Vanderbloemen Search Group

William Vanderbloemen is the founder and CEO of The Vanderbloemen Search Group.

William has been able to combine over 15 years of ministry experience as a Senior Pastor with the best practices of Executive Search to provide churches with a unique offering: a deep understanding of local church work with the very best knowledge and practices of professional executive search

Prior to his founding The Vanderbloemen Search Group, William studied executive search under a mentor with over 25 years of executive search at the highest level. His learning taught him the very best corporate practices, including the search strategies used by the internationally known firm Russell Reynolds.

William also has experience as a Manager in Human Resources in a Fortune 200 company, where he focused on integration of corporate culture and succession planning.

All of these experiences have come together with his pastoral work to form a unique gift for helping churches and ministries connect with the right key people

Prior to executive search, William led growth and innovation in churches in North Carolina, Alabama, and Houston. During his time in Alabama, William had the chance to help rebuild and relocate an ailing congregation, and lead them to new levels of growth. At 31, he was elected Senior Pastor for the First Presbyterian Church of Houston, a church of about 5000 adults and 1500 children strong. It is Houston’s oldest congregation.

William is regularly invited to speak across the country in both church services, and as a resource to churches and conferences on leadership.

William holds degrees from Wake Forest University and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Besides helping  connect churches with key staff and preaching, William spends a whole lot of time with family, and connecting with people.

William is an avid social networker. Whether connecting with friends, candidates for searches he is doing, or church members, he loves to network, and he would love to interact with you through Facebook and/or  Twitter

William, his wife Adrienne, their seven children, and their two poodles (one small who thinks she’s big, and one big who thinks he is a lap dog) live in Houston. In his free time, William enjoys running, working out, and caddying for his kids, who are now better golfers than he is.

Tony Morgan is one of the most strategic thinkers in the church. He is a sought after consultant, leadership coach, writer, and speaker. In addition to these ministries, Tony will be helping The Vanderbloemen Search Group in our executive recruiting work. He brings with him a wealth of experience, knowledge, and networks in the largest, fastest growing churches in the United States. His expertise is particularly focused on Executive Pastor roles and searches regarding strategists for churches seeking to reach a new level of growth and effectiveness.

For more than 10 years, Tony served on the senior leadership teams at NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC) and  Granger Community Church (Granger, IN), and now Westridge Church in Atlanta with Brian Bloye. With Tim Stevens, Tony has co-authored Simply Strategic Stuff, Simply Strategic Volunteers and Simply Strategic Growth–each of which offers valuable, practical solutions for different aspects of church ministry. His newest book, Killing Cockroaches (B&H Publishing), was released in 2009.

Tony has also written several articles on staffing, technology, strategic planning and leadership published by Outreach magazine, Rev magazine, the Christian Management Association, Pastors.com, and PurposeDriven.com. Tony and his wife, Emily, reside in Anderson, South Carolina with their four children–Kayla, Jacob, Abby and Brooke.

Tony is actively involved in consulting, coaching, and is a sought after speaker.

VSG President William Vanderbloemen says, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Tony on a number of searches in the past, and really believe that our gifts compliment one another to form a great team. Tony’s reputation, wisdom, and network are beyond compare in the world of Executive Pastors. He is going to take The Vanderbloemen Search Group to a whole new level, and we look forward to seeing how God uses this new partnership to help churches find the right leaders.”

Similar to its partnership with Tony Morgan, Carlos brings expertise in a particular field of church work to the firm, and will further augment its ability to execute searches for top worship and arts staffers.

VSG President William Vanderbloemen says, “Carlos may be the best connected worship leader in America.  He will be a game changer for the Vanderbloemen Search Group. The combination of our existing client base, our new partnership with Tony Morgan, and now Carlos, has positioned us to be a unique servant and asset to churches looking for help finding key staff. I’m thrilled and humbled to be surrounded by these guys, and cannot wait to see where God takes us in this new chapter of service to the Kingdom.”

Having served at Sandals Church in Riverside, California, for ten years during a high growth spurt for the church, his most recent work has been in Atlanta with Andy Stanley’s Buckhead Campus of North Point Ministries. At Buckhead, Carlos served as the Director of Service Programming. In addition to leading worship, Carlos oversaw all the Sunday adult experience and design, including all areas of Hosting, Production, Creative, Video, Music, and Programming at Buckhead Church.

In addition to partnering with VGS, Carlos continues to lead worship at Buckhead, sits on the creative sermon planning team for Andy Stanley, and contributes to the creative planning for Catalyst Conference.
 He also leads a coaching network of worship and programming, is recording his first CD with Integrity Music, and is in constant demand as a guest artist in some of the world’s most creative and largest churches.

He is an artist, pastor, thinker, experience architect, and Web 2.0 junkie… and we welcome him to the Vanderbloemen Search Group team.

