Senior Pastor Transition 

A MESSAGE FROM THE ELDER BOARD

Jay Abramson informed the Elder Board that he believed God was making it clear that he was in the final phase of his ministry at Valley Community Baptist Church. After nearly 30 years in ministry at Valley, including 25 years as Senior Pastor, he announced at the February Congregational Meeting that he would be retiring in 2020.

Click here to read the entire message.

July 2019 Notes

The Senior Pastor Search Committee recently met with Agora, the outside firm hired by Valley to conduct the national search.

 Agora reported that since the job was posted June 4, they have received several resumes, which they are reviewing. Agora spent the first month “casting a wide net” in the search, which includes emails and phone calls to specific Christian organization leaders who fit our profile. The Committee and Agora will continue to meet every 3-4 weeks for updates as this phase continues.

 There are two things the congregation can do in this part of the search process:

• If you have suggestions for candidates, or appropriate contacts in your network, please  let the Search Committee know and it will pass along the information to Agora. You can email ideas to Communications Director Mike Guersch.

• Please continue to pray for the Search Committee, our next Senior Pastor, Jay and Liz, and the entire process. Senior Pastor Transition prayer cards are available at all three locations.

March 2019 Meeting Notes

ALL ABOUT THE SEARCH COMMITTEE

The Senior Pastor Search Committee is all set after the Valley congregation approved the three open positions. The committee:

Charlotte Hacker (co-chair)

Sam Moy (co-chair)

Caleb Earnest

Katie Greenlaw

Bill Lindberg

Mary Marlowe

Kip Mentzer

Nancy Parent

Next step: Please be praying for each of our eight Senior Pastor Search Committee members. We're very grateful for their service!

ALL ABOUT THE OUTSIDE SEARCH FIRM

 The Elder Board recommended Agora Search Group as our outside search firm for the Senior Pastor Transition process, and the congregation unanimously approved the choice. Most churches of Valley's size utilize a national search firm in the process of calling a new Senior Pastor. Read more about Agora at its website.

Agora follows a four-phase process in its Senior Pastor searches:

- Define

- Discover

- Discern

- Decide

Next step: With the congregation having approved the funding, Agora leaders, including President Rob Lauer, are scheduled to make their first visit to Valley before Easter as they begin the "Define" phase of the process.

Agora estimates that a Senior Pastor search process takes 6-9 months from the start of the first phase.

About This Page

This page will serve as the communications hub for the entire Senior Pastor Transition process at Valley. Feel free to bookmark, and check occasionally for updates and new content. Our goal is to keep you as informed as possible during the transition.

We will also try to answer questions about the transition that would be of widespread interest. Email Communications Director Mike Guersch if you have a question you'd like to see answered in this space. 

Here's the Latest ...

UPDATE: JULY 20, 2019

Transition Committee Meets

The Senior Pastor Transition Committee met as scheduled with the Agora search team this past week. Applicants continue to move through the process at Agora, which reported that the posting is being received positively by leaders at various Christian organizations. The next meeting is scheduled for August.

Save the date: Please mark your calendar for the Valley Congregational Meeting on Sunday, September 22, at 5 p.m. at Valley Avon. The Transition Committee will provide an update on the search at that time.

UPDATE: JULY 14, 2019

Agora Reviewing Applications

The Senior Pastor Transition Committee is happy to report it is meeting regularly with Agora, which is receiving resumes and reviewing them for consideration. Agora is in active search mode and pursuing prospective candidates. See the full update on the left to learn more and about how you can help!

Click here to view the job posting

UPDATE: JUNE 7, 2019

Full Job Profile Posted by Agora

The search is on! Agora, the outside search firm approved by the Congregation to conduct a national search for our next Senior Pastor, posted the full job description and profile on their website this week. Agora is now in active search mode, a key step in the Senior Pastor Transition process. 

Click here to view the job position overview on the Agora site. From there, you can click to the full profile of the opportunity.

UPDATE: MAY 21, 2019

Transition Town Halls Concluded

Thanks to everyone who attended our Transition Town Halls in May. The Senior Pastor Search Committee hosted nine gatherings across all three locations, hearing from Valley attenders about their thoughts and expectations of our next Senior Pastor.

The Committee will use that feedback to assist as they consider candidates recommended by our outside search firm. Your insights will be invaluable in the process!

The next step is the publishing of the job profile and the beginning of the national search. When the profile is approved by Valley, we will link to it here.

UPDATE: APRIL 13, 2019

Search Firm Visiting Valley

Leaders from the Agora Search Group are visiting Valley this weekend for several discussions and to experience a worship service at Valley Avon. Malcolm and Rob are meeting with elders, pastors, staff, and the Senior Pastor Search Committee. They've also asked for prayer for their search and for the new Senior Pastor, whom God will call to serve at Valley.

NEWS ALERT: MARCH 31, 2019

Search Committee, Search Firm, Funds Approved

Valley members unanimously approved several important steps in the Senior Pastor Transition process today at a special Congregational Meeting at the Avon Campus.

Katie Greenlaw, Charlotte Hacker, and Kip Mentzer were approved for the three open positions on the Senior Pastor Search Committee. They will join current Standing Search Committee members Bill Lindberg, Mary Marlowe, Sam Moy, and Nancy Parent. Church Chairman Tom Turbiak also announced that the Elder Board appointed Caleb Earnest to fill the elder spot on the eight-person committee, following our church Constitution.

The congregation also approved the hiring of Agora Search Group as our outside search firm, as well as funding for that search. Two-thirds of the funds will be part of the next fiscal year budget.

See the item at left for helpful links and next steps in the process, and bookmark this page for frequent updates and answers to your questions about the process.

UPDATE: MARCH 20, 2019

Senior Pastor Transition Question 1:

With the recent departure of our Executive Pastor, how is the staff leadership currently structured? 

Answer: 

An interim leadership plan has been put in place for Valley staff. The plan spreads Tim’s responsibilities and direct reports across three people already in key staff leadership roles at Valley: Senior Pastor Jay Abramson, Church Administrator Kevin Haskins, and Interim Care Ministry Director Jay Kuhrt. Because the partnership between a Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor is crucial to healthy ministry, Valley will not be pursuing another Executive Pastor until the new Senior Pastor is called.

Pastor Jay oversees Kevin Haskins (Church Administrator), Jay Kuhrt (Interim Care Ministry Director), Susan Hart (Worship Arts Director), and Brandon Sanford (Students and Children). Pastor Jay meets regularly with Pastor Mark Woof (Simsbury) and Pastor Andrew Southwick (Bristol) regarding preaching plans and pastoral mentoring.

Kevin Haskins oversees Pastor Andrew Southwick (Bristol), Pastor Doug Christgau (Outreach) and Pastor Jerry Costley (Spiritual Growth & Discipleship). Kevin continues to oversee Finances, Human Resources, Facilities, and Communication staff. Kevin is an ex-officio participant at the Elder Board meetings and the staff representative on the Standing Search Committee. 

Jay Kuhrt oversees Mark Woof (Simsbury), the IT/systems staff, and the front-office staff. Jay also leads and facilitates all staff team meetings. Jay continues to oversee the Care Ministry staff. 

GOT A QUESTION? LET US KNOW

We want this space to be the information hub for the entire search process. If you have a question that might be of general interest, please email our Communications Director for consideration. Thanks for your participation!