Lead Pastor Search Update
The Past
Since its inception in November 2003, Fellowship Memphis has held to a philosophy of plurality of leadership. Over the years, the church has experienced a tremendous growth and impact throughout the city of Memphis. However, the church found itself in a unique set of circumstances and transitions which led the Elders to prayerfully take the step of appointing the next Lead Pastor for Fellowship Memphis. This included the formation of a search team composed of elders, staff and church members that began meeting and praying together beginning January 2022.
The Process
The search committee and the Elders finalized the Lead Pastor job description that was posted on Fellowship Memphis’ website as well as distributed within the extended church network including staff and past residents. The committee prayerfully reviewed over 100 resumes and conducted intensive interviews with two candidates of whom one was presented to the elders for approval. However, the elders did not recommend pursuing this candidate. There was no unanimous agreement among the Elders to continue pursuing the candidate.
The Elders decided to pause the search process for a time following the resignation of Fellowship’s founding pastor, John Bryson. They believed this change in leadership would significantly impact the profile for the type of Lead Pastor needed. Following this decision and a change in direction, the search committee regrouped and continued to review resumes. The team conducted some initial interviews with 3-4 candidates. However, these candidates removed themselves from consideration or the team did not find some of the candidates to be viable. Since resuming the search, The Pastor Search Committee has continued to receive another 30 applicants and has conducted three interviews with candidates. Of those three candidates, we remain in the process with one.
The Path Forward
The initial plan of the search committee was to explore candidates through networks and if not successful, recommend the assistance of a church staffing firm. In January 2023, the Elders voted to contract with Slingshot Group.
Slingshot Group provides a personalized approach to conducting pastoral search using their nation-wide network of leaders and coaching . On March 7-8, 2023, the Slingshot Group consultants met with the Elders and church staff and recommended that they first provide assistance in developing a church governance that is appropriate for Fellowship Memphis.
They also helped in understanding the significance of continued healing and improving the health of the congregation to move forward with the ministry. This will be followed by meeting with the search committee in the next few weeks and updating the Lead Pastor job profile to accommodate these needs. Slingshot Group will then publish the job posting as well as reach out to their extensive network.
