Dear Cornerstone family,
This past Sunday, Pastor Andrew Lau shared with us that he will transition out of the Lead Pastor role at the end of this year. If you did not get a chance to hear his message to the congregation, you can watch this recording.
We give God thanks for Pastor Andrew’s nearly 30 years of service to God’s people in the Markham Stouffville area. We wouldn’t be the same church without the influence of his unique gifts, talents, and personality. Through humble submission to the Lord, Pastor Andrew along with a group of 35 individuals founded what is today, Cornerstone Christian Community Church. He has shaped our church’s culture, direction, and growth. Countless lives have been impacted as a result of his vision, leadership, and dedication to serving the Lord in our community. While Andrew is making space for a new lead pastor, he will continue to serve at Cornerstone in a non-executive capacity.
Walking alongside Pastor Andrew for more than 25 years has been Pastor Steve Shaw. Much of our church culture and unique DNA is the result of their partnership (along with many staff and church members who have long served with them). Given that our mission, vision, and values were created under their joint leadership and the importance of having a leader who understands our congregation and culture, the Executive Church Board (ECB) recommends Pastor Steve assume the role of Lead Pastor. A special meeting will be held for members to vote on his appointment, as required by our church by-laws, on March 18, 2024.
As you are aware, Cornerstone currently has a 3-person executive team (ET). This approach to leadership offers many advantages. It allows the church to benefit from the unique gifts of all three individuals who work together, each submitting to the other in humility. Historically this has worked well for our church. For this reason, Cornerstone will continue with a 3-person executive team structure going forward. This means Pastor Steve and our Executive Director of Operations, Lisa Siu Chong, will be joined by a new executive team member.
The Lord has repeatedly brought to Cornerstone, the right people at the right time, be it staff or volunteers. To create space for the Lord to do the same in this situation, we will look both internally and externally for a candidate to fill the open ET member position.
Next steps and tentative timeline
The board will be hosting a Town Hall on February 26 to provide more information. At that meeting, we will review the information package that is scheduled to be sent on February 16th. We welcome all those who attend Cornerstone to learn more and remind those who are formal members that it is their duty to vote for a new Lead Pastor. In the meantime, please direct any questions to our board chair Dave Dickson by emailing board@cornerstonechurch.ca.
We recognize that this is a significant change in both the history and future of Cornerstone Church. Let us continue to fix our eyes on Jesus. We ask that the congregation join us in praying for a smooth transition process and continued unity and protection in and over our church and pray for Pastor Andrew and Libby as he transitions to his next phase of ministry.
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The Executive Church Board
C.J. Chang
Audrey Cheng
Dave Dickson
Jennifer Guest
Chris Kotsopoulos
Vince La Marca
Roderick Lee
