What does PNC mean in RELIGION

The PNC is a committee authorized by the Session to receive, consider and encourage potential pastoral candidates for consideration. The PNC is tasked with researching and discerning who God might be calling to serve as the next pastor of a church.

A typical PNC consists of representatives from multiple areas of church life, including but not limited to the Session board, congregational members, and lay ministries. Each member brings something unique and important to help lead the search process.

Once formed, a PNC will typically review available job postings, contact references or other contacts provided by potential applicants, then invite promising candidates for an interview at a session meeting or other appropriate setting. After interviewing each candidate, members vote on which applicant should be recommended for further review.

After selecting their preferred candidate(s), the PNC will send their recommendation on to session board members who will discuss whether this person may be called as pastor of the church. If approved by Session members that decision will be presented to congregational members for approval before any official call is made.

Most committees meet regularly throughout the process in order to maximize efficiency and effectiveness when conducting research into potential candidates or discussing applicants they are considering for interviews. Regular meetings would typically consist of monthly or bi-monthly sessions depending on how far along they are in their search process.

The time it takes for a PNC to complete its process depends on various factors such as willingness of potential candidates to provide information about themselves and availability of resources needed by committee members in order determine who God might be calling them to select as pastor of their congregation. Generally speaking it can take anywhere from four months up to one year before an official selection is made.

Every church has different needs when it comes to staffing and leadership structures so it isn’t always necessary that churches create separate committees for each position they need filled. Some churches may find that creating one unified Pastor Nominating Committee responsible for searching out all suitable pastoral candidates makes more sense than creating multiple committees which could lead to confusion over roles and responsibilities when trying to approve prospective pastors effectively.