Senior Pastor Search Updates

Dear Legacy Family,

Greetings Legacy family! We continue to praise God for His many blessings as He leads us through this transition in the life of Legacy Christian Church. The psalmist reminds us of the character of the God we serve in this season: 

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  

God is good indeed! 

As the search process has progressed, we are excited to provide some additional details about our journey to finding Legacy’s next Senior Pastor. 

The Senior Pastor Search Team 
We recently announced the formation of our Search Team led by two of Legacy’s Shepherding Elders – Mike Shelton and Joel DeBoer. Both Mike and Joel have served multiple terms as an Administrative Elder, and Mike has served as Chairman for several terms in the past. We have since added six additional members from the congregation that represent each of Legacy’s five campuses. We are excited to report that the team includes a great diversity of age, gender, background, occupation, and race, while sharing a deep passion for both the Lord and Legacy. To maintain the integrity of the search we will not be disclosing the names of the additional Search Team members, however Mike Shelton or Joel DeBoer remain available throughout the process should you want to discuss anything regarding the team or the search itself.  

The Candidate 
Pastor Reggie was truly unique, and his impact on Legacy was profound. While we can never fill the void left by a man of God like him, we can search for individuals who embody the qualities important to Legacy’s heritage and trust in God’s plan to guide us. 

Over the past several weeks, the Elders and various staff members have spent much time creating and refining a Senior Pastor candidate profile. 

While not exhaustive, three primary traits were identified that the next Legacy Senior Pastor must possess: 

• A clear calling of God to lead Legacy Christian Church. 
• An unwavering dedication to the Word of God and its Sufficiency, Clarity, Authority, and Necessity for the Church. 

• A seasoned and experienced preacher of the Gospel with demonstrated leadership and vision to move Legacy into its next chapter of fulfilling its mission to make disciples. 

The Process 
Functionally, the Senior Pastor Search Team works directly for the Administrative Elders and has been charged with all the tasks necessary to surface and recommend qualified candidates. The final Senior Pastor selection will be made by a unanimous vote of the Administrative Elders. 

The general roadmap ahead for the Search Team: 

• Continued networking within the Christian community including Bible colleges, Christian churches, lay leaders, and other avenues to generate potential leads for candidates. 
• Continued vetting and narrowing of qualified candidates. 

• Prayerfully and systematically engaging potential candidates to gauge interest and identify who is experiencing God’s call to lead Legacy. 

We endeavor to maintain a transparent search process and provide monthly progress reports along the way. We have created some tools to this end: 

• An information page has been created. 
• An email account at [email protected] is now available should you have information or questions related to the search. 

Keep Praying! 
We know that God is sovereign and forever faithful. He may move quickly, or He may choose to move in a manner that some consider slow. But we are confident that His timing is always perfect, and we will not wilt during this season. It is very common for a Senior Pastor search process to take many months to complete, and we are prepared to be patient as we collectively wait on God and seek His will for Legacy. 

Legacy is fortunate to have Randy Gariss stepping in to serve as Legacy’s Interim Pastor, which allows our church to prayerfully focus on finding the individual that God has prepared to lead His church at Legacy.  

Please continue to pray for our Legacy family, the Search Team, Legacy’s leadership, and that God will send us His senior pastor to lead us into the future.  

As always, Mike, Joel, Jamie Schools, or Craig Casey are available should you want to discuss anything related to the search. 

Mike Shelton & Joel DeBoer, Senior Pastor Search Team Leaders 

Dear Legacy Family,

We wanted to take a moment to provide an update concerning the incredible journey we’ve been on at Legacy Christian Church. We are deeply grateful for God’s guidance and providence every step of the way. Over the past month, we have witnessed God’s hand at work in remarkable ways, and it’s important for us to acknowledge and give Him glory for His care for Legacy.

First and foremost, we want to praise God for the exceptional teaching team He has provided. Roger and Nancy Storms have been a tremendous blessing to Legacy during this season. Join us this Sunday with a Bible and a friend as Roger preaches his last sermon with us on the character of God. Please be sure to express your gratitude to the Storms as we are profoundly thankful for the way they have ministered to our church family.

