Leadership Updates:

October 16, 2011

Staff & Lead Pastor Update – Announcement from Kyle Easley Sunday Morning

As we have announced several times over the past few months, we are in the process of searching for another Lead Pastor as we transition to a new model of ministry here at Grace.  I’d like to give you a little more information about why we have decided to move to this new model and then an update on some of the specifics of the search.

First, let me talk about why we are moving to this new model of leadership, which involves a shift from a Sr. Pastor to two Lead Pastors and more of a team approach to ministry. For several years, it has become increasingly obvious that our church is outgrowing its leadership structure.  We have grown to be a large church, with over 800 people actively involved, but up to this point have still been structured and operated like a small church.  The shift from a small church to a large church is a significant one, as it requires an entirely different skill set from the staff.  In a small church, the staff is asked to directly minister, but as a church grows, they are required to lead leaders and set up systems that allow ministry to happen through teams of volunteers.

In order for us to continue to minister effectively and be the church that we feel that God has called us to be, change is necessary.  This is a conversation that began with Justin and I almost 2 years ago.  Justin and I began to talk about the need for a shift to a team-approach to ministry.  We visited churches that had moved to this model and I was asked to begin working with him as a two person executive team to help Grace minister more effectively.  When Justin resigned this past May, the elder board began to consider how to restructure in order to better serve the congregation and the person or people in leadership here.  After much prayer and discussion, the elders and I agreed to move this direction with me serving as one of the two lead pastors to lead Grace Bible Church.  This is a model that I fully endorse and am excited to be a part of.

Most of the questions that we have heard about this new model involve how responsibilities will be split between the lead pastors.  Pastoral ministry involves three primary components: teaching, leading, and counseling.  These three components will be shared between myself and the other lead pastor.  We will share the teaching, leading and counseling, and there will be a clear set of responsibilities between the two of us.  Exactly how these divisions will look is dependent upon the person that we hire.  The beauty of this setup is that it allows each person to admit their weakness and play to their strengths.

We began the process this summer of identifying and talking with people that we knew of who would be a good fit here.  At this point, we are talking with one candidate in particular that we feel would be a great fit for Grace Bible Church.  We are praying that the Lord will make it obvious to both him and to us whether he is the right man or not.  We ask your prayers for this as well.  Once we identify and find another lead pastor, we will be able to move aggressively to continue to build a healthy staff.

I am aware that there are many areas that need attention as we move forward, but my main priority for this year has been to build a healthy staff team here at Grace Bible Church.  In many ways, as the church has grown, staff members have found themselves in increasingly difficult situations with unclear job descriptions.  It is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to have a healthy church without a healthy staff.  So, we are doing the important work of making sure that before we move forward with the vision that we feel God is calling us to, we have a healthy staff to execute it.

Thankfully, God has already begun to meet some of our most pressing needs.  Over the past few weeks you have had the chance to worship with Josh Taylor, who has stepped in to help give Ryan Finnerud a needed break to focus on some of his other responsibilities.  Josh is a gifted worship leader, and is also incredibly talented in graphic design and communications, a long-time need that we have had on our team.  Josh recently accepted an offer to join our staff full-time and is in the process of moving his family here.  They hope to be in Nacogdoches by the end of the year.  Josh will serve as our Director of Communications and will serve along with Ryan Finnerud as our Worship Leaders.  Ryan and Josh will work as a team to lead worship in the same way that myself and another lead pastor will split the teaching on Sunday mornings.  We are excited and thankful for God’s provision.

Know that we will keep you updated along the way and want to answer your questions to the best of our ability.   We need your help in two ways:

First, please continue to pray for wisdom as we move forward and construct a team of servant leaders who are ready to move forward aggressively for the Gospel.  Pray for us, and for the people that God wants to send here.

Second, I ask that you trust the leadership here.  The Elder board at Grace Bible Church is a group of the finest and most Godly men that I have ever worked with.  They are trustworthy and spend countless hours praying, planning, and setting the vision for us as a church body.  I ask that you trust the Leadership that God has established here.