Search Committee
UPDATES
March 17, 2024
The congregational survey summary was presented on March 17. See the summary above.
The job search is now live on Vanderbloemen's site. You may view it here. Vanderbloemen is thrilled to begin actively searching, networking, and reviewing candidates. There will be posts on Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks promoting the search for our new lead pastor. Please feel free to share these posts so that we might be able to reach as many candidates as possible.
February 29, 2024
An online congregational survey was offered on February 14 to gain insight into members' views on our church and what we are looking for in our next lead pastor. The link was made available through February 29. We had a great response! Results are being tallied and will be shared on this page. The search team is collaborating with staff to create an overview video about Southridge as the final step for the pastoral job posting to go live.
February 4, 2024
The Lead Pastor search for Southridge Church officially launched on Sunday, February 4, 2024. Tim Gocha from the Vanderbloemen Search Group joined us for worship and shared briefly about the firm, his personal background and what the next six to eight months of the search process would look like.
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After service he met separately with the Search Committee, the Consistory, a focus group of church members and attendees, and Pastor Mark. On Wednesday, he interviewed staff members virtually. Mr. Gocha gathered information and input from all groups about the type of pastor we might be seeking and will share his findings, along with surveys and community data provided by the Search Committee, with his team.
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Next steps
VanderBloemen will formulate a profile and job posting for our Lead Pastor that will go live in a few weeks. For our part, the Search Committee is working with staff to create an introductory video about our church that will provide those viewing the job post with an overview of our facility and our ministries.
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It is the intent of the Search Committee to provide regular updates on the search process. If you have specific questions, please email the committee members using the form below.
How can you help?
Please be in prayer for this process and for the next pastor that God has chosen for us. Pray that their heart is open to receive the call, and that we as a church family are welcoming and excited for the future.
January 30, 2024
Pastor Mark’s Role
Pastor Mark will be retiring from Southridge in June 2024. He will continue with pastoral responsibilities until then. These pastoral responsibilities include preaching, teaching, calling (visiting the sick and shut- ins, contacting those who have left the church, and meeting with individuals experiencing spiritual needs), and outreach. Additionally, Pastor Mark is serving as an advisor to Consistory.
Senior Pastor Search
We have formed a Search Committee whose composition is Ann Drake (Chair of the Committee and Deacon), Bill Slager (Elder), Di Nicholas (Elder), Dave Scholz (Elder), Phil Reed (Member), and Mary DeHaan (Member) Betsy Loeks (Member), and Mark Drake, Jr. (Member).
We have engaged with the pastoral search firm, Vanderbloemen Search Group (https://www.vanderbloemen.com/), to lead us in the search for our Senior Pastor. Tim Gocha, Vice President of Consulting, will be working with our Search Committee and leading the search. From a timing standpoint, Tim has let us know that we can expect the search process duration to last a minimum of six months and possibly up to nine months.
Questions?