How I got my pastoral assignments...

[Wilson Deaton]

How I got where I've been and where I am:

By appointment, I took over a new start in progress after only talking with D.S. by phone. He had been my wife's pastor when she was a teen but he and I had never met face-to-face.
My dad pastored neighboring church. I met his congregation on numerous occassions and when he was terminally ill I preached for him. After he passed, I continued to fill in for while and I eventually had a "formal" interview with board and was invited to move.
A thorough traditional interview... I went down to the church, preached, stayed for potluck, did a Q&A with whole congregation, then interviewed with board. (I was not looking and had not sent resumes but D.S. called me saying they had asked for me by name... Turns out I had been college friends with a member of one of the church's family clans.)
By appointment, I moved to Kenosha for new start after interview with D.S., church planters assessment center, then another interview with D.S. & DAB.

Pastors, how did you get where you've been and where you are?

Wilson

[Norayr Hajian]

I was asked if I would spend the summer here to "fill in" before my last year at seminary. I did and both the congregation and my wife and I enjoyed the experience. Near the end of the summer the DS asked if we would come back after my last year at seminary, which is what we did. That was in 1987. It was nice to spend my whole last year at seminary knowing where we would be going into ministry.

[Rich Schmidt]

I could list them as 1 and 2, since they're two different roles, but they came as a package deal.

Upon graduating from NTS in 1999, I joined the staff at my dad's church as the "Young Adult/Church Plant Pastor." The goal was for me to work with young adults, share in the various associate pastor responsibilities (along with the rest of the staff), and gather a group together to help launch the new church in 2000. And that's what happened. The district already knew me from my dad, from my high school years on the district, and from going through the district licensing process with them. My membership had been on the district for all but the couple of years I was down at seminary.

There were some hoops to jump through with the Mission Development Board & District Advisory Board, but nothing major. I'd already been through a church planter assessment center while in Kansas City. No district funds were needed, which probably simplified things.