For Governing Body Staff Positions

Church Leadership Connection (CLC), a service of the Office of Call Referral Services, is the PC(USA)'s web-based computer matching and referral system. The following step-by-step instructions are to assist Search Committees in the on-line completion of the CIF for a governing body position.

If you do not have access to the Internet, you may obtain a copy of the CIF from your presbytery office or by calling CRS toll free at (888) 728-7228, x8550. CRS staff are available to enter the CIF online for you if you prefer to submit it by email, paper copy, or disk. The CIF can be emailed to CRS at cpsstaff@ctr.pcusa.org, faxed to (502) 569-5870, or mailed to the Office of Call Referral Services, 100 Witherspoon Street-Mezzanine, Louisville KY 40202-1396. Before you begin writing the CIF, please review the "helpful hints" for completing the CIF below under Section II. Write the CIF.

If you prefer to enter the CIF online yourself, please follow the instructions below.

Overview

The four major steps to completing a CIF for a governing body position detailed below are:

1. Print a Working Copy of the CIF
2. Write the CIF
3. Obtain a Login ID and Password
4. Enter the CIF On-line

Print a Working Copy of the CIF

It is important that your CIF be complete before beginning to enter data into the online CIF. The number of revisions that can be made to a CIF is limited: writing or editing the CIF online may use up all your available "versions" before actually completing the CIF. In addition, most Internet Service Provides have a "time out" feature, which can disconnect you from the web and cause you to lose data you have entered but not yet submitted. Therefore, we recommend you print a paper copy or download the CIF to your hard drive to use to write the CIF before beginning to enter it online. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. Access the CLC web page, www.pcusa.org/clc.
   
   
2. Click on Printable Forms.
   
   
3. c) Click on the format you want to use to download or print the form (MS Word or PDF). A blank copy of the form is shown.
   
   
4. d) To print Part I of the form, click your browser's File menu and select the Print option.
   
   
5. e) To save the form to your hard drive, open the MS Word version, click on File then Save As. Indicate the directory and file name.
   
   
6. f) Repeat steps 3-4 clicking on and printing or saving Part II of the CIF. You may also want to print a copy of the "Skills List."

You will be able to complete the draft copy of the CIF using your word processing program if you saved the CIF to your hard drive. The CIF cannot be "uploaded" from your hard drive; however, narrative sections, such as the "Position Description" or the "Mission Statement" can be "copy and pasted" into the online CIF. Other data fields, such as "fill in the blank" and "select from a pull down list" will have to be completed online. The narrative sections of the CIF will not accept most formatting techniques such as bolding, italics, and bullets. Spacing and numbered lists can be used to present your information more clearly.

Write the CIF

Much of the information requested on the CIF will already be contained in your Position/Person Descriptions. The Helpful Hints below provide instructions for completing specific items on the CIF.

The following helpful hints are for specific items in the CIF Part I:

1. Church/Organization ID: Your Church/Organization ID number will be assigned to you by CRS staff when you are ready for your login ID and password. If you are submitting your CIF for CRS staff to enter, you can leave this section blank.
   
   
2. Church/Organization Size: Select "N/A".
   
   
3. Average Worship Attendance, Church School Attendance, and Curriculum: leave blank.
   
   
4. Ethnic Composition: If you can determine the ethnic composition of your presbytery/synod, enter whole numbers (no % sign) in the appropriate boxes. If you cannot determine this distribution, type "100" in the "other" box.
   
   
5. Community Type: Most governing bodies contain a mixture of several community types; if this is true for your presbytery/synod, select "N/A". If your presbytery/synod is predominantly one community type, select that type.
   
   
6. Clerk of Session Details: This section is used for obtaining approval of a church's CIF by the Clerk of Session. There is no equivalent requirement for a governing body CIF; however, the system requires that some data be entered in these fields. You may enter the Search Committee Chairperson's name, address, and phone number, but omit the email address.

The following helpful hints are for specific items in the CIF Part II:

1. Position to be Filled: Use "Presbytery Staff" or "Synod Staff" or "Interim Ministry (Governing Body)" as the position type. Use the appropriate designation for all staff positions, including Executive/General Presbyter, Associate Presbyter, Synod Executive, Synod Associate, etc. In the section for specific position title, identify the specific type of position, such as Presbytery Associate for Vocation.
   
