Lead Pastor Search
The journey to find a new Lead Pastor has involved much prayer, fasting, interaction, and discussion. Today we are happy to announce we have found a Lead Pastor candidate, and we are very excited to introduce him and his wife to you.
Click on the video below for an introduction from our Elders and an opportunity to hear a few words from our new Lead Pastor candidate, Gareth Gilpin, and his wife, Jennie.
Opportunities to meet Gareth and Jennie in person will be coming soon. We are very excited they are going to help take Abundant Life Church into the next chapter of the story God has been writing at ALC. Continue to lift them, the staff, our church family, and our communities in prayer during this transition.
FAQs
How are we currently being led without a Lead Pastor?
The Elder Board continues to provide oversight to our church, particularly in its finances and general direction, with our capable staff handling the majority of the day to day ministry and operations. We’ve also enlisted coaching support from Willamette Christian Church. A number of folks from their team are helping guide us through major initiatives, including healthy staff culture and communications, organizational structure, and our search for a new Lead Pastor.
UPDATE: According to plan, our interim journey with the team from Willamette Christian Church concluded at the end of December 2020. We deeply thank Chris Yarco and the WCC team for the extraordinary service they provided to our elder board, staff, and ALC church family. Their leadership guided us to a refreshed view of who we are, why we are here, and what the future can be. This is not the end of the road for ALC and WCC. A mutual relationship and ministry partners in the Pacific Northwest will continue between us for years to come.
Mike Howerton, an experienced pastor, and coach stepped into the role of “Interim Leader” beginning January 2021. Since August 2020, Mike has been providing pastoral coaching and teaching support to our team of teaching pastors. Currently, Mike serves ALC in two primary ways: as an interim leader to staff and as an advisor/mentor to the elder board. Occasionally Mike provides teaching during our weekend services. We are very blessed to have him and are grateful for the leadership and support he brings.
What does this mean for our individual campuses?
We remain one church with three locations that are working diligently to serve the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of their communities. In addition to her responsibilities at our Happy Valley Campus, we’ve asked Jen Proehl to serve as the interim Campus Pastor for our Vancouver campus. Our staff as a whole remains committed to seeing thriving ministry in each area we serve.
We are offering powerful worship and engaging messages online and in person each week. We would love to have you join us! Click here to check out our service times and locations.