Looking Back At Christmas

November 20, 2011

Dear Rolling Hills Family,

When our family moved to El Dorado Hills in January 1995 to launch a brand new church that would be called "Rolling Hills Christian Church", we had no idea what the future would hold.  But we took a huge step of faith and opened the doors to the first service on April 16, 1995 at Oak Ridge High School.  I owe a huge debt to my wife Jerri, and my two children, Meredith and Joel, who at the time were 15 and 13.  In those early years they shouldered much of the load, and without their help it would have been much more difficult.  I was 40 years old at the time, and maybe like Moses, God used the first 40 years of my life to prepare me for what would be His most significant work in my life.

I have used the analogy that the space shuttle uses 75% of its fuel in the launch.  Once it is in orbit, it uses very little fuel.  The same can be said of churches, and in those early years it took a tremendous amount of fuel, and we wondered if Rolling Hills would ever get into orbit!  Now looking back over almost 17 years, I stand amazed and humbly grateful for the hand of God upon this church.  He blessed me far beyond what I deserved.  To see hundreds and hundreds of people cross the line of faith and become Christ followers has been just awesome!  To witness a small handful of people become a dynamic church of more than 2,000 people has been incredible.

Since its inception, Rolling Hills has been through many stages of growth and development as a body of Christians, each with it’s unique challenges and changes.  These last 17 years have been the greatest of my life, and at the same time some of the most difficult of my life, and over time it has taken a toll on me mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  In the New Testament the Apostle Paul talks about all that he has been through as a messenger of God and he makes a list of beatings, shipwrecks, danger, sleepless nights, and then concludes with this, "Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:28)  While the things I have faced are very minimal compared to what Paul faced, I have felt that daily pressure that builds up over time and experienced many sleepless nights.  I have also, from time to time, felt overwhelmed by what is at stake in my role as a pastor and the responsibility for that before God.

When people ask me how I became a pastor, I often say, "I am a reluctant pastor."  It was not what I aspired to in college.  Yet as I look back over my life, I realize that God kept pushing me in that direction.  I am reminded of leaders in the Bible who were reluctant to answer God's call such as Moses and Gideon.  I am as surprised as anyone at how God has been able to use me for His glory.

For the last several months I have discussed my "pastoral fatigue" with our Leadership Team, and I knew it was time to draw a finish line for my role of Senior Pastor at Rolling Hills.  My desire has always been to be running at full speed to pass the leadership baton so that the church will not have a loss of momentum and growth.  I sincerely believe that Rolling Hills has not reached its redemptive potential, and God has greater things in store for this church!  My prayer is that you will stay fully engaged and involved with the work of the kingdom at Rolling Hills Christian Church.  

In the next six months I will be assisting the Leadership Team, with God's help, in finding the next Senior Pastor of Rolling Hills.  I am confident that it will be a person who has similar principles and methods as have become accepted and effective at Rolling Hills.  Please keep us in your prayers for God's wisdom in this very important transition for the kingdom work in our community!  Our Leadership Team is a very competent and godly group, and will continue their strong role at Rolling Hills.  The elders of Rolling Hills will continue to provide shepherding care for the church.  The ministry staff of the church is a great team and they are excited to continue the work of Christ. 

I do not know what the future holds for Jerri and me.  I told her that leaving Rolling Hills is almost as scary as coming, and she said, "It's scarier."  I do not believe that I will be doing ministry in a church, but I do not want to limit God's call in my life.  My role as a pastor has often consumed me emotionally and relationally more than it should have, and I want to give more focus in the coming years of my life to my roles of husband, father and grandfather.

I look forward to these next six months, the sweet times of fellowship, the vision for our church moving forward, and a new leader being introduced.  I pray that you will open your hearts and arms to him as you have to me over the last 17 years.  You will always be in my thoughts and prayers!

Yours in Christ,

Jeff

1. Why is Jeff leaving?
Please refer to Jeff's departure letter.

2. Do we have a replacement?
No, we do not have a Senior Pastor for Rolling Hills Christian Church (Rolling Hills) named at this time, but we have prioritized this leadership change and have spent ample time in reflection about the RHCC mission and goals. This process is not just a hiring process. It is a transition process: a transition from the kind of church and culture we have built over the past 17 years with Jeff as our pastor, that we are assessing and planning to build upon with our new pastor.

We have been in the process of searching and speaking to candidates.
We have found that our search is limited given the confidentiality we have had in the search. We felt it is important that we communicate Jeff's decision to the congregation to allow our search to be widened and allow great success in his replacement.

3. Is a current Rolling Hills staff member in line to take over as Senior Pastor?
We have an incredibly strong staff that has gifts, talents and passions best matched to their current roles.

• Jake Larson will continue his role as the Associate Teaching Pastor and will continue to teach in several Sunday services. We are excited to have him lead our Compassion Ministry, which includes our SHARES programs and all RHCC outreach supporting those in need. He is also working with Bud Lamb in leading RHCC Adult spiritual formation processes.

