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# General Director
# Transition Updates
## On April 24, 2023, Jim Lyon announced his intention to step out of the role of General Director of Church of God Ministries at the completion of his term in 2025. Read the full letters from Jim and Ministries Council Chair Esther Cottrell here.
## **TRANSITIONAL PIVOT UPDATE**
## **January 2025 Update**
## *January 13, 2024* **Update from the General Director Search Team:** Here at the beginning of 2025, we wanted to provide a quick overview of key updates from throughout the General Director search and transition process, including a recent update of the Search Team’s progress:
#### CONTINUE READING
* The **Search Team** was formed by the Ministries Council in the fall of 2023 to identify the next General Director for Church of God Ministries.
* The team has met consistently every month and stayed in close communication with the Ministries Council as we prayerfully explore God’s plan for the Church of God in this next season.
* Our process determined that to create the strongest potential for future Kingdom impact, an **Interim Director** needed to be identified.
* The decision to hire an Interim Director was affirmed by the Ministries Council and .
* A  to submit names for the Interim Director role was given the fall of 2024.
* The deadline to receive nominations for the Interim Director position was **October 15, 2024**.
* The Search Team received almost **40 names** for consideration.
* The Search Team met multiple times in October and reviewed all the names and recommendations that had been submitted.
* A **rubric** for evaluating qualified individuals was developed and used to determine those who would be contacted as potential candidates.
* A letter of thanks was sent to all persons recommended.
* The deadline for potential candidates to submit resumes, references, and other supporting documents was **November 7, 2024**.
* From that process, **4 candidates** were identified and invited to move to an assessment and interview process.
* Initial interviews were conducted in December and follow-up interviews will take place in **January**.
* The project goal is to present a candidate to the Ministries Council by **early spring of 2025**.
The Search Team is hard at work during this important transition in our Movement. We appreciate your continued prayers.
*Efrain Cirilo
Chair of the General Director Search Team*
## **September 2024 Update**
## *September 5, 2024* **Members of the General Assembly of the Church of God in the United States and Canada:** Believing that we are on a holy journey your Search Team and the Ministries Council have been highly active this summer. The Search Team has created—with input from the Ministries Council—a job description for the transitional leader to serve as an interim director for one to two years.
We ask that as you prayerfully read the Interim Director job description, you also ask the Lord Jesus to reveal potential nominees for this crucial position.
~~If you then have nominations to submit (or if you have any questions), please email those to Search2025@chog.org. Include in that nomination:~~
1. ~~The name of the nominee~~
2. ~~Contact information of the nominee~~
3. ~~A *brief* statement of your reason for the nomination~~
4. ~~As a member of the General Assembly, please include *your* name and city~~
**The deadline for receiving nominations was Tuesday, October 15, 2024.**
In closing, we want to thank the Assembly for your partnership in prayer in this holy journey of transition. We have often received calls, notes, and in-person conversations wherein GA members commit to pray over this time and over the leadership. It is life-giving to the Search Team and the Ministries Council to know you are praying. Please continue to partner with us to make this transitional time a matter of prayer. Pray specifically for the Ministries Council as we meet in Atlanta on September 17-19 and for the Search Team meeting on September 24.
Grace and Peace to you all!
*Esther Cottrell, Chair of the General Assembly**Efrain Cirilo, Chair of the General Director Search Team*
## **April 2024 Update**
## On April 15, 2024, Esther Cottrell (General Assembly Chair) and Efrain Cirilo (Search Team Chair) shared an important update regarding the General Director search process.
## *Cited in their letter:  of the Vista Landscape Survey administered in Fall 2023.*
# PRAYER GATHERING
## Stay tuned for info about the next prayer opportunity on Monday, February 3 at 1:00PM (EST).
DETAILS COMING SOON
# QUESTIONS?
## Questions or concerns can be emailed to the Search Team at Search2025@chog.org, and they will respond as they are able.
SEND AN EMAIL
# Please join us in prayer for wisdom for the Search Team and Ministries Council as they lead during this transitional pivot.
* + Pray for wisdom and insight for the Search Team as they continue with the interview level.
