Meet The Branch Church
The Branch Church was born in 1905 out of a small group of disciples of Jesus who started meeting in a public school building in the agricultural community of Farmers Branch, located just outside Dallas. From the beginning, they were dedicated to being like the early church described in the New Testament and built their first meeting house by hand in 1909.
Today, they gather across two campuses and their congregation is full of people committed to helping others become, grow, and live as disciples of Jesus for the glory of God and the good of all. Their desire is to continue to be a church where people can know and experience Jesus, engage in life-giving relationships, and grow together to live out the mission of Jesus.
A visionary leader to oversee the church’s staff
The team needed to find an executive pastor, a newly created position with crucial influence over the mission, vision, and execution of all ministry activities. This position is similar to a chief operating officer, so finding an executive pastor quickly would be the key to achieving the team’s short and long-term goals, including growing The Branch with additional campuses.
This person would work closely with the elders and teaching pastor to create vision for the church and staff. One of the executive pastor’s key functions would be to lead, coach, and oversee the entire staff, other than the teaching pastor, across two locations.
In an effort to accelerate their search and find their next great leader, The Branch’s elders partnered with Vanderbloemen. Executive Search Consultant Brian Dunks got to know many of The Branch’s elders and key staff members and what qualities they would need in an executive minister.
Then Executive Search Recruiter Maddie Brown started collecting and sorting through applications for the role. They assembled a strong slate of vetted candidates, ultimately ending the search with the first round of candidates.
Delivering on the mission and mobilization
Among the candidates in that presentation was a pastor in Georgia with extensive experience in executive leadership, strategic ministry planning, and staff development. His heart for The Branch’s mission and his specific skills aligned with their needs perfectly.
David brings over 30 years of ministry experience. He has served in innovative churches in Atlanta and Dallas, where he led next-generation ministries and launched a nationwide house church movement.
David and his wife of 35 years, Julie, moved from Georgia back to Texas to begin a new chapter of ministry at The Branch.
