a chance to win it all! Next month is the NFL draft; every single team has a chance to identify and select that one (or more) missing piece which will take the team all the way to the top! All eyes gazing, fantasizing, about the day when they make it to the winners’ circle.
Things were looking pretty good, kind of, for Jesus, as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, with the crowds praising him, laying clothes and palm branches on the road before him. By the end of the week, all that hope and promise were turned completely upside down, through his arrest, betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and burial in a borrowed tomb.
Not a key draft pick. Not a last-second clutch shot. Not a ninth inning heroic. But God, in Jesus Christ, whom we will worship on Palm Sunday, and Good Friday, and at the Easter Sunrise and at the Easter 10:30 service, completely turned death, suffering, and hopelessness upside down. Life wins the final and everlasting victory through Jesus Christ, rising from the dead on Easter morning. I look forward to walking with you through Holy Week, beginning on Sunday, with our Palm Sunday celebrati

This installed position is ¾ full time; approximately 30 hours per week.
The pastor is a minister member of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee, and will serve as head of staff and as moderator of the session.

Provide pastoral care, home visits, and hospital visits as needed.
Reach out to prospective new members, teach Explorers Class for persons interested in membership.
Provide administrative leadership: a) foster positive and cohesive relationships with staff members and volunteers, b) weave the various gifts and talents of members and other participants into a unified whole.
Offer training opportunities for those involved in the church’s ministries and missions as well as provide church-wide educational opportunities.
Provide vision, support, and collaborative leadership as Moderator of the session.
Participate in church fellowship events.
Serve as an active member of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee and interpret its role and relationship with the congregation.

Accountability
The Finance/Administration Committee will conduct a check-in after the first six months, followed by performance and adequacy of compensation reviews on an annual basis.

Last week I started a series of articles addressing the governmental structure of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). But I realized I should explain a bit. Three years ago, I was asked by the Presbytery (Presbytery of Middle Tennessee) to become a member of a committee. Specifically, The committee on Leadership Excellence. Through this experience I have received a much wider understanding of the larger church, the community of churches. The 78 Presbyterian churches in Middle Tennessee are truly a larger church.
So, we will work our way through the larger structure of the Presbyterian governmental system. The structure has four levels, each with distinct responsibilities. The four are Session, Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly. The Session or local leadership represents the individual church congregations. The Session consists of the Teaching Elder or the installed Pastor and the Ruling Elders elected by the congregation. They provide:
• Governs the life of the local church
• Oversees worship, mission, education, stewardship, and pastoral care
• Receives new members and administers sacraments
• Manages the church budget and staff
This is similar to a local city council.
In following weeks, I will discuss the Synod and lastly the General Assembly. As Priest Lake goes through the process of finding and installing a new Pastor, it is important to know where we are in the larger structure and to know that we have a lot of other churches praying for our success.