Joel Robinson
Chairman of the Board
March 2014

'We are in a period of transition.' Over the past few months, we have heard Pastor Richard preach on this subject several times. This transition, or period of change, began after our assessment with Dr. Bill Hoyt in 2012. Since then we have developed and ratified new Bylaws, changed our form of church governance, and established a new Board of Directors.

Now we are embarking on the next phase, the formation of a Pastoral Search Team. (In late 2012, Pastor Richard announced his intention to retire in the next 3-4 years.) This team, created by the Board, is tasked with seeking God's Will concerning our next Senior Pastor. This process of discernment will lead us to the best possible person to replace Pastor Richard.

The Board used several methods to gather candidates for the Pastoral Search Team. First, attendees at this year's leadership retreat were polled for recommendations. The Board members individually spent time praying for God to reveal additional candidates as well. The Board as a whole then prayed over the full list of names and discussed carefully who displayed the following characteristics:

  • Well respected in the church,
  • Works well as part of a team,
  • Listens well,
  • Articulates what he/she thinks and feels,
  • Can see the Big Picture needs of the church, and
  • Can make a decision.

This process helped the Board identify a group of seven individuals who bring a variety of gifts and experiences to the Pastoral Search Team. Each of those individuals was then asked to prayerfully consider serving on this team, which will spend the next 9-18 months meeting together regularly, reviewing resumes, listening to sermons, visiting churches and praying together to determine who God has called as the next Senior Pastor for Santa Clara First Baptist Church. Your Pastoral Search Team members are: Jerri Cooper, Gary Dong, Jonathan Fung, Greg Robbins, Lisa Robinson, Larry Trigg, and Andrew Wong. Please pray for them as they work through this process.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions: Joel@scfbc.org.