Senior Pastor Search – North Shore Fellowship

The Pulpit Committee nominates Jason Hood for Senior Pastor of North Shore Fellowship

Last Sunday, February 28th, the Pulpit Committee shared some of their work and thinking that led to their nomination. This nomination comes as a product of months of prayer, research, and long meetings. If you have any questions for the Pulpit Committee, please submit them by emailing pulpitcommittee@nsfellowship.org.

This Sunday, March 7th, the Session is calling a Congregational Meeting at 10:45am in the Parking Lot.

Technically, the purpose of that meeting is to receive a report from the Pulpit Committee and to conduct any business that may arise from it. But, since we already told you that they nominated Jason, you can think of it as the meeting where we vote on Jason as the Senior Pastor of NSF.

The vote will be by secret ballot and only for communing members of NSF.

Everyone voting should do so based on their own conscience. You have heard the Pulpit Committee’s nomination of Jason Hood, and the Session’s support of that nomination. But, you may still vote for qualified pastor on your ballot. If you want to vote for someone else, you would usually ask that person if they would be willing to serve if elected.

If you attend the 9:30am service on 3/7, please come out to the parking lot and join us.

If you attend the 10:45am service on 3/7, please be on time. When the meeting is over, we will let the 9:30am exit and then quickly transition to the worship service.

We will not hold a separate meeting for the 4:00pm service because we plan to count the vote and announce the count in the 10:45am meeting.

Please pray and ask questions if you have any. Depending on the nature of your question, you may choose to email:

The Pulpit Committee (pulpitcommittee@nsfellowship.org)
Jason (jason@nsfellowship.org)
John (john@nsfellowship.org)
Chris (chris@nsfellowship.org)
The Session (clerk@nsfellowship.org)L

Part of Jason’s story to help you know him better

In August of 2018 Jason and his wife (Emily) and four children (current ages 8-17) moved from Boston to serve at North Shore Fellowship. In his role as Assistant Pastor he has shared in preaching, teaching, and shepherding the congregation. He has also provided oversight to global missions and adult Sunday School. Since Robby Holt’s departure as NSF’s Senior Pastor, Jason has guided our Sunday liturgy and sermon series and provided oversight in several other ministry areas.

Jason grew up in Texas and moved to Tennessee to attend Rhodes College. He met Emily after graduation and they married in 2000. The first thirteen years of marriage were spent in Memphis caring for Emily’s parents, with whom they shared a home for almost a decade during long battles with ALS and cancer. Jason’s work experience after college began with four years of teaching and coaching in urban Memphis. Jason then finished his seminary work at RTS followed by a PhD in New Testament, while serving in various capacities at two large churches in Memphis. He also occasionally published in academic and popular contexts, including the book Imitating God in Christ (IVP, 2013).

After Emily’s parents passed, the Hoods moved to Tanzania, where Jason served as pastor at an international English-speaking congregation and taught at Munguishi Bible College. They then spent three years in Boston, where Jason was Assistant Professor of New Testament and Director of Advanced Urban Ministerial Education at the Boston campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The Hoods dearly miss Boston (especially friends, snow, and championships) and Tanzania (where their bedroom windows opened up to a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro), but they love Chattanooga and are happy to be back in Tennessee. They live on the North Shore, and you might see Jason walking to and from work on Frazier Ave.

Pastoral Search Process

Step 1: Forming the Pulpit Committee

The congregation nominated over 100 members as potential Pulpit Committee members. The Session narrowed that down to 9 members.

The congregation then voted to install as our Pulpit Committee.

Step 2: The Pulpit Committee's Work

The Pulpit Committee completed their work of searching & screening potential candidates.

Their work culminates in their nomination of Jason Hood as Senior Pastor.

Step 3: Voting on Jason

On March 7th, we will vote as a congregation to elect Jason Hood to be the Senior Pastor of NSF.

If we vote, “yes,” then our Presbytery (local gathering of elders) will also vote.

Step 4: Installing Jason

If both groups vote, “yes,” we will hold a special service to install Jason as our next Senior Pastor.