Your Prayers Matter in this Process

Finding our next pastor isn’t about filling a position—it’s about discerning God’s call. We’re committed to seeking His guidance at every turn, and that’s where you come in. Please pray with us. Pray for clarity for our search team and elders. Pray for the candidate and his family as they consider this call. Pray over every conversation, every decision, and every detail.

 

Candidating Weekend Schedule

July 17th

7:30 PM  |  Dessert with the Elders in Room 152

The candidate will join the elders for a casual opportunity to meet and get to know one another.

7:30 PM  |  Women’s Dessert Night in Room 210

The candidate’s wife will attend Women’s Dessert Night! Meet her while also connecting with other women at Faith during this open-house style event. There is no specific programming during the event.

July 18th

8:00-9:30 AM  |  Men’s Breakfast in Room 210

The candidate will be joining this event as we hear from Dave Cetola regarding his church planting ministry in Italy.

Both the Men’s Breakfast and Women’s Dessert events give our candidate and his wife the opportunity to be a part of the ministry of Faith, without being the main focus. It’s a time to connect with one another at Faith and meet them, but without any formal programming element.

11:30-1:00 PM  |  Church Staff Lunch with Candidate

3:00-5:00 PM  |  Beyond Bingo – All-church Event in the Gathering Space

We’ll “play” bingo with the candidate. With the selection of each square on the bingo card, he’ll answer a variety of questions that range from his personal family history, to sermon prep, to his walk with the Lord. Children and families are welcome to come to this event; no childcare or additional kids’ programming is provided.

July 19th

9:00 AM & 10:45 AM | Candidate preaches during both services

Neither livestream or public recording is available during services to protect the candidate and his current ministry position. A link to his sermon will be sent out in Faith News on the Wednesday following candidating weekend.

12:15 PM  | All-Church Lunch with Q&A in the Gathering Space

Right after second service, we’ll gather for lunch as a church family and have the opportunity to ask questions and hear more from our candidate. Please submit your questions ahead of time by texting in to our church text number: 855.581.0388

July 26th

6:30 PM  | Meeting and Vote

Evening Congregational Meeting and members vote on the pastoral candidate. All are welcome to attend – both members and attenders. The meeting will include a time of discussion – the elders and search team invite you to give feedback based on your interactions with Dale and Mandy. If you cannot attend the meeting or are not comfortable speaking publicly, you can:

[1]  Fill out a feedback form online,

[2]  Fill out a hard copy of the feedback form, available at the Info Desk, or

[3]  Connect with a member of the search team:

  • Chelsea Mohler | chelsea.q.mohler@gmail.com
  • Andrea Preston | bapreston1008@sbcglobal.net
  • Jerry Risser | drrisser@fallcreekvet.com
  • Ann Marie Shambaugh | annmarieshambaugh@gmail.com
  • Gabe Short | gabeshorty@gmail.com
  • Nate Snyder | nate.snyder@ymail.com
  • Tom Waltz | tom@waltzway.com

The Process at a Glance

  • Gather and Approve a Search Team

    Gather and Approve a Search Team

    The group was proposed by the Nominating Committee and EEB, and our congregation voted to approve a team of 7 individuals during our June 2025 Church Business Meeting.

  • Hire a Search Firm

    Hire a Search Firm

    Our Search Team, in support with the elders, made the decision to hire NL Moore & Associates to help us in our search for a lead pastor.

  • Gather Evidence

    Gather Evidence

    NL Moore guides us through a discovery process—including a congregational assessment, interviews, and focus groups—to clarify our church’s identity and identify the qualities we need in our next pastor.

  • Develop Candidate Profiles

    Develop Candidate Profiles

    NL Moore works closely with the Search Team and our Elder Executive Board to synthesize the results of the congregational assessment, interviews, and focus groups to create a Candidate and Opportunity Profile.

    Our Candidate and Opportunity profile for the next Lead Pastor is live and can be viewed by potential candidates! You can check out the snapshot version, or the complete Opportunity Profile here.

  • Find Candidates

    Find Candidates

    We’re grateful to share that NL Moore is nearing completion of their nationwide search, having prequalified a strong pool of pastoral candidates based on theology, education, experience, references, and personal assessments. During this time, the Search Team has been actively preparing for interviews and anticipates moving into the interview process next. Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we take these next steps together.

  • Search Team Interviews

    Search Team Interviews

    Our Search Team begins their discernment process through candidate interviews and personal visits from the pool of candidates in the previous step.

    As of February 18, 2026: The Search Team has completed two rounds of interviews with the candidate slate presented to us by NL Moore & Associates and will be narrowing the search as we move into the next phase.

  • Select and Confirm

    Select and Confirm

    This is our current stage in the process.

    A final candidate is recommended to leadership and confirmed according to Faith’s church bylaws. This includes a candidating weekend, live preaching, meet and greet, etc.