Special Meeting Notice

Over the last several months, the Search Committee and Board of Trustees have been engaged in a thorough process to identify our next Lead Pastor. Throughout this season, we have prayed and sought God’s guidance and experienced His provision. After an extensive period of vetting highly qualified candidates from around the country, including in-depth interviews and a rigorous theological evaluation, the Board of Trustees is excited to share that we have completed the search process and are prepared to present our selected candidate as the Trustees’ nominee to be the next Lead Pastor of Christ Church. We wholeheartedly believe this candidate fulfills the criteria in the Lead Pastor Profile set by the Trustees, staff and congregation earlier this year. 

Our Lead Pastor candidate will be introduced to the congregation via email and video Saturday, October 19. On Sunday, October 20, Rev. Dr. Dan Meyer will introduce and engage the nominee in a conversation during each worship service, giving us an opportunity to hear directly from the candidate on a variety of topics that will be important to the congregation and future of our church. On Sunday, October 27, the nominee will preach at all services. We encourage our entire congregation to continue to pray and attend worship on October 20 and 27 to hear from the Lead Pastor nominee.  

Following each worship service on Sunday, October 27, we will hold a congregational vote to call our new Lead Pastor. This special meeting will take place at the end of each service in the worship spaces at our Oak Brook and Butterfield campuses. Per the Christ Church Constitution, voting to affirm the Trustees’ nominee for the Lead Pastor is limited to members of Christ Church. The nominee is to be affirmed by a minimum of two-thirds majority of those present, in person and online, at this special meeting. 

Members of the Board of Trustees and Search Committee will be available at the Oak Brook Connection Center and Butterfield Commons after worship on Sunday, October 20 to answer your questions. We are deeply grateful for your ongoing prayers and support throughout this journey. Your faithfulness has been invaluable. We hope you will join us for these upcoming historic events in the life of our church. 

More details will be forthcoming to members of the church about the voting process and events to introduce the Lead Pastor nominee to our congregation.

With blessings and gratitude,

Tim MacKenzie
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees

Dear Christ Church,

As the new church programming year begins and kids head back to school, we hope this message finds you well and able to enjoy these last days of the summer break. The Search Committee has been working diligently to identify the new Lead Pastor and we are very pleased with the quality of candidates God has sent to us. We are so thankful for your words of encouragement and your prayers as we walk through this important season of discernment.

We are drawing closer to completing our search process and anticipate making a recommendation for our congregation to consider a candidate to assume the Lead Pastor position. Our path began over 11 months ago, and we have spent over 800 hours defining the Lead Pastor role, reviewing candidates, conducting interviews and seeking God’s guidance. The Trustee Board, Staff, Lead Pastor Transition Prayer Team and, importantly, the Christ Church congregation, have all participated in this critical process. We are grateful for the unity and wisdom that the Holy Spirit has provided along the way.

At the last meeting of the Board of Trustees, one of the Trustees reminded us of what is to come based on John 14: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

What a promise! As we sit in the waiting of what’s to come, let’s also sit in the promise and wonder of Greater Things. Please take some time over the next few weeks and pray for the greater things God has in store for each of us, for Dan and Amy, for this church and for His Kingdom.

Again, thank you for your steadfast support and faithfulness. We look forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks as we prepare to make a recommendation for our new Lead Pastor.

May the peace of Christ be with you all.

With gratitude,

Sara Harris
Search Committee Co-Chair

Luke Tenery                
Search Committee Co-Chair

Tim MacKenzie
Trustee Board Vice-Chair

Dear Christ Church,

We are pleased to inform you that we are currently in the midst of interviewing candidates for our Lead Pastor role. We deeply appreciate your prayers and your efforts in identifying potential candidates. The role you have played throughout this process has been invaluable and has been integral to the progress we are making. We are grateful for your continued support and engagement.

We have been encouraged by the pool of candidates thus far. We are learning a lot about their ministries and God’s work in their congregations. We will continue to evaluate each candidate's gifts against the lead pastor profile you helped us create. Additionally, we will continue to share with them the stories of God’s work and our mission at Christ Church.

As we progress in our candidate discussions, we humbly ask that you continue to pray boldly. As you may be aware, the Lead Pastor Transition Prayer Team has provided a prayer resource for you that can be found here.

With gratitude,

Sara Harris
Search Committee Co-Chair

Luke Tenery                
Search Committee Co-Chair

Tim MacKenzie
Trustee Board Vice-Chair

Dear Christ Church,

As members of the Christ Church Search Committee, we hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits. Thank you for your support of Christ Church in this season of transition.

We want to thank you for your patience during the recent quiet period of the Lead Pastor search. This quiet period has ended as our search process has now reached a pivotal moment with our partners at Slingshot Group presenting candidates to the Search Committee. The interview process for these potential candidates is set to begin soon, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for our Christ Church family.

As we embark on this significant journey, we humbly ask for your prayers and support. This is a crucial time for our congregation and we seek God’s guidance and wisdom in every step we take. Here are a few specific ways you can pray for us:

1. Discernment: Pray that the Search Committee and church leadership will have clear discernment to recognize the candidate whom God has prepared for us.
2. Unity: Pray for unity within our church body during this transitional period. May we come together with one heart and one mind, focused on the mission and vision God has for us.
3. Wisdom for Candidates: Pray that each candidate will feel God’s presence and have the wisdom to know if this is the right place for their ministry.
4. Patience and Trust: Pray that we all have patience and trust in God’s timing, knowing that He is in control and will lead us to the right person.

Also, please see our Prayer page for additional ongoing prayers led by the Lead Pastor Transition Prayer Team.

We are confident that with your prayers and God’s guidance, we will find the leader who will help us grow in faith and continue to serve our community with love and dedication.

Thank you for your continued faithfulness and support. We are blessed to be part of such a loving and prayerful congregation.

Sara Harris
Search Committee Co-Chair

Luke Tenery                
Search Committee Co-Chair

Tim MacKenzie
Trustee Board Vice-Chair

Dear Christ Church,

In these transformative times for our congregation, we would like to share a message of patience and encouragement as we seek our next Lead Pastor. We are in a season of anticipation and change, and while the wait may seem lengthy, it is a vital period of prayerful discernment and careful decision-making.

Our partners at Slingshot Group have been engaging with a wide range of potential candidates. They have expressed optimism about the initial discussions and are conducting in-depth conversations with several of these candidates. Concurrently, Slingshot continues to identify and reach out to additional candidates. We anticipate the preliminary interviews conducted by the Search Committee to occur at the end of June.

In Scripture we are reminded of the beauty and benefit of waiting on the Lord. “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Let’s take this time to strengthen our faith and trust in God’s timing, which is always perfect.

We appreciate your prayers and the supportive role each of you plays in this significant phase of our church's life. We encourage you to persist in prayer, especially for Slingshot Group as they proceed with their candidate interviews and for Dan and Amy as they prepare for their exciting journey ahead.

Thank you for your steadfast faith and patience. Together, let’s look forward with hope and eager expectation to the leadership that God will continue to provide.

Sara Harris
Search Committee Co-Chair

Luke Tenery                
Search Committee Co-Chair

Tim MacKenzie
Trustee Board Vice-Chair