OCTOBER 2011
Dear First Baptist Family...
Almost seventeen years ago, you honored my family and me by calling us to serve you as Pastor. Over the course of that time, we have seen so much fruitful ministry take place in every ministry area of our church, and I have found tremendous fulfillment in being a part of this great congregation. However, the time has come for someone else to enjoy the privilege of leading the church. To that end, I have accepted the call of the Mountain Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, to become their Senior Pastor.
It is with mixed emotions that I leave Tallahassee for this new opportunity. On one hand, this church and community have been home to our family for a longer period of time than any place we have ever lived and served. And what a great experience it has been! You have shown appreciation and affection to us on so many occasions and in so many ways. We will always be grateful for how this church has supported us at such important times in our family’s life. We have truly been blessed.
On the other hand, I am convinced that given my age and anticipated years of service remaining, it is in the best interests of the church to have a new face and a fresh voice, and it is in my best interests also to have a new challenge to which I can give myself. I have prayed much about this matter, and am at peace that this transition is God’s will for us all.
You are most fortunate to have such an able and dedicated pastoral staff to lean upon during these months ahead when you are looking for a new pastor. Along with them, our lay leadership is the best there is. I don’t anticipate any decline in church participation and support, simply because of how the combination of pastoral staff and lay leadership will join together to offer the guidance and direction necessary.
My last day with you will be Sunday, November 6. That schedule will give us plenty of opportunity between now and then to express gratitude for one another. It will also allow our lay leadership to put a transition plan in place so that the days thereafter will go smoothly and successfully. I want to do everything in my power to leave the church in as good a position as possible.
Thank you again for all that each of you has done to make my tenure as your pastor so rewarding. I honestly have not had a bad day in this church. That’s because you really are a church “for life,” and words cannot adequately express how proud I am to have been your pastor.
Doug Dortch
forwarding address:
Mountain Brook Baptist Church
3631 Montevallo Rd.
Birmingham, AL 35213
WHAT'S NEXT?
Dear Church Family,
As we go into this time of transition I would like to remind you of a few facts. First, I’m sure all of you would agree with me that God called Doug Dortch to lead our church. Second we would all agree that God has used Doug to lead this church for the past 17 years. Therefore, we also need to believe that God has called Doug to pastor a new church. We can also have faith that even now God is preparing a new pastor who will lead us in the future.
We know that this transition period will not be easy, but we can know that God will lead us through this time. I believe that God has prepared our church for this coming transition and we are uniquely gifted for what is coming. My wife, Kathy, and I joined FBC during the last interim period so I am convinced that God will continue to bring folks into our midst. I am also convinced that God will use this time to prepare our church for what he has for us in the future.
So what are we doing to prepare for what is ahead? First, I have been blessed with a Christian brother as deacon chair-elect, Wayne NeSmith. Wayne and I have been talking and meeting with each other, church members and church staff about our interim period. It is no accident that Dr. Bill Wilson from the Center for Congregational Health came to lead our Deacons Retreat and preached on a Sunday morning last February. We have had a number of conversations with Bill about how to best approach this transition. In addition, Bill will be traveling to Tallahassee in early November to meet with church staff and lay leaders to help us make specific plans for our church in the interim. Please know that Wayne and I will be working together and will be very deliberate as we consider how to move forward.
We can all have great confidence that our church staff is among the best in any church anywhere. Their love for God and commitment to our church is clear. I am very pleased that Fran Buhler has agreed to lead our church staff through this interim period. I cannot think of anyone better qualified and more uniquely suited to this task than Fran. I am sure that you will join with me in letting Fran and all the staff know that we will be stepping up to provide them with the support that they will need.
During the next month, Wayne and I will be selecting a Search Committee. We will be earnestly seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit during this task and ask that you join us in praying for God’s will. We welcome your suggestions, but ask that you remember that only nine will be selected and it's simply not possible for everyone’s suggestions to be chosen.
So as we move into this transition period, let us go forward with confidence that God has brought us to where we are and He will lead us to where He wants us to go. Let us pull together, love one another and follow God to be the church that he wants us to be. The truth is I cannot wait to see what blessings he has for us in the future.
In Christian Love,
Eric Palm
Deacon Chair
PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE
As we move forward as a church, please prayerfully consider your input on a very important matter. We will be forming a Pastor Search Committee that will enter into the process of searching for our next pastor. As you can well understand it is critical that we find the right people to be on this committee. We believe that these folks need to come from a broad cross-section of our church and be truly representative of our membership. In addition, the ideal search committee member will have various spiritual and leadership qualities that will allow them to be best suited for this committee. Some of these qualities include:
1. Trusted
2. Respected
3. Prayerful
4. Without undue bias and preset agenda, open to the Spirit’s leadership
5. Spiritually wise, persons regarded as being mature in their Christian walk
6. Regular contributors in attendance, ministry participation, financial resources
7. Excellent listeners
Our bylaws state that the Deacon Chair names committees in consultation with the Pastor and presents those to the Deacon Board and church body to be voted on. We covet your continued prayers as we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this critical task.
