This past fall, the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee undertook a mission review to help guide a search for two new full-time Associate Pastors.  It sought in particular to assess the congregation’s current identity, needs, and direction since the last mission review, done in 2018-19, and who God is calling us to be now.  The Committee’s process included administering a 98-question survey to the congregation administered by Holy Cow! Consulting which resulted in completed surveys from 240 separate congregation members (representing 100% of Brick’s most recent average Sunday attendance); convening three open forums; conducting a focused youth survey; reviewing mission and vision statements adopted by Session; examining the Church’s 2024 Annual Report and audited financial statements; doing demographic and community research;, consultation with the Senior Pastor, leadership in the Presbytery of New York City, and past pastoral search committee leaders; and prayerful consideration of what we learned.

The new mission review confirmed that the Church’s identity is rooted in a long history of worship, education, service, and music, and continues to be expressed through multiple sustained ministries and significant outreach efforts.  The Day School remains a major part of the congregation’s educational commitment and is now fully integrated into the Church’s governance and operations. Other highlights include active Sunday School, confirmation, and adult education programs, a distinctive seminarian training process, many fellowship activities, and participation in a large number of internal and external groups and organizations.  These strengths are supported by well-maintained physical assets and an endowment exceeding $60 million (although much of its use is restricted to particular programs).  Declining stewardship participation patterns have presented some challenges, but other income sources have maintained operations well.  The Session and Trustees believe the Church can and should strengthen stewardship—and so far the 2025 stewardship campaign reflects this effort.

This information and congregational growth strongly support the need for the current searches.  The Church currently has one full-time Senior Pastor with just under 50 full time equivalent support personnel (including the Day School leadership and staff), plus limited temporary pastoral assistance.  While the Church has engaged an Interim Associate Pastor with a strong background in youth ministry, she is currently not a permanent hire.  In the meantime, membership has notably increased since 2022, with particularly strong representation of young families, and Sunday School enrollment is robust.  The breadth of the Church’s ministry programs and leadership expectations, and the congregation’s growth trajectory, make hiring two full-time Associate Pastors essential.

The Holy Cow! survey we administered (benchmarked by Holy Cow! against the most recent 2,800 congregations across the United States which had completed an equivalent survey)indicates that Brick Church has a “Transitional/Transformational” climate. This means that there is high satisfaction (although only average energy) in the congregation, with some anxiety about the future.  It reflects an authority-centric pattern in which leadership performance significantly shapes congregational experience.  The congregation also has what Holy Cow! describes as a “Paraclete” profile.  This is an intellectually open and reflective culture that values structure and ritual and often expresses mission through ministries that bring healing to people’s lives.

The survey also revealed some uncertainty about the congregation’s expectations, however.  In some ways it indicated a desire for growth and change that may outpace the level of comfort members actually have for what the congregation might be required to do to reach its goals. But key priorities are clear. They include developing a comprehensive strategy to reach new people, strengthening ministries for healing and pastoral response in times of need, creating more opportunities for meaningful relationships, and fostering spiritual generosity for stewardship.

The congregational forums, while not large by attendance, provided useful additional perspective. Participants emphasized strengthening stewardship engagement, expanding pastoral care outreach, engaging younger adults both with and without children, and leveraging the Day School’s success in growing church membership. They urged a broad search focused on the best candidates with clear communication skills, a compelling pastoral presence, deep scriptural grounding, administrative ability, and a joyful, empathetic approach to ministry.  They also highlighted the importance of having at least one associate pastor with deep experience in early childhood and youth ministries, and another with strong pastoral care skills for older members and congregational care initiatives.

The youth survey reinforced expectations that pastors should help youth feel that they belong, grow spiritually, connect faith to everyday life, and build strong peer relationships. The youth who responded put a premium on caring, devout, and engaging leadership.

Based on the full mission review, the Committee believes that Brick Church is seeking new pastors who are enthusiastic and joyful in sharing God’s love.  The congregation appears open to candidates beyond ministers currently serving in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), provided that they meet the requirements for service as Ministers of Word and Sacrament in our denomination. But whatever their current roles, the ideal candidates will need to be able to navigate theological diversity and New York City culture.  They must be comfortable honoring tradition while pursuing change within it.  They should have the skills to build community, equip lay leaders, and strengthen stewardship participation and spiritual vitality. Collectively across both positions (not necessarily all in each candidate), the congregation wants strong capabilities in children, youth, and family ministry; in pastoral care; and in communications.  Ideally, our candidates will have other complementary strengths, such as preaching skills, to allow for additional flexibility in the Church’s work year-over-year.

In the broadest sense, we will therefore be seeking two new Associate Pastors blessed with gifts of listening, leadership, and joyfulness that can fit both the congregation’s traditions and its aspirations.  We look forward to your help in achieving this goal.

We invite you to review the full 2025 Mission Review Report and Survey Findings below to better understand the themes, priorities, and hopes expressed by our church community.

If you would like assistance in interpreting the survey findings or have questions about how they are informing the search process, please feel free to reach out to any member of the APNC or to Rev. Evans.