Pastor Transition Information
Pastoral Search Committee - July 28, 2024 Update
Thank you for your continued prayers for this process and for your encouraging words to those of us on the committee as we continue to seek God’s plans and purposes for Christ Church.
It has been a year since our beloved founding pastor, James Dickson, announced that he was accepting the call to Covenant Seminary. Following his announcement, and with the guidance of the PCA Book of Church Order, this search committee was nominated and elected by the congregation.
On December 1 of 2023, once the training and preparation phase of the process was complete, we began evaluating candidates. According to McGowan, the average senior pastor search in the PCA is 2.5 years. With McGowan’s assistance, that timeline is closer to 12 months. In previous updates, we shared with you that we could possibly be in the final phase of the process by this summer. While we are making steady progress, we still have a ways to go but do not anticipate completing our search this summer.
We have been so encouraged through this process to see how our sovereign and glorious God is at work throughout our denomination and through so many excellent pastors. Once a candidate passes the initial interview, it is a slow process to pray, listen to sermons, evaluate, and get to know that candidate better to discern whether he is the man God is calling. A few candidates have gone much further in the process than others. The timing of it all is in God’s hands. It has been and continues to be an exercise in perseverance and faith.
We also want to encourage you that if you have questions about the process, you are welcome to talk to any of us. We will gladly share as much information as we can. The only thing we must hold in strict confidence is the names of any candidates.
We have committed and continue to pursue praying together as a committee and ask that you consider attending the men’s and women’s prayer times each month to pray earnestly for our church and for the man God will call to shepherd and lead us.
Psalm 62:8 encourages us “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah”
Pastoral Search Committee - June 12, 2024 Update
The prayer of the PSC and the whole church has been to find God’s man for Senior Pastor. The criteria we are using in our search for a Senior Pastor have come from specific guide-rails that we believe the Lord has provided in order to preserve our unity and direction as a committee. These guide-rails are the Tri-Pastor model and the Church profile.
The Tri-Pastor model was agreed upon by the session several years ago for our church and we have come to see the wisdom of this pastoral structure: Senior Pastor, Pastor of Evangelism and Outreach, and Pastor for Youth, Family, and Diaconal Ministry. In this model, the Senior Pastor serves as the Pastor Shepherd and Teacher, focusing on the spiritual nourishment and growth of the congregation. The Pastor of Evangelism and Outreach focuses on leading the congregation in the vision and implementation of evangelism and outreach in our community. And the Pastor for Youth, Family, and Diaconal Ministry is the primary pastor over youth ministry and children’s ministry, as well as the pastoral liaison to the diaconate. Therefore, in our search for a Senior Pastor within this model, we are looking for a Senior Pastor who exhibits a strong gifting in teaching and preaching, who has a heart for shepherding the flock, and who will work well in this Tri-Pastor model with Michael and Jeff, as well as with the rest of our staff.
Our other guide-rail is the Church Profile, which is the document that was born out of Discovery weekend, where multiple members of our church body came together to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and greatest needs of our church body. We believe addressing these needs is of great importance to the future health of our church, and therefore are looking for a Senior Pastor who has the experience necessary to lead our church in these ways. The Church Profile is posted on our website, if you have not yet had a chance to read it.
Pastoral Search Committee - Apr. 7, 2024 Update
While we feel like we are "on schedule" with the evaluation phase of the estimated timeline, we also see that there is much work left to be done in order to select the candidate that the Lord would have us call. We know that the Lord's timing may be this summer, but we also know that His timing may be earlier or it may be later.
As we become impatient at times and have many questions, we are continually brought back to our deep need for prayer and reliance upon the Lord, as individuals, as a committee and as a congregation. We were reminded recently of Lamentations 3:22-25:
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him."
While we all feel very eager for the outcome to be known, we are learning that there is purpose in the process. The Lord is shaping us as a committee and as a congregation, growing our faith in Jesus, and increasing our love for His Bride. He is working in Christ Church to show us that His Kingdom is about more than one man.
And we pray for wisdom and discernment, trusting the promise of James 1:5 that "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." Please join us in this prayer for God's timing and God's wisdom.
Pastoral Search Committee - Feb. 2, 2024 Update
Thank you for your continued prayers for this process. The PSC has been diligently interviewing and evaluating candidates. In our congregational update during the worship services, we outlined in greater detail the process we are using for evaluating candidates. If you are curious about this process, please feel free to ask any of the members of the PSC and we will be happy to talk with you about it.
We are seeking to regularly spend extended time in prayer together. We have been burdened by the weightiness of this undertaking and are seeking the Lord's wisdom, discernment, and guidance for us as we continue to move through the process. We pray that all we do will be done in love and that God would receive all the glory. We pray for all of our candidates, for our church staff, for you our congregation, and much much more. We are also thankful for the unity that the Lord has given our committee and pray for that same unity within the entire body of Christ Church. We would like to invite you to join us in these prayers.
CCPCA Pastoral Search Committee (PSC) is now entering into Phase 2 of the search process. This phase consists of identifying, vetting, and interviewing potential candidates. Click the link above to view our Church & Pastor Profile, which was developed and approved by the PSC. With the guidance of our consultants, the PSC will share this profile with potential candidates to introduce our church and to inform potential candidates of the qualifications and expectations of our next Senior Pastor.
The PSC invites our congregation to continue joining them in prayer in the weeks and months to come. Click on the link above for specific areas of prayer.
Pastoral Search Committee - Dec. 3, 2023 Update
Discovery Weekend with McGowan took place as scheduled. Thank you to all who participated and assisted. We received positive and encouraging feedback from McGowan. The PSC also received training in the search process. One of the biggest takeaways is the importance of confidentiality to protect candidates and their current congregations, as well as our congregation. We will communicate as much and as often as we can in this process, but we must always be mindful of maintaining confidentiality about specifics.
Updated Timeline:
Phase 1: Preparation October 20 - December 1
Phase 2: Identify and Evaluate Candidates December 1 - March 1
Phase 3: Evaluation of Leading Candidates March 1 - June 1
Phase 4: Selection June 1 - August 1
This timeline is an estimate - it could be shorter or longer.
Pastoral Search Committee - Oct. 29, 2023 Update
The PSC has begun meeting weekly. We are reading and discussing Tim Keller's book "Preaching" to prepare us for listening to and evaluating sermons of prospective pastor candidates.
Amy Bond has agreed to serve as Co-Chair with George Harris. They have a weekly call with McGowan, the consulting firm that is partnering with us in this process.
Congregational participants have been selected for the Discovery Weekend, to be held Oct 20-22. McGowan will engage with these members in order to provide the PSC with information about the church that will aid in the writing of our church profile. This profile will be used by McGowan to help match potential candidates. that would be a good fit with our church.
Pastoral Search Committee - Sept. 24, 2023 Update
Transition History
July 21, 2023
August 27, 2023
October 20-22, 2023
End of November
December 3, 2023
James Dickson announces his call to Covenant Theological Seminary and transition from Senior Pastor of CCPCA.
CCPCA congregation voted and approved the 11 member Pastoral Search Committee.
Discovery Weekend with McGowan Global Institute.
CCPCA Church & Pastor Profile completed.
CCPCA congregation voted to release James Dickson as Senior Pastor and the PSC began Phase 2.