For many years God has been faithfully leading, guiding, and transforming us as a people.

Now we are in a new season of life at Open Door and we are excited to see what God has for us next.

This page is designed to help you know a bit about the journey we are on and encourage you to participate.

It is an exciting time at Open Door and we hope you join us!

Prayer is our anchor, our comfort, and our work in this season of unfamiliar transition and change at Open Door. 

Within this intimate relationship with God, we are to ask for what we need, listen for what God has to say, and put deep roots down into His will, His ways, and His peace. In solitude or in company with others, we simply – in Dallas Willard’s comfortable definition of prayer – “talk with God about what we and God are doing together.” In these next months at Open Door, we are partnering with God in the spiritual work of searching for a new lead pastor.

There are many people and moving parts involved in the search and succession process. As you pray, let God lead you; and pay attention to what you might hear from God as you hold this before Him. You might feel drawn to pray for a specific person or a particular part of the process, or you can follow the links below to sign up for a weekly prayer email or to use the Prayer Guide. 

Sign up for the Weekly Sentinels Email

Prayer Guide for Search and Succession (PDF)

UPCOMING COMMUNITY PRAYER

Mini Prayer Retreat, Sun, Jan 27, 4:30-6pm

All Church Prayer Gathering, Sun, Jan 27, 6-7:30pm

All Church Prayer Gathering, Sun, May 19, 6-7:30pm

To help us navigate the process of finding a new Lead Pastor, we are partnering with NL Moore & Associates. Under the leadership of Nancy Moore, they are ministry consultants who love the local church and are committed  to helping each local church thrive on its journey toward transformation.

As the Elders of Open Door, we are encouraged by NL Moore's consultation process. Beyond the professional manner in which NL Moore operates, we value Nancy's deep desire to be led by the Spirit of God as we move forward. Within a very short period of time, many in our congregation have expressed how much they appreciate Nancy's honesty, clarity, and wisdom. This confirms what we have sensed from the beginning and we are grateful for the partnership that has developed.

For more information about NL Moore and Associates, please follow these links to their website:

NL Moore & Associates - Who We Are

NL Moore & Associates - What We Do

Our search for a new Lead Pastor involves a clear and well thought through process. Developed by NL Moore and implemented by the Governing Board of Open Door, we are currently working through this process that we believe God will use for us to find our next Lead Pastor. 

• In March 2018, we started the process by asking the people of Open Door to participate in a "Congregational Assessment". We were highly encouraged when 876 people chose to respond!  
  
  
• On April 29, the results of the Congregational Assessment were presented to the congregation and a two-page Executive Summary was made available. Copies of the two-page summary are available at the Welcome Kiosk before and after services. 
  
  
• Following the Congregational Assessment, the people of Open Door were invited to participate in focus groups designed to hear their hopes and dreams for our faith community. Again, we were extremely encouraged that approximately 260 people participated in 19 focus groups and individual interviews. This totaled more that 25 hours of "listening to the voice" of the church as expressed through its people. 
  
  
• On June 17, Nancy Moore presented a "Findings and Recommendations Report" based on the congregational assessment results and the feedback from the focus groups. A copy of the two-page Executive Summary that was presented is available at the Welcome Kiosk before and after services.   An audio file of the presentation is available by following the link below.

          Audio from June 17

• On July 15, in response to the Findings and Recommendation Report given the Gov. Board of Elders by NL Moore, Dave Fredrickson, Board Chairperson, shared an update with the congregation.  A significant part of the update that day was the announcement and introduction of Gregg Bergman as our Interim Staff Pastor. Gregg will be working with the Lead Team, Staff, and Elders to accomplish some of the Elder's recommendations for the next three to six months. For more detailed information on this update, please refer to the two links below.
  
  Gregg Bergman Bio
  Audio from July 15

• On August 5, as part of an ongoing effort to keep the people of Open Door informed, Dave Fredrickson gave an update from the Gov. Board of Elders. This update included how our desire to be generous impacted a financial decision we recently made. Also addressed was our continued discernment regarding the recommendations from our consultant. To listen to the audio from this update, simply follow the link below.
  

