Meet First Baptist Church At The Villages
First Baptist Church At The Villages exists to glorify God. The church began as a church plant in December 2001 with 70 people attending the first worship service in a funeral home. Today, the people at FBC The Villages meet in their 900-seat worship hall during one service weekly to praise and learn about God.
FBC At The Villages strives for each person to feel a sense of home when they walk through the front doors, whether it’s their first time or they’ve been around since the beginning. The worship is led by a band, praise team, and 70-voice choir. God continues to bless the church, and membership now totals approximately 650 people who serve and worship God together.
Opportunity
With a key leader on their ministry leadership team missing, momentum at FBC at the Villages was impeded. They formed a Lead Pastor Search Team to vision-cast about their next Senior Pastor. They hoped to place someone in the role who would live up to the famous Biblical standard outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-4. This scripture would be the foundation of their vision. They hoped that this person, once found, would lead FBC at the Villages toward God’s purpose, mission, and vision for the church.
Solution
In order to expand their network and find the right person in a timely manner, FBC at the Villages decided to enlist the help of a specialized search firm. They partnered with Vanderbloemen and quickly connected with Executive Search Consultant Brian Dunks. Brian helped the search team flush out their ideal Senior Pastor profile and outline exactly the type of person who would work well on their team.
As applications streamed in, Brian and Executive Search Recruiter Will Hancock conducted rounds of pre-interviews and presented the strongest candidates to the church’s Lead Pastor Search Team. They soon found their Senior Pastor—a Bronze Star recipient in Kansas City.
Result
Dr. Alan Branch’s life experiences alone could have equipped him for a role like this. For the last 23 years Alan has taught at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, serving in churches and taking on interim pastoral roles throughout that time. He also served as a chaplain during his time in the US Army Reserve. With prior experience as a senior pastor, Alan was well-prepared for his next step.
In addition, Alan holds a doctor of philosophy, a master of divinity and a bachelor of business administration. With his combined experience, education, and evident faith, he met and exceeded all the listed characteristics and expectations outlined in the search.
“Karen and I are so excited that the Lead Pastor Search Team has recommended Pastor Alan and Lisa to serve the church as its next Lead Pastor and wife,” retiring Pastor Bob Perry said in a statement to the church. “Moreover, through prayer and personal interaction, I have come to believe that he is God’s man to lead the church into its next season of ministry.”
Alan accepted the offer to join in ministry at FBC at the Villages, and the congregation prayerfully welcomed him in turn. The leadership team closed the search and began preparations for a smooth transition.
“Lisa and I look forward to joining with First Baptist Church,” Dr. Alan said, “to lift up the name of Jesus Christ in The Villages and central Florida.”
Benefit
The benefit of hiring Vanderbloemen is that we have the search capabilities to find the ideal fit for your organization, whether the right person is already working for you or is living halfway across the globe. We can provide an extensive reach and a full-staff approach for organizations that otherwise would be limited to their local networks and would need to sacrifice other responsibilities to invest in a quality search. We are able to bring schools and organizations executive position candidates they could not find on their own.
If you’re ready to start the conversation around hiring, contact our team. We’ll guide you through the hiring process at every level, from job descriptions to signing the offer letter.