Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?... Isaiah 43:19

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2 Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?... Isaiah 43:19

3 Dear RBCPC Family, It has been a privilege for the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) to work on your behalf these past 14 months. With enthusiasm and excitement, we introduce you to the family God prepared and sent to us - The Reverend Doctor Bryan Stamper, his wife Kerry, and their two boys, Thomas and Cole. Bryan s ministry includes over twenty years of experience, with service as a Director of Youth Ministries, as a New Church Development pastor, and as the Senior Pastor, Head of Staff for Grace Presbyterian Church in Plano, Texas for the past nine years. Gathering over many months, meeting weekly and building a unique relationship together, we as a PNC prayed and asked God for wisdom, discernment, guidance and patience. We believe our calling to be a unique form of worship led by the Holy Spirit. So after our time as a group with Bryan and Kerry, we felt that they were an answer to our prayerful work and God s choice for us. We are unanimous in our discernment: Bryan and Kerry are the right couple to join us at RBCPC. After our nomination was extended, Bryan engaged the transition team. We are delighted to report they are developing a relationship based on transparency and enthusiasm about God s leading for the future. Much of what Bryan brings to our church leadership team is in line with the direction we have been heading during this period of discernment. So let s get excited! Join us in praying for the congregation s approval of our nomination and for a smooth transition for the Stampers during these months when their boys are in school and Bryan learns about us as his new church family. And thank you, our friends and RBCPC family, for trusting us with this responsibility. This is the culmination of a process we, your PNC, entered into on your behalf for the glory of God. We felt your prayers and heard your words of encouragement. It has been an honor. In Christ, RBCPC Pastoral Nominating Committee Steve Barclay, Chair Tom Hurn, Vice-chair Alan Mansfield Barbara Riddle Bob Lauer Greg Kritzer Irene Dunny Kari Breitweiser Mirna Wasef Visit rbcpc.org/pastor-search to hear more about why our PNC chose Pastor Bryan.

4 MEET PASTOR BRYAN STAMPER AND HIS FAMILY Bryan Stamper comes to us from Plano, Texas - a suburb of 250,000 people in north Dallas, where he is in his ninth year ministering as the Senior Pastor, Head of Staff at Grace Presbyterian Church. Bryan partnered with the Session and staff there to witness God s transformation of their church from an institution in debt with crumbling infrastructure, to a renovated campus with over $2.5 million invested, now debt free and outwardly focused in mission and ministry. Bryan s family has deep roots in the Presbyterian Church dating back to his grandfather, The Reverend Dr. Robert L. Stamper, PhD. Bob served as the President of New York Theological Seminary and on staff at Columbia Theological Seminary in the 1960s. Quite the character in the greater Atlanta, Georgia presbytery, Bob was known for his seminary fundraising work and his passion for the poor in the greater Appalachian mountains. Bryan s father (where he gets his name, he s a Junior ), The Reverend Dr. Bryan C. Stamper, PhD, currently serves Quest Presbyterian Church in Florida - now going on 40+ years in the same call. Bryan, Sr. earned his Master s of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and his PhD from Edinburgh University in Scotland.

5 And finally Bryan s aunt, The Reverend Dr. Meda Stamper, PhD, earned her Master s of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and her doctorate from Princeton. She currently lives in England, serving a small local church and publishing material on Christian discipleship. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, then moving to Scotland, Bryan spent his early years after Scotland in central Florida. He grew up playing soccer and surfing, gravitating every weekend and summer to the surf around Cocoa Beach. His claim to fame: he worked at Ron Jon s Surf Shop and surfed on the same team with world-renowned champion Kelly Slater (Bryan is referenced in Kelly s book). Bryan maintains a friendship with the Slater family, who are excited to see him move closer to the ocean. Bryan s wife, Kerry, grew up in greater Atlanta where she and Bryan went on their first dates. Kerry also has deep ties to the Presbyterian Church. She worshipped and served as an adult at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, then transferred with Bryan to Peachtree Presbyterian after they married. Kerry graduated from Furman University and has a master s degree in public health from The University of South Carolina. After the birth of Bryan and Kerry s first child, Cole, Kerry stepped away from her career in the pharmaceutical industry with Johnson & Johnson and Novo Nordisk as a specialty sales representative. Now 11 years old, Cole is a quiet presence who loves animals, singing in choir, ringing hand bells and playing piano. Their second child Thomas (7 years old) is a bundle of energy and an outgoing musician and athlete. Kerry s unique claim to fame: Kerry (Chapman) Stamper is a direct descendent of John Appleseed Chapman, thus they say the Johnny Appleseed Prayer at meals. Bryan graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2003 and earned his Doctrate of Ministry in 2015 from Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas. Bryan s particular passions around his call involves learning and sharing in the deep, mystical practices of our faith, preaching the Word of God to a diversity of people (saints who grew up in the church and those unfamiliar with Jesus), and growing churches through healthy leadership practices. Kerry and Bryan describe themselves as courtyard coffee conversationalists who enjoy meeting new people and laughing at corny jokes. From Kerry and Bryan: We saw the big beautiful fellowship area on your campus and we knew we d be spending a lot of time there with our new church family! We can t wait to meet you!