  + Pray for the interviewees, that they too might have the mind of Christ.
  + Pray for the staff at Church of God Ministries as they continue to serve the Church during this time of transition.
  + Pray for unity of the Movement around our Kingdom mission for this next chapter of her history.
  + And in all things, pray for the will of God be done!
  + Pray also for wisdom and revelation for Jim Lyon as he continues to lead Church of God Ministries and as he discerns God’s calling after his term with CGM is completed.
## **FAQs**
#### Who will appoint the transitional leader and what will that role encompass?
The Search Team, along with the Ministries Council, has created a job description for an Interim Director. Nominations will be accepted for the Search Team and Ministries Council to review.
#### How long will the Interim Director be in place?
The Interim Director role is expected to be completed within 12-24 months.
#### What types of working structural models are you considering?
We’re prayerfully researching other successful models to help inform our decision-making.
#### What else should we expect during the transition?
It is the intention of the General Assembly to keep you as informed and updated as possible throughout this process. As the Search Team has updates, they will be communicated through Church of God Ministries’ regular channels. As of now, all events, programming, and other General Assembly-related business will continue as normal.
#### I have questions about this transitional pivot. Who can I contact?
Any questions or concerns can be emailed to the Search Team at Search2025@chog.org, and they will respond as they are able.
# Partner
## NL Moore & Associates has been selected as the search firm by the Transition Team.
# Plan
## See the approximate timeline of the transition and search process.
# Prayer
## Tangible and intentional opportunities to join together in prayer.
# Participate
## The Landscape Survey is now closed. More opportunities to come.
## The Search Team
* !
  Efrain Cirilo
  Geremy Dixon
  Tim Clarke
  Jeff Stewart
  Arnetta Bailey
  Jeannette Flynn
  Erin Taylor
  John Fozard
  Andrew Gale
## What’s Next?
## A Transition Team has been appointed by the  to plan out the remaining term of current General Director Jim Lyon, select a search firm to perform a landscape survey of the Church of God movement, assist with compiling a candidate profile, and form a Search Team for the new General Director of Church of God Ministries.
## TRANSITION TEAM
  (Transition Team Chair); Ministries Council Vice-Chair
  ESTHER COTTRELL
  Ministries Council Chair
  David Hoag
  President of Warner University
  Bob Oliver
  Ministries Council
  Ben Shular
  Church of God Ministries Chief of Staff
## SEARCH TEAM
## PARTNER. PLAN. PRAYER. PARTICIPATE.
## PARTNER
## The Transition Team has selected  as the search firm.
## PLAN
## An approximate timeline of the General Director transition and search process:
* **June 2023 –** Introduce the “Partner, Plan, Prayer, Participate” approach at the 2023 Convention & General Assembly
* **September 2023** –
  + Ministries Council reviews potential additions to the Landscape Survey
  + Ministries Council reviews Search Team nominations and prayerfully discerns participants
  + Nancy Moore meets with the Ministries Council in Houston on September 19
  + Jim Lyon invited to participate in two personal assessments to better understand his gifts and strengths and how those have been used to lead
Rest of Transition Timeline:
* **October 2023** – Launch Vista Landscape Survey.
* **November 2023** – Zoom meeting with the Ministries Council to debrief the results of the Vista Landscape Survey on November 16.
  + Executive summary of the Vista Landscape Survey results prepared by NL Moore & Associates and delivered to Ministries Council to assist in communicating results to participants in January.
* **January 2024** – Communicate results of Vista Landscape Survey by sending out the Executive Summary to participants and/or posting it on the transition webpage.
  + Orient the Search Team by end of January.
  + Open a link for General Director nominations on the transition webpage.
* **January – March 2024** – Launch Interviews and Zoom Focus Groups with specific groups like Concilio Hispano, National Association, Regional Pastors, Universities, as well as Open Groups for anyone who would like to participate.
  + Interviews scheduled with staff.
  + Encourage candidate nominations via link on transition webpage that will send to NL Moore & Associates directly.
* **February – May 2024** –Search Team will meet monthly to pray and prepare for candidate interviews.
