7. Pastor Beam preached his first sermon as Senior Pastor of FPC Niceville on Sunday, July 21, 2024. His installation ceremony is scheduled for August 4, 2024. The FPC Family and Niceville community are very happy and grateful to welcome the Beam family to their new home.

6. On May 14, 2024, the Gulf Coast Presbytery unanimously approved the call of Justin Beam to be FPC‘s next Teaching Elder and senior pastor, and warmly welcomed him as a member of the Presbytery. The only item remaining in the full transition of Justin and his family to our church will be his installation service, planned for 6 PM August 4 at FPC. We are thankful to the Lord for his grace and mercy throughout this process. 

5. The pulpit committee, after reviewing fifty-eight candidates, chose Pastor Justin Beam, from Coconut Creek, Florida, as candidate. Following extensive meetings via phone and in person, and an on site visit of the Beam family the weekend of March 9 & 10, the Session and committee agreed to bring a vote to the members of FPC for the purpose of electing and calling Pastor Beam as Teaching Elder of FPC Niceville. With overwhelming support, the vote was taken and the call issued.

4. The pulpit committee posted a call for candidates on the PCA Administrative Committee’s website. They then began receiving resumes of candidates who were interested in the position. Members of the pulpit committee: Jennifer Colquitt, Annie Ferguson, Bill Kuh, Jack Lindsey, Shawn Mitchell, and Bob Steele.

3. The SPTF completed interviews and met to determine common themes, concerns, and way ahead. Based on this, they completed a profile of FPC, which was approved by the session. They also completed a position description which was posted on the PCA administrative committee’s job site and distributed to other venues where prospective candidates could see it. Once the pulpit committee/search committee was selected, the position posting went “live” and candidates were able to apply. The team hoped to have a candidate selected by spring in order to meet Gulf Coast presbytery examination and congregational vote before pastor Joe retired in July 2024.

2. Pastoral Transition Update. The SPTF (Pastoral Transition) team began its work by laying out the detailed timeline of their work for the next 18 months. Included in this phase were interviews with the church membership. This gave members the chance to talk about the ministries of FPC, gain insight into the vision for the future of the church, and identify opportunities for growth and improvement. The SPTF reached out, through your shepherding elders or directly with a SPTF team member. We thank everyone for your thoughtful and prayerful support of our transition process

1. Pastoral Transition kickoff. On Sunday February 12^th, 2023, pastor Joe announced his retirement in July 2024. The Succession Planning Task Force (SPTF) was also announced, with members Jennifer Colquitt, Annie Ferguson, Bill Kuh, Jack Lindsey, Shawn Mitchell, and Bob Steele. So, what’s a “SPTF” and what were their tasks over the next 19 months? In short, the planning for Joe’s retirement and replacement began over a year ago with the formation of an initial Transition Team. That team completed their work of planning and educating the session on the steps for pastoral transition as outlined in our Book of Church Order and with the help of a consultant who specialized in this area. The SPTF then began to study and research our church’s ministries, look at our vision for the future, and build the “job description” for the next pastor. Once this work was complete a Pastoral Search Committee began the work of finding and calling a new pastor. With the agreement of the Presbytery and our congregation, this man became Joe’s replacement in July 2024.

Interview Guide                                  Name:_____________________ Date:__________

1. How do FPC’s mission ( A Community of Faith, Hope, and Love; Committed to Knowing Christ and Making Him Known)  and vision (Be a vibrant and caring multi-generational Christian community affecting a global impact for Christ through our local, regional, and international outreach) statements resonate with you?

• Strongly resonates

• Mildly resonates

• Slightly resonates

• Does not resonate

2. In 10-15 years, what do you think/hope FPC’s greatest strength will be?

• Biblically reformed preaching, teaching, and training

• Community building (within the church and community)

• Missional minded (local and abroad)

• Other_______________

3. In 10-15 years do you see the congregation of FPC… (can pick more than one answer)

• Looking a lot like it does now

• Being bigger

• Being smaller

• Being more diverse (multigenerational/multicultural)

• I don’t know

4. On a scale of 1-5 (1 being the least and 5 being the greatest) how would you rate the culture and core values of the church in terms of it being:

• Welcoming/hospitable

• Eager to change

• Eager to stay the same

• Energetic

• Community focused

• Concerned for children/youth ministries

• Stagnant

• Loving

• Biblically sound

• Caring for the hurting (“spiritual hospital”)

• Easy to feel “plugged in” (small groups, Bible studies…)

• Provides opportunities to serve

       5.  On a scale of 1-5 (1 being not at all 5 being completely), how strongly do you believe the church’s core values and       
            culture are tied to Joe’s ministry?

       6.   In terms of the future pastor, what do you think are the top three strengths to have as a:

                       a.       Preacher

                              1. 

                              2.

                              3.

                        b. Shepherd

                              1.

                              2.

                              3. 

                        c. Leader (equipping and training)

                              1.

                              2.

                               3.

        7.   What degree of influence should the senior pastor have over the direction of the church?

                       High degree
              Low degree

                       High but balanced by the Session

                       Medium degree

                       No degree

Our team read several books to help us guide the church during the transition.  Here are some recent titles:  

• Next:  Pastoral Succession That Works by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird; 
• Search by William Vanderbloemen;
• When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search by Chris Brauns.
• Finding a Pastor by Dr. Joel Hathaway
• Addressing Abuse: A Theological and Practical Guide PCA Paper on Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault

FPC Profile

FPC Niceville, FL, Senior Pastor Call Package