6 Reverend Doctor Bryan Stamper Education: The University of Georgia, Athens BBA Finance, 1990 Columbia Theological Seminary - Master of Divinity, 2003 Dallas Theological Seminary - Doctor of Ministry, 2015 Dissertation: Leadership Factors for Growth in PCUSA Churches Experience: Director Of Youth Ministries, St Pauls Presbyterian Church, Ocoee, Fl Grew the core of active students from 35 students to 150+ students. Director of Youth Ministries, Clermont Presbyterian Church, Decatur, Ga Grew the core of active students from 45 students to 150+ students. Founding Pastor, Crosspoint Presbyterian Church, Clermont, Fl Established a congregation from 8 worshipping families to 150+ people in weekly attendance. Senior Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church, Plano, Tx Present Senior Pastor of a 1,300+ member congregation, added 100+ new members in Boards Served: Family Promise of Collin County Minnie s Food Pantry

7 Q & A with Pastor Bryan Why RBCPC? What are you looking forward to? A friend directed me to RBCPC after reviewing your Ministry Information Form. While he did not see his strengths aligning with RBCPC, he told me, That looks like you re kind of call. My own research through pastors in the area and references opened up what I can only describe as a tug on the heart that grew stronger with each phone call, reference check, and prayer. Our meeting with the PNC and worship on your campus were the Lord s final confirmation for Kerry and me. I openly admit that while I ve been getting more comfortable with the way things are done at RBCPC, with humility I proclaim, I don t even know every thing that I don t know. I find myself going to the Lord in prayer more intensely in seasons like this, trusting God to illuminate where I am called to step in with my gifts, and where I am called to wait and watch others rise up into their calling. So while I m looking forward to meeting new people, learning every thing God is doing through your family, developing great relationships with your leadership teams and yes, surfing, I m most excited about how my relationship with God will strengthen in this season of being forced to rely more heavily upon the Lord. This is a new adventure, I m relying on Jesus to lead the way. So in answering this question, I am directed to what Kari Breitweiser from the PNC gave Kerry and me during our visit - a prayer written for the family of the next pastor of RBCPC. Thank you for praying for us. Kerry and I can follow the Lord anywhere we know people are praying. How do you measure progress toward a stated vision? We say our mission is to glorify God and our vision is to grow people. Our mission and vision slogan is Every member a missionary. Our values are titled I5 -- inviting, involving, inspiring, innovating and intentional. Our goal is to constantly expand the base of ministry and mission participants while streamlining our decision-making process. Thus, we say less meetings, more ministry often. As a leadership team of staff and elders at Grace Presbyterian Church (GPC), we prayerfully discern stated objectives for every year and we keep those objectives at the forefront of our monthly Session meetings.