   
2. Experience Desired: Click on the down arrow next to the text box to access the list. Select the lowest level of experience your committee is willing to consider by clicking on the appropriate item. Your CIF will be matched with all persons who have this level of experience and above.
   
   
3. All Narrative Sections: For all governing body positions, all the narrative sections may be left empty except for the 2 sections of the Position Description. Most presbyteries and synods do elect to include at least the "Mission Statement" and may elect to complete the other narrative sections.
   
   
4. References: At least one reference is required.
   
   
5. Compensation and Housing: Numerical figures must be entered into the boxes for both minimum and maximum salary. Do not type in "negotiable." This section is for cash salary only; do not include housing allowance or other benefits. Please remember that the minimum salary will be displayed on the Opportunities Search; the maximum salary is not displayed but is used for matching purposes only. Select N/A for the "Housing" section.
   
   
6. Equal Employment Opportunity: All CIFs, including those for governing body positions, must answer both questions in the affirmative for the CIF to be included in the Church Leadership Connection system. Although the statement refers to instructions from the COM, in the case of governing body positions, the statements are intended to indicate willingness to comply with PC(USA) EEO policies.
   
   
7. Search Committee Chairperson Details: Enter the name, address, phone numbers and fax of the chairperson of the Search Committee. The email address should be that of the person who will take care of email and Internet communications for the Committee, whether that is the Chairperson or a Committee member.
   
   
8. Deadline Date: This section is used primarily for designated pastor, interim, or executive positions. If you use a deadline date and need to extend your search beyond that deadline, you must revise the date before the deadline or your CIF will be purged from the system and you will have to re-enter the CIF to continue your search.
   
   
9. Telephone Number: In all areas for phone numbers (except References), type in the 10-digit number with no punctuation.

Obtain a Login ID and Password

Once your CIF has been written, obtain a login ID and initial password from Call Referral Services (888) 728-7228, x5743 or x5730. Your login ID and password give you access to the online CIF where you can type in and submit your CIF and to review the PIFs that have been matched and referred to your CIF.

Enter the CIF Online

1. Access the CLC web page, www.pcusa.org/clc.
   
   
2. Click User Login.
   
   
3. Fill in the login ID and password that has been assigned to you, and press Submit.
   
   
4. You are shown a list of tasks. Click on "View/Update CIF (Part I)." Enter the requested information from your draft copy, then click on "Save church Details."
   
   
5. The next screen tells you the form was saved and allows you to access Part II of the CIF. Click on Fill a New CIF (Part II) to enter data for your position. A blank CIF form (Part II) is provided. Using your working copy of the CIF, complete the form online.
   
   
6. When you have completed the CIF Part II, click "Submit New Church Information Form." The Reset button erases all data you have entered if for any reason you wish to start over.
   
   
7. When the form has been completed and submitted, a message tells you that the CIF has been saved, and gives you the CIF ID. The CIF ID number is made up of your 5-digit church/organization PIN (which is a serial number assigned to you by CRS) plus an extension identifying the position (AA, AB, AC, etc.) and the version (0, 1, 2, etc.). Save the CIF ID - you will use it if you need to update or view your CIF.
   
   Do not hit the Back button to review your CIF. Doing so will create a duplicate version of the CIF. Instead, to review your CIF, click the box View CIF Part II Details.

Your CIF is sent to a holding area to await the appropriate signatures. After obtaining the required signatures either through the web site, by fax or by mail, CLC staff review the CIF for completeness and EEO consistency, then the CIF is submitted to the CLC matching database. The system will generate an email to you to notify you that the CIF has been submitted to the database.

As soon as the CIF is in the database, it is available for matching and available on the Opportunities Search. Call Referral Services staff generally complete an initial match for all governing body positions. You can review the matched and referred PIFs by logging in and clicking on "View Referred PIFs." This screen is a list of PIF ID numbers with the name of the individual, the code of the person completing the match (CRS is for Call Referral Services staff in Louisville, EP is for the Executive Presbyter of the specified presbytery), and the date and time of the match.

Additional matches are not done automatically-they must be requested as needed. To request a rematch, click on "Request New Match" on your Task List, call or email CRS.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, call CRS us toll free at (888) 728-7228, x8550 or x5730.