          Audio from August 5

• On August 15, we held our 2018 Annual Meeting. It was a night of significant updates and encouragement from the staff, Pastor Dave, and the Governing Board. If you were not able to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to listen to the audio recording from the night.

           Audio from Annual Meeting

• On August 26, our Pastor of Prayer Ministries, Peggy Lang, shared with us the importance of prayer during this time of transition, and also invited us to some upcoming prayer opportunities. Please take a few minutes to listen to Peggy's important words at this time in the life of our church. 

          Audio from August 26

• On September 16, Gov. Board Elder, Ben Monseth, gave an update followed by a special announcement from pastor Al Schuck. After Al's announcement that he would be leaving Open Door's staff and serving as Executive Director at Beyond Our Door Global, pastor David Johnson shared a few words. We highly encourage you to listen to these audio recordings if you were not able to attend. 

          Audio from Elder Update

          Words from David Johnson

• On November 18, Gov. Board Chairperson, Dave Fredrickson, gave an important update regarding the search process. That day, Taylor Bongard and Kati Beasley were also commissioned as new Associate Pastors for our congregation by David Johnson and the Governing Board of Elders.  NL Moore and Associates have worked with the Search Team to present a completed "Candidate profile" to the board, and will officially begin the search for our next Lead Pastor in December. 
  
  Audio from Nov 18 Elder Update
  

• On November 25, We said goodbye to David & Bonnie Johnson, as we celebrated their ministry at Open Door and their new season of ministry and rest. 
  Video from Nov 25 David & Bonnie Johnson Celebration

• On Dec 16, Ben Monseth updated the congregation that the board has approved an Opportunity Profile for the position of Lead Pastor of Open Door. Our consultants have begun the active search process, and are currently making this Profile available to pastors. Ben also mentioned that Steve Pukal's scheduled time on the board has ended, and we have been very blessed to have had Steve serve for such a long time on our board. Thanks, Steve! 

• On Jan 6, Dave Fredrickson gave an update from the Governing Board that the Opportunity Snapshot is ready for viewing. He also mentioned that Gregg Bergmann has agreed to stay on with us as Interim Staff Pastor through June 2019 and maybe even a little longer. We think that Gregg's presence could be a valuable overlap and hand off to a new Lead Pastor.
  
  Audio from Jan 6 Elder Update

In December 2018, NL Moore and Associates presented an opportunity profile that outlines the position of Lead Pastor. The Governing Board of Open Door approved this Opportunity Profile for the position of Lead Pastor of Open Door. Please continue to pray with us about who will fill this position, and feel free to pass along this information to interested pastors. 

Opportunity Snapshot (PDF) 

A very important step in the search process was the creation of a Search Team. This team was commissioned by the Governing Board of Elders and is comprised of eleven members of Church of the Open Door. Doug Lang, who chairs the team, is joined by five women and five men. These individuals were intentionally chosen because they represent a cross-section of Open Door. Some of the factors taken into consideration were:

• Male and female would be equally represented.
• Age Range. A multi-generational Search Team, representing a broad range of ages.
• Ministry Areas. Search Team members have been or currently are involved in the ministry areas of Open Door.
  
• Length of Involvement. Team members have been involved here from 3 years to 30 years. 
• A Governing Board liaison. Governing Elder, Dave Fredrickson, is a member of the Search Team.
• A Staff liaison. Pastor of Formational Life, Anne-Marie Finsaas, is a member of the Search Team.

The Search Team will begin its prayerful process of interviews and discernment once our consultants, NL Moore & Associates, present to the team a set of candidates whom they’ve prequalified for the Lead Pastor position. The team will follow a rigorous selection path for narrowing down the pool to one candidate that they will recommend to the board. The board will then arrange for the selected candidate to preach at Open Door and meet the congregation before a Member vote is held.

This team was commissioned by Church of the Open Door on Mar 18, 2018. Please continue to pray for this Search Team as they seek to discern the person God is calling to shepherd Open Door as our next Lead Pastor.

Search Team Bios (PDF)