Committee on Ministry

Purpose & Function:

Purpose & Function: The Committee on Ministry (COM) supports National Capital Presbytery’s (NCP) responsibilities for the care, oversight, and accountability for teaching elders and educators. These include examining, receiving, and dismissing minister members; offering encouragement and support to teaching elders and educators; seeking healthy relationships between teaching elders and congregations; and helping congregations secure appropriate pastoral leadership and educators in times of transition.

The work of the COM is carried out by five teams of ministers and ruling elders and with the oversight of the COM Coordinating Committee. COM’s authority is based in the Book of Order, G-3.0306 and G-3.0307.

For documents related to Committee on Ministry work, please click here.

Teams of the Committee on Ministry:

Care — The Care Team provides grants for church leaders to attend continuing education events or facilitate colleague groups and supports pastors by remembering clergy ordinations and showing compassion to those with illness or loss. The team conducts Exit Interviews with those leaving their current staff positions, and helps the executive presbyter welcome new clergy into the presbytery.

Congregational Transitions — The Congregational Transitions Commission provides oversight to every move made in, out, and within a congregation. The CTC works with congregations from the moment a pastor communicates her intention to leave a position through the calling of a new pastor. CTC works through liaisons who become the face of the CTC to the session and congregation and work with them to determine the appropriate type of call (installed, designated, stated supply, etc.), ensure good fit, healthy financial picture (including minimum salary requirements and benefits), and all the appropriate legal and immigration requirements have been met. Mark Harper, markharper@takomaparkpc.org,  and Michael Volpe, volpemike@aol.com,  co-chair this commission.

Examinations — The Examinations Team examines candidates transferring into our presbytery or changing calls within our presbytery. These teams continue to work with candidates to ensure the theological and pastoral competence required for teaching elders in the variety of ministry contexts in this presbytery. Gary Sowers, garysowers@cox.net, chair Examinations Team.

Ministry Relations — The Ministry Relations Team (MRT) blends care, oversight, and accountability for members of the presbytery and congregations through its work in crisis engagement and conflict management. The MRT oversees the expenditure of the Ministry Crisis Fund to support pastors and their families in particular hardship. Nancy Neal, nneal@bread.org, chair, MRT.

Specialized – The Specialized Ministry Team deals with all the transitional and maintenance issues pertaining to minister members who are:

-serving in validated ministries
-at-large
-honorably retired, and
-parish associates.

This team is responsible for validating specialized ministries within the bounds of the presbytery, receiving yearly specialized ministry reports, overseeing parish associate relationships, and ensuring IRS-related matters for specialized ministers are recorded properly. Mimi Stevenson, mimisteve74@gmail.com,  is chairing this team.

The Coordinating Commission of COM coordinates the work of these five teams. The COM and the Coordinating Commission is chaired by Juli Wilson-Black, pastor@fpcusa.org and vice-chaired by Carla Gorrell, carlagorrell@yahoo.com.

Staff Contact:
John Molina-Moore, General Presbyter
240.514.5350
Dina Bickel, Administrative Coordinator
240.514.5351