Our sincere desire during the pastor search process is to keep the congregation informed and assured that steps are being made to honor God in the selection of a Senior Pastor for Elmbrook Church. This page is designed to answer your questions and offer ways the congregation can be involved and support the Council of Elders in discerning God’s calling of a Senior Pastor.

Recognizing the temptation to do this on our own (and also realizing that we can’t!) we need you to join us in prayer.

Please consider participating in one of the following ways:

Attend one or more of the information sessions to be held monthly during 3rd hour in the chapel. Dates include April 18th, May 2nd and June 6th.  About half of the time in these meetings will be devoted to group prayer.

Sign up for prayer requests that are emailed weekly from the search subcommittee.

Consider joining the search subcommittee in fasting each Tuesday noon.  For more information, contact the search subcommittee at pastorsearch@elmbrook.org

In February, the search team began spreading the word about the opportunity to Elmbrook’s broader network, both potential candidates as well as those who could recommend candidates.  In response to this outreach, we have begun compiling a list of potential candidates.   As we proceed through the spring, the subcommittee and Council of Elders will begin to hone in on a shorter list of potential candidates with whom to begin in-depth conversations.

There is no specific deadline; we will take as much time as is necessary to discern God’s will for our next senior pastor.  We need to take time to make the best possible decisions.  Fortunately, Elmbrook Church is extremely healthy and we anticipate that this interim period will be one of spiritual vitality in Elmbrook’s various ministries.

The congregation will have the opportunity to hear the finalist preach and to provide feedback to the Council prior to the elders issuing a call to the new pastor.  There is no specific date set for this, except to say that it will happen toward the end of the search process.

Is the search firm going to be presenting one man to us as their recommended next senior pastor?

No.  The search firm is working for Elmbrook Church in an advisory capacity.  The search subcommittee with input from the Council of Elders will be interacting with a variety of candidates and will be highly involved in the process of narrowing down the field.

Who calls a Senior Pastor?

The Council of Elders is responsible for calling a Senior Pastor after ascertaining the support of the congregation. The input of the congregation will be solicited as the search process motives and candidates are identified. 

A subcommittee of the Council has been appointed to assist in the search by taking on assignments and making recommendations to the Council. The search subcommittee consists of:

Chairman- Thomas Boyce, Elder
Shanthini Baskaran
Dr. Gloria Halverson, Liaison to the Council of Elders
Dr. Dave Hubbard, Elder
John Matthews, Chairman of the Council of Elders
Ramu Ramiah
Roselyn Staples, Associate Pastor-Senior Adults
Dave Stuedemann
Brodie Swanson, Associate Pastor-Children's Ministry

The subcommittee will not act independently of the Council of Elders, but will be an important part in completing some of the due diligence of selecting suitable candidates.

The Council has also approved the solicitation of a professional search firm to assist the team in finding candidates through a global search and selecting suitable candidates in the most efficient manner.

How will the Council select the right person?

The foundation of our work is prayer. As you may recall, we have been working hard to build a renewed culture of prayerful dependence at Elmbrook. Please join us! We invite you to pray for the COE and search subcommittee throughout this process.  Prayer updates are available by contacting the search team.

In addition, the COE is at work with the pastoral team, other church leaders, and congregational focus groups, shaping a clear definition of the character traits and gifts necessary in a Senior Pastor. The maturing work of ACTS 29 has been instrumental in helping us understand both our rich history as a church as well as some of the possible next opportunities for ministry. Our legacy of Biblically sound leadership, as well as our unique needs moving into a new season of ministry, will shape the necessary traits sought in a leader.

{ new }

{ the brook }

Access Elmbrook sermons, articles, interviews, and much more at The Brook.

Come to the Brook