March 9, 2025 Update

Greetings to our Century family, from your Pastoral Search Committee.   This is our March 2025 edition of our monthly communication.  We, as a committee, are meeting and praying often.   Since our last communication, Vital Church Ministries has identified a candidate for us, for the position of IIP (intentional interim Pastor).    On February 25^th, and again on March 6^th our committee conducted virtual interviews with this IIP candidate.  He is a recently retired Pastor and seems to have a giftedness that aligns with what CBC has a need for, at this time in the life of our church.  Our next step is to make a recommendation to the Elders, regarding calling this candidate to visit our church family, to see if he is the right fit to guide CBC through this transition, to help prepare us for our next Lead Pastor. If you are curious about Vital Church Ministries, and what their team is providing, below is a link to their website.  

We mentioned this last month, but it is worth repeating.   One of VCM’s best practices is a very comprehensive Assessment Phase, which will include a survey, provided to all Century Baptist members, regular attenders, staff and leadership.  Our committee has now completed the information that VCM needs to conduct this survey, which means they are busy assembling a questionnaire of roughly 65 questions.  We are striving to hear as many voices as possible during this process, we value your feedback.   After this survey is completed by our church, VCM’s next steps will be data collection, data analysis, one-on-one input sessions (with a cross section of those that took the survey), and on-site visits by three or four members of VCM, then a final written report.  The goal of this process is to provide us a “mirror” and a “map” for a healthy future for Century Baptist Church.  Below is an excerpt from VCM’s literature provided to our Search Committee. 

Through this survey data and interviews, the first goal is to provide an accurate and objective assessment of the state of the church. Prayerfully hearing what people have said in these various arenas helps Vital Church Ministries to create the Mirror reflecting the church’s current reality. The second goal is to provide the Map to help the church move forward. This will include ways to address the weaknesses that are currently hindering the church as well as providing the basis for new visions, plans, and goals to guide the church into the future.

We would ask that you all continue to pray for this process and our committee.