Introduction

Every church leader eventually faces the reality of a staff vacancy. A beloved pastor accepts a new call, a trusted leader retires, or unexpected life events create sudden change. In those moments, the temptation is strong to make do by stretching current staff or asking volunteers to cover the gap. But vacancies are never neutral. They create ripple effects across a congregation, unsettling staff, slowing momentum, and distracting attention from the mission.

For multisite churches, the stakes can be even higher. One empty role can place stress on an entire system. At The Compass Church, a multisite church of about 4,000 in the Chicago suburbs, this reality became clear when their Wheaton Campus Pastor role suddenly opened. Compass could have taken the easy road by rushing to fill the seat with someone available. Instead, they chose patience and discernment. Their story provides both encouragement and caution for any church navigating a season of transition.

The Challenge: Why This Role Mattered

At Compass’ Wheaton Campus, the Campus Pastor was not just a service planner or administrator. This leader was the face of pastoral care, the one charged with shepherding the congregation, developing leaders, building relationships, and embodying the church’s mission of Helping people find and follow God.

Without someone in this position, the Wheaton campus risked losing momentum in discipleship and evangelism. Volunteers needed vision, staff needed direction, and congregants needed a shepherd. The absence of a Campus Pastor wasn’t just a staffing challenge, it was a discipleship challenge.

Compass leaders understood that leaving the role vacant for too long could stall growth, sap energy, and discourage people. As one staff member put it during the transition, It’s not just about filling a job description. It’s about making sure our people are loved and led well.

This is a reminder to any church: when a leadership role is left open, the impact is not only organizational but deeply spiritual.

The Process: Clarity Before Candidates

The natural response in a vacancy is to move quickly. Momentum feels threatened. Emails and conversations often center on the same anxious questions: When will we have a new pastor? Who’s preaching next week? Who’s leading staff meetings in the meantime?

Compass chose a different path. Before posting job descriptions or reviewing resumes, their leadership team paused to clarify what they needed most in their next Campus Pastor. Partnering with our team at Vanderbloemen, they articulated both spiritual and practical qualities through prayer and discernment.

They named three essential character traits: humility, relational authenticity, and a passion for evangelism. These weren’t just generic ideals, they were specific to the Wheaton context. They also articulated practical ministry priorities: the new Campus Pastor needed to champion Compass’ four growth values: Pursue Him Daily, Connect in Groups, Serve in Teams, and Reach Your Neighbor.

This step proved vital. Too often, churches rush to replace a staff member without first naming the values and qualities that will sustain leadership long term. We’ve seen the pain that results when a hire looks right on paper but doesn’t align with the church’s DNA. Compass’ intentionality provided a guide that carried them through the process.

The Tension of Time

Even with clarity, seasons of vacancy are rarely easy for any church. Congregations naturally feel the absence of a leader, staff take on additional responsibilities, and questions about who’s next begin to surface. The pressure to move quickly is real, yet the greater challenge is resisting the urge to hire in haste. Every church leader knows this tension: move too fast, and you risk misalignment. Move too slow, and you risk losing momentum.

This tension is not unique to Compass. We’ve watched other churches learn this lesson the hard way, hiring quickly to relieve the pressure, only to find themselves back in the same place a year later. One mis-hire often costs years of relational rebuilding, not just months of replacement.

Compass’ commitment to discernment over speed required courage. It required them to believe that God would sustain the Wheaton campus even as they waited for the right shepherd.

The Search: Discerning Fit, Not Just Filling a Seat

When the search began, Compass leaned on our Vanderbloemen team to surface and evaluate leaders who matched the profile they had prayerfully defined. This freed their staff to focus on caring for their congregation during a demanding season.

The goal was not to find the flashiest resume, but the right alignment. After reviewing a strong slate of candidates, Brad Thayer emerged as the clear fit. Brad brought more than a decade of experience as a lead pastor, along with strong preaching, seasoned leadership, and a shepherd’s heart. His relational warmth and commitment to evangelism echoed the very values Compass had prioritized.

Brad’s family also embraced the call. He and his wife, Carrie, along with their two young sons, felt drawn to Illinois and to the Wheaton community. As church leaders know well, calling is never just about the candidate, it’s also about their family’s readiness and support.

This was a reminder that churches are not just hiring a person, they are receiving a family. Welcoming that family well is part of pastoral care, not simply HR.

The Results: Renewed Energy and Growth

Since Brad’s arrival, the Wheaton campus has experienced renewed energy. Attendance has grown, staff morale is strong, and the mission of evangelism and discipleship is moving forward with clarity.

Darrell Cloud, Executive Pastor at Compass, reflected on the impact:

Brad’s arrival was met with a lot of enthusiasm. He has delivered on loving our people, and our people have definitely connected with him and his family. They feel loved, appreciated, and seen by him, and our campus has grown. Our staff enjoys Brad, our attendance is up, and the mission in evangelism and discipleship is moving forward. We couldn’t be more thrilled.

While the numbers tell one story, the deeper win has been renewed trust and momentum. A congregation that once felt the uncertainty of transition now feels the stability of shepherding leadership again.

It’s important to note that not every search produces instant growth. Sometimes the fruit is slower. But Compass’ story illustrates that when alignment is right, the long-term impact is lasting.

Lessons for Other Churches

The Compass Church’s experience offers several transferable lessons for churches of all sizes.

1. Define the Role Before You Search

Vacancies bring urgency, and urgency tempts leaders to start searching immediately. But clarity must precede candidates. Define what you need most—character, culture, and competencies—before posting the job or interviewing prospects. Without this step, you risk hiring based on availability rather than alignment.

2. Prioritize Culture and Character Over Competence Alone

Skills matter. Preaching ability, organizational capacity, and leadership gifts are important. But skills without cultural fit can unravel a staff team quickly. In our experience at Vanderbloemen, long-term impact almost always hinges on authenticity and alignment with mission.

3. Choose Discernment Over Speed

Compass modeled this by waiting for the right fit rather than the fastest one, and by leveraging trusted outside help to free their staff to focus on ministry during the wait.

4. Care for the New Leader and Their Family

When a new pastor arrives, the whole family is called to the church. Extending welcome, support, and care to the spouse and children is part of how a church embodies the gospel. This not only helps leaders thrive, but it also builds trust in the congregation from day one.

Conclusion

The Compass Church’s experience at Wheaton illustrates why filling leadership vacancies is one of the most important responsibilities church leaders carry. Vacancies are not neutral, they ripple across the church body. But handled wisely, they can become opportunities for growth.

By slowing down, defining values, and choosing discernment over speed, Compass found a leader who is already making a lasting difference. Their story reminds us that every staff vacancy is a crossroads: a chance to either patch a gap or invest strategically in the church’s future.

For churches everywhere, the lesson is clear: vacancies are not just interruptions to be managed. They are opportunities to be stewarded. When approached with prayer, clarity, and intentionality—and sometimes with the guidance of trusted partners—God often uses those moments of transition to strengthen His church for years to come.