Who is advising Grace on the Transition and Senior Pastor Search?
We have been in contact with the leaders of three seminaries, Talbot, Masters and Dallas Theological, leaders of other large churches (some who have recently experienced a transition) and leaders from our own Baptist General Conference as well as the Evangelical Free Conference. The advice and wisdom we have gained is proving very helpful as we walk through our transition.

Additionally the pastoral and elder leadership has met with Jerry Sheveland, President of the Baptist General Conference. Jerry has led us through a series of four meetings focusing on leadership, vision and other exercises that helped our leadership clarify what our distinctives are, namely, what makes Grace, Grace, and prepare the way for developing the candidate profile of our next Senior Pastor.

What is Mike Gaston’s role during the transition?
The elders have given Mike the task of leading the preaching team during this transition period. As such, Mike will set the tone and select the topics and sermon series. He will work with Pastor Peter Beers on the content of the worship services and preach about 30% of the time.

Who will be preaching along side Mike during the transition?
As previously announced, we are pleased that Gordon Kirk has agreed to lend his considerable talent to preach about 50 to 60% of the time under Mike Gaston’s leadership beginning in early November. Gordon has been the preaching pastor at two large churches, has taught at seminaries and comes highly recommended by the deans of Talbot, Masters and Dallas Theological Seminary, the president of Biola University and others. He has an encouraging style, and we are excited to have him on board. Gordon will not be a candidate for the Senior Pastor position.

How will I be kept informed?
There are regular updates in a variety of forms, this web page is an excellent source, along with updates in the Grace Weekly, from the pulpit and the GracEmail. There are informational meetings and special mailings as needed to keep the Grace family, fully informed. You are also always welcome to ask questions of our Pastoral staff or our elders.

How long will the search for a new Senior Pastor take?
At Grace we always wait on the Lord as His timing is always perfect. However, it is typical in a church of our size for the search process to take 18 months or longer. We urge patience and trust in our great God who has been so faithful to Grace over these past years. We know God’s providence will continue as we move forward into the future.

Why does it take so long to replace a Senior Pastor?
Once the Pastoral Search Team is formed, the candidate profile will need to be finalized. The search team will then field and screen numerous resumes, listen to sermon tapes, interview potential candidates and narrow down the field to where a site visit may be recommended. Further one-on-one interviews will occur, the elders will review the potential candidate, he will be presented to the congregation, we will hear him preach and finally a congregational vote will occur. As mentioned by Pastor Geoff, looking for a new Senior Pastor is more like a dating relationship leading to a marriage than an employment recruitment process.

Will we be able to have any input or submit our thoughts on this process?
We are looking at how best to receive input from the congregation during all stages of this process, both individually and as a larger congregation. While we ponder this, currently on the web page there is a place to submit questions or comments. Please use this for extended comments as well. All submissions go straight to our Administrative Pastor, Paul Leitzell, for response. Our desire is for anyone in the congregation to be able to provide his or her thoughts both about Grace and the transition process.

Why are there fewer elders now than in January 2006?
All our elders past and present are godly men, who strive to shepherd the flock, live according to how God would lead them and care deeply for our Grace family. You may have noticed that our list of elders on the back of the Grace Weekly has shrunk some since January of 2006. The changes are for a variety of reasons ranging from retirement (Pastor Tom), relocation of business and family needs to differences as we look at leadership structure. We appreciate the dedicated service of each of these men.

Our bylaws require a minimum of six elders; we currently have ten. As we move further along in the transition process, we will look to see who God is raising up to join our elder leadership.