Zach has been passionately serving in Student Ministry full time for over 10 years.  Before his current role as Lead Pastor of Ministries for The MET Church in Houston, TX, he served as the Central Team Leader for Youth Ministry for Lifechurch.tv.  During his 4 years at Lifechurch.tv, he had the privilege to lead over 2,000 students, 350 leaders & 25 Student Ministry staff on a weekly basis at 14 campuses nationwide.

Zach’s passion/strengths are in building teams, training and equipping student ministry leaders, youth ministry strategy and creating relevant youth content for multi-site churches.
Zach has an amazing wife, Ashley, of 10 years and is the proud dad of 2 boys (Caleb, 4, Austin, 2).  Besides his love for ministry and seeing leaders lead from their “sweetspot”, Zach his enjoys spending time with family, Nebraska Football, snowskiing, golf, social networking, and a #5 at Chick Fil A!

Tammy Kelley serves as an Executive Search Consultant for the Vanderbloemen Search Group, offering both leadership and support to our searches.

Tammy brings 15 years of ministry leadership experience to the Vanderbloemen Search Group with a particular focus on people and talent management.  She has served in key leadership roles where her overall goal was to assemble teams of high capacity, high performance, and high character people who partner together to advance the kingdom.  She has a track record of developing and implementing strategy, improving organizational effectiveness, and getting the right people in the right roles.

Most recently, Tammy served for seven years on the senior leadership team of Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL.  While at Willow ,Tammy spent much of her time leading People Resources – human resources, internship, and volunteerism.  In addition, she also had the opportunity to lead and strategically invest in:  communications, global/local compassion, and Casa de Luz.

Prior to Willow Creek, Tammy served on the staff team of Ginghamsburgh Church in Tipp City, Ohio. Ginghamsburg has a reputation of instilling positive community impact by aggressively serving the under-resourced and being involved in social causes. While at Ginghamsburg Tammy served as the Executive Pastor and was also directly involved with Adult Ministries and Volunteerism.

When asked about working in a search firm, Tammy responded by saying,

“I’ve been skeptical about search firms in the past – quite honestly because during my 15 years in church leadership I’ve tried using search firms to fill key open staff positions a number of times – and the search firms just didn’t deliver. I’m joining Vanderbloemen Search Group because their approach is unique. It’s a smart approach that delivers results.”

Tammy is the author of numerous articles and has hosted many workshops all focused on developing people and organizational structures.  At the end of the day I believe it’s all about loving God and investing in people.

Tammy and her husband Mike live in the Chicagoland area and are the parents of three grown children.

Jay has over 15 years of pastoral experience, serving as Executive Pastor and leading a staff of over 150 people at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church during a period of significant growth and ministry expansion.

He has also served in the For-Profit world of Media, Publishing and Training, first as VP and General Manager of Business Operations at Sawyer Media, a venture-back start up based in San Francisco, and for the last 8 years as Vice President of Programming at Church Communication Network (CCN), the leader in bringing the highest quality training and content to churches across North America. He has also served as Executive Coach and Communication Consultant to CEO’s and management teams at EBay, Borland Software, and Fabsuite Software, and as a Project Manager for the American Association of Christian Counselors. He has also been a frequent presenter at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business focusing on Non-Profits.

In addition to leading and assisting Executive Searches for churches and parachurch ministries, Jay will also take the lead in expanding the Vanderbloemen Search Group’s reach into the world of Christian Publishing and Media.

With a passion for excellence and hands-on experience in building strong, dynamic and flexible organizations both in the church and in the business world, Jay brings a unique blend of pastoral and leadership skills to his role as an Executive Search Consultant.

Jay lives in Houston, TX and has 3 mostly-grown children whom he absolutely adores. When he’s not doing searches for churches and businesses, you will find him playing golf, training for his next half or full marathon, and spending time with his friends and family.

We are thrilled to announce that Michael Chanley has joined our firm as an Executive Search Consultant with a particular focus and expertise in family ministry positions.

While the Vanderbloemen Search Group focuses primarily on Senior and Executive Pastor searches, the need for high caliber pastors in large family ministries led us to seek out a way to help large churches find key staff leaders in family ministries. After a long and thorough search, Michael’s addition has now optimized our capacity to conduct these searches.

Michael is an ordained minister with over eleven years experience serving families and children. His most recent role was the Parenting Minister at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, a church of over 26,000 members, where he continues to attend.

Michael’s vision to help churches move to a family ministry model and to integrate social media into their community led him to create www.cmconnect.org. “One of the most challenging positions for a church to hire is the role of Children’s pastor. Finding a pastor who can lead leaders as a NextGen pastor is even more difficult. I’ve tried multiple programs that failed to help churches and pastors connect in their job search. The model developed by the Vanderbloemen group works! I’m very excited to couple my free community of over 6,700 pastors (CMConnect.org) with their proven methods. I am certain this collaboration will be blessing to your church and your ministry.”

With Michael’s vast network, expertise in the field, and international ministry gives our firm an incredible competitive advantage in helping churches and ministries find their key family ministry leaders.

Michael is also the author of “Collaborate: Family + Church” a collaborative work by