St. Andrew welcomes new pastor

In her first six months at St Andrew Presbyterian Church, Nicole Trotter seems to have fit the bill for what the popular Arnold Drive church was looking for in its new pastor.

Trotter was one of over 80 candidates for the new position, formerly occupied by the beloved Rich Gantenbein. Gantenbein left behind a strong foundation for the church and the community for Trotter to build on.

The process for selection at St. Andrew involved a community poll and an evaluation of their next pastor’s traits. Over the course of 12 months, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) reviewed the applicants, selecting Trotter for her energy and alignment with the church’s values.

Focus groups and surveys were conducted to determine the attributes, qualities and pastoral care. According to a press release from St. Andrew, “Trotter had to do an interview, background and reference checks and an in-person sermon.”

“I knew that the church in Sonoma was a larger congregation and a very active congregation and a congregation with a diverse background and age range,” Trotter said. “I knew they were very active in the community and so it just felt like a really good move.”

The PNC of St. Andrew directly polled and asked which traits would be best seen in the new pastor, and Nicole has been a tremendous fit to match the congregation’s requests.

“We feel humbly honored and blessed to present to you a pastor candidate who brings the attributes, qualities and pastoral care that you listed as important to you in the extensive survey and focus groups of last fall,” the St. Andrew release stated.

In her long time at St. Luke in San Rafael, Trotter created strong connections with her congregation, but she felt that St. Andrew would give her a better opportunity to exercise her energy and connect with a larger and more diverse crowd.

“They’re a creative group of people with a lot of energy,” Trotter said. “So that's what makes it fun is they want to get out into the world and serve. They want to do mission trips. They want to serve the community of Sonoma. They want me to be active in the greater community. They are very much focused on bringing the love that we share out into the world and not just keeping it within the confines of the church.”

Trotter received her Masters of Divinity from the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo in 2015. Previously, she had attained her bachelor’s degree in theater from the State University of New York at Purchase.

Prior to her pastor position at St. Luke in San Rafael, Trotter was employed in other ministry positions in the North Bay area, including five years as the Christian education director at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church in Mill Valley and director of family ministries at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon for six years.

Trotter grew up with a diverse religious background as various members of her family followed different paths. After being raised Roman Catholic, her mother and sisters each exposed her to Sufism, Judaism and Baha’i. This variety in her religious life gives her an improved diversity of thought and acceptance for a variety of people.

“I have a slightly less orthodox way of looking at Christianity, which I think resonates with people who struggle with some of the traditional doctrines of the church,” Trotter added. “Meaning that the congregation is made up of many different kinds of viewpoints and different people who are able to really respect one another and love one another and celebrate those differences.”

This October, Trotter will be officially confirmed as the pastor of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.

“It's a lovely worship service for the Presbytery, basically confirming the relationship between us and [the congregation],” Trotter added.