Pastoral Search

After nearly a year of searching, the Pastor Nominating Committee is prepared to present a candidate to the congregation. The Rev. N. Anthony “Tony” Sundermeier has accepted our call to join the staff of First Presbyterian Church of Allentown if the way be clear. Several steps remain before he may be installed as our new pastor, and four very important events are scheduled in coming days.

Saturday, July 25: The congregation is invited to an informal open-house reception in which members can meet our candidate and his family. The reception will be held from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. in Fellowship Hall. Light refreshments will be served. Childcare will be provided.
Sunday, July 26: During our 10:00 AM worship service, the candidate will preach as part of the candidacy process.
At the conclusion of the worship service, a Congregational Meeting will be held in the sanctuary for the purpose of voting on whether to accept the candidate as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Allentown.
Following the Congregational Meeting, the congregation will join for Lemonade in the Shade and a reception for the candidate and his family.

If approved by the congregation, Tony will meet with our Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry, which meets in mid-August. If all goes well, he will begin preaching in our pulpit on Rally Day, September 13. Please pray for Tony, his family, and all of our church family as we work toward successfully concluding our search process.

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Questions and Answers about
How a Pastor Nominating Committee Works

As we make our way through the interim period and beyond, we have an opportunity to learn more about how the Presbyterian Church (USA) is governed, how pastors are called, and how our congregation is putting the principles of our denomination into practice. In this series of question-and-answer fact sheets, leaders in our church address a variety of topics to keep the congregation informed about directions we are heading, reasons for decisions and the rules that guide us. The following answers on the functioning of a Pastor Nominating Committee have been provided by Steve Shussett, Teaching Presbyter of Lehigh Presbytery.

To all the Saints,
Grace to you all, and peace!
Thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts with you on your search for a new pastor. I know that times of change can be challenging, but I have been grateful to see just how healthy your congregation is, and to witness the excellent pastoral leadership that you have in place.

Click on the question below to see the answer