PASTOR SEARCH

“After 29 years in pastoral ministry, of which 23 of those years I had the joy, honor, and privilege of leading Trinity Church, I believe God is now calling me into a new phase of ministry as a clinical mental health counselor. I will be officially retiring from pastoral ministry in December of 2025, thereby giving Trinity some time to plan and prepare their search process. On behalf of Cindy, and our four children, I want to say ‘thank you’ to the people of Trinity Church who have made these past 23 years of ministry so rewarding and fulfilling. Please know that Cindy and I will continue to be in prayer for Trinity, as God guides you to your next lead pastor, and as you continue to live out and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

– Pastor Chris Piersma

The process includes several important steps:

• Form a Pastor Search Committee (completed)

• Create the position description (completed)

• Receive and review applications

• Interview candidates

• Present a final candidate to the congregation

The Search Committee is made up of the following prayerfully selected members of our church family: Natasha Plate, Jamie Dykema, Ava Zihlman, Pam Pothoven, Lee Vande Voort, Tanner Van Maanen, Natalie Ogbourne, Tyce Van Waardhuizen, Hannah Davis, Nick Sponsler, Mary Wineland, Rick Schuring, and committee chair Gary Coppock.

We welcome your input and questions. Send an email to pastorsearch@trinitypella.org Or speak directly with any member of Consistory or the Pastor Search Committee.

As we wait for God to bring us our next pastor, we encourage everyone to stay engaged in worship, continue serving one another with love, give faithfully to support the church’s mission, and remain persistent in prayer. Most importantly, let’s trust that God is at work even now—preparing our hearts and the heart of the person He is calling to lead us next.

We hope to have a new pastor in place before Pastor Chris’s departure. However, we trust God’s timing above all. Our goal is to be faithful and prayerful, not rushed.

Yes. Leadership will communicate clearly about any interim steps if necessary.

The position description will be posted on our church website and relevant ministry job boards.

We are determining where to advertise for this position and will provide an update once we have decided.

Absolutely! If you know someone who might be a good fit, please direct them to trinitypella.org/employment where they can review the position description and submit their resume.

Candidates will be prayerfully and carefully evaluated based on spiritual maturity, leadership experience, and alignment with the position description.

Yes. If a candidate is not currently ordained in the Alliance, they must meet Alliance ordination requirements either before or shortly after assuming the role.

To protect the privacy of those applying and ensure a respectful, fair process, all applications are kept confidential until a final candidate is presented.