DR. STEPHANIE NANCE

Deacon Board Rationale for Nominating Dr. Stephanie Nance

The Deacon Board developed criteria that each lead pastor candidate would be evaluated against.  These final eight criteria enabled the board to generate a list of 46 questions for the candidate’s interview.  Dr. Nance’s responses to those questions, her exemplary performance as the interim lead pastor, her extensive academic accomplishments, and the peace of the Holy Spirit have led the deacons to nominate her for the lead pastor position.  Here is how Dr. Nance met or exceeded the criteria:

1.       Ordained AG minister in good standing with the General Council and Network in which credentials are held (per Chapel Springs Constitution)

The board verified with the Potomac Ministry Network Dr. Nance’s credentials and found them to be active and in order.  She is highly respected by members of the General Council, as well as significant individuals within the Assemblies of God hierarchy. The board verified her references and was impressed by the strong messages of support in the conversations with the authors of those letters. Her name is recognized due to her numerous teaching endeavors at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary of Evangel University, Ascent College, and the University of Valley Forge, as well as her numerous publications.  Dr. Nance brings an established level of academic rigor to Chapel Springs.

2.       Demonstrated Leadership

Dr. Nance earned her doctorate degree studying Leadership and Spiritual Formation.  We have already reaped the benefits of her degree here at Chapel Springs.  She developed and implemented the spiritual formation focus, to include our life groups structure, and spearheaded some of our most popular and successful spiritual emphasis programs, e.g. Abide, and Immerse Bible reading, to name just two.  She has held the positions of youth pastor, music pastor, associate pastor, and interim lead pastor (twice).  She has also represented Chapel Springs and the Potomac Ministry Network as the At-Large Executive Presbyter since 2018.  She is not only a critical asset to Chapel Springs, but a regional and national influencer as well.  Most notably, she has grown in experience and leadership while being an executive pastor here and was ready to step in as our interim lead pastor.  Although most interim pastors lead as a caretaker, Dr. Nance did not hesitate to keep Chapel Springs on course and keep development and spiritual plans moving forward. She has taken the challenges of lead pastorship head-on and is actively engaged in strengthening the church staff, raising the bar in professional standards and productivity, and creating a healthy and vibrant workplace environment.  As formal lead pastor, the board feels that Dr. Nance will take Chapel Springs to new levels of spirituality and accomplishments in the Great Commission.

3.       Sound Character

Dr. Nance has impressed the board and the congregation with her candor and transparency.  Not afraid to communicate her needs and the needs of the other executive pastors, she relayed to the congregation that she and the other pastors were seeking professional counseling during this stressful transition time.  During her interview, she openly discussed what challenges she would face as the lead pastor and what actions she would take to prepare her to meet and overcome those challenges.  In her 9+ years here at Chapel Springs, she has displayed a strong foundation in the Lord and a steady hand.

4.       Spirit - filled with initial evidence of speaking in tongues

Dr. Nance was baptized with the Spirit with initial evidence of speaking in tongues during her undergraduate studies.

5.       5+ years full-time ministry experience (Pastor, Spiritual Leader, Administrator)

(See résumé below)

6.       Personal Accountability

The board feels that personal accountability is critical to an individual with lead pastor responsibilities.  A candidate with an established network of support persons and accountability partners is not only prudent but crucial to the well-being of the lead pastor.  Dr. Nance has fostered an environment of trust among the staff and pastors at Chapel Springs where individuals can approach others about their struggles and behaviors.  Additionally, Dr. Nance relayed to the board her extensive list of mentors, advisors, and confidants that she uses to develop herself spiritually and emotionally and to keep her accountable.

7.       Relate to People

Dr. Nance has demonstrated her strong “people skills” to the church for almost 10 years.  The board was interested in how she would expand on these skills as the lead pastor.  She has already begun to attend some of the focused group events, for example, one of the SAGES trips.  She sees the need for ministry to specific groups like young adults from college age through their twenties.  During the last nine months, she has had to deal with grieving hearts, wounded psyches, uncertainty in the future with congregants and staff, and has been a calming and assuring figure throughout this time.  One deacon had the opportunity to witness her minister to a particularly aggrieved individual.  Her sensitivity to the individual’s hurt and her receiving and giving of the Holy Spirit to help heal that person was very impressive (and humbling to watch).

8.       Relate to Chapel Springs Culture 

Dr. Stephanie has helped develop and guide Chapel Springs's culture since 2014.  She knows where the church has come from and where we need to go.  Her heart; her DNA as it is, is part of the church’s DNA.  Her preaching, teaching, and spiritual guidance are mature and at a level appropriate for where the church is now and will lead us into the future.