St. George • Picking a permanent replacement for one of St. George’s most beloved and longest-serving pastors will likely be a lengthy process.
After nearly two decades leading the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Ralph Clingan retired at the end of June. While the congregation initiates the search for his replacement, the Rev. Celeste Lasich has been selected to serve as the Washington County church’s interim pastor.
(Westminister Presbyterian Church of Sacramento) The Rev. Celeste Lasich. Lasich will be St. George's Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church's interim minister while the search is conducted to find a permanent replacement for Pastor Ralph Clingan, who retired at the end of June.
Lasich currently is the interim pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, California. Presbyterian leaders in Utah say picking a successor to Clingan, who was featured recently in a Salt Lake Tribune article, will take time.
(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Rev. Ralph Clingan preaches to the congregation at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church. He delivered his final sermon at the St. George church on June 29, 2025.
Unlike Utah’s predominant faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically immediately replaces local lay leaders who have been released, Presbyterians often take two years to find a new pastor, according to the Rev. Mirjam Haas-Melchior, executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Utah.
In the meantime, according to Haas-Melchior, the interim cleric’s job is to help the congregation mourn the loss of its pastor and prepare the church for a new one. That involves working with a steering committee to conduct a study of where the church is, what might need to be fixed or changed, and what God is calling on the members of that church to do.
That, she said, enables the congregants to define who they are and who they are looking for, which enables a pastor candidate to inform members about how they would apply that vision.
“So once a new pastor is selected, to speak biblically, the soil is already fertilized and refreshed,” the executive presbyter explained, “and the new pastor can come in and plant the seeds.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Rev. Mirjam Haas-Melchior, executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Utah, says local congregations have ultimate say in selecting their permanent pastors.
The actual job of selecting a new cleric, according to Haas-Melchior, falls upon a pastor nominating committee, which typically consists of about a half-dozen members who are elected by the congregation. Committee members review applications, interview preferred candidates and often listen to them deliver sermons from a “neutral pulpit” in a different church.
Presbytery of Utah leaders offer advice and are there to assist with background checks and contract negotiations, among other things. In the end, Haas-Melchior noted, committee members ultimately select the pastor and present their choice to the congregation.
Once the offer is made and accepted, the candidate — and, if married, his or her family — is flown out for a Saturday meet-and-greet with members of the congregation. Then, Haas-Melchior explained, the nominee leads worship service the following day and is voted on by the congregation.
Once approved, she added, the new pastor receives a joyful welcome and a standing ovation.
More information on the pastor selection process is available on the Presbyterian Church USA’s website. Click here to learn more about Pastor Clingan and to watch his last sermon.