Pastoral Search

Cornerstone Family — We are excited to announce that we have appointed a new Senior Pastor at the Affirmation Meeting on November 24. We will be sharing all the details with you on Sunday, December 1. In the meantime, the new pastor has requested that we keep the news confidential until he can personally share it with his congregation. Thank you for your understanding and patience!

SENIOR PASTOR SEARCH – EXCITING NEWS: We are thrilled to announce an important milestone in the journey of our church community. After an extensive nationwide search that included sermon evaluations, in-depth interviews with several candidates, and most importantly seeking God’s direction through prayer and fasting, our search committee, along with the Elders, Trustees, and Pastor Donn Chapman, have confidently recommended a candidate for our next Senior Pastor position.

SPECIAL AFFIRMATION MEETING: Active members are warmly invited to attend an official meeting on November 24 at 6 PM in the Worship Center to affirm the recommendation for the new Senior Pastor of Cornerstone. The search committee, Elders, Trustees, and Pastor Donn Chapman will present their recommendation, and ballots will be provided for an immediate vote.

Cornerstone is deeply committed to seeking God’s guidance as we search for our next Senior Pastor. We ask for your continued prayers as we navigate this important process. Our executive church search firm, Vanderbloemen, has been hard at work. Their job posting received over 1,200 views, and they thoroughly reviewed more than 54 candidates. From that pool, they presented six highly qualified men of God. Each candidate has at least a Master’s degree in theology, over 20 years of ministry experience, and they come from large and small churches across the country.

Through prayer, discernment, and many conversations led by the search committee, Elders, Trustees, and Pastor Donn, we have narrowed the field from six to four, then to three, and now we have one clear front-runner. We are confident that God is leading us in the right direction, and we remain optimistic about the future.

Currently, Vanderbloemen is completing background checks on education, social media, and references to ensure a thorough vetting process.

Please continue to lift up Pastor Donn and his family in prayer as they approach this transition. While he will still be a part of our church community, transitions like these can be challenging. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated.

We are excited to invite you to join us in prayer for the next 30 days as we continue to seek God’s wisdom and direction in our search for our next Senior Pastor. This is a crucial time in the life of our church, and we believe that prayer is essential to discerning God’s will for our congregation. 

30 DAYS OF PRAYER GUIDE >

Hear from Pastor Donn about his heart on praying for the next Senior Pastor, and coming together at the church Wednesday, August 21 from 7-8 PM to pray together.

Join us for a Night of Prayer on Wednesday, August 21, from 7-8 PM!

On July 23, our representative from Vanderbloemen had a Zoom call with the pastoral search team to share exciting updates about our search for our next Senior Pastor. We are thrilled to report that our job posting has received over 1,250 views and attracted 54 applicants! Vanderbloemen is now in the process of vetting candidates to ensure they meet our qualifications and standards. Additionally, they have reached out to several individuals in their network to explore their interest in applying.

During the call, the representative presented anonymous resumes of potential candidates for our review. We are pleased to share that the Cornerstone pastoral search team found these candidates to be very promising, and they have been approved to move forward in the interview process.

Looking ahead, in four weeks, we will receive 4 – 6 candidates who will submit introductory videos to introduce themselves to us. As we prepare for this next phase, we invite you to join us in prayer. We are hosting an evening of prayer on Wednesday, August 21, from 7-8 PM. While Vanderbloemen and our representatives play a vital role in this process, we recognize that it is ultimately God’s guidance that will lead us to the right pastor for our church.

Let’s remember that this journey is about seeking the individual God is already preparing for us. Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

On the weekend of May 19, a representative from Vanderbloemen visited us, attended services, and met with various groups to understand the qualities we seek in our next Senior Pastor. We are confident that he understands our needs and can lead this process well. We ask for your patience in the days ahead, but most importantly, we ask you for your prayers. We need God’s will to guide us. Vanderbloemen and Cornerstone representatives are merely tools in God’s plan to bring a new pastor to His church. Remember, the purpose of this process is to seek the one God is already preparing for us.

We are praying for a man who loves Jesus with all of his heart and feels called to Cornerstone’s mission. We are praying for a visionary who leads with passion. We are praying for a dynamic preacher who presents solid Biblical truth in relevant and practical ways. We are praying for a humble servant and a man of deep character. We are praying for someone with a heart of compassion for those in our local community and across the globe. We are praying for someone who is unafraid to take a stand for truth in a world that has abandoned it. We are praying for a faithful shepherd to guide our congregation into the future.

The ideal Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Ministries will lead with vision and spiritual guidance, steering the congregation towards its mission through preaching, teaching, shepherding, and discipleship of its leaders. 

He is responsible for crafting and conveying vision and mission for both the staff and church body. As the primary teaching pastor, he must deliver the truths of God’s Word faithfully in accordance with sound biblical doctrine, ensuring relevance, authenticity, and personal applicability. Additionally, he must excel as a relational leader, fostering a healthy staff culture. 

Learn more about Cornerstone and the Senior Pastor Position here.