Elder Letter to the Body

August 19, 2021 | Found in: General , Featured

Greetings Westover Family,

As we in leadership look at the coming months, our desire is to be proactive in communication. That includes communicating what our leadership looks like, expectations surrounding our pulpit plans, and the relaunch of our pastoral search team. 

What’s Leadership Look Like?

In 2019, Westover began to restructure roles around shepherding and leadership. This came in response to Pastor Don’s nearing retirement, ensuring Westover was well prepared for his succession. At that time, the Elders restructured leadership to develop an Executive Pastor position. Our Executive Pastor began working with Pastor Don and the Elders to transition Don’s responsibilities to various areas within our pastoral leadership. The restructuring has ensured that care of the body will continue following Don’s retirement. We are truly blessed as a church with both lay leadership and staff, uniquely equipped by God, for such a season as we find ourselves in now.

What can I expect from the pulpit?

For the past two months, the pastoral staff have been working to establish a preaching calendar that will carry us through the spring of 2022. This schedule has been designed with a blend of current Westover pastors and several guest speakers. Again, we are grateful as a church for the giftedness we find right here on our current staff team. As we sought the Lord’s guidance in developing this calendar, we’ve grown increasingly excited for how God is going to work in and through us as a church family. Starting in mid-September, the first of these series titled, ‘One Another’ will kick-off.  This series focuses on Romans 12 and, “the one another’s” found in scripture. Even now, we invite you to join us in praying for the Lord to work through this series in big ways.

What does the Lead Pastor search look like?

As we step into fall, Westover is relaunching its lead pastor search process. Currently, a new search team, who will work in concert with a pastoral search firm, is being prayerfully assembled. Prior to this team receiving any candidate packages, the search firm will act as an initial filter for applications based on a job description Westover has provided. Upon receiving candidates for review, a two-thirds vote by the search team can present a candidate to the Elders. The Elders are then given time to vet and prayerfully consider the candidate. Following that time, an Elder vote is held, deciding whether or not to approve the candidate for presentation to the Westover body. The Westover congregation will then have an opportunity to learn about the candidate and his family prior to a congregational member vote. Through this process, our prayer is that each member would have the confidence to vote in an informed manner.

Thankful Hearts and A Call to Prayer

There is no doubt that we as a church have been blessed by the years Pastor Don has led Westover and it is with thankful hearts that we embark into a new season. We’re living in important days, not only for Westover as a local church, but more importantly for the Church worldwide. Daily, we encounter pandemic updates and tragic events unfolding around the world, and through them doors of opportunity are being opened for the Gospel to be shared. We invite you to pray with us for God’s unique design for Westover and our call to develop mature followers of Jesus Christ.

Him We Proclaim,

The Elders of Westover Church