Looking ahead, we are excited to announce the start of our upcoming sermon series on October 1, where we will delve into the book of Philippians. Members of our talented staff team and one of Legacy’s Missions Partners, Andrew Bowers, will team together to preach the first six weeks of this series. Following this, we will take a brief two-week hiatus from Philippians to focus on our annual Stewardship emphasis. Then, Legacy’s Interim Pastor, Randy Gariss, will step into the pulpit starting on November 26, and will continue to preach on most Sundays until we find Legacy’s next Senior Pastor.

We give specific praise to God for how He has worked to assemble the Senior Pastor Search Team. This team has been prayerfully assembled and includes members from all of Legacy’s campuses representing a great diversity of age, gender, backgrounds, and race. This group of individuals, led by Mike Shelton and Joel DeBoer, are deeply committed to discerning God’s will for our church and serving all of Legacy’s campuses with a unified purpose. The Search Team members are aligning now to embark on an extensive search to identify candidates who align with Legacy’s vision and mission. We recognize you may have additional questions concerning the process itself, the team, the timeline, or other aspects of the search. We are actively working on this, and as soon as we have firm details, we’ll share more information. Should you have any immediate questions, please feel free to contact Mike, Joel, Craig, or Jamie. Thank you for your continued trust and patience while we lean on God during this next chapter for Legacy.

We earnestly ask for your continued prayers for this team and for God’s blessing on Legacy Christian Church. Please join us at the Night of Prayer this coming Monday at your local campus as we collectively seek God’s will. In this remarkable season in the life of our church, we see God’s hand at work in every detail, and we are continuously opening our eyes to His providence. Your prayers have been a source of great strength and encouragement, and we thank you for your unwavering support.

Craig Casey, Chairman of the Elders
Jamie Schools, Executive Pastor

Dear Legacy Family,

We are thanking God for His provision as we transition in our church during this season. Daily we see God move and work in the details because of both His faithfulness and your prayers. Please continue praying for Legacy Christian Church as your prayers mean so much in this time of seeking God’s will!

We are excited to announce that Randy Gariss will be Legacy’s Interim Pastor! We plan for Randy to begin preaching the last Sunday in November, and he will continue to preach most Sundays until a new Senior Pastor is hired. You may remember Randy preaching through “Christmas at Legacy” last year during Pastor Reggie’s illness. Randy is a solid man of God who is gifted in both leadership and teaching. He served as the Senior Minister of College Heights Christian Church in Joplin, Missouri from 1982 to 2015, and now serves at Ozark Christian College as the Director of the Life and Ministry Preparation Center. We will continue to share additional details about Randy as we prepare for him to join us in November.

It is exciting to see how God has orchestrated His perfect plan and prepared our church to embrace Randy as our Interim Pastor. We praise God for working out the details to open the door for Randy and his wife, Julie, to join our Biblical Community Living the Word. We are confident that Randy will continue to provide biblical teaching in the pulpit and keep us focused on the vision and mission of Legacy as he helps prepare the way for the coming Senior Pastor.

God continues to put the pieces together as we build a search team for Legacy’s new Senior Pastor. While we are eager for God to reveal His plans for Legacy, we trust that every detail He puts into place is within His sovereign and perfect timing. Right now, we are still in the early stages of assembling Legacy’s Senior Pastor Search Team. Please pray as we continue working to secure this team of Legacy members committed to chasing after God’s will for this church and serving all of Legacy’s campuses with one heartbeat. We ask each of you for your help by diligently praying as we seek God’s will as this team comes together.

Once the Search Team is finalized, it will conduct an extensive search to identify ideal candidates who align with Legacy’s vision and mission. The Search Team will approach this process of finding a new Senior Pastor with much care and patience. Again, please continue to pray knowing that God is preparing and working all things together for our good in His perfect timing.

We promise to provide timely updates and information as available. Your support, faithfulness, and grace are valued as we navigate this journey. We truly believe the best days are ahead for Legacy Christian Church. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!

Craig Casey, Chairman of the Elders
Jamie Schools, Executive Pastor

Dear Legacy Family,

This weekend is full of celebrating and honoring the life of our Senior Pastor, Reggie Epps. Anyone impacted by Reggie’s life and ministry is invited to attend his Celebration of Life tomorrow, August 5, at 3:00pm (Doors open at 2:30pm).

God is unfolding great plans for Legacy Christian Church. While we navigate the loss of Pastor Reggie and enter the search for a new Senior Pastor, here is what you can expect as we travel together through the upcoming seasons at Legacy.

