The Free Methodist Church USA seeks to love God, love people and make disciples. At Free Methodist churches around the nation, we see this vision lived out in powerful and unique ways, and Cucamonga Christian Fellowship (CCF) is no exception.

In Scripture, we read about Jesus calling the twelve disciples (or apostles) into the work of the ministry. After walking with Jesus, and being sent by him to preach the gospel message, teach Kingdom living, baptize and make disciples, the men and women who had come to know and worship Jesus as Lord also raised up leaders for the growing Christian community.

The process of allowing the Spirit to raise men and women to be ordained for ministry and appointed to serve in particular locations has its roots in the New Testament. This model of church governance and appointments form the core understanding of how the Free Methodist Church identifies and deploys pastoral leadership within communities and congregations.

Following are some simple questions and answers about the appointment system of the Free Methodist Church. As we follow these procedural guidelines in the process of searching for and appointing a new Lead Pastor to Cucamonga Christian Fellowship, we trust that this information will be helpful to you.

Q. Who appoints pastors?
A. The Ministerial Appointments Committee (MAC).
CCF is part of the Southern California Conference of the Free Methodist Church, which means those who have been nominated and appointed to the FMCSC Ministerial Appointments Committee will take the lead on vetting, interviewing, recommending and appointing our new Lead Pastor.

Learn more about the MAC here – https://fmcsc.org/boards/mac
Learn more about this part of our polity in our Book of Discipline (¶5220.D)

Q. How long are Pastors appointed to a congregation?
A. While the appointment can be indefinite, Pastors can also be reappointed at anytime based on the wisdom and discretion of the MAC. Each year, as part of preparations for the FMCSC Annual Conference, a comprehensive list of appointments is reviewed and finalized.

At CCF, we have been historically blessed with long appointments and our church has found great stability and consistency through the leadership of people like Pastor Fraser Venter (25 years) and Pastor Melanie Neilson (23+).

Q. What (and who) will give input to the decision of our new Lead Pastor?
A. The Executive Staff prepared a Local Church Profile (approved by the Servants Council) and provided it to the MAC for their search. This document gave an overview of CCF, and the core vision, values, history and other information that will be important for candidates to know when considering an application to become Lead Pastor.

The current Lead Pastor & FMCSC Superintendents also give input on the needs of the church, and any attributes that an ideal candidate would have for this ministry appointment.

As the MAC identifies a strong candidate, they will make their recommendation to those who serve as our Delegates to the FMCSC from among those serving on our Servants Council (church board) and key CCF lay leaders.

The candidate will then meet with our Servant Council as a whole, who would then provide feedback to the Superintendent via a brief survey, recommending that the MAC continues or discontinues their efforts to appoint the candidate as the new Lead Pastor of CCF.

Explore who our Servant Council & Delegates are – https://ccflive.org/team
Learn more about this part of our polity in our Book of Discipline (¶5220.E / ¶5800.E.2 / ¶5800.C)

Q. What are some considerations that influence the decision of the MAC on the candidate that they will recommend?
A. It is important to know that the MAC always desires this to be a successful and smooth process. An important part of the process is ensuring that they do not appoint a pastor that does not want to come to a specific church, or appoint a pastor that the church (by representation through the board and delegates) does not want to have appointed there. Key factors that will be considered are:

• Needs of the Kingdom of God
• Needs of the community
• Pastor’s gifts/emphasis (preaching, evangelism, administration etc)
• Needs of the church
• Perspective of the conference Superintendents
• Church/Pastor personality match
• Pastor’s family needs (children’s ages, schooling etc)
• Evaluation of Board (Servants Council)
• Evaluation of Delegates
• Growth patterns of the church & various ministries
• Financial trends of the church
• Perspective of MAC
• Professional history of Pastor
• Local Church Profile (document)
• Community perspective of the church
• Opinion/wishes of Pastor’s spouse (if applicable)
• Relationship/cooperation of Pastor with Peers, Conference & Denomination