“Green Castle had never used an executive search firm to help them find candidates for their Senior Pastor, so this was a new process, and they leaned on our expertise and best practices. They also had a diverse group of search committee members representing all generations in the church including youth and young adults. The team fasted and prayed for the search weekly, they stayed unified and did an excellent job keeping the congregation informed.”
- Chantel McHenry, Executive Search Consultant
Green Castle Baptist Church, also known as the "Church Under the Cross" is a Christ-centered and Spirit-led church. They celebrate the passion and glory of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as they reach out to the world. Green Castle’s desire is to know and reach the needs of their community in Louisville, transform lives by the power of the Holy Spirit, expand their territory of service, and grow the body of believers. As they do these things, they give all glory and honor to Jesus Christ.
Green Castle was searching for a Senior Pastor with a devoted heart for God, His word, and His people. They needed to find an ideal candidate who could strengthen the congregation spiritually, and develop a dynamic community outreach ministry.
Executive Search Consultant Chantel McHenry partnered with Green Castle to find the most qualified candidates available. Chantel personally got to know the staff and congregation; along with the search committee, she also met with staff members, key stakeholders, youth, young adults, and more of the Green Castle church body. She understood that Green Castle would need a Senior Pastor whose academic and ministerial experience would have prepared them to be a servant leader in the church and the community. This person would need to be kind, personable, visionary, authentic, funny, passionate, approachable, and so much more.
“Green Castle was a model client,” Chantel said. “They followed the process well and worked on their internal interview process prior to the presentation of candidates as recommended. This allowed them to move forward with vetting candidates in a timely manner.”
Solution
Soon, one candidate was distinct among the qualified candidates – Darien Waite of Douglasville, Georgia. Darien stood out as a high-energy, multifaceted leader who would thrive wearing all the hats required of a Senior Pastor.
Thanks to his experience speaking and leading in and out of the Church, Darien carries countless skills with him which would be an asset to wherever he would land. Darien is skilled in community building, transformational leadership, problem-solving, project management, communication, and pastoral care, fully equipping him to lead Green Castle as their next Senior Pastor.
Result
In the end, Darien was the clear choice candidate to fill Green Castle’s need for a Senior Pastor. Darien made the 400-mile move with his wife and daughter to Louisville Kentucky, where they now faithfully serve at Green Castle Baptist Church.
The benefit of hiring Vanderbloemen is that we have the search capabilities to find the ideal fit for your organization, whether the right person is already working for you or is living halfway across the globe. We can provide an extensive reach and a full-staff approach for organizations that otherwise would be limited to their local networks and would need to sacrifice other responsibilities to invest in a quality search. We are able to bring schools and organizations executive position candidates they could not find on their own.
If you’re ready to start the conversation around hiring, contact our team. We’ll guide you through the hiring process at every level, from job descriptions to signing the offer letter.