Dear Kirk Family,
The Interim Senior Pastor Nominating Committee, consisting of Randy Pappal, Bob Heuer, Kay Maxwell, Heather Lorincz, Julia Libcke, Linda Juracek-Lipa, and Chip Tallinger was appointed by Session late in 2021. When our first candidate was withdrawn, the Committee went back to work. That was fortunate because the Holy Spirit led us to a candidate who had not previously been available. The IPNC is pleased to report the following: on June 30, 2022 Session of the Kirk in the Hills and the Detroit Presbytery Committee on Ministry approved the unanimous choice of Rev. Dr. Andrew McDonald to be Interim Senior Pastor and Head of Staff at Kirk in the Hills beginning August 1, 2022.
The IPNC is excited to share why it came to the decision to recommend Pastor Andrew to the Session and he is the right interim senior pastor for the Kirk at this time.
- Pastor Andrew is an experienced interim senior pastor who recently completed positions at the Old Stone Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and House of Hope in Minnesota. He also was the Senior Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church, the largest Presbyterian Church in Nebraska, for 19 years.
- He is a Mid-Westerner at heart – born in Illinois, serving congregations in Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, and Ohio.
- Reference checks and IPNC’s dealings with Rev. Dr. McDonald have been very positive about the attributes he brings to the Kirk – he can work across the entire range of the Church population, has a very engaging and intellectual preaching style, is administratively adept at solving several complicated and long-standing issues in his previous positions, is empathetic to staff, and works well across all areas of his ministry.
- Pastor Andrew is well educated having earned degrees from Yale, McCormick Theological Seminary, University of Illinois, and Vanderbilt.
- He has completed giving a TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) talk on “The Radical Virtue of Compromise” which is available for all of you to download and watch. TEDx is a forum for thought leaders to explain their viewpoints on a subject of their choosing. Pastor Andrew had to complete a very thorough vetting process to be able to give this talk.
- He is well seasoned at supporting annual giving, legacy giving and capital campaigns which will help the Kirk continue to grow our ministry in line with our vision.
- Pastor Andrew is already developing a transition plan for when he arrives at the Kirk. He looks forward to listening to the congregation on the strengths and needs of the Kirk. He has successfully led other congregations through this process, including in his most recent assignment at Old Stone Church.
So please join us in welcoming Pastor Andrew and his wife, Tamara, to the Kirk. He will be in contact with all of us upon his arrival about the opportunities you will have to connect and interact with him.
In Christ,Randy Pappal • Elder, Chair IPNC
Bob Heuer • Ruling Elder
Kay Maxwell • Ruling Elder
Heather Lorincz • Ruling Elder
Julia Libcke • Ruling Elder
Linda Juracek-Lipa • Elder
Chip Tallinger • Elder
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