An update from your Pastoral Search Committee -
As a reminder, we remain in Phase Two of the pastoral search process, which is the receiving, reviewing, and interviewing stage.
Before sharing any details, we want to frame this rightly: this process belongs to the Lord. Christ is the Head of the church. He loves Trinity Grace more than we do. He knew when Michael would leave, and He knows when the next senior pastor will come. Our responsibility is to be faithful, prayerful, patient, and diligent. The Lord promises to build His church.
We also want to give a little clarity on what this phase involves. When a candidate comes to us, we begin by receiving his resume and a questionnaire regarding his theology, ministry experience, and pastoral approach. After reviewing his resume and background, we may conduct an initial interview. We then spend more time reviewing his sermons and written materials. If there is continued encouragement, we may hold a first full committee 90-minute interview. If it still seems wise to continue, we may then conduct a second full committee 90-minute interview with him and his wife. At each step, we are praying, discussing, and seeking to discern whether the Lord is leading us forward with that candidate.
As of now, we have reviewed 19 candidates. Of those 19, two have advanced to a second full committee 90-minute interview. We have been actively interviewing candidates for roughly five months, even though we know the overall transition has felt longer for the church. There has been real activity, real progress, and real discernment.
As we evaluate candidates, we are looking for faithful, clear, strong preaching; pastoral experience and wisdom; love for Christ and His church; the ability to shepherd families, children, and the whole congregation; alignment with Trinity Grace’s theology, liturgy, worship, mission, and church profile; and pastoral temperament and fit for the particular needs of our church in this season.
It is also important to remember that this is a two-way process. We are discerning candidates, and candidates are also discerning us. We are not the right fit for every pastor, just as every pastor is not the right fit for us. Sometimes the Lord closes a door through the committee’s discernment. Sometimes, He closes a door through a candidate’s discernment. Sometimes timing, family considerations, location, church size, another opportunity, or other factors outside our control are involved.
From the beginning, we have prayed that the Lord would open the doors He wants opened and close the doors He wants closed. He has been faithful to do that. Closed doors are one of the Lord’s mercies and one of the ways He guides and protects His church.
We want to share an encouragement we've seen in this process. Several candidates have commented positively on our church profile, liturgy, worship, and the seriousness with which Trinity Grace approaches the life of the church. We receive that humbly, but it has been encouraging to see men recognize evidences of the Lord’s kindness to this congregation.
Another encouragement is that the Lord has preserved unity on the committee. We do not all come from the same background or perspective, but He has been kind to help us see many of the same things together. That is something to give thanks for.
Please keep praying. Pray for wisdom, patience, unity, and endurance for the committee. Pray for the candidates and their families. Pray for our families, elders, interim leadership, staff, and congregation. Pray that the Lord would keep us from weariness, open the right doors, close the wrong ones, prepare the right man for Trinity Grace, and prepare Trinity Grace to receive him.
We are encouraged. We are not anxious. We remain in Phase Two, and we are still doing the work. More importantly, the Lord is doing His work. Christ is building His church, guarding Trinity Grace, and He will provide in His time.
Warmly,
The Pastoral Search Committee