Pastoral Search
The Process
Abundant Life Christian Fellowship is in the process of hiring a new pastor. The process and timeline detailed below were formed from our church constitution and by-laws. Click the links below to read the full ALCF Constitution and By-laws or just Article VII from the by-laws detailing the role of pastor and how to fill a vacancy:
Current Candidate - Dustin Paulson
The Board of Directors has unanimously recommended Dustin Paulson as our candidate to fill the position of pastor.
Dustin is an active member and elder in our fellowship. Dustin and his family have been attending the fellowship since 2019. He, his wife Andrea, and their three children, have been active in serving in our Rooted Ministry and participating in and hosting a Life Group. Andrea and Ethan (their son) have also served in our Food Pantry. Dustin serves on the Music Team and is in his 2nd year in his role as an elder on our church board.
Dustin graduated in 2000 from Rhema Bible Training College in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, after completing a 2-year program. The first year of the program was general Biblical and ministry studies. The second year was more ministry studies specialized in teen ministry.
In addition to these qualifications, Dustin has been asked to provide the Board with 6 Letters of Recommendation from several different sources.
Dustin will be preaching each of the four Sundays in the month of February.
Dustin is an active member and elder in our fellowship. Dustin and his family have been attending the fellowship since 2019. He, his wife Andrea, and their three children, have been active in serving in our Rooted Ministry and participating in and hosting a Life Group. Andrea and Ethan (their son) have also served in our Food Pantry. Dustin serves on the Music Team and is in his 2nd year in his role as an elder on our church board.
Dustin graduated in 2000 from Rhema Bible Training College in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, after completing a 2-year program. The first year of the program was general Biblical and ministry studies. The second year was more ministry studies specialized in teen ministry.
In addition to these qualifications, Dustin has been asked to provide the Board with 6 Letters of Recommendation from several different sources.
Dustin will be preaching each of the four Sundays in the month of February.
Vetting Committee
Since the Board of Directors found a candidate from within the congregation, the formal "pastoral committee" detailed in the by-laws was not needed. In its place, the Board of Directors has selected a diverse group of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship members to serve as a vetting committee. These members are from a wide demographic of age and include both men and women of our membership. They will meet to determine the questions to be asked of the candidate during the vetting process and the number of times they will be meeting with him.
Timeline:
January
February
March
- Assemble the vetting committee
- Determine the vetting questions to be asked
- Begin the vetting process at the end of the month
February
- Continue the vetting process
- Dustin will preach all four Sundays
- Collect and evaluate the letters of recommendation
- The Board puts together a financial package for our next pastor
March
- Discuss the vetting committee's recommendation at a congregational meeting
- If Dustin desires to continue seeking the pastoral position and the vetting committee recommends him for the position, the Active Members
- If the vote is yes, a financial package will be finalized by the Board of Directors to offer to Dustin
- If the vote is no, a pastoral committee will be formed to find a new candidate