Thank you for all of your prayers for the Senior Pastor Search Team and for our church over the last eight months. While this period has been challenging for many reasons it has also been a time where we have learned to wholeheartedly rely on God’s wisdom and guidance because we know that our own wisdom falls short.

     As you may recall from my last update I mentioned we were done with first round interviews and had three second round candidates. Over the last month we continued interviewing these three individuals. We loved the energy and enthusiasm for evangelism that the first candidate showed but when we dug into his background further we realized he lacked some organizational skills and ability to manage many projects and staff at one time. We decided he would not be the right fit for Cross of Glory at this time.

     Next we interviewed our second candidate who was Pastor Mark Ostlie. He had been in the search process from the beginning and was now a finalist candidate. We had a great discussion around his hopes for COG and how he could help drive an updated vision to reach our community while also working to engage with those who have been distanced from our church due to COVID. He wanted to find ways to meet their current spiritual needs while being ready to welcome them back to church when the time is right. We could see the passion and love he displayed for all of us that he interacts with on a daily basis at our church. After this interview the Search Team again met and prayed for God’s will to be done, for clear direction, unity, and clarity on who God was calling to this role.

     Our final candidate was another strong pastor who we had enjoyed hearing from and getting to know in the first round. We were excited to hear from him again and dive deeper into his background and explore his ministry potential at Cross of Glory, but ultimately God had other plans.

     The weekend before our interview, this pastor contacted us and let us know he and his wife had been seeking God’s will for their ministry and had decided God was calling them to withdraw from consideration for this role. The search team proceeded to meet anyway during the time we intended to interview this candidate. All of us were feeling God had clearly and unequivocally answered our prayers. We voted and unanimously agreed to present Pastor Mark as our recommendation to become the next Senior Pastor at Cross of Glory.

     Thank you again for all of your prayers throughout this process. We greatly appreciated your thoughts and words of encouragement. Now we need to continue to pray God will work His will through our church and look for ways that each of us can be open to His calling.

Timeline of future events for you to be aware of and participate in as you are able.

• Week of 2/22/2021 - Ballots are mailed to Church Members’ homes. They should be arriving early in the week so please complete and return them to our church office as soon as possible

• Saturday 2/27/2021 – All church zoom meeting at 10am to get to know Pastor Mark and Family and ask questions of the Search Team. Please follow this link to access the call https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83521629732

• Friday 3/5/2021 – Ballots are due back to Church to be counted

• Sunday 3/14/2021 – We will have a Celebration Sunday announcing the results of the vote and presumably confirming Pastor Mark as our next Senior Pastor

The search for a senior pastor has passed the six month mark and while it feels like a long process we know from our research that most searches take longer. The lead pastor search process is somewhat lengthy because we needed to spend time taking stock of who we are as a church, what direction we should be heading, and who would be the right type of person fit to lead it. Regardless of the length the search team would like to thank you for your prayers. Last month we had the day of prayer before we started our first round of interviews. Several people have reached out to let us know they are continuing to pray for our team and it can be felt through the unity and clarity that God has provided.

So where are we in the process you ask? Leading into the interviews we had met together more than 25 times and had posted the Sr. Pastor position on about 20 different Seminary recruiting and job posting sites as well as the COG website. We received more than 50 applications directly and used the Converge Placement Network (CPN) to match our position to the top candidates within their network of around 150 potential candidates. We invited nine candidates to our interview process but ended up interviewing five as some found other churches or decided that God was calling them in a different direction.

We are now beginning our second round of interviews with three candidates that we are very excited about. Please remain in prayer for us that God would direct our team. We need the direction only He can provide as He prepares the heart of the candidate He has chosen for our church. We are also praying that God is working in your heart to be ready to receive this leader. Each pastor has unique skill sets and vision for this role and no matter who is chosen they will need your help in carrying out the purpose God has ordained for our church.

COG Family -

     On behalf of the Sr. Pastor Search Committee I would like to say Thank You. Thank you for continuing to pray for us as we seek God's will for our Sr. Pastor role. We have heard from several of you directly and know many more are lifting us up in your prayers regularly. As followers of Christ we know prayer is the most important step we can take in obedience to Him.

     In addition I wanted to thank you for taking the time to reflect on and fill out the Church Survey that was sent out in October. We received well above the standard return rate Converge typically sees which demonstrates your engagement in our church and this process. The results from the survey allowed both the Search Team and Cross of Glory Leadership Team to spend a day with the Converge Placement Network Director and having a collaborative session for developing a pastor profile. This meeting helped triangulate the results that were given by the congregation with the vision from the Search/Leadership teams and come up with a pastor profile that will help us find the best matches from candidates for the role.   

     While there were many insights from the survey, one of the more relevant areas was our review of the church life cycle. Results showed Cross of Glory was particularly strong in the areas of Programs, Ministries, Management and Systems but were weaker in areas of Vision, Purpose, Relationships, and Discipleship. This is consistent with churches that are nearing the Empty Nest/Retirement phases of the life cycle and demonstrates our need for a leader who can bring a strong Purpose and Outreach focus back to the church.   

     We have now posted the position on many seminary job boards as well as our own church website. As we receive applications I again ask that you pray with us for continued direction and unity as we seek God's will for our Sr. Pastor role. 

Dear Church - Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We sent out an electronic prayer card at the end of August as a reminder to be praying for Cross of Glory, preparing hearts, giving clarity, unity, protection from attacks, and for the Holy Spirit's guidance and power. We have felt your prayers and have heard from many of you as you have lifted us up in prayer. For that we are grateful.

Over the last month we met and began to work with the Converge denomination President and Executive Minister who runs the Converge Rocky Mountain Placement Network. He has been advising us along the process and has divided it into manageable steps for us to follow in our pastoral search. It has been a huge help to know we are on track and have an open ear when guidance is needed. Over the next two weeks we will be completing surveys that will help build the job description and requirements for the Sr. Pastor job posting. The process is long but we know finding the right person is worth the time and effort.

Thank you for praying and for your encouragement as we continue through this process.

Dan Totman, Church Chair