Pastoral Transition

This guide to the Pastoral Search Process from the PAOC Western Ontario District is designed to help you understand the approximate timeline and various steps involved in presenting a pastoral candidate to the church. Your Pastoral Search Team will be working diligently throughout this process. The most important role that you can play through this time of seeking God’s will for our future Lead Pastor, is to engage in congregational surveys and be in constant prayer asking that the Lord’s will be done for the future of your church community.

TRANSITION PASTOR (Completed)
During the Search Process, it is important for
us to place a Transition Pastor in your church
to continue to care for the day to day ministry.

PASTORAL SEARCH TEAM TRAINING (Completed)
The Regional Director of the Western Ontario
District of the PAOC will take your Pastoral
Search Team through some training to prepare
them for their responsibilities in the upcoming
search for your new Lead Pastor. This will take
place soon after the Pastor’s farewell service.

CHURCH HEALTH ASSESSMENT TOOL (Completed)
One of the tools the Western Ontario District
utilizes to better assess where your church
is currently at and the most suitable leader
for your church is through a Chat Survey put
together by Leadership Transformations.
The District’s Regional Director is fully trained
to review and consult on the outcome of the
congregational survey.

CHAT SURVEY DEBRIEF (Completed)
A few weeks after the Church Health
Assessment Tool is completed by the church,
both the Lead Team and the church will be
debriefed on the gathered information.

RESUME PROCESS (Completed)
Based on gathered data from the Church
Health Assessment Tool, the Pastoral Search
Team will now be able to process through a
number of submitted resumes to see which
ones would be the best fit for your church
community. This will take a number of weeks
of thorough prayer and investigation.

INTERVIEWS (Completed)
Once the Pastoral Search Team has been able
to narrow down a short list of names, they will
have an initial interview with each candidate to
further identify whom the Holy Spirit is leading
them towards.

FINAL INTERVIEW AND INVITATION (Completed)
At this stage the Pastoral Search Team will
have determined the final 1-2 candidates
they want to interview for a final time, and
subsequently invite one of them to preach the
call at your church.

VOTE SUNDAY (Completed)
If the invited Pastoral Candidate accepts
the invitation to preach the call, notice will
be given to your congregation as is required
by your Local Church [Bylaws]. On this
announced date an official from the Western
Ontario District of the PAOC will be with you
to Chair the vote Sunday. You will be given
opportunity to meet the candidate with official
church members voting on whether the Lord is
directing this individual to become your next
Lead Pastor.

COMMISSIONING SUNDAY (In Progress)
Following the successful vote of a new Lead
Pastor, within a month of their official start
date, a District Official will be with your church
community to officially commission your new
Lead Pastor, and begin an exciting journey
towards God’s preferred future for your church
and community.

*To become a voting member: individuals are required to attend GTC for a minimum of 6 months, attend a membership class (offered periodically throughout the year), and read through our bylaws. Voting members are expected to attend our Annual Members Meeting held in April, and participate in important church business that may arise.

News updates from GTC Search Committee Chair, Howie Scruton, and other staff updates will be shared here.

• December 1 – We’re pleased to announce our new Lead Pastor, Curtis Gudrie! Find his bio and more news about his family at the top of this page!
• November 24 – On Sunday we held our official vote for our next Lead Pastor. Our candidate Preached the Call during the morning service. With a strong showing of membership participating in the vote, and the witness of many of our church congregation, an overwhelming majority of “Yes” votes were cast. Details about our Lead Pastor, his family and biography will be made available to everyone soon, as they now undergo the process of communicating their news to their home church families. We’ve got one “checkmark” left to go on our visual tracker as we conclude our transition season- Commissioning Sunday – with more information to come. We are excited to enter a New Year with our next Lead Pastor who will begin on January 27. We thank everyone who played a pivotal role in this leg of the journey, to each person for their diligent prayers, and to God for leading and directing us through this transition season! We’d also like to thank Pastor Keith and Esther Smith who have graciously bridged the gap during this season, serving with excellence and bringing us so many applicable and timely encouragement from Scripture. Thanks also to the hard work and dedication of our Board members, Search Committee members, Pastor Jeremy Murdoch and PAOC Western Ontario District, and our amazing Staff members who have given their best during this year! We look forward to all that is to come in 2025 at GTC!
• November 17 – Rod Koski, Chair of the GTC Board, gave an update to the congregation this morning. The entire church family is invited to our upcoming Meet and Greet on Saturday from 3-5pm, to meet with our candidate and hear his heart for ministry and our church. Congregants were given a handout this morning with all this information. Please note there will not be an open mic for questions at the meeting, but rather questions should be submitted in advance to Pastor Scott (scott [at] gtsudbury [dot] ca) by Wednesday of this week. On Sunday morning the candidate will be Preaching the Call, and voting membership will receive and cast their ballot in the gym. Please also note the preaching part of the service will not be broadcast online. Voting members and non-voting members can return in the main auditorium to hear the results of the ballot. To be a voting member, the individual would have attended a membership class, be affirmed by the deacon board and received a letter to confirm their status. We encourage everyone to pursue that avenue in the future! We currently have about 190 voting members on the roster. All voting members are asked to come and be here to exercise your right to vote. Please contact us to confirm your status if needed. Please be in prayer as we enter this new, exciting season ahead of us!
• October 16 – Here are more details about the events to come during the weekend of November 23 & 24:
  
