What happened + what's next

• Our April 12 meeting opened with Scripture and prayer. Mark grounded the committee in Psalm 127:1 and Colossians 3:13–14, emphasizing unity and the reminder that God looks at the heart. Eric followed with prayer, drawing from 1 Samuel.

  1 Samuel 16:7

  "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

  God's choice of David as Israel's next king is one of Scripture's clearest statements about how God evaluates leadership. When Samuel came to Jesse's household, he assumed the oldest and most impressive son was the obvious choice — and God corrected him directly. This scripture reminds the committee of our prayerful work of discerning character and genuine devotion to the Lord in the context of our church.

• After several weeks of prayerful review, including careful evaluation of candidate materials, the committee has completed its initial assessment phase.
• Through much discussion and discernment, we have identified a focused group of candidates to move forward for further consideration. We have also, with gratitude, concluded our review of candidates who are not the right fit for VBC at this time.
• The committee will conduct structured video interviews with our remaining candidates over the coming weeks. The interviews will include consistent questions designed to help us assess each candidate's theology, leadership philosophy, vision, and fit with VBC's culture and mission. Please pray specifically for these conversations as they are scheduled and conducted.

What we're doing

• Coordinating interview logistics and ensuring a consistent, fair process for all candidates
• Remaining in prayer and Scripture as we seek God's leading
• Our goal is to honor God in every step, to steward this process with excellence, and to present VBC with a candidate we can collectively affirm in faith.

How to pray

Please pray the following for each member of the Pulpit Committee and for every member of Violet Baptist as we search for the man who is on God's heart to lead our church.

Psalm 51:10–12

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

Psalm 119:105–106

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws."

The committee has been given a sacred responsibility to find and recommend the man that we are led to lead our church. Remember — you as the membership of Violet have the final vote, so please be praying with us that we will have God's mind and heart in this recommendation.

Psalm 27:13–14

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

At any time, questions can be directed to pulpitcommittee@violetchurch.com.

What happened + what's next

• We met on March 8 to discuss methods for candidate evaluation and to seek God's wisdom as we move into the next stages.
• We opened in prayer and grounded the meeting in Scripture, specifically Numbers 27 and the biblical call to "give [the people] a shepherd." We were reminded that God appoints leaders for His people, and our role is to listen and discern.
• We spent time as a committee on unity and honoring one another: recognizing personal biases, inviting the Holy Spirit to guide our responses, and committing to direct, respectful communication within the group.
• Where we are: We are encouraged by the number and quality of applications received. We have a solid group of candidates moving forward into the next stage of evaluations.
• Next up: Since we opened our application two weeks ahead of schedule, we are closing our application window on March 31. Our goal is to have a pool of our top five candidates ready for Zoom interviews by that date.
• A brief update will be shared with the congregation at the VBC Quarterly Meeting on March 18 at 6:00 PM. We encourage you to attend.

What we're doing

• Candidates are being evaluated using a structured, weighted rubric across early stages: paper review and sermon review.
• We completed a calibration exercise to ensure all committee members are scoring candidates consistently and fairly.
• The position is posted on the Ohio Baptist Messenger (SCBO.org) and nationally on SBC.net/jobs.
• You can find updates anytime on the VBC website under: About Us → Updates from Pulpit Committee.

How to pray

Psalms 96:9 - 12

“For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name.”

• Praise the Lord for the privilege of serving Violet in this way.
• Pray that the Violet membership would continue to pray fervently for our committee as we search for our next senior pastor.
• Continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide our search, our behavior and our prayers.
• Pray that we would treat the candidates fairly as we narrow the list.

At any time, questions can be directed to pulpitcommittee@violetchurch.com.

What happened + what’s next

• We met on Feb. 1 to set the spiritual tone for the search and agree on clear expectations: confidentiality, honesty and discernment over shortcuts. We are committed to a full, thorough search and evaluation process.
• We aligned on the process and timeline: the application window is planned for March 1–April 16. (Edit 2/16/16: We're ahead of schedule! The application window launched Feb. 12.)
• Next up: We’ll share monthly updates on the Wednesday following each meeting, and as we progress through the process, we will post more frequent updates if needed.

What we heard

We hear a shared desire for a pastor who will preach God’s Word faithfully, shepherd people well and help our church move forward with clarity, unity and spiritual depth.

We also hear the need for stronger church communication. See below for more information about what you can expect in future updates regarding the search process.

What we're doing about it

Along with other tools, we’ve used your survey input to help inform the job description and our screening process: prioritizing the strengths our church values, addressing the areas where we most need support and applying the standard expectations and ministry requirements common for Southern Baptist senior pastors.

How to pray

• Pray that our prayer and listening to God's response (through His Word and the Holy Spirit) will be the absolute in decision making.
• Pray for wisdom and unity as we move through the process.
• Pray that we will be contacted by excellent candidates, and that God will make His choice for Violet apparent.

Scriptures: Proverbs 3:5–6; Proverbs 3:13–18; Psalms 25:4–5, 9

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God… and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

What type of information can I expect to see in future updates?

WHY

This is a weighty, important process with real implications for our church family: spiritually, relationally and practically. We’re committed to communication that is both honest and wise.

• Stewardship: We know many of you are eager for updates. As stewards, our job is to handle this process with wisdom and care to protect our church and keep you informed in a steady, responsible way.
• Fairness: Candidates deserve the same process and the same dignity. Protecting confidentiality helps prevent disruption or unnecessary complications for a candidate, his family and his current church.
• Integrity: Some details must remain private so references can speak freely, candidates can be evaluated consistently and the process stays beyond reproach.

We ask for your prayerful support and a spirit of unity as we move forward, believing the committee is working faithfully and with integrity for the good of our church. We will share what we can, when we can, and we will keep pointing our church back to the Lord as we seek His wisdom together.

At any time, questions can be directed to pulpitcommittee@violetchurch.com.