Cornerstone Baptist Church Hires Senior Pastor

LUDINGTON, Michigan– Cornerstone Baptist Church has expanded its leadership team with a key hire, with Joel Deblaay stepping in to serve as their new Senior Pastor. Joel joins Cornerstone Baptist Church after previously serving as the interim Lead Pastor and Associate and Executive Pastor of Cody Missionary Alliance Church, a thriving church congregation in Cody, Wyoming. 

Cornerstone Baptist Church, a harbor town on the Eastern shores of Lake Michigan, serves more than 300 members each week and has been built on a legacy of faithful believers committed to bringing the Gospel to the community of Ludington since the 1870s. 

Vanderbloemen, serving clients with a greater purpose, including churches, schools, nonprofits, family offices, and values-based businesses, loves the whole church and is honored to have partnered with Cornerstone Baptist Church on this vital and important hire. 

“Working with the Search Committee at Cornerstone was such a blessing!” Vanderbloemen Executive Search Consultant Eric Albert said. “They asked great questions and fully embraced the process of the search. Bruce Lowing, the search chair, even carried William Vanderbloemen’s book, Next, to every meeting!” 

Prior to joining the staff at Cornerstone Baptist Church, Joel was most recently at Cody Missionary Alliance Church where he oversaw adult ministries, discipleship, as well as eventually leading all ministries and staff, as well as preaching. Joel brings 15 years of pastoral experience in many ministry areas. He and his wife, Dayla, and their three children, are thrilled to join Cornerstone in this next season. 

Cornerstone Baptist Church has a long and strong history dating back to the 1870s when the Church was established on Washington Avenue and Danaher Streets by the Reverend Peter Jentoft. Originally the First Scandinavian Baptist Church, then the First Swedish Baptist Church, then Washington Avenue Baptist Church to today’s Cornerstone Baptist Church, generations of dedicated servant congregants have withstood the tests of time and endured to bring the Gospel to this community and provide a global outreach as well. Cornerstone Baptist is a church of people who are warm, friendly and inviting who care about each other.

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Vanderbloemen serves teams with a greater purpose by aligning their people solutions for growth: hiring, compensation, succession, and culture. Through its retained executive search and consulting services, Vanderbloemen serves churches, schools, nonprofits, family offices, and Christian businesses in all parts of the United States and internationally. 

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