Meet Reece Woodruff
FAQ - Reece Woodruff
The pastoral search team (PST) has prepared this Frequently Asked Questions document to help provide the body with insight into our activities and Reece Woodruff as a candidate. We’ll discuss some of his general characteristics but also our experience discerning whether Reece is a good fit for our church in the season we are in. The questions and answers are not intended to be fully comprehensive but should help begin the process of getting to know Reece.
Q: Who is the PST, and what is their role?
A: The PST consists of 7 lay members of the church and three elders, many of whom were also on the renewal team. The team is representative of the larger church body. The team has helped create our church profile with Slingshot and has spent much of the last two-three months interviewing and evaluating candidates that Slingshot has prequalified. The team’s role culminates with a candidate recommendation to the elders for final review and hiring.
Q: Who is the candidate?
A: Reece Woodruff is the associate pastor at Christ Freedom Church in Lewisville, Texas. He has been aware of Sound City and our search for several months. We’ve spent the last two months getting to know him, his background, calling, and his fit for the church.
Q: Does Reece have a family, and is he married?
A: Reece is married to Meredith, and they have three children: Elanor (7), Owen (5), and Lucy (3).
Q: How is Reece qualified to be a lead pastor?
A: Reece has served in several different pastoral roles over the last 8-9 years. Currently he serves as an Associate Pastor at Christ Freedom Church, which he has been at for the last few years. Reece has also been a Minister of Spiritual Formation at a large church where he developed a key program to facilitate spiritual health in the church related to local outreach and missions. Before that role, he also served as the Men’s Minister and Young Adult Minister, all at Northwest Bible Church since 2015. In terms of education, Reece has a Masters of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M, majoring in business.
Q: What would Reece say is his calling?
A: From Reece: “How can the church reach an increasingly secular culture? How do we demonstrate the gospel to non-Christians when fewer and fewer are willing to come on Sunday morning? What's my role in all of this as a business person, a teacher, a stay at home parent?
These are the questions I love shepherding people through. While I don't have all the answers, I believe the blueprint and fuel for the church's mission is found in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Therefore, my great joy is cultivating spaces where people can encounter his beauty, and then launching them out into their spheres of influence as ambassadors of God's Kingdom, eager to spread the gospel in both word and deed.”
Q: What characteristics has the Pastoral Search Team observed in Reece that they think would be a good fit?
A: Reece is a thoughtful, patient, and deliberate communicator. The search team experienced that he is a good listener and has strong situational awareness and emotional intelligence. These characteristics were observed throughout three different interviews, totaling approximately 6 hours.
We believe that he is a discerning and prayerful leader, especially within his home and personal life. Reece and his wife spent about a year discerning with peers and, through prayer, that God was calling him to senior leadership within the church. As a result, he would be coming to us from a place of healthy spiritual stability following a season of seeking the Lord.
From his background and our conversations, we can see that Reece is experienced in helping to shepherd a body (even though not as lead pastor) and that he has a hunger to grow into the role of lead pastor. As a young leader with vision, we believe that Reece is well-positioned to help us discern what our vision should look like for us in the coming season within the church.
Q: What are the steps in this candidating process?
A: According to the process outlined by SlingShot, we have completed the majority of the search. We still have a couple of additional steps before Reece becomes our pastor. These steps include:
COMPLETED: First Interview: 75-minute video conference.
COMPLETED: Second Interview: 2.5-hour video conference, with the last 30 minutes including the candidate’s wife.
COMPLETED” Onsite visit for an extended weekend for in-person conversations and meetings.
COMPLETED: Pastoral Search Team affirmation and recommendation to the elders. (unanimous)
An onsite trip for Reece to preach for our church.
Further conversations with the elder team, a vote, answer any outstanding questions.
A 21 day review seeking affirmation from members by the elder team.
An official offer and Reece accepting the position.