His Place Church Elder Update
Pastoral Search Update
2021-03-28
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Dear His Place Church Family,
This is a short letter to communicate to you where we are in the
pastoral selection process, what steps we have thus far completed, and
what steps are forthcoming.
We are at the stage in our selection process of naming the candidate
that the elders believe, through much prayer, thought, and discussion,
would be a good teaching pastor for His Place Church. First, though, we
want to be transparent about what has thus far transpired:
- A
pastoral selection committee was gathered from a cross-section of
members of His Place Church to evaluate pastoral candidates and make
recommendations to the elder board
- Pastoral
candidates were gathered from contacts with other churches and
acquaintances throughout the West. Some were already known, some were
made aware of our need, and some were recommended by others. We did not
publicly post the position as we wanted to exhaust the more direct,
personal relationship channels before going public
- Each
of these candidates were vetted by the pastoral selection committee.
This evaluation was conducted by reviewing sermons taught by the
candidates and reviewing resumes and other available information to
determine teaching ability, theological foundations, experience, and
other factors. A recommendation was then made to the elders as to
whether to pursue a given candidate for the next step of being vetted by
the elders
- Though
there were a number of candidates, only one candidate stood out for
pursuing with further discussions and interviews by the elders
- The
elders have had many discussions with this candidate as well as with
the elders of his sending church and have found him to be well qualified
as an elder in accordance with 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Other factors were also
evaluated and determined to be very satisfactory. The positive
assessment of this candidate has been determined via the following:
- Viewing sermons he has given that are posted on-line
- His ordination exam conducted by his church’s elders and other pastors outside of his ordaining church
- Answering of an extensive list of questions sent by the elders of His Place Church
- Remote and in-person interviews and visits with Luke and the His Place Church elders and their family members
- Recommendation and confirmation by the elders of his sending church
- Education and experience teaching the Word of God to various demographics
With all of that background work having been completed, the elders of
His Place Church are pleased to put forward Luke Rhee as being strongly
recommended for the pastoral teaching position. Luke is from Southern
California and is on the pastoral staff at Foothill Bible Church in
Upland, CA.
This process is not complete and the decision to bring Luke on as our
teaching pastor has not been finalized. This is where the elders are
asking the body to be involved in the process by taking the time to do
the following:
- Watch/listen to the sermons that Luke has given. They are posted on-line: Foothill Bible Church: Upland, CA > Sermons
- Delve into his theological beliefs and thought via his ordination exam https://youtu.be/R0hdvCbxB-s
You may also feel free to ask any of the elders a specific question. It
is very likely the elders have already asked the question and if not
they would be happy to get the answer for you
- Research Foothill Bible Church’s statement of faith
- Prayerfully consider Luke’s fit as God’s chosen teaching pastor
We have invited Luke to preach at His Place Church Sunday April 18th and
Sunday April 25th. We will also have a Wednesday night service where he
will be leading a question and answer service to help you get to know
him a little better and as an opportunity to answer questions you may
have for him. During the week he will have availability to attend home
groups and various Bible studies to meet you so that you can get to know
him.
We would like to solicit your feedback and input and ask that you send
your questions, comments, suggestions, and feedback in an email to
questions@hisplace.org
Most important to this whole process is that we, as the Body of Christ,
are in fervent, frequent prayer concerning our next teaching pastor.
Please pray for:
- Unity in the body regarding this decision
- Humility
in recognizing that God’s man for the position is the most important
factor and not our own agendas or preconceptions of who that person
ought to be
- Grace
with each other, the elders, and God’s chosen vessel. We are all very
flawed people and but for the grace of God could accomplish nothing
- Wisdom in discerning what God’s will is and who it is that He wills as our next teaching pastor
Our goal is that after you have had the chance to research Luke’s
qualifications, attend his congregational teachings, and prayerfully
consider him as your next teaching pastor, that we would then progress
to a congregational vote on Sunday May 23rd. This is not a unilateral
decision that the elders are making. We are entrusting the rest of the
body to be in unity with each other and with the elders who have made
this recommendation. It is a choice we make together to the glory of God
and for the glory of God.
His Place Elder Team
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