Our Pastor Search Committee is sharing frequent updates to the congregation on the pastor search process.

Please read the attached letter for an exciting announcement from our Pastoral Search Committee, Elders and Governing Board!

Watch this video from Dr. Doug Bortner and Lisa Bortner as they share how God has been calling them over the past year to pastoral church ministry in our area.

As announced on March 14th, Doug Bortner is the candidate to become our new Lead Pastor!  
We will be having a Candidating Sunday on March 21st where Doug will be preaching both online and in person at the 9:00am and 11:00am services.
 
We will also have a Welcome Spring Fest gathering outside after the second service concludes (you can join us at 12:45pm if you do not attend the in person services).  In addition to being a great time to reconnect in fellowship on a sunny spring day, this will be an opportunity for you to meet Doug and Lisa and share your thoughts and reactions with our elders and board members.  Come hungry as we will have sandwiches, wraps, coffee, donuts, and ice cream!  
Registration for Sunday morning services and the Welcome Spring Fest starts Thursday morning at 6:00am.  Attendance at an in person service is not required to participate outside in the Welcome Spring Fest.

Want to meet Doug & Lisa virtually?  On Thursday, March 25th at 7:00pm, Doug and Lisa will meet with you via Zoom to share their passion for Christ and our church, answer your questions and get to know you!   Reserve your place and get the Zoom connection information here!

Please read and watch this important announcement from our Elders, Governing Board and Pastoral Search Committee:

Hi All,
We want to thank you for the questions ahead of time and the great participation in Sunday's Town Hall meetings in person and virtually - which had combined representation of Pastor Search Committee, Governing Board and Elders.  We are sharing the questions and responses into a "TOWN HALL FAQ".   Please continue to keep us in your prayers - specifically for wisdom and discernment.  
In addition, there is an opportunity this upcoming Saturday 2/27 to join together for a time of prayer at 3:00pm at Stonecrest in the Great Escape or virtually through Zoom. 
RSVP below for our Prayer Meetings and to receive the connection information for the Zoom meeting if you plan on attending virtually.
God Bless,
Pastor Search Committee
Governing Board
Elders

Over the past few months we have done several video updates on the transition process which can be found here at www.stonecrestchurch.com/transition.  In December we shared the job description, which was posted on the C&MA District website.  We immediately started receiving resumes, which are first filtered through the district to ensure candidates fit our criteria and then passed along to our team.  Over the holidays our team reviewed at least 2 sermons per candidate along with resume and statement of faith.  We narrowed down our pool to begin interviewing.  Resumes and statements of faith were screened against the job description’s requirements and responsibilities (see job description here).

In addition, our team has created a robust set of interview questions for each stage of the interview process and candidates must submit a 90 day plan if they are selected.  We are now in the phase of in-depth interviews with a couple of candidates, which will be then passed on to the Elders and Governing Board for final interview with spouse.  During the in-depth interviews we probe on areas of spiritual formation, as well as the categories listed in the job description. When we make a decision on one lead candidate, we will bring his family in for a candidating weekend, at which stage we’ll have opportunities for you to provide feedback at your comfort level.

Our team is operating with a high degree of confidentiality and making decisions together at each step of the process.  Just reply directly to [email protected] if you have additional questions so that our team can answer.  We want to hear from you!  Please do not direct your questions to staff, as they are not as close to the process.  Thank you for your prayers, patience and faithfulness as we lean on God's leading.

God Bless,
Pastor Search Committee