* **April 2024** – NL Moore & Associates will synthesize what has been learned through the Vista Landscape Survey, Interviews, and Focus Groups to create an accurate Candidate Profile for the General Director role.
* **May 2024–** Candidate Profile (and Opportunity Profile) documents will be reviewed and approved by the Search Team and Ministries Council prior to the launch of interviews.
  + Search Team interview plan in place.
* **June – August 2024** – Candidates invited, interviewed, and assessed by NL Moore & Associates
* **August – September 2024** – The Presentation of Candidates is made to the Search Team
* **September – October 2024** – Search Team interviews with Candidates virtually and then in person.
* **October – November 2024** – Any additional assessments desired will be accomplished no later than this time frame (level 4 assessments; may occur earlier in the process).
* **December 2024–** Ideally, the Candidate is selected by the end of 2024 or by March 2025.
* **March 2025** – The Ministries Council will ratify the selection of the finalist Candidate.
* **June 2025** – Jim Lyon’s tenure closes, and the new General Director is ratified by the General Assembly.
## PRAYER
## We are people led by God’s Holy Spirit, and we believe in the power of prayer. As we engage this time of discovery for who our next General Director will be, we must join together in prayer to intercede on behalf of those currently leading our movement, discern God’s directing voice, and advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through it all.
## Below you will find prayer requests from Jim Lyon, Assembly Chair Esther Cottrell, and the Transition Team. These requests will be updated regularly to give you tangible ways to cover the search in prayer. You will also find upcoming opportunities to gather virtually for an intentional time of prayer led by leaders from the Movement.
## *Prayer Team lead by Pastors Melissa Pratt and Tim Gould*
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS
**Updated 2/16/24**
* Pray for General Director Jim Lyon as he and his wife are in deep conversation about their next chapter of ministry.  They are seeking and waiting upon the Lord even as they are negotiating and taking some next steps.
* Pray for General Assembly Chair Esther Cottrell as she leads the Ministries Council through meetings in March. They are considering weighty matters of the transition among other things. Pray also for safe travel to Indianapolis.
* Pray for Search Team Chair Efrain Cirilo as he and the Search Team are seeking the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit and counting on the intercession of the assembly. Pray for discernment in this task even as they navigate and balance responsibilities in their full-time work and homes.
ZOOM PRAYER GATHERINGS
Join quarterly prayer gatherings organized by the Prayer Team. These gatherings will be led by multiple voices from across the movement, while providing opportunity for interaction.
**Upcoming Prayer Gatherings:**
* Saturday, May 25, 2024 (live on  and )
  *Time TBD*
## CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS
**Updated 7/11/23**
* Pray for Jim Lyon as he continues to follow up on all that convened at the Church of God Convention in Tampa, and for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit leading to refreshment and empowerment.
* Pray for the Transition Team and the Ministries Council as they begin to think, pray, and work together to form the Search Team.
* Pray for NL Moore & Associates as they craft a movement-wide survey this fall.
* Pray for our movement as we move toward a new chapter in leadership—that any anxiety will be replaced with hope, any fear will be replaced with faith, and any sense of disunity or apathy will be replaced with a collective sense of unity and mission.
## ZOOM PRAYER GATHERING
Join quarterly Zoom prayer gatherings organized by the Prayer Team. These gatherings will be led by multiple voices from across the movement, while providing opportunity for interaction.
**The first gathering is Saturday, August 19 at 1:00 PM EDT.** Registration is required, so click below!
## PARTICIPATE
## The Vista Landscape Assessment (Fall 2023)
## In order to build the right General Director candidate profile, input was gathered from every pastor or ministry leader who is a part of our Movement in order to understand and describe the health, vitality, and culture of our Movement. Pastors, lay leaders, board chairs, full-time paid staff members, or ministry leaders who may engage in events or resources sponsored by our Movement were invited to complete a survey by November 6, 2023. An executive summary of the results of the survey are expected to be shared early 2024.
## The Transition Team
## Questions?
## Feel free to reach out to the Search Team at Search2025@chog.org
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