A look to the Future

A look to the Future

A Message From Jeff

“Just as I was faithful in following God’s call in 1986, I’m following God’s calling right now. I’ve never been more excited in my 62 years than I am right at this second. By God’s grace and power, He has allowed me to do amazing things here, and now it’s time to release that to someone else so Venture can expand and grow far beyond what we have already seen and experienced.” - Jeff Clark

Lead Pastor Vote Sunday, May 19

After a prayerful and diligent process, Venture's elder body and search team have unanimously presented Lead Pastor candidate, Craig Curtis, to our church family. A vote to affirm the candidate will take place on Sunday, May 19 at the end of each Worship Experience. 



Leadership Team

Lead Pastor Candidate

Meet Craig Curtis and get a closer look into his story including his call into ministry, his passion for people, and his commitment to Venture's vision and mission. In this interview, you'll also get to hear from Search Team members, Mary Boleware and Kellen Lane, about the process that led to the team's unanimous decision.

View Profile

Lead Pastor Profile

The Lead Pastor Profile provides a summary of the qualifications and qualities most desired in our next Lead Pastor.  

FAQ'S

On Sunday, May 19, at the end of each worship experience, present partners who have been actively engaged in the vision and mission of our church within the last six months will be asked to vote. Voting partners will be asked to affirm Lead Pastor candidate, Craig Curtis, by checking yes or no on a special communication card. 

Votes will be counted by hand by a team of two people plus an overseer immediately following the last worship experience on each campus. Anonymous votes will be discarded.

In order for the candidate to be affirmed, 3/4 or 75% of the votes cast must be marked "Yes."

In this unlikely scenario, the process would pause and defer back to our Elders and Search Team.

The goal is for our new Lead Pastor to teach on Sunday, May 26. During the months of June and July, the new Lead Pastor will tour our five campuses to have the opportunity for a meet and greet at each campus. We will host At The Movies the first three weekends in July. We will have a church-wide celebration of Jeff Clark and his family on Sunday, July 28. On Sunday, August 4, our new Lead Pastor will officially begin serving in his new role.

This entire process has span over many months with the guidance of renowned consultant, Dave Travis, who has helped more than 60 other churches transition successfully. We are following a proven, strategic, and very thorough process.

That has not yet been determined. Once our Lead Pastor is confirmed, the process of identifying a new Campus Pastor for The Lincoln Road Campus can begin.

Yes! We are fortunate to have a team of gifted communicators who will continue to rotate and teach on the weekends.

Yes! Our campuses will continue carrying out the vision and mission we feel God has uniquely called Venture Church to fulfill.

No. Hattiesburg is their earthly home. Venture Church is their faith family. They will continue serving here for years to come.

Once the new Lead Pastor is affirmed, Jeff and Alicia will take a sabbatical to rest, enjoy life, and give the new Lead Pastor the time and space needed to establish his leadership. When Jeff returns, we will continue utilizing his gifts and leveraging the legacy he has already built to mentor and set the next generation up for success.

In his own words, “Just as I was faithful in following God’s call in 1986, I’m following God’s calling right now. I’ve never been more excited in my 62 years than I am right at this second. By God’s grace and power, He has allowed me to do amazing things here, and now it’s time to release that to someone else so Venture can expand and grow far beyond what we have already seen and experienced.” - Jeff

YES, we will! Please mark your calendars for Sunday, July 28. This Sunday has been set aside as the day when, as a church family, we will celebrate the ministry of Jeff Clark and his family at Venture Church. We do not have details at this time but will share them at the appropriate time.

Jeff said it best, “Please pray and fight with all your might for unity in our faith family because God wants to take Venture to a level that none of us have ever seen. I’m excited about where we’ve come from, but I’m more excited about where we are going.” Prayer is essential. Please pray that the enemy would not gain a foothold in the movement of God through Venture Church. Please do all you can to continue serving, giving, supporting, and fulfilling our vision to be a church for the unchurched and our mission to lead people to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ. Venture is God's church. He has never let us down, and we confidently believe He will not let us down now.