Senior Pastor Search Committee  

A Season of Prayerful Discernment  

FBC Huntsville is in an important season as we seek God’s direction for our next Senior Pastor. This process is shaped by prayer, informed with input from our church family, and grounded in our shared commitment to know, love, and serve Christ together.

The Senior Pastor Search Committee has been entrusted with leading this process on behalf of our congregation. While much of the work happens behind the scenes, our goal is to move forward with clarity, unity, and trust in God’s timing.

Meet the Committee  

A flyer listing the six nominees for the 2026 Senior Pastor Search Committee, showing their headshots alongside their names and short biographies.
A flyer introduces six FBC Huntsville members and alternates with their headshots and short biographies on a teal and cream background.

About Our Guide  

We are grateful to be working with the Center for Healthy Churches and Dr. Bill Wilson, who is serving as a coach for this journey.

Dr. Wilson previously guided FBC Huntsville through the process of calling our last Senior Pastor, and his experience and perspective are a valuable resource as we move forward.

Prayer Initiative: Tent of Meeting

Exodus 33: 7-11

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.

Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.

Thus, the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

This is the inspiration for the First Baptist Church Tent of Meeting, our very own prayer tent. Moses set the tent up so everyone could see it. And everyone can see ours in the gathering place, especially walking down the stairs. 

Everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent. That now applies to all of us. We can all go and inquire of the Lord in unity as a church. When Moses entered the tent…everyone worshiped. And it is also noted that we can linger afterwards. Joshua benefited from that greatly!

There are several important truths reflected in the Tent of Meeting:

  • Prayer is a church-wide calling. All the people participated, and so should we.

  • Prayer is personal and relational. Moses spoke with the Lord as a man speaks with a friend.

  • Prayer is intercession. Moses asked for guidance and direction for the people.

  • Prayer invites us to linger. Joshua remained in the tent, and we are invited to do the same.

This is the kind of prayer we are stepping into as a church.


The First Baptist Church Tent of Meeting is a shared space for our church family that builds on the foundation of our recent 40 Days of Prayer and invites us into a church-wide rhythm of prayer during the pastor search.

We encourage all groups to visit the Tent of Meeting, including:

  • Sunday School classes

  • Weeknight groups

  • Choir and orchestra

  • Oasis and D-groups

  • Youth and children’s ministries

Together, we pray for:

  • The Interim Pulpit Committee

  • The Senior Pastor Search Committee

  • The person God is preparing to lead FBC Huntsville

  • Our church staff during this transition

  • The ongoing life and ministry of our church

  • Unity, peace, and direction

In the Center, The Cross

Since Moses’ time, we have been redeemed. God sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. He has given us the greatest gift of all: Himself as the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are now the temple of God. The curtain has been torn, and we can approach the throne of God with confidence.  

Mosaic Tiles from our Church Mural

They are now our Prayer Tiles. Do not let it be lost on you that these tiles are literally the fibers of FBC, the building, our gathering place. Take the prayer tiles. After you have prayed, drop them in the jar. It is a visual presentation of the prayers of the people growing. We get to see how much everyone is praying. Let’s fill the jars!

A Scroll

You are invited to share your thoughts under the headings/topics written on the scroll. This is another way to bring honor to God and allows everyone to participate. We will stack up the filled rolls of paper just as they stacked scripture scrolls in the synagogues: words written to God, words about God, prayers. These will be a visual reminder of our calling out for God to lead us.

A Shofar

The shofar was not used as a call to prayer. It was used as a call to meeting. It was used as a call to war. We need to meet to prepare ourselves, to armor up, because this is a spiritual battle to build a strong church, and we will win with God leading us!  

The prayer tent will remain standing until we find our senior pastor. It will be a constant reminder that we still need God's guidance in this search.

Help Shape Our Senior Pastor Profile

Your input matters! 

If you missed the May 17 conversation, you can still complete the Senior Pastor Profile Survey here! 

