Executive Search
Due to finances, we had limited resources to operate a lengthy search on our own. This hire could make or break the church’s future, and we didn’t want to risk it with our little hiring experience.
- Andy Hahn EXEcutive PASTOR
For over 75 years, Far Hills Community Church (FHCC) has been reaching the people of Dayton, Ohio. From the very beginning, FHCC set out to reach families of all types, ages, and walks of life. With a focus on families, FHCC developed intentional programming to meet the needs of families, and the church took off.
With endless opportunities for growth and outreach around them, FHCC set their sights on taking their church to the next level. With sights set ahead, the leadership team began looking for a Senior Pastor who could propel them into this new season.
Far Hills’ Executive Pastor, Andy Hahn, and the church leadership team led the church through the search, even though it was a difficult time of tension and change for the congregation. Andy and the rest of the leadership sat down and began to talk
through what the search process for a senior pastor would look like, how much it would cost, the time commitment involved, and how broad their networks could reach.
Andy said, “We knew we needed to move quickly with this search and lacked the proper HR experience to vet and interview candidates in a timely manor.” Furthermore, “Due to finances, the staff had limited resources to operate a lengthy search on their own.” Andy and the rest of the church staff knew that this hire could “make or break the church’s future,” and that they “didn’t want to risk it with our little hiring experience.”
This led the church leadership to partner with a third party in order to expedite their search process. FHCC was familiar with the Vanderbloemen Search Group from previous searches during which they partnered with Vanderbloemen. Pastor Andy himself was placed in his current position as Executive Pastor by Vanderbloemen as well as the Director of Children’s Ministry, Kristie Kirk.
After the initial meeting between the search committee and the Vanderbloemen Executive Search Consultant, Andy expressed that the expertise of the consultant built the trust of the leadership team. He knew that Vanderbloemen would bring objectivity throughout the search. Having objective eyes on the search allowed for the emotion to be taken away from the leadership team, providing them clarity and more time to focus on reaching their community and the families around them.
Vanderbloemen brought Far Hills a group of candidates that had been interviewed and prayed over. From that group, the search committee found their next Senior Pastor, Chris Williams, the man the Lord has brought to FHCC to lead them into this new season.
Pastor Chris came to Far Hills from StoneWater Church in Granbury, TX, where he served as the Teaching & Discipleship Pastor. He was one of the four executive elders in the church, providing both vision and directional leadership for the church body. Before StoneWater, Chris served as the Senior Pastor of Seldon Baptist Church. Chris, his wife Kristell, and their two boys Christian and Noah, are thrilled to be joining Far Hills Community Church and settling into the Centerville area.
"God truly used Vanderbloemen to assemble an amazing staff. 3 of our 4 full-time staff were found through Vanderbloemen. It will be fun to watch this team work together," said Pastor Chris.
Far Hills is excited to see how they can grow their church and continue to impact the Kingdom of Christ through reaching families with a new leader at the helm.
Check out Pastor Chris' first sermon at Far Hills here:
