LEad minister search
Prayer and Planning for a Successful Succession
God has seen fit for Fairmount Christian Church to be in existence and thriving for 123 years. One of the primary reasons Fairmount has grown and flourished for all these years is the quality, character, and depth of leadership.
Someone once said that every leader serves as an interim. Succession is a natural and healthy part of every organization. Lord willing, Fairmount Christian Church will still be thriving long after all of us have gone. Each of us, as church members, are responsible for stewarding our role in the church well during our time.
Rick has been on staff for nearly 30 years, 20 years as the Lead Minister. He has certainly stewarded his role in the church well. His faithful preaching, steady hand, and wise oversight has enabled the church to grow and flourish during his time. Knowing the time would eventually come to find the next Lead Minister, Rick recently began preparing the church and the Elders for his eventual succession.
Rick and Betsy felt that the time was right, and he approached the elders to begin the succession process. Fairmount’s leaders have been preparing for that process for several months now leading up to the announcement that took place on April 26th. Rick is not retiring from ministry. He is stepping out of this ministry role to pursue new ministry opportunities.
Fairmount is a healthy church with a significant influence in our community and our world. Church leadership feels that transitioning to a new, younger leader at this time will enable Fairmount to continue to grow and thrive. We are confident the best years are ahead for the Fairmount family.
Key Aspects of our
Succession Plan
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Fairmount Leadership has been working on a succession plan for several months. In March of this year, the Elder team began working on specific succession documents and consulted with ministry partners for guidance and assistance.
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For the first time in 40 years, Fairmount will go outside its walls to recruit a Lead Minister. Throughout that national search, a Succession Team will vet candidates based on our search profile and unique church culture.
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A chosen candidate will be invited to Fairmount for interviews that include staff, elders, and selected participants from the congregation. The Elders, after having time to pray and confirm the Lord’s leading, will extend an invitation to the man they feel God has led to become our next Lead Minister.
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Once selected and hired, the new Lead Minister will intentionally overlap and work together with Rick for several months before the transition takes place.
Common Questions
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Rick and Betsy plan to pursue new ministry opportunities but will continue to make Fairmount their church home.
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Our church family to be encouraging and supportive of each other during this time of succession. The man that God will call to be our next minister.
Rick & Betsy as they enter the next chapter of their ministry.
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We will start taking applications at the end of June.
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The congregation is asked to pray daily and to specifically dedicate the first Monday of each month to fasting and praying over this search process. When the time comes for a candidate to be brought to Fairmount for an on-site visit, an interview team will be assembled that includes elders, staff and selected participants from the congregation.
If you have a question about the succession process, please email Chris Santasiere, our Executive Minister.
Candidate information
Position Summary
The Lead Minister is a Senior Level position responsible as the lead visionary and teacher of Fairmount Christian Church. This role has the primary responsibility for championing the mission and values of Fairmount Christian Church. The Lead Minister will also provide general oversight to all ministries.
Submit Application
Please submit the application along with a resume and a sample sermon video link (onedrive, google drive, or youtube link) to: jobs@fairmountcc.org