JUNE 2025 ROCKPOINTE ELDERS UPDATE

Ken Siemens, RockPointe Elders Board Chair

O God, with all our hearts, we long for You. Come, transform us to be Christ-centred, Spirit-empowered, Mission-focused people, multiplying disciples everywhere.

Dear Church Family,

We are writing to provide a summary of the recent launch of RockPointe's Vision and staffing/structure changes and to share some thoughts on what lies ahead.

This period of change and evaluation is part of a broader process the Elder’s Board and Lead Team have been undertaking since last summer. This process began with the journey to discern our Purpose (why does RockPointe Church exist) and the formation of our Strategy (how will get there). Through much prayer and a series of retreats, brainstorming, and wordsmithing sessions, RockPointe’s purpose was defined: We follow and teach the way of Jesus so that people near and far would encounter and be transformed by him -with strategy centered around the 4Gs - Gather, Grow, Give, Go. This work culminated in our Vision to Double Our Reach by 2030, which was shared with the congregation earlier this year. This discernment process also involved looking at our staffing and structure, considering what was needed for closer alignment with our goals, proper span of care, and an adaptable structure. To accomplish the vision that we believe God has been revealing to us, it became clear that organizational shifts were required. In case you missed it, details of the staff changes are provided in Stafford’s To the Pointe from May 16, 2025.

As we navigate these changes, we want to take a moment to celebrate the contributions of several long serving staff members who are concluding their roles. We celebrate Stephanie Grunau for her hard work in various roles at RockPointe - from Children’s Ministry, to Welcome Team, Women’s Ministry, and 55+ Connect, just to name a few. Stephanie has relentlessly given her heart to care for and shepherd the flock at RockPointe. We also celebrate Brandon Trotter for his pastoral spirit, his teaching, gifts in creative arts, his strength of character, and genuine love for Jesus and His church. We have a farewell planned for Brandon and the family on Wednesday, June 11 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Bowridge. We thank Dennis Gregory for his participation in the life of our church and his care for our facilities, ensuring they are ready for ministry use. In addition, we want to thank Ayden Larabie, Meredith Den Englesen, Stefan Schmitt and Taya Zieber for their service to RockPointe. These staff members will be wrapping up their formal service with RockPointe before the end of June.

These changes to our staffing structure include the creation of two new roles: an Executive Pastor of Ministries (XPM) and a Communications Director. The primary responsibility of the XPM is creation of an RPC-wide discipleship strategy, to provide leadership to all ministry teams (Kids, Youth, Young Adults, Worship, 55+ Connect etc.), oversee Bearspaw Ministry Staff, and be the point person for adult ministry leaders at Bearspaw. This role was recently posted and is expected to be on our website this week. The primary responsibility of the Communications Director is to keep mission, vision, and values front-and-center for RockPointers and develop strategies and plans for both internal and external communications.

To help share more of the history and story behind these staffing changes, a Congregational Meeting was held this past Monday. This meeting provided an important chance for people to hear more details on the staffing changes, ask questions, and voice what was on their hearts. Feedback from many attendees indicated that they valued having a chance to be heard and found the meeting helpful in their processing of the changes.

We acknowledge that it is difficult to make changes that directly impact people we know and love and this can cause hurt and confusion. As we navigate change, a valuable aspect can be to remember what is not changing. RockPointe church will continue to live into our purpose, using the 4Gs as a framework with the ultimate goal to experience and share the transformation that Jesus desires for us. Achieving this will require all of us to bring forward and use our gifts and talents both individually and as a body. Thank you for continuing to seek opportunities to use your gifts at RockPointe to further expand our reach for Jesus, both here and around the world.

We understand that transitions and a bold vision can bring questions and reflections. We want to invite you to reach out if you have questions or would like to discuss anything related to RockPointe church. Please feel free to contact your Site Elders or email our Elder Board Secretary, Marcia (mbetcher@rockpointe.ca).

Thank you for your continued prayer and support as we navigate these changes and step into the future God is calling RockPointe to, seeking to double our reach by 2030.

Blessings,

Ken Siemens

Elders Board Chair

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:3-6, 9-12