A Note from our
Preaching Team at Pulpit Rock

A note from Jonathan: 

In recent months we’ve been working on a staffing adjustment, and I wanted to update you with what’s underway.

This April as we were doing some long-range planning, (Executive Pastor) Suzy asked if she could take a break from preaching at Pulpit Rock. This, obviously, is a significant change to her role, so we’ve spent the last few months working together to consider and envision what her new areas of focus could be. In the second half of 2024 she will be shifting into an Executive Pastor of Strategy role and focus her hours on building up some of our formation and outreach ministries.

I’m sad to not have her voice in the preaching rotation. I think she is a great preacher, and I have loved having her as part of the preaching team. Our church has benefited greatly from her preaching gifts, and I have enjoyed learning from her.

Despite some of that disappointment, I am trusting that she is hearing from God and care about/value her leadership here. In this next season there is plenty of work to tackle at Pulpit Rock, and I’m looking forward to making progress on some of the new things she will be tackling.

She has written a note of explanation below. Please pray for her as she makes this transition, and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Jonathan

A note from Suzy: 

Beloved Church Family,

I am really excited to share with you some things taking shape in regards to the Executive Pastor position I hold here at our church! In short, over the next few months, I will be shifting some focus to different areas of ministry and I have asked to take a break from preaching on Sundays.

We recognize this will be a felt change so it’s important to us to communicate about it well.

In recent months, our leadership team has been talking through how we can bring a more strategic focus to my role as we’ve sensed a need to give a level of leadership to strategy at Pulpit Rock.

As I began exploring the ideas we’ve talked about I sensed God encouraging me to ask myself this question: “If I could focus on whatever areas of ministry I wanted, what would I CHOOSE to focus on? What am I drawn to?”

What a gift to be leading in an organization that values our leaders asking themselves that question.

As I’ve pondered this timely question, my heart has been drawn to some specific areas I am really passionate about and long to see thrive at our church! It’s been beautiful to be led to those things not out of an urgent need to respond to them, but out of encouragement to identify what I’m drawn to and what God is doing in me. In that process, I found myself wondering what it would be like to step back from preaching for a time and I brought that possibility to the team.

After a lot of dialogue and some shuffling of responsibilities, we’ve landed in a really exciting place which will allow us to explore what my leadership can bring to other areas of ministry around our community of faith. The timing feels right to try this and that is an important piece.

You may be surprised to know this, but initially preaching was not something I sought after at Pulpit Rock. I had never really even considered it being something I wanted to do. But as we leaned into becoming a place with multiple voices of influence and were focusing on making sure that influence would be coming from both men and women, I was asked if I would consider preaching. While hesitant at first, I recognized it was the right time for me to try it. It felt like my responsibility. And as I began to walk it out, God confirmed so much in me as He’s led me in that particular aspect of my leadership. I have grown immensely as I’ve leaned into shepherding our church in that very specific way.

And our church has changed a lot.

Together over the years since, we have experienced the expansion of women in leadership here in so many ways – women fulfilling even more roles of pastors, women joining our elder team and the continued development of our preaching team into a robust group of multiple voices.

On the other side of that growth, I can see what a different season we’re in now and I would love to let other preaching voices continue to rise up in our church. The timing felt right to prompt the conversations of considering this shift in my role for a season and it has continued to feel right as things have come together.

I will still be communicating and leading from stage but I’m really excited you will see me in other environments around our community of faith too. Taking this break from preaching will allow more dedicated time to lead and to dialogue within our small group environments on Sundays, to engage in more face-to-face ministry, to help launch various strategic community initiatives and to bring a level of leadership to some areas of ministry at Pulpit Rock that we have been dreaming about for years. This is such a beautiful place to lead. We care most about the flourishing of the individuals in leadership here and we want to shape our staff positions around who they are and what they are passionate about as best we can. I’m such a tremendous beneficiary of that value, I can’t express my gratefulness for this church family enough.

I am looking forward to this season and I would love to talk further about this with any of you who want to! I love grabbing a cup of coffee with someone to talk about what God is up to in our lives, so please let me know if you want to connect.

Suzy