The following is information related to the Interim Pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church with Dr. Bowman's retirement on Sunday, March 19, 2023. Below is the article from our church's bylaws that stipulate information relating to the Interim Pastor, the job description written by our Interim Pastor Search Committee, and the Interim Pastor recommendation by the Interim Pastor Search Committee.  The job description and the candidate have been approved by the Deacon Body and were approved in a Called Church Conference on Sunday, February 26, 2023, following the 11:00 am service in the Chapel. 

Interim Pastor:
(a) Upon vacancy in the office of the Pastor, an Interim Pastor may be selected within a reasonable period of time as herein provided. The Interim Pastor shall have the same spiritual qualifications as the Pastor. The Interim Pastor will not be a candidate for the office of Pastor. No person who is a Church Employee at the time of vacancy in the office of the Pastor may be selected as Interim Pastor.

(b) The Interim Pastor shall be recommended to the Church for approval by the Interim Pastor Search Committee as provided in Paragraph 3.3 (c).

(c) The Interim Pastor Search Committee shall be chaired by the Chairman of Deacons. The remaining members of the Interim Pastor Search Committee shall be the other Deacon Officers, the Executive Staff, the Chairman of the Personnel Committee and the Chairman of the Finance Committee. In the event that there is a change in the Chairman of the Personnel Committee, Chairman of the Finance Committee, or Deacon Officers during the selection process, the composition of the Interim Pastor Search Committee will remain unchanged.

(d) A written job description shall be determined by the Interim Pastor Search Committee and approved by the Church in a Conference Meeting.

(e) Upon the recommendation of the Interim Pastor Search Committee, the services of an Interim Pastor may be terminated by a majority of Church Members present and voting at a Conference Meeting called for that purpose. 

This job description covers the duties and responsibilities of the Interim Pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church. It shall continue for one year or until a permanent pastor is called by the church and has begun his pastorate, whichever comes first. After one year this agreement must be reaffirmed by church vote.

Work Schedule
Inasmuch as the Interim Pastor has responsibilities that cannot be exactly measured in definite schedules of time, he will give care to scheduling his time and activities to best serve the Lord and the interests of the church, allowing time for his own personal and family needs. The Interim Pastor will establish a good working schedule that allows him time to evaluate the church’s needs, engage with church staff and leaders, and help develop a working interim transition strategy.

General Responsibilities
1. To provide the congregation a sense of stability in leadership.
2. To be the primary preacher, providing consistent quality Bible teaching.
3. To work with the Executive Pastor, Worship Pastor, and other appropriate staff for planning and delivery of Sunday morning worship services at the Speedway location (8:30 and 11:00) and the Quarries location (9:45).
4. To coordinate with the Executive Staff to fill the pulpit with a suitable candidate for those times he is not available.
5. To address any issues or problems as necessary and in coordination with the Pastor Search Committee and Chairman of Deacons to make the church more attractive to, and prepared for, Senior Pastor candidates.
6. To provide ongoing evaluation of the general church health and help develop actions for correction or improvement.

Specific Responsibilities
1. To assist the church transitional leadership team, committees, and staff in the pastoral transition process as requested and schedule permits.
2. To assist the Pastor Search Committee as requested and schedule permits.
3. To attend leadership meetings and participate as requested and schedule permits.
4. To provide counsel regarding leadership issues as requested and schedule permits.
5. At all times uphold the integrity, doctrines, values, statement of faith, Constitution, and Bylaws of the church. Failure in any of these areas may result in termination with no severance to be paid.

Reporting Structure and Authority
1. The Interim Pastor operates under the authority of, and reports to, the Chairman of Deacons. As such he has no independent authority except that delegated to him by the Chairman of Deacons.
2. The Chairman of Deacons will grant the Interim Pastor the authority necessary to accomplish the specific responsibilities as listed above.
3. The Interim Pastor will not have authority over church staff and will always operate within the scope of the budget, Constitution, and Bylaws.