Succession
at southview church
As a church family, we are in a time of prayer and discernment as we seek new leadership for Southview. We invite you to engage with this process as we prayerfully consider the best process and people to guide us through this season. Please check back regularly for updates as we embark on this journey together.
Since November 2022, Southview has been walking through and journeying in a period of liminality. A time of discerning who we are and where God is leading us as an outpost of His kingdom.
The Board of Elders asked six individuals from the congregation to form a Succession Team with the mandate to explore those two questions, who we are and where is God leading us as an outpost of His kingdom, and develop a Ministry Profile.
Over the course of the next 8 months, the Succession Team had discussions with the Elders, staff, lay leaders, and the congregation through the congregational survey and individual discussions, and using the information gathered, developed a Ministry Profile that would be used to guide the search process.
With the completion of the Ministry Profile and approval of that document by the Board, the Succession Team put forward 8 names of Southview members who would be tasked with finding a candidate who best aligns with the attributes, characteristics, and core competencies that are set out in the Ministry Profile.
The Search Team spent the next 8 months praying over numerous applications, conducting interviews, spending days praying and fasting with you as a congregation, and discerning individually and as a team of how God is leading.
As was announced this past weekend, the Search Team made the unanimous and unified recommendation to the Board of Elders, and the Board has agreed that Ryan Graham be invited as the sole applicant to candidate for the role of Senior Pastor here at Southview.
The candidating step, scheduled for April 18-22, 2024, represents the final step of our due diligence process before the Southview Board of Elders, in partnership with the Western Canadian District, anticipates extending an offer to Ryan to be our Senior Pastor.
We believe that Ryan possesses the passions, experience, vision, and gifting to lead Southview in this next season.
Ryan is currently serving as Vice President of the Alliance Canada at the National Office in Ontario, with his wife of 27 years, Christana, and their 3 adult children, Cailey (24) who is getting married in June here in Calgary, Zach (21) who is studying Digital Communications, and Abby (18) who will be finishing up Grade 12 this year before heading to Capenwray in the fall.
Throughout the search process, we have been reminded of 1 Samuel 16:7 and have prayed earnestly that we would see what the Lord sees, the heart. What has drawn us to Ryan is his heart. His desire to follow Jesus with his whole life and to lead others to do the same, to boldly preach God’s Word in its fullness, to see those who don’t know Christ come to faith, to raise up leaders within the body to go out into our community and our world, encouraging them to use their gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit to reach the lost, and for His kingdom to come, here on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Ryan has been blessed to have been given opportunities to serve God within those passions over the past 26 years in the Alliance, both in the local church here in Calgary and at a national level.
While we are still working through what the candidating time will fully look like, there will be opportunity for you as the congregation to meet with us in a town hall setting on the evening of Sunday April 21. Even now, we would encourage you to be thinking about questions that you might want to ask Ryan and share those with the Board through the succession email address (succession@southviewchurch.com) or fill out a Connection Card at the Information Centre at the church.
We appreciate that each of you may have some thoughts, impressions, or feedback to share with the Board over the candidating time and we, as a Board, are eager to receive those, so I would encourage you again, to send those to the succession email address.
This is a very exciting time. As we have been reminded numerous times over the past year, God is doing a new thing in us and we are thrilled that we get to be on this journey together, seeking God’s will and following his leading.
The Search Team
John, Renate, Andrew, Deonne, Michelle, Don, Val, & John
Timeline
Clyde announces retirement plans for end of ministry year (June 2023)
Identification of Strengths & Growth Areas
Announcement of Sam Seifert as Interim Senior Leader
Development of Ministry Description & Profile for Senior Pastor
Clyde Glass’ final weekend as Senior Pastor
Search and candidating process
Ryan Graham Candidating Weekend
Recommendation to the Western Canadian District of the C&MA
Western Canadian District appointment of the Senior Pastor
First day of new Senior Pastor
Timeline
Clyde announces retirement plans for end of ministry year (June 2023)
Identification of Strengths & Growth Areas
Announcement of Sam Seifert as Interim Senior Leader
Development of Ministry Description & Profile for Senior Pastor
Pastor Clyde’s final weekend as Senior Pastor
Search and candidating process
Ryan Graham Candidating Weekend
Recommendation to the Western Canadian District of the C&MA
Western Canadian District appointment of the Senior Pastor
First day of new Senior Pastor
Don Kowalenko
Andrew Shareski
John Nichols
Deonne McCausland
John Amusan
Val LeBlanc
Michelle Duimel
Renate Yakielashek
First and foremost, please pray. Pray that the Succession Planning Team and the Search Team would be open and eager to hear God’s voice and prompting. Pray that we would have clarity in this process, and that the right person (or persons) would be drawn to Southview with a passion to lead us forward. Pray for our staff that there would be continued unity in purpose and mission as we move through the transition.
Second, please communicate with us. Share your thoughts and feedback through our designated email.
Southview’s mission remains to lead as many as possible to passionately follow Jesus and our focus continues to be forming disciples who make disciples.
We begin with prayer. Asking God to guide, lead and reveal His will for Southview.
Succession Planning phase – Through discussions with the Pastoral and support staff, Elders, Ministry Leaders, and the congregation, the Succession Planning team gathers information about where Southview is at as a body. Identifying what areas we are doing well in and where there are growth opportunities.
This information is reviewed and grouped into overarching themes that will provide the Ministry Description for the next Senior Pastor. That Ministry description will then be used to develop the Senior Pastor Profile, Job Description and Posting.
The Succession Planning Team will meet with the Search Team to provide an overview of how the Ministry Description, the Senior Pastor Profile, Job Description and Posting were developed and release them to carry out the search, candidating and recommendation to the Western Canadian District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Search Team phase – During this time the Search team will seek out candidates through the job posting, and discussions with resources, such as the Western Canadian District, other churches, Ambrose University, and retired Alliance pastors, who are well tied into the Alliance community.
The Search team will provide their recommendation to the Western Canadian District of the C&MA. The District will have final approval and will ultimately be the body to appoint the next Senior Pastor to Southview.
We at Southview are so fortunate to have such a strong and capable staff in place to carry on day-to-day operations largely unchanged. Various pastors will be asked to take additional tasks that are currently carried out by Clyde.
Working in consultation with the Board of Elders, Sam Seifert has been appointed as our Interim Senior Leader, to provide guidance and leadership to the staff during this period of time.
We are also fortunate to have great teachers within our pastoral staff and church body, to continue to share God’s word and preach the Bible on a weekly basis.
We expect this interim period could take a year or more. Our desire is for God’s will to be done in this process and we will be patient and take the time required to listen to God’s direction. He has prepared a person for Southview and we trust that through this process we will be led to that individual. And in the meantime, we have a solid team in place that will continue to carry out God’s mission for Southview.
Located in Calgary’s southeast community of Walden, Southview Alliance Church is walking through a time of discernment as we seek God’s direction in who He has as our next Senior Pastor.
A leader with a strong Biblical foundation and a passion for teaching the whole counsel of Scripture, eager to embrace and communicate the vision God has given to Southview, and mobilize the church’s leaders and congregation to pursue and live it out.
An individual with a welcoming and hospitable spirit, longing to create an atmosphere of comfort and community marked by love.
Someone able to demonstrate love and care for all people through words and actions of blessing and compassion, empathize with the struggles and joys experienced by the church body, and a heart for missions with an enthusiasm about developing innovative approaches to demonstrate love and service to our local community and beyond.
Please see the full Ministry Profile and application information below.
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