To help direct the search, the pulpit committee recently approved a profile of Tenth as well as a Senior Minister Profile outlining the qualities we are seeking in our next Senior Minister.

Read the Profiles

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Update August 3, 2025:

This season is filled with hope, questions, and deep anticipation for what God has in store for our church, and we’re grateful for your prayers and support as we move through this process with care, patience, and faith.

First, let me say that we feel the weight and seriousness of the task before us. Selecting our next senior pastor is not something any of us takes lightly. We recognize that this isn’t just a hiring process—it is a spiritual process, one that we believe the Lord is guiding every step of the way. Since the committee’s inception, we have been reminded to put our trust in the Lord’s faithfulness and not our own plans. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us:

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; […] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:6, 8-9)

Since our last update, the committee has met 11 times. Often beginning with a devotional led by Pastor Howland, these meetings have been focused, prayerful, at times intense, but always filled with a shared sense of purpose and Christian love for one another. We are committed to discerning not just a good fit for this church, but the right leader—God’s choice—for this next chapter, and we are striving to do this as efficiently as due diligence will allow.

So what have we been doing in all these meetings?

We’ve been reviewing profiles and resumes of prospective candidates, working to understand not just their experience and theology, but their character and vision for the church. We’ve begun a process of thorough evaluation—listening to sermons, reading their writings, and evaluating their positions on various doctrinal, theological, pastoral, and personal matters.

For those candidates who have stood out as a possible fit, we’ve been conducting reference interviews—speaking with people who’ve worked closely with these candidates, hearing firsthand about their pastoral presence, leadership, preaching, humility, and their relationships with their congregations and staff.

Some of us have spent time reading books and papers written by the candidates to gain a deeper sense of how they think, teach, and shepherd. We’ve also listened to many hours of sermons and teaching, asking not only “Are they good communicators?” but “Do they preach the gospel clearly and boldly? Do they love the truths of Scripture? Do they love the church?”

More than anything else—we have been praying. Every meeting begins and normally ends with prayer. Individually, we’ve committed to praying regularly and often. Some in the congregation have also been asked to be prayer partners by members of the committee. We are so grateful for these prayer warriors.

Now, one aspect of this process we need to reiterate is the need for confidentiality. This part is understandably hard—for you as a congregation and, frankly, for us as a committee. In a close-knit church family, it’s natural to want to know details, timelines, and names. But part of our responsibility is to protect the privacy of the candidates we’re engaging with—many of whom are currently serving elsewhere. Premature exposure could cause disruption or confusion in their current ministries and relationships and to this search process. This is not just a matter of discretion—it’s a matter of integrity. We ask that you continue respecting the confidentiality of this process and not ask questions about specific candidates, and we thank you for respecting this need thus far.

We want to reassure you that we are not being secretive for secrecy’s sake. We are committed to communicating with you as openly and as often as we responsibly can. And when the time comes for the church to be involved, we will welcome that fully and transparently.

In the meantime, we ask for your continued trust, your patience, and your prayers. Pray for wisdom. Pray for unity. Pray for the men we are evaluating and their families—that God would guide their hearts and ours. And pray that, in all things, we would remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and obedient to the mission Christ has given His church.

Thank you for being a faithful, praying, and supportive church. We are truly humbled and honored to serve you and our great Lord in this way.

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Update June 23, 2025: The Pulpit Committee has had four meetings since it was elected about a month ago. To help direct our search, we recently approved a profile of Tenth as well as a senior minister profile outlining the qualities we are seeking in our next senior minister. We invite the congregation to review these profiles. Using these profiles, we have begun contacting men with whom we would like to speak about this position to inquire about their interest. 

A major focus of our work will be rigorously evaluating whether a candidate is a godly man whose character is above reproach. To that end, if you are a member of Tenth who personally knows a man who is godly and above reproach, and you believe the Pulpit Committee should add him to our list of men to consider, please contact the Pulpit Committee. In your correspondence, please indicate how you know the man and have personally observed his character, as well as how we may confidentially contact him.

Confidentiality is critical in the search process for a senior minister. We are committed to regular and open communication with the congregation, but there may be times that you desire more updates than we are able to provide. We ask that you extend us grace and patience as we devote ourselves to this work on your behalf.  

The committee has enjoyed genuine unity and teamwork thus far, but we know that Satan would love to disrupt our work and sow seeds of dissension. Please pray regularly for us, that the Holy Spirit would protect us and bless us with heavenly wisdom and continued unity. Please also pray for our families as they share in the burden of this important work.

We are humbled to be entrusted by you with this responsibility and look forward with eager longing to see whom the Lord is raising up to lead us forward.

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Update May 27, 2025: The Pulpit Committee has begun its work! At the committee’s first meeting, Ruling Elder Mike Miller was elected as chair. Each committee member was given the assignment to find two prayer partners to lift them up in prayer for the duration of the search process. The committee has also begun actively developing a formal process to seek candidates and receive applications. Please continue to pray for the committee and its work.

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At the Called Congregational Meeting on May 16, 2025, the individuals listed below were elected to the Pulpit Committee.

The process used to establish the Pulpit Committee is documented here.