Christ Community’s Church Profile Magazine

By On December 15, 2014 · Leave a Comment · In Pastoral Search

Christ Community Church was organized in the spring of 1997 by the North Florida Presbytery as a church plant of Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church to establish a PCA ministry in the heart of Gainesville.

She was founded upon the inerrancy of Scripture, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. Rob Pendley, along with his wife Kim, faithfully labored as senior pastor to the flock of CCC for 18 years. Rob has recently been called to Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Montgomery, Alabama, where he is serving as pastor of discipleship.

The Pulpit Nominating Committee (PNC), consisting of 2 elders, 1 deacon, and 4 members of the congregation at large, has been duly elected by the congregation, has organized itself, and has begun the search process. We are committed to prayer and following the Holy Spirit as we begin our search for the man whom our gracious and good God has already prepared to be our next pastor. Christ Community exists to experience and extend the grace of Jesus Christ in Gainesville and throughout the world. Grace Abounds. Our mission may be defined by seeking grace, sharing grace, and showing grace.

  • We seek to know God through his Word. Our members participate in corporate worship, weekly Bible studies, community groups and accountability partnerships.
  • We are a center of discipleship, based upon the sound teaching and preaching of the doctrines of grace as expounded in the Westminster standards.
  • We share grace in community by caring for each other. As a place for the broken, the lost, the lonely, the skilled, the intellectual, the rich, and the poor, we desire to equip our people to meet the assaults of contemporary culture and be a place of restoration, peace and hope.
  • We long to show grace in community by going into the broken places of Gainesville and the world and bringing shalom. CCC is highly committed to sharing the love of Jesus with our hurting world both locally and globally.
  • We impact the world for Jesus in Gainesville as we are strategically located near the University of Florida, with thousands of new students, foreign and domestic coming our way every year.
  • We desire that the man that God has chosen to be our next pastor has proficiency and excellence in preaching, with a firm grasp of the Gospel, proclaiming and applying the redemptive power of Jesus from all of Scripture.
  • We desire that he would be committed to the spiritual development of his flock and have a shepherd’s heart. He would long to be servant leader, willing to come alongside and develop leaders. We long for a pastor whose heart breaks for the lost.

If you discern the Lord leading you to pursue this call, we invite you to participate in this process with us, with the assurance that we will keep your interest in strictest confidence. We have compiled the following information to enable you to become familiar with Christ Community Church and answer further questions you may have about us as a congregation.
All correspondence should be directed to PNC at christcommunitychurch dot com.

Download: PNC Church Profile Magazine

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Church Profile Form Responses

By On December 9, 2014 · Leave a Comment · In Pastoral Search

After publishing the Church Profile Form survey for two weeks, the congregation submitted a total of 51 responses. These responses were very helpful to the PNC as we sought to be certain of the direction of the congregation’s desires for its new pastor. We thought it would be helpful to share the average results of the questions asked so that you could see the information as well.

We ask that you continue to pray for the pastor God is leading to our congregation, for our church as we seek to discern who this is, and for God’s kingdom, that this search would lead to His glory being magnified.

Link: CPF Congregation Responses PDF

 

PNC Update

By On November 12, 2014 · Leave a Comment · In Pastoral Search

Dear CCC Friends and Family,

On Tuesday, November 4, the Pulpit Nominating Committee (PNC) held it’s 4th meeting.  We are well into the first stage of our work in identifying the leader God has for CCC.  We begin each meeting with a short devotion from Chris Brauns’ Book “When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search” and group prayer.  One of the ways we have been encouraged in the past two months is in your (CCC friends and family) commitment to pray for us; corporately and individually.  We need God’s provision, not our own solutions.  Prayer is essential.  From Braun:  “The necessity of prayer during recruitment is seen in the example of our King.  These verses from Luke are extremely relevant for a church looking for a pastor:

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,  and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot. (Luke 6: 12-15)

Here was Jesus, chairman of the only perfect search committee of one.  He had perfect wisdom and discernment.  He was the greatest recruiter in the history of humanity.  Yet before he met with candidates for spots on his team, He spent the night in prayer.”Similarly, prayer was necessary in the early church, as they sought elders and pastors:“They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.  Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”  (Acts 14 :21-23)Prayer is essential.  Here are 5 ways we can pray for our next pastor.

  • Pray that God would increase his passion for preaching the Word of God.
  • Pray that God would give him a love for CCC and the strength to leave his current position
  • Pray that our next pastor would begin relationships at CCC in the right way, even during the search process.
  • Pray that God would prepare our future pastor to shepherd the flock more effectively throughout the trials and blessings he has faced or currently faces.
  • Pray for our next pastor’s family.  Pray that God, who knows each detail about each member of his household, would give the members of his family strength as they consider leaving their current setting and going to a different church.

Current Activity & Updates

  • The PNC has organized itself and elected:  Michael Marshall (Chair), Sharon Stankunas (Vice Chair), and Christian Smith (Secretary)
  •  Information has been gathered from the congregation, leaders and the session in hopes of completing a Church Profile Form (CPF) and online magazine by Dec 2nd.  A huge “thank you” to those who contributed by submitting a form.   The CPF will be shared with prospective candidates and our church family.  Reestablishing central doctrinal commitments, reviewing the gospel and CCC’s mission statement, have been crucial in organizing what we are committed to in the days to come.  Our first step in building unity has been to establish again our theological center–the gospel, the person and work of Jesus, the sufficiency of His Word, and our purpose in Gainesville.  
  • Meetings are scheduled for November 18, December 2, and December 17.

In Christ, 

The Pulpit Nominating Committee

 

A Note from the Pulpit Committee

By On October 9, 2014 · Leave a Comment · In Pastoral Search

Dear CCC Family Member,

The Pulpit Nominating Committee (PNC) is in the first stage of our work to identify the leader God has planned for CCC. During this stage we are identifying who we are as a church (our church profile) and what strengths we believe are needed in our next pastor. In an effort to gather some information to help us in this task we have put together an online survey based upon the PCA’s Church Profile Form.

Please complete the online survey questions by clicking on the following link: https://secure.jotform.us/form/42797324372158

If you have issues with the link above please copy and paste the url  https://secure.jotform.us/form/42797324372158  into your browser.

We ask that you complete the survey at your convenience before October 19th.

We appreciate your time in helping us in this important way and we appreciate your continued prayers for the PNC in the months to come. All of the PNC have been asked to read Chris Brauns’ Book “When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search”, an excellent resource for anyone who would be considering the call of a new pastor. Our framework has been guided by the PCA’s documents “A Manual for Calling a Pastor” and the “Pastor Search Process“. While using these documents as a guide we have embarked on a journey that will need your continued prayers and support.

                                                                                        Your Pulpit Nominating Committee

 

 

Your Pulpit Nominating Committee

By On September 16, 2014 · Leave a Comment · In Pastoral Search

This fine group was elected at the congregational meeting Sunday to serve as the Pulpit Nominating Committee for Christ Community. Their first meeting is tonight at 7:30pm. Join me in praying for this group, for their families, and for the important work ahead. God is faithful.

  • Lynn Livers
  • Mike Marshall
  • Harry Rushing
  • Brian Schackow
  • Christian Smith
  • Sharon Stankunas
  • Charlie Staples