Note: The survey is open through Memorial Day (5-25-26)

Senior Pastor Search Committee Updates  

April 14, 2026

To our FBC family—

In the past two weeks, we on the Senior Pastor Search Committee have been overwhelmed with expressions of prayerful support and encouragement. We are deeply grateful.

This responsibility is significant, but we are reminded that we are not carrying it alone. As we were encouraged during our orientation with Dr. Bill Wilson, God has faithfully provided shepherds for FBC Huntsville for over 200 years—and we trust that He will continue to do so.

Our first congregational conversation has already taken place, and we are currently reviewing and organizing the feedback. These insights will help form our Congregational Profile, which will serve as a valuable resource for both our church and potential candidates.

We look forward to our second session on May 17, where we will focus on what we are seeking in our next Senior Pastor. Our hope is to complete both the Congregational Profile and Pastor Profile in the coming months as we move into the next phase of the process.

The committee is meeting regularly and will continue to share updates through The Messenger as we are able.

Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support.

May God continue to bless FBC Huntsville.

Senior Pastor Search Committee

Dear FBC Friends,

     Thanks to all who participated in our first of two "Conversations" on Sunday. Indeed, it was a true conversation as Bill Wilson directed us so that everyone had several opportunities to speak and record their experiences with FBC. This will provide the needed input for our committee as we gather data for publishing a new Church Profile - a tool used for both the pastor search endeavor as well serving as an informational package for everyone.

     Now, if you missed Sunday evening's conversation, don't fret - you can still participate. Simply access the question form by clicking here and provide us with your responses which we will receive at nearly the speed of light. The link will be hot through Sunday April 26. Though we have well over 1,000 data points to digest already, we will be using some new techniques to process the data quickly and accurately. Even if you are like some of us who can't even spell A.I., we've got some savvy (i.e. young) folks on the committee who know how to use these Large-Language-Models properly and effectively. [Our three alternates are joining the nine regular members to generate the profiles.]

     The SPSC met last Thursday night to plan our to-do list. You will hear more in the coming days about an initiative to call the church to continual prayer which is being coordinated by several FBC folks (thank you sincerely for sensing this need) with the help of SPSC member Tammy Splawn - the SPSC's very own chaplain.

     Don't forget Sunday, May 17 5-6:30pm for the next Conversation ... and stay tuned to The Messenger for these quasi-regular updates.

Blessings to all,

Senior Pastor Search Committee

Your SPSC has spent a couple of weeks consolidating the several hundred comments from our “conversation” on April 19 as well as those received from the on-line forms that you’ve graciously submitted. Don’t forget, you will have a new opportunity on May 17 to provide some detailed discussion and responses regarding the characteristics of our next Senior Pastor.

Sunday, May 17, 5 – 6:30pm, Nursery provided.

As with the first event, if you are unable to attend in person, we will provide a link to an on-line form – the same form that everyone will be using on May 17.  We want and need your input, so take advantage of this opportunity to help your committee prepare a “Pastor Profile."

In addition to our data analysis, teams of two SPSC members have begun meeting with each ministerial staff member (individually) for in-depth listening sessions about our present and future.  As you can imagine their input will be vital as we develop the profiles.  Our basic time line at this point is to have the Church and Pastor Profiles completed by July at which point we will begin the candidate search.  Your prayers will be like priceless treasures for us at each step of the way, so please do not grow weary in your petitions to God as we all seek His guidance.  

Thank you and don’t forget, Sunday, May 17, 5-6:30pm in the Life Center.  

Blessings to all,

Senior Pastor Search Committee

Next Sunday evening, May 17th you will have two ways to participate in the Senior Pastor Search Committee’s efforts as we look for our next leader. First is the already-announced “Church Conversation” in which we will concentrate our thoughts on the traits of a Senior Pastor that we believe FBC needs now. Each of your suggestions will be received and folded into the development of the “Pastor Profile” which will be used in the candidate search-phase beginning  in earnest this summer. This “Conversation” will be led again by Dr. Bill Wilson from 5:00 p.m.  to 6:30 p.m. in the Life Center with nursery provided. 

