Pastor Housing

Dear Friends:

Your Pastor Nominating Committee has been hard at work for over a year now. As always, we are so appreciative of your prayers and patience. So that you may understand the landscape we’ve been navigating, there are several factors that have made the process more challenging than we might have anticipated. For one, there is a national pastor shortage (according to our liason with the Presbytery), and many churches are feeling it. Covid took a toll with many pastors leaving/retiring, and fewer people entering the ministry. Despite that, we have considered well over a hundred candidates. The final obstacle -- and probably the one which is most daunting -- is the cost of housing in our area. The majority of pastoral candidates are younger, and do not have great financial resources.

Our church budget obviously limits what we can pay as a salary, but candidates must be financially able to live here in order to serve as our Pastor. SPC does not have a parsonage. We do not believe this should be an insurmountable obstacle, but it is a real problem for our church.

We are praying for guidance and believe that God will find a way! We are also asking you to help.

Specifically:

1. We are looking for anyone with a connection to rental homes/condos suitable for a family, who might be willing to rent at a reasonable cost for a few years? This would enable a new pastor to start a life here.

2. We would welcome any contributions to a housing fund (in addition to your regular tithing, because we don’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul). This might allow us to get a candidate jump-started in the rental market, which is currently averaging upwards of $6,000.00/month for a modest 3/2 house or condo (per recent Noozhawk article).

3. Does anyone have another solution or want to help out directly? Ideas are GREATLY APPRECIATED!

With your help and God’s guidance we can smooth the way for a new pastor – and make it possible for a new pastor to live here and succeed. Please pray about this and ask God to guide us all in this blessed task!

Prayerfully,

Summerland Presbyterian Church

Pastor Nominating Committee