This Sunday, we are so excited to welcome guest speaker, Dudley Rutherford, Pastor Reggie’s brother-in-law, to preach about the Name of Jesus. He serves as the senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, CA. He is an excellent communicator who is passionate about preaching God’s Word without compromise, leading people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Bring a friend and your Bible this Sunday!

Entering Season 2:

Starting on August 13, Legacy will welcome a gifted shepherd and friend of Pastor Reggie, Roger Storms. Roger will minister to our congregation as he provides exegetical preaching each Sunday. He has many years of preaching experience and has led churches through seasons of both grief and transition. It was Pastor Reggie’s desire that Roger would come for a season to minister to Legacy, and we are thrilled to honor his wishes and have Roger join us for August and September.

We are so eager to see what God has in store for Legacy, and how He is even going to move in your hearts over this next season.

See you soon!

Dear Legacy Family,

We continue to see the presence of God’s hand at work in the life of Legacy Christian Church, as we remain steadfast in our commitment to Live the Word and Make Disciples. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” As I think about the current season that Legacy is in, I believe God is unfolding great plans for this church. While we navigate the loss of our Senior Pastor and enter the search for a new one, I want you to know what to expect as we travel together through the upcoming seasons at Legacy Christian Church.

What to Expect for Season 1:

Legacy will continue the sermon series, “Road Trip” through Sunday, July 30. You can expect to hear from two of our pastors on staff: Luke Wright this Sunday and Ryan Fletcher next Sunday. This biblical study through the book of Luke has been a blessing as we’ve learned about the life of Jesus.

On Sunday August 6, we are so excited to welcome guest speaker, Dudley Rutherford, Pastor Reggie’s brother-in-law, to preach! He serves as the senior pastor of Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch, CA. He is an excellent communicator who is passionate about preaching God’s Word without compromise, leading people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

What to Expect for Season 2:

Starting on August 13, Legacy will welcome a gifted shepherd and friend of Pastor Reggie, Roger Storms. Roger will minister to our congregation as he provides exegetical preaching each Sunday. He has many years of preaching experience and has led churches through seasons of both grief and transition. It was Pastor Reggie’s desire that Roger would come for a season to minister to Legacy, and we are thrilled to honor his wishes and have Roger join us for August and September.

Ongoing Seasons:

In adherence to the by-laws of Legacy Christian Church, we are diligently forming our Senior Pastor Search Team, which will be led by Mike Shelton. Mike has served as Chairman of the Elders in past years, and he currently serves as one of our elders at Legacy’s Overland Park Campus. The plan is to finalize this team and begin the search for Legacy’s next Senior Pastor during the month of August. The Senior Pastor Search Team is committed to conducting an extensive search to find the ideal candidate who aligns with Legacy’s vision and mission. This search will include considering current Legacy staff members.

At the same time, we are working to secure an Interim Pastor, in the event this is needed. This individual would help provide stability in the pulpit each week, build unity, heal hurts, and promote fellowship while focusing on the mission of the church and preparing Legacy for a new Senior Pastor.

I can’t express enough how much your prayers mean, especially in this time of seeking God’s will for Legacy Christian Church. We are expectant to see Him move in big ways! Thank you for your faithfulness and grace as we navigate the upcoming seasons and lean into God. As we move forward, we are committed to maintaining clear and consistent communication as God leads His church through these seasons. Rest assured, we will diligently share updates as they become available, ensuring you are well-informed, with a minimum frequency of monthly updates.

Craig Casey, Chairman of the Elders
Jamie Schools, Executive Pastor

Dear Legacy Family,

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that our Senior Pastor, Dr. Reggie L. Epps passed away this morning. The Epps family loves all of you and they know how much we love them. The best way we can express this love right now is to provide them with the space they need to process and grieve.

It has been our prayer that God would restore Pastor Reggie’s health on this side of heaven. We have great confidence in knowing that he is now free of sickness and suffering and is resting in the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The worship center at every Legacy Campus will be open today, Thursday, July 6, from 7:00-8:00pm for anyone who would like to spend time in this space reflecting and praying together. We are also planning a special worship service at every Legacy campus this Sunday at 9:00 and 10:45am where we will worship God together and continue ministering to one another.

My prayer is that we all find hope in these words that Pastor Reggie prayed when he recently preached through a biblical study on heaven: “Lord, for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. May your will be done in my life.” (Philippians 1:21)

In Christ,

Jamie Schools, Executive Pastor