SPC Rector Update

Good morning.

So the last three or four weeks have been quite challenging for the search team and vestry, and I just want to let you know a little bit about what it's looked like.

As you know, the search team was given a template of new rector search procedures from the diocese by Bishop Bryan early on.

It included creating that Paris profile, which you all have seen, that went live on March 15th.

From those responses to our profile, they the search team created a pool of candidates from which to select.

This search team performed an exhausted, exhaustive search, which not only included individuals coast to coast, but also a few international candidates interested in coming to St.

Paul's.

Over the next two and a half months after the profile went live, they had dozens and dozens of conversations with candidates, sometimes meeting four times a week before narrowing it down to three finalists by mid-May.

At that point, three to four of our search team would visit each candidate's church incognito and ultimately invited them to Greenville for further in-depth interviews on their theology, administrative skills, personal beliefs, etc.

Followed by an informal dinner to get to know them more personally.

Taylor was gracious enough to invite me to a couple of these dinners, and I want you to know some of these questions were quite pointed and very tough.

And I only tell you this to assure you that these guys have been thoroughly vetted.

All told they spent 14 hours interviewing, 1400 hours interviewing candidates, and about 100 hours each on each of those last three candidates.

Around the end of May, these three candidates were given to the vestry to begin reviewing.

During the second week of June, God, this just seems like so far away.

All three candidates and their wives were invited to St.

Paul's to give a sermon to both the search team and the vestry over at the Heritage Building, and then have supper with the vestry alone at one of our houses.

We spent the following weekend in reflective prayer over the past week's meetings.

On May 22nd, the vestry met for an hour of soaking prayer in the front of the Heritage Chapel to call on the Holy Spirit to be with us before we adjourned for our final meeting with the search team.

I want to tell y'all.

So the vestry, we got chairs over there under the altar at the Heritage Chapel in a circle.

Erica had given us some background music that Michael Spires played for us.

It was so impactful and it really prepared us and lifted us up for the experience that we were about to happen.

We then met with the search team for an hour to hear their final recommendation on each candidate and their ranking of each.

After they left, the vestry only made positive comments because there were no negative comments on each candidate because they were all so well equipped and then took our first ballot.

I'm gonna interject a little story here.

Back in December, Martha and I went to a Christmas party and ran into Dottie Duke, and she told me something quite prophetic that night.

With that, with a reassuring smile, you know that sparkle she's got in her eye.

She said, the Lord has already chosen the next rector for St.

Paul's.

I was like, good for her, I feel a little better now.

So back to our sequence of events.

After the first ballot and just 45 minutes after the search team had left, as the Lord would have it, we had overwhelming unity on the candidate, and it was clear that the Lord had already chosen the next rector of St.

Paul's.

So Dottie was right.

I want you to know that this would not have been possible without the volume of information provided to us by the search team.

We cannot thank them enough.

So now we can all take a collective sigh of relief as and as we are in joyous anticipation of the next chapter of St.

Paul's.

With that, I'm gonna let our fearless leader Taylor Hall give you the details on the next rector.

Good morning.

I first want to say thank you to Murphy and to Bishop Bryan and the whole vestry because this was a true partnership throughout.

And the search team, in and of itself, you know, Murphy mentioned how frequently we were talking.

I'm sure that they're gonna really miss the frequent phone calls that we all have.

Uh and I know that Bishop Bryan's gonna miss my phone calls as well, I'm sure.

So I want to share a little bit about what we sought in a leader.

From the beginning, we sought a leader with godly character, who is uncompromising on and passionate about God's word, who has a deep love of serving people, who is humble, faithful, and courageous.

A leader with significant management and leadership experience, who has the ability to manage change and lead people, a leader who follows the Lord with his whole heart and stands firm in the truth.

We have found that man in Jonathan Bales.

Jonathan currently serves as the sub-dean and canon theologian at Christ Church in Plano, Texas, but he is a Spartanburg native.

In this role, he helps lead the 32-person staff and 3,000 members of their congregation.

He is deeply passionate about teaching God's word.

And Jonathan has shepherded more than 800 people through the confirmation and membership classes that exist at Christ Church.

He's produced more than 220 weekly teaching videos and discussion guides for small groups and serves as the primary teacher and secondary preacher for the congregation.

While his resume and leadership experience is incredibly impressive, Jonathan's passion for the Lord is what truly stands out.

We know him incredibly well from having spent so much time with him and his family.

He is a man of God.

He is led by the Holy Spirit and a man of character who will serve St.

Paul's well.

Jonathan and his wife Rachel have four children and are excited to move to Greenville.

Jonathan is originally from Spartanburg, as I mentioned, and his parents still live there, and many of his family live throughout the upstate.

We've printed a brief bio and a letter from Jonathan to the congregation, which you can pick up in the Narthex after this.

Thank you, Lord, for providing this leader for St.

Paul's, and thank you so much to all of you for your support throughout this process.

We are excited for the next chapter of St.

Paul's.