8 Describe your leadership style. Spirit-based I am constantly calling leaders to join me in prayer and periods of discernment. It is OK for leadership teams to say, We don t have a leading from the Lord yet. This does not mean we have to avoid movement; it simply means God has not clarified the full roadmap. We should meet for prayer as pastors and elders, in some arrangement, outside our Session work. Staff and key leaders should meet for prayer outside of our obligations of managing church programs. We built a prayer labyrinth at GPC for a reason - we seek Holy Spirit s leading in all our work together. What is the point of competence if the Lord is not leading us? Achievement-oriented We should set objectives as staff and elders. We should strive for those objectives. And while It is OK to not achieve those objectives, we should always, as leaders, have targets in mind. A key difference in church work involves the differentiation between key leaders, staff and elders. Elders must comprehend the difference between objectives they own as a Session (plotting the course forward), and objectives set by staff (operational management). There is a difference, and functioning this way shifts the way every body fulfills their obligations to the Lord. Do we want elders to function as spiritual leaders, or operational managers? Collegial I am always inviting people to join in the leadership process. No pastor should feel their calling is to the position of benevolent dictator. At GPC we discovered the benefits of having sprint-like task teams instead of marathon-like committees. We regularly used our worship services to find new leaders by inviting people to short term projects, pulling effective leaders from those experiences. Who wants to go to a church where they can t get engaged in ministry and mission? How do you craft a message that is relevant to both Christfollowers and not-yet-christ-followers? This is perhaps the great challenge for this current generation of Presbyterians! Even our denominational title (watch a new believer try to spell Presbyterian) is somewhat of a deterrent for reaching non-believers. So what we say is simple: Honor our tradition but welcome our guests. We try to lead people through the worship elements by having things clearly printed on the screens and worship bulletins, and the message itself is plain spoken.

9 What are the most important leadership attributes required in a senior pastor of a large church like RBCPC? Patience with setbacks Large organizations take time to move. What we often forget is that God is in control even in what we consider mistakes. Strategic intelligence If an organization is afraid to try new things, there is no way for faith to expand among the leadership. The ability to both know the course ahead, and to set the roadmap go hand in hand. A senior pastor with no strategic ability is probably going to struggle, even in situations where there is an Executive Pastor. Communication excellence Pastors need to be able to clearly articulate the direction of the church. When a woman or man is called to lead a large church, that person should be able to communicate the church s God-given vision with clarity, confidence, and command. What do you envision to be among the greatest challenges facing the American church at this time? The North American church will continue. The main question is, Will mainline denominational churches adapt to what God is doing in North America? Nondenominational churches are much more flexible in their leadership styles and church structures. Presbyterian churches, in particular, must find ways to honor their history and traditions while also moving forward to meet God at work in the world. We re living in a time when regular attendance in the USA looks very different from what even I grew up with twenty years ago. Non-denominational churches are at the forefront of multiple worship services and online services. We re living in a time where many North American nonprofits have figured out how to solicit funds effectively. Nondenominational churches are at the forefront of electronic giving. In sum, the world is always changing but we re entering a period where those changes have occurred at a rapid pace. The Presbyterian church has to adapt.

10 How have you developed and promoted creative methods that empowered church members to fulfill the Great Commission through missional outreach, evangelism, and discipleship? Evangelism We created short-term vision statements and themes for each year. In 2015 our vision slogan was Celebrating Transformed Lives. Our goal was to create and share 50 testimonies on video, with about half of those shared in worship throughout the year. We also offered several seminars called Tell Your Story, to help people learn how to convey their stories in normal conversations. This is a recurring seminar topic that occurs in Sunday School classes throughout the year. We used those testimonial videos on our website to promote the idea of evangelism as a personal process of sharing our faith stories. Missional outreach In terms of how to strive to embody the love of Christ through outreach, we create and promote opportunities to introduce people from our community to our church. In October of 2016 we raised about $10,000 through a community garage sale. Members who worked the event were encouraged to meet people and invite them to worship. Last spring, we built two houses through Baja Christian Ministries in Tijuana, which incorporates evangelism events while the houses are being built. In October we raised $13,000 for a local organization that utilizes churches as transitional housing for families in crisis. Discipleship An updated vision for discipleship is being implemented now through an Associate Pastor at GPC as a ministry program called The Journey. The vision slogan is Take the Journey, consisting of a discovery phase before the actual journey program begins. Our Family Ministries Team s vision slogan is Partnering with Families, emphasizing a long term commitment of small group leaders who grow with students throughout their development. Every new member of GPC is partnered with a One2One advisor who both evaluates where they are on their spiritual journey, but also introduces those new members to the appropriate staff and leaders to plan for their spiritual growth. What are your hobbies and interests away from work? How do you get refreshed? What gives you energy? I enjoy exercise, surfing, working on cars, being outside, time with my wife and boys, and time with friends on trips. My primary source of refreshment comes from my sabbath day of rest every Monday and daily exercise. My energy comes from projects utilizing my strengths that challenge my routine. Nobody retires from the mission field. Every season of life is honored by God.

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