Our Next Chapter
Church family,
As Advent begins the transition toward calling our next Lead Pastor, your Session has been prayerfully working to establish a plan that will provide stability, care, and clear leadership in the coming season.
First, we are working with the Presbytery to secure an EPC-ordained transitional Teaching Pastor who will provide consistent preaching and pastoral leadership and will serve as Moderator of the Session. This will help ensure that Advent remains well cared for spiritually and closely connected to our Presbytery throughout the transition.
Second, the Session has asked Pastor Diana Shiflett to serve as Head of Staff during this season. Diana will lead the staff’s day-to-day work, strengthen communication between ministries and campuses, and help protect the culture, unity, and health of our team. She will continue to provide leadership at our Arlington Campus, so the Session and Personnel Committee will work closely with Diana to ensure that she has the support she needs.
Third, our Personnel Committee will take a more active role in supporting the staff. This is not intended to add unnecessary layers of management. It is intended to ensure that our staff members are supported, communication is clear, and ministry continues moving forward faithfully.
Finally, we will soon begin the process of forming a Lead Pastor Search Team. According to the practices of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, this team will be nominated by the Session and elected by the congregation. It will lead the process of discerning and recommending our next Lead Pastor. The congregation will ultimately vote on that call, and the Presbytery will examine and approve the nominee.
If you have any further questions, feel free to email us.
Timeline
September 1st
Transitional Leadership begins with:
– Diana Shiflett, Arlington Campus Pastor, serves as Transitional Head of Staff
– An EPC-ordained Transitional Teaching Pastor will join the team
– Preaching rotation continues
September/October
– Session accepts suggestions for Lead Pastor Search Team
October/November
– Search Team is nominated by Session
– Congregational meeting to elect Lead Pastor Search Team
November
– National search for Lead Pastor begins (a search generally takes 6-12 months)
Advent Session
Elders are spiritual leaders who are chosen by the congregation to guide, govern, and shepherd the church.
They serve a four-year term.
Email: elders@adventpres.com
Bryson Morgan
Class of 2027 – Arlington
Ryan Parry
Class of 2027 – Cordova
Betty Gay Williams
Class of 2027 – Cordova
Bill Ballou
Class of 2028 – Cordova
Karla McKinney
Class of 2028 – Cordova
Margaret Brakebusch
Class of 2028 – Cordova
Ken Carlton
Class of 2029 – Arlington
Rena Colling
Class of 2029- Cordova
Jennifer Hanks
Class of 2029 – Cordova
Nina Clark
Class of 2030 – Cordova
Maria Clouthier
Class of 2030 – Arlington
Mike Tillman
Class of 2030 – Cordova
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Lead Pastor search usually take?
6-12 months
Who will preach? Serve communion? Do funerals and weddings?
Our preaching rotation will remain the same with Diana and Rickey. We will also have a Transitional Teaching Pastor and Dan Eubanks, so the rhythm will feel much the same. This team, along with the Elders, will be able to perform/administer sacraments of baptism and communion. Our team for funerals will include Jerry Stone, Diana, Rickey, and the Teaching Pastor.
When is Pastor Caz’s last day?
August 30, 2026
Does this delay the search for a Youth Pastor?
While it is wise to make sure there is a good ministry fit between the new Lead Pastor and the Youth Pastor, we will align those searches so that there is very little time lag between them. This means the search for the Youth Pastor will run only a few months behind the Lead Pastor search.
What does this mean for The Adventure Campaign?
The Adventure Campaign will continue forward. Our Elders are committed to the vision they have laid out for Advent. The Arlington building is already in progress and is scheduled to be finished by the summer of 2027. Some projects in Cordova have already been completed, soon a team will begin to work on the next phase of updating our sanctuary.
What does this mean for The Bridge?
This transition does not impact the Bridge. However, the Bridge is currently re-aligning to serve two purposes:
1-an equipping hour for participants to hear God’s Word, share in small group discussions, and grow together as a community of faith
2-an equipping team which will lead the whole church in reaching the Cordova community
As this re-alignment takes shape, those details will be shared with the congregation. For now, the Bridge, led by Rickey, continues to meet at the 10:00 AM hour.