Update: 08.17
For the past couple of months, the search team has been reviewing several resumes submitted by Vanderbloemen Consultants. After review and speaking with these candidates, we have prayerfully decided that we would decline going further with these men. Our next step will be to collect more resumes and begin the process again with a new set of candidates. Continue to pray as we seek God's will in all of this.
Update: 05.24
On Wednesday evening, May 17th, we gathered as a congregation to sing, pray, affirm new Leadership Team Members, and hear the latest updates on the Leadership Team's efforts to find our next Senior Pastor.
Updates on the Senior Pastor search process:
Engagement with Consultant/Search Firm – Vanderbloemen Search Firm
After praying and discussing how best to seek a senior pastor, the Leadership Team affirmed the decision to engage with a search firm specializing in Christian leadership. The Leadership Team engaged with multiple options before landing on Vanderbloemen Search Firm. For over a decade, Vanderbloemen Search Firm has helped Christian organizations of all sizes and types find their key staff.
With the help of a regional representative, Vanderbloemen has begun the process of engaging with our church to build a church profile. This profile will serve as a tool to communicate to potential candidates information about our county and city, what we believe as a denomination and our identity as a church. In order to build this profile our regional representative sat in on our Sunday services and met with the Leadership Team, church staff and even some members of the congregation. This was a robust process which has provided a very thorough and accurate picture of First Church of God.
The purpose and function of Vanderbloemen is to use this information in the church profile to begin a nationwide search of potential Senior Pastor candidates that align with our church culture and vision. Our First Church of God search team will then be presented with high quality candidates targeted to the needs of our church.
View Church Profile
Search Team
The Leadership Team has also been busy creating a Search Team responsible for reviewing and interviewing the candidates Vanderbloemen sends our way.
This team is comprised of three members of the Leadership Team, Jeff Sickafoose (Elder), Kevin Eames (Stewardship), Jim Sittler (Trustee) and four members of our congregation, Kevin Jordan, Liz Davenport, Matt Turner and Kim Gareiss. Pray for this team, as they have an important task in front of them! You can feel free to email them prayers, words of encouragement, and scriptures at search@fcog.church.
As the Search Team discovers a potential candidate, they will then pass that candidate along to the Leadership Team. Once this entire process brings about a candidate the Search Team and The Leadership Team discerns is a good fit to be our next Senior Pastor, the congregation will get to meet them and hear them preach. Ultimately a congregational meeting will be called for an affirming vote for this person to be called as our next Senior Pastor.
As we move through this process, we will be sure to keep everyone updated on the progress. Thank you for your commitment to prayer and patience as we trust God’s leading and timing.