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 sign up for the Weekly Sentinels Email to receive specific prayer requests.

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 to help us find our next Lead Pastor. Thank you for your continued prayers in these areas and in many others. We are seeing God at work in our community! If you are part of this church community and would like to receive updates like this one, please email info@thedoor.org. 

Most Recent Update: July 2020

Governing Board updates:

• August 2019: Since offering the position of Lead Pastor to one candidate, the Governing Board has been in regular communication with the candidate and he has continued to communicate gratitude for the time and space to consider and pray. He is excited about Open Door and is earnestly and honestly seeking God through this. It has been beautiful to watch him make space to pray, wait, wrestle, and listen to what God has for him and for our church. We value and appreciate his heart, and that value has grown and been confirmed in the waiting and praying these past few weeks.
  
  
• September 2019: The Governing Board announced that our offer to our Lead Pastor candidate had been declined.  The Board shared that our candidate had a challenging family situation that weighed heavily in their decision making process and they ultimately decided to stay at their current church. While this was a disappointing result both the Board, Search Team and our search consultants at NL Moore felt this process was handled with faith and obedience and God was at work in the lives of so many of those involved.

• October 2019: We decided to work with NL Moore to re-calibrate the search and begin again. A mini-survey would be sent to all Open Door community members to gather additional feedback and take note of all that God has done in the last 18 months. This information would further refine our Lead Pastor candidate profile as the search was re-started. 

• December 2019: In January the Search Team will begin meeting with a new pool of Lead Pastor candidates. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for these candidates, their families, our Search Team and for our search consultants at NL Moore.  
  
  
• July 2020: The Search Team continues to meet with potential Lead Pastor candidates and , in the midst of COVID-19, has shifted to video interviews and conversations. Despite the challenging conditions, both the Search Team and Elders have been encouraged by the response from candidates and how the process continues to move forward. Please pray for continued endurance for our Search Team and courage for any potential candidates that may accept our call and move their family to our church community during these challenging times.

Past Updates: 

The Search Process Timeline (PDF)

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 four 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, Ben Monseth, is a member of the Search Team.
• A Staff liaison. Kathy Collier, 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 November 24, 2019. Please pray for this Search Team as they seek to discern the person God is calling to shepherd Open Door as our next Lead Pastor.

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

As we seek God together in our search for a new Lead Pastor, we pray God will also do a work in us as a people.  

From the beginning there has been a clear sense that God is up to something here at Open Door, and it is more than just finding a new Lead Pastor. God is bringing us together so that we may truly be a community of people, radically committed to spiritual formation, for the sake of others. 

Whether you are new to Open Door or have been a part of this church for a long time, we hope you are someone who carries this place in your heart. We also hope that you jump in and participate. Whether it is through prayer, serving, or simply being more intentional about engaging with this community, we invite you to be a part of this exciting journey!

If at any time you would like to share with the Governing Board of Open Door, or you have questions for the Governing Board, you are invited to email them directly at governingboard@thedoor.org.