  Saturday, November 23, 2024
  3-5 p.m. Meet & Greet for church family
  Gymnasium, Glad Tidings Church (Sudbury)
  Meet our pastoral candidate and hear his heart for our church. Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be provided. There will be an opportunity to submit questions in advance for a Q&A – more details to come.
   
  Sunday, November 24, 2024
  10 a.m. Morning Service, Main Auditorium 
  Our pastoral candidate will be Preaching the Call (sharing the message) during our morning service. While there will be no programming for kids during this Sunday, families are welcome to stay in the service. Quiet toys and busy bags are welcome, and we’ll also have some colouring pages. Families with younger kids are also welcome to view the service via livestream in the gymnasium. Please note the Preach the Call portion of the service will not be livestreamed for our online audiences.
   
  Notice of Special Meeting of Members: 
  11:15 a.m., Sunday, November 24, 2024
  Purpose: Considering the Calling of a Senior Pastor
  Location: Gymnasium, Glad Tidings Church (Sudbury)
  
  Voting Members can register for the meeting here: https://gtsudbury.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2566701
  
  Please note only registered voting members should RSVP to attend. Official voting members would have attended a GTC Membership Class and received a certificate of membership. 
  
  Anyone is welcome to attend the Meet & Greet on Saturday and hear the Preach the Call on Sunday, but only official membership will be able to participate in the voting process afterwards held in the gymnasium.
  
• September 29 – Howie Scruton shared with us an important new development. Earlier this month, the Search Committee wrapped up their final interviews, having agreed unanimously to present one final candidate to the Board this past Wednesday. On Thursday morning, we notified the final candidate and they accepted the offer to Preach the Call. Please mark your calendars for November 24, for “Vote Sunday” happening during the morning service. All voting members are especially asked to attend, as membership will be voting afterwards. We require 50% of membership to be in attendance to meet quorum, and 75% of votes in favour for our next Lead Pastor. There will be an opportunity the day prior, on Saturday, November 23, to meet with our prospective new Pastor and their family, for a Meet and Greet. Stay tuned for more details to come! Howie concluded by sharing his appreciation of all Search Committee members who have worked hard these past 6 months. The Search Committee is officially dissolved and now communications will be passed along to Rod Koski, chair of the GTC Board. We thank God we are embarking on a new season after this time of transition and are excited for all that is to come!
• August 18 – Howie Scruton gave us an encouraging update that we’ve completed another step in the search for our next lead pastor. The Search Committee met this previous week to have initial interviews with all 3 candidates and their spouses – all went exceptionally well. The second phase of interviewing with selected candidates is now to be determined, due to a few scheduling conflicts and upcoming vacations, the process will continue after Labour Day. We expect to invite the final candidate to Preach the Call in October. Howie also expressed his appreciation for the Search Committee, a great team of unified individuals who continue to work hard. The process now becomes more detailed and intense. Your ongoing prayers are essential and appreciated; that we’d continue to be led by the Holy Spirit and ultimately, God’s will to be done here at GTC!
• July 21 – Howie Scruton reported that the Search Committee met last Thursday to review 6 resumés, with the mandate to narrow it down to 3 applicants. This step completes the resumé process and we can now begin the interview process with our final 3 candidates. We’re hoping to get everything completed by the end of August, to have a candidate in place by Thanksgiving. Special thank you to the efforts of our Search Committee Team who continue to play a pivotal role in the process. Please continue to pray as we begin the next critical step in the search!
• June 30 – Howie Scruton shared an update with the congregation; the Search Committee, along with PAOC Western District Regional Director of the North, Jeremy Murdoch, met on June 26 to review 6 potential applicants. The goals of the Search Committee for the next few weeks will be to narrow the selections down to 3 applicants. The process has moved swiftly, with a potential tentative timeline of welcoming a new Lead Pastor in the fall. We value your prayers especially in this moment, for our team – prayers for wisdom and discernment as we continue to seek the Lord on what is in store for GTC; the resumé process and the next step, interviews.
• June 26 – Our Search Committee will hold a meeting to begin the resumé process; they will now review and prayerfully consider potential candidates.
• June 2 – Howie Scruton shared updates about the CHAT Survey debrief (staff and congregation debrief will follow later this month). The Search Committee will now be ready to receive resumés from Regional Director Jeremy Murdoch. A friendly reminder for any questions or comments you may have, please address them in writing to our Search Committee Team, in a sealed envelope with your name attached. Thanks for praying with us as God continues to guide and lead us into this next season!
• May 29 – Our Search Committee and Board Members have met to receive the CHAT Survey debrief results, marking another step completed in the process! Thank you for your ongoing prayers as we head towards the next step, the Resumé Process.
• May 12 – Howie Scruton shared with us a few updates on where we stand in the process. the survey is completed and now the debrief process and results will be given to the Board and our Search Committee Team. This tool will guide us in who we’re looking for and give us direction as we process resumés. This entire process could take anywhere from 1 month-1 year. The process, however, is moving well! Any questions regarding our pastoral transition should not be asked or given to individual Search Committee Members, but rather please send questions (signed with your name) to the church office (info [at] gtsudbury [dot] ca) and they will be forwarded and discussed when all members are present. Thank you for your ongoing prayers!
• May 7 – A 2hr training session for our Search Committee has been completed.
• April 28 – Our CHAT Survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who contributed their feedback. Results will be analyzed and reported back. Our Search Committee will begin their training in early May. Please continue to pray for us throughout this time of transition!
• April 7 – Our CHAT (Church Health Assessment Tool) feedback survey is now available! Find more information at the bottom of this page. We also welcomed Pastor Keith and Esther to GTC. He shared a timely and encouraging message about “Living In-Between” and gave a glance at some topics he’ll be covering over the next month.
• March 31 – Pastor Scott shared the exciting news that Pastor Keith Smith, the teaching pastor at OneChurch in Toronto, will be our interim lead pastor. Pastor Keith and his wife Esther will be joining us next Sunday on April 7. Our feedback survey will also be available next Sunday, with more details to come!
• March 3 – The Board met last week with regional director Jeremy Murdoch. As part of the Lead Pastor Search Process, an Interim Pastor will be joining us during the transition. A Search Committee has been formed consisting of both Board members and voting members (see below for list of names). The Search Committee members will undergo specific training and around early April the process will continue. Also in April, a congregational survey will be available. Everyone will have an opportunity to respond to the questions and indicate what you’d value in the next Lead Pastor. The results will be professionally reported and used to guide the Search Committee in the process. On average it can take about 8-15 months to find a Lead Pastor. We expect an Interim Lead Pastor to join us in early April.

The Board has selected these members to serve on the Search Committee:

• Dr. Ryan Carlson
• Rhéal Mallais
• Dalton Palmer
• Howie Scruton (Chair)
• Peter Vanderkooy
• Vince Okojie
• Rod Koski
• Aramide Ogunleye
• Dr. Lian Widjanarko

Training for our Search Committee has been completed on May 7, 2024.

Update: Our survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took time to share their feedback. The results will be analyzed and reported to GTC.

We value your say in the search for our next lead pastor. As part of our pastoral search process, our church leadership is engaging in a listening exercise provided by Leadership Transformations, Inc. From Sunday, April 7, 2024 until Sunday, April 28, 2024, we’ll be conducting an all-church survey called the Church Health Assessment Tool (CHAT).

This web-based survey will allow us to collect valuable feedback from both the congregation and the leadership team regarding their views on our church health. This tool is based on the “10 Traits of Vital Ministry” from the book Becoming A Healthy Church (Dr. Stephen A. Macchia, Baker Books, 1999). We welcome all congregants (15 years old and up) to participate in this survey. Please take this opportunity to share your thoughts with us. Your feedback will help shape strategic decisions and ministry effectiveness for the future.

Congregants were given a physical card with access to the CHAT survey. Please reach out to us at our office (info [at] gtsudbury [dot] ca) if you missed this, or you can also receive the card when you attend in-person on Sunday. The survey will take 25-35 minutes to complete, and is intended for current GTC church families only. If you do not have access to a device, computer or the Internet, please call our office (705-522-4523) during the week for assistance.