Leadership Transition

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time and season for everything. For the past few years, Pastor Roger has been communicating his desire to raise up the next Lead Pastor here at Wayside and his purposeful preparation of Pastor Jason for this role. The elders and our leadership team believe we have now reached the point where it is time to begin the transition process. Pastor Jason is ready to take the next step into leading a church, and Pastor Roger is looking toward his next calling of being able to continue his passion for reproducing and building into church leaders.

- FAQ's -

  • Per our bylaws, we will form a search committee to formally recommend a candidate to the Board of Elders. UPDATE: A search committee was formed this fall and met several times for prayer and to determine the interview/search criteria. They recently decided to formally interview Jason & Rachel. Following the interview, they officially recommended Jason to the Elder Board for the next part of the process.

  • Once the Elder Board approves the recommended candidate, the congregation will vote on the calling of the next Lead Pastor. Our elders and Pastor Roger are unanimous in their belief that Pastor Jason Uptmore should be prayerfully considered first. UPDATE: Since the Search Committee has recommended Jason, the Board of Elders will do an official interview with him on January 9. They will then have a separate meeting on January 14 to decide on whether to present Jason to the church body for a vote.

IF Jason is presented to the church body, a Town Hall will be held on February 16 to give the congregation time to hear from the Board and from Jason, and to ask questions. Following the Town Hall, a Special Business Meeting would be called on March 16 to allow the congregation to officially vote for the next Lead Pastor. 

  • First and foremost, you can pray. We believe that God is intimately involved in this process and leading us. Our elders and leadership team have had and will continue to have, a spirit of prayer as we move forward. We invite you to join us as we pray for God’s continued leading for the Poupart and Uptmore families. And we ask that you join us in praying that God would continue to lead Wayside into this next chapter. We are excited to see how God continues to work mightily through Wayside as we move into this transition and how God continues using Pastor Roger to impact the kingdom in his new calling.


  • If you missed our special Q&A on July 28, you can access the recording HERE.

  • We also recognize that transition can bring up many emotions and have created a Processing & Prayer Guide you can download HERE or view at the bottom of this page.

  • If you missed Roger's sermon, Passing the Baton, you can view it HERE.

- prayer & processing guide -

As we begin discussing this transition, we recognize there are many emotions and that transitions can be difficult because, amid excitement for the new, there can be grief as a season closes. Our God cares deeply about our emotions and our desire for Wayside is that we would honor the feelings that come while also honoring those involved in this change. We believe our God is sovereign and is also intimately aware of and in control of this transition, and our team is continuing to pray and follow His leading. As you process what you and others might feel, we invite you to use this guide. You can access a downloadable version of the guide HERE.

Regardless of the transition, it always involves a loss amid hope for the new.

  1. What losses are you grieving as you consider this transition?

  2. When have you experienced loss in the past? How did you respond? How do you tend to cope with grief?

  3. What might it look like to practice abiding in Jesus in the midst of the feelings you are experiencing?