 Secondly, we ask you to come early on the 17th for the opening at 4:00 p.m. of a special prayer center at the west end of the Gathering Place. The model we follow here comes from the Old  Testament “Tent of Meeting”, a sacred place where the Hebrews would encounter God, their  Deliverer, as they wandered through the wilderness (described in Exodus 25-32). Known as the  Ohel Mo’ed (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד), we hope this will be a place where you can specifically pray for (a) our unknown-to-us next Senior Pastor, (b) guidance for our committee, and (c) strengthening the  fellowship and ministries of FBC. There will also be a unique and enduringly-tangible way to  express your prayer support in the Tent of Meeting, so please come at 4:00 p.m.  

Now, the idea of “Tent of Meeting” doesn’t end with the Old Testament. Have you ever  wondered why there is a “c” in the English word “scene” (as in a scene in a play)? The word  originates from the Greek word for tent, σκηνή (skēnē). During theatrical plays in ancient  Greece, the actors would scurry to tents near the stage when there was a new direction in the  storyline to change costumes and masks – hence “scene” comes from the Greek word for tent  (the “k” became a “c”).  

Moving to the Gospel of John (1:14) we see in his Prologue the incarnation described as “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, full of grace and truth.” The word for  “made His dwelling”, translated literally, is “pitched His tent” (ἐσκήνωσεν) – the verb form of  the word for tent. [Travis, with a fondness for turning nouns into verbs, would say, “He tented His tent among us.] Thus, Jesus brought his tent to us, becoming a “tent-place” for humanity’s  direct encounter with the Almighty God of the Hebrews and Deliverer of us all. 

So, when you  stop by the Ohel Mo’ed from time to time in the Gathering Place, recall the deep salvation- history it represents – a place where for thousands of years one could meet and talk with God Himself.  We hope to see you this Sunday! If you are unable to attend, we will provide a link to the same form given to those in attendance for you to submit which will tell us of your ideas on our next  Senior Pastor.  

We continue to be blessed by your prayers and commitment to this journey. 

Thank you all,

Senior Pastor Search Committee

Dear Friends,

Thanks to all who participated in our information-gathering conversation for the Senior Pastor Profile on the 17th. If you were unable to attend, we have hard copies of the survey in the church office you may fill-out this week or just go to the Senior Pastor Search Committee webpage and fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/doHCRQHiaupip2F6A. This link will be live until Memorial Day (5-25-2026). We welcome your input as we build the profile you feel FBC needs that characterizes our next leader.


Also, please take advantage of our new Tent of Meeting in the Gathering Place to express your prayers to God in the endeavor!

Blessings to all.  

Senior Pastor Search Committee

 If the service on May 31 is any indication, FBC will thrive this summer as we saw terrific attendance all around.  Your Senior Pastor Search Committee is also on the move as we have digested the hopes, ideas and concerns you’ve expressed through the two Church Conversations.  Again, thank you for providing us with a large sample of data to help us gauge the direction you want to go.

   This Saturday, June 6, the SPSC will meet to consolidate this information as we prepare a Church Profile which will allow potential candidates to have a clear picture of who we are.  We will also take the considerable input you offered in the second “conversation” to generate a Senior Pastor Profile that will be used within the committee to guide us as the Search begins in July.  This will be the time we will start looking into candidates and your suggestions will be important as we go forward.

   Therefore, this week will be a perfect time to drop a tile (or ten) in the Tent-of-Meeting’s prayer jar as a tangible portrayal of your willingness to seek God’s guidance for your SPSC, our future pastor and for all who participate in the life and ministry of FBC.  God gave us more than eight inches of rain in this past merry month of May, so let’s see if we can accumulate that depth in the prayer jar this June in return!

May God’s Showers of Blessings keep falling on FBC,


Senior Pastor Search Committee