• Bud Lamb, our Pastor of Adults, Small Groups & Pastoral Care, will continue to provide Pastoral Care to the Adult community of RHCC. His role will continue to focus on Rolling Hills Groups. Groups represent the core of Rolling Hills membership to allow our members to be equipped, inspired, and resourced to share their faith, grow as disciples, and serve our community and beyond.

• Matt Warner will continue his role as our Student Ministries Pastor and will continue to teach on some of the Adult Sunday services. He will remain in his role as the Pastor of Student Ministries and leader of the Youth Ministries team. They will continue to strive to meet a vision for our students, grades 6-12, to provide a unique community for our youth to be committed to letting God change their lives, their friends lives, build the church and impact the world.

• Annette Voege, our Director of Children's Ministries, will continue in her role as leader of the Children's Ministries team, teaching and shaping the lives of our children. They will continue to teach the word of God, allowing our children to have the basic understanding of their faith and lay the foundation when they become more mature to discuss their faith with others.

• C.J. Hatlevig will continue as our Director of Worship. CJ has been in worship ministry for over 10 years. He will continue to provide his leadership to the Rolling Hills Worship team and provide artistic direction, music and video production for Sunday service.

• Teresa Kelley will continue in her role as Chief Operating Officer and remain responsible for managing the ministry staff, support staff and the overall direction of the business and operational affairs for Rolling Hills. She will continue to lead defining and implementing the RHCC strategic objectives and plans.

4. Who is selecting Jeff's replacement? How long will it take?
We have a subset the RHCC Leadership Team that is leading the search and is actively making a nation-wide search for the next Senior Pastor of Rolling Hills. The team will seek candidates and narrow the list down to a very short list for consideration. The candidates will then be assessed according to a set of criteria. The entire leadership team will make the final decision. The time frame is still to be determined.

5. Who are the members of the leadership team and what is their role?
Marc Palos, Ronnie Simms, Pete Bernardoni, Liz Stafford, Greg Hill, Jennifer Geeting and Eric Olson are the members of the leadership team. RHCC is a completely autonomous church. All the decisions for Rolling Hills are made by the leadership of this church, not a board or group outside the church. We are nondenominational in that there is no denominational board or group that gives direction to Rolling Hills.

6. If a Senior Pastor is not found upon Jeff's departure, who will teach on Sunday?
We will have a team of Pastors to teach our Sunday services, including Jake Larson, Matt Warner and visiting Pastors.

7. If there is a lapse between Jeff's departure and the arrival of the new Senior Pastor, who will we maintain senior leadership?
The Leadership team will continue to function and make directional decisions for the church. Bud Lamb, Jake Larson and our Elders will assist with pastoral care needs. Our COO, Teresa Kelley, will make operational and day-to-day decisions and continue to lead the church staff. If needed, we will have an interim body, "the Executive Pastoral Office", which will be made up of a few members from the leadership team and the RHCC staff, to make decisions for non-leadership team level items.

8. If there is a lapse between Jeff's departure and the arrival of a new Senior Pastor, who will provide Pastoral care?
Bud Lamb, our Pastor of Adults, Small Groups & Pastoral Care, will continue to provide Pastoral Care to the RHCC community. Also, our elders Marc Palos, Terry Humphries, and Chris Helwig consider it a privilege to serve the people of our church and our community with encouragement and pray.

9. How will financial decisions and accountability be made going forward?
Our COO, Teresa Kelley, will continue maintaining the responsibility of operational and financial planning. We will continue our annual budget process, with the 2012 budget approved by the leadership team by the end of 2011. The budget will align ministry priorities to the church goal that every person in El Dorado Hills would hear about Jesus from the lips of someone at RHCC. On a monthly basis, the leadership team will continue to monitor all financial matters and we will continue our annual outside CPA account's compilation reporting.

10. Is the church financially healthy enough to support this transition?
Yes. RHCC is financially solvent and continues to be on our financial plan for 2011. The church has continued to increase its financial stability over the past few years.

11. It seems like a lot of stuff is happening at Rolling Hills Christian Church and I am excited about what I see, but can this level of activity keep up as we seek a new Senior Pastor?
The ministry of the church continues and there is an intentional effort by leadership to make this time exciting and fulfilling. This can be a very productive time of growth in personal and church awareness, renewal, and celebration. It can be a time when people are attracted by church worship, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and adult, youth and children's ministries of the Rolling Hills.

12. What can I do as a member to support this transition?
This is an opportunity for all of us to grow in our walk and faith in Christ and not have that faith dependent on any one person. The best legacy and gift you can give Jeff is to help Rolling Hills continue to grow its impact on the Kingdom of God. This event can help us to come together in unity, to deliver on our mission to bring others to Christ. In addition to prayer, everyone can help by being faithful in his or her attendance, service, and financial support. The ministry of the church continues in this transition and we need everyone to step up and take individual responsibility for his or her individual walk with the Lord and for helping keep our church healthy. In addition, we also ask for you to continue to pray for the members and leadership of the Rolling Hills family. This is a time to pray for renewal for Rolling Hills Christian Church as we enter a new phase of the mission of our church.

If you should have any further questions please direct questions to info@rollhillchurch.com.

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