January 4, 2009 - Update

Here is a short update on our progress.

We have made tremendous progress in the search for our next pastor. We have narrowed the selection down to a very small number of highly qualified candidates. Richard Buckley was on this list until the point he personally requested us to remove him from consideration. We were very surprised at this request but respect Richard and his reasons for doing so. Therefore he is no longer one of our final candidates.

Richard Buckley has done an amazing job in this interim process. I am not aware of any church making it through an interim process unscathed. Honestly, our church has had some very unique challenges. Most interims just come in, fill the pulpit on Sunday, and let the church leaders work through their own problems. Richard provided leadership, challenged us spiritually, and cared for us as if he were part of this church family from the very beginning. He has exceeded our expectations in ways we could never have imagined. Richard Buckley has been an incredible gift to us from God.

We should all be very excited about where God is taking us as a church. We are a casual, contemporary, and creative church in a very traditional church culture right in the middle of the Bible belt. We have 18 acres on the growing edge of one of the fastest growing, highest educated, and diverse cities in the country. We are a "gold mine" for contemporary minded pastors all over the country. The interest level in our church is staggering.

From our very first meeting we have prayed, researched materials, and consulted church leaders and pastors to establish a proven process of recruiting and determining God's choice for our future. We have not taken this task lightly…we owe you that. You have been praying for this team and God has answered your prayers in amazing ways.

God has been with us every step of the way. In almost all of our own meetings we come in with completely different opinions and perspectives on individual candidates. But we open in prayer and respectfully listen to everyone's thoughts and by the end of every meeting we are able to come to a consensus and are in complete harmony with the outcome. That my friends, is a "God Thing"! Every week we are able to see God's hand move us closer to His will. God is working, we are getting close, and "His Will", will prevail.

Please keep praying and know that God is in control and has great plans for our future here at The Brook.

August 24, 2008 - Update

1. Our first step was to complete profiles of the type of pastor we are looking for, the church and the community. The transition team did much of this work. This step is finished.

2. Right now we are in the process of gathering resumes. In order to narrow down the list of candidates, we will evaluate the resumes according to the pastor profile and the leading of the Holy Spirit. (This is the step we are currently on.)

3. In order to further narrow the list, we will gather more detailed information on these candidates via written questionnaires and listening to recorded sermons.

4. We will choose 3-5 candidates, rank these in the order we want to pursue them. Beginning with the top one, we will go deeper in getting to know them through a series of interviews with the candidate and his wife, through listening to them preach in person, and by having the staff meet with them. We will check their references and eventually do a background/credit check. We will also discuss salary and benefits at this time.

5. If after all this the candidate is still interested in continuing with the process, the team is still all in agreement and the staff likes the candidate, we will invite him to come for a weekend at the church where everyone will have a chance to meet him. There will be a reception for him and his family, and he will preach in both services on that Sunday. Members present on that date will vote on whether to call the candidate as our new pastor.

6. Assuming the vote passes by a 2/3 majority and the candidate still wants to come, things would be put into motion to move him here (if necessary) and to help him transition from his current position into his new position.

June 29, 2008 - Update

Introduce Pastor Search Team members to church body.

Review Mission Statement in Pastor Search Team Brochure.

Review Covenant in Pastor Search Team Brochure.

The Pastor Search Team has met on several occasions to lay the groundwork for the search process.

We are very early in the process and are awaiting a report from the Transition Team on feedback from the General Church Survey and Pastor Search Survey. We will use this information to help guide us in the search process.

We will periodically update the church on this process. To be fair to the church, we will not be able to update individuals and will refrain from discussing proceedings until the church-wide announcements.

In the spirit of transparency, we do want to bring one thing to your attention. Richard Buckley, our interim pastor, has expressed a desire to submit his resume for consideration.

There is nothing in our bylaws to exclude an interim pastor from submitting a resume. Since God has not yet revealed His will to us, we do not want to exclude Richard as a potential candidate. In light of this, Richard has not and will not participate in the Pastor Search Team’s meetings except in the form of an interview, if that time comes.

Having said that, we want you to know that we love Richard but our desire for God’s will is greater than that love. We want God’s will for The Brook. Therefore, we will consider every candidate without preference.

In 1st Samuel 16, we read that God sent Samuel to Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the next king. As soon as Samuel saw Eliab he thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But Samuel was wrong. He jumped to a conclusion based on first impressions. We do not want to fail God and we do not want to fail you. We will not jump to conclusions. We will do due diligence and let God guide us to His perfect will.

We ask three things: 1) Pray for us and for God’s will 2) Be open to God’s will 3) Have Faith that God will bring His will to pass.

If you would like to submit a resume please e-mail it to us at resume.submit@thebrookchurch.com or mail it to the church office to the attention of the Pastor Search Team.

This is a critical time in our church history. We understand that many want to be heard regarding the selection process. Many people have already spoken up and have influenced the direction we are taking. In order to give everyone an opportunity to express themselves (regarding the pastor search process) we have set up a system for you to submit your ideas online. Please e-mail the team at pastor.search@thebrookchurch.com with any questions, comments or concerns or mail a letter to the church office to the attention of the Pastor Search Team.

Since the Church Staff is not a part of this team they will not be equipped to answer your questions. If you have questions, please submit them to the team as instructed above. We will try to answer submitted questions during our reports to the church. We can only respond to questions that do not compromise the integrity of the process or the confidentiality of the applicants. We appreciate your understanding in this area.