Congregation Extends Call to Rev. Paul Burns as Pastor

After a diligent discernment process conducted by the Pastor Nominating Committee, the congregation of FPC Garland met on Sunday November 16 and elected the Rev. Paul Burns to be pastor effective January 5, 2015. 

 

The Pastor Nominating Committee will now begin functioning as the Transition Team to welcome Paul and his family. They prepared this short biography to introduce him to the congregation:

Paul is the son of a Presbyterian pastor. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Musical Arts and pursued a career as an investment consultant in Dallas and then New York City. Feeling called to ministry, he returned to Texas to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

 
Currently, he serves Priest Lake Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been at Priest Lake for seven years and has helped that church grow not only in faith, but in mission outreach, membership, racial diversity, and stewardship funds during his tenure.

Beyond service to his local church, Paul has authored two books with one more on the way. He is a certified Christian coach and is currently working to complete his Doctorate of Ministry.

Paul and his wife, Jennifer, and their 2-year-old son, Nelson, are excited to be moving back to Texas. He will begin January 5 with his first Sunday in the pulpit being January 11. The Pastor Nominating Committee will now serve as the transition team, and we ask for your help as we begin the process of preparing to welcome the Burns family into our fold. Pray for them as they go through this time of transition, and pray for Rev. Ivie and his family as well. Praise be to God for these times of change and renewal!

The Pastor Nominating Committee / Transition Team

Session Calls Special Congregational Meeting for November 16

The session of First Presbyterian Church of Garland, Texas hereby issues a call for a special meeting of the congregation. The meeting will be held Sunday November 16^th, 2014 in the church sanctuary immediately following the 10:50 am worship service.  The purpose of the meeting is to hear and act upon a report from the Pastor Nominating Committee. All details will be released at that meeting. Voting will be by paper ballot. Signed, Ty Bailey, Clerk of Session and the Rev. David Ivie, Interim Pastor

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At this meeting, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) Moderator Rhonda Bush will motion that the congregation extend a call to the candidate to become your next pastor. The PNC will introduce the candidate and relate how they discerned this candidate to be the one whom God is calling here. They will also present the terms of call (salary, benefits, etc) for the pastor as well as the start date.

Everyone is invited to attend. All active members of the congregation are allowed to vote, and voting will be done by paper ballot.

 

This means the congregation will meet two Sundays in a row. The session had previously set Sunday November 9th as the day to hear and act upon a report from the Congregational Nominating Committee (followed by chili cook-off!). So the congregational will be asked to elect ruling elders and deacons one Sunday and have the option to extend a call to a new pastor on the following Sunday. In our polity, the congregation does not have very many opportunities to vote on items of business (see Book of Order G-1.0503). But now you are exercising two of your main responsibilities in the same month!

 

I know that we are all very excited to be at this place in the process. The PNC was elected just over one year ago (October 13, 2013) and has worked prayerfully and carefully to discern God's leading. Anticipate both meetings with a sense of wonder and joy about the steadfast love of the Lord. It never ceases.

 

Excitedly, David