Executive Search
Founded by Gerry and Jeanette Moffett and Harry and Candace Kuehl, the Church at Rancho Bernardo (CRB) is a thriving non-denominational church located in North County San Diego, California.
CRB has a strong commitment to social issues in the community such as combatting homelessness and human trafficking. What is all comes down to for CRB is leading people to know and love Jesus. Whether it’s building homes for the homeless, providing food for the hungry, or simply loving people for who they are rather than who people want them to be, CRB wants to ultimately lead people to Christ.
The vision of CRB is enormous. Sharing the message that love will save the world is no small feat. But the leadership of CRB is set on making sure that no person in their community goes unloved.
Such a big vision can’t be left to rise or fall on a single set of leaders. There must be a plan, a plan to carry on the vision of CRB well beyond the founders. The leaders of CRB are forward thinking, and they realized that whether a Pastor has 5 years or 25 years of ministry left in them, there should always be a leadership succession plan in place. In the words of William Vanderbloemen “every pastor is an interim pastor.”
Pastor Jeanette and the rest of the leadership team decided that it was time to bring someone on staff who could, in the future, “be someone to carry the legacy of the church from the founders.” She said that they know that this was quite possibly the most important hire they would ever make.
The leadership team knew that they needed someone who would be a strong teacher from the stage, but that wasn’t all they needed. They needed someone who was a “fit” with the church, and that is where they knew the search could get hung up. Every church is unique, yes. However, there is another level of distinctiveness when it comes to a church in California.
Over the years, as Vanderbloemen Search Group has helped churches find their key staff, one thing has become increasingly clear: there is a limited amount of individuals who truly understand and fit California culture and who are well-equipped to serve in churches there (5 Reasons California Is Unique).
This was the position CRB found themselves in: they needed a pastor who had strong teaching abilities, who could carry the mission beyond the founders, and who fit the culture of their church and community.
Pastor Jeanette called on the Vanderbloemen Search Group as an added resource to the search. She recalls that there was hesitatation about bringing in an objective third party to be a guide, but ultimately
"we wanted the best possible outcome, which was why we chose Vanderbloemen."
The leadership at CRB sat down with their Executive Search Consultant from Vanderbloemen Search Group and laid it all out, every detail. From
the theology to the culture, every piece of who this person needed to be was put on paper. Acting almost as adjunct staff at CRB, the Vanderbloemen Team set out to find the best candidate who fit the culture of CRB.
In the end, the leadership team at CRB was presented with a select number of highly-qualified candidates. They were relieved to not have to sift through hundreds of resumes. With all of the legwork out of the way, the leadership could put all of their energy into focusing on a select few, pre-screened, and pre-interviewed candidates that were presented to them by Vanderbloemen.
At the end of the search, there was one person that CRB felt that God was clearing calling to step into this role. Jared Herd was that person. Jared has exceptional teaching abilities, a heart for community outreach, and most importantly, he is a perfect culture match for the DNA of CRB and their community. With Jared on staff, CRB is poised for a long legacy of community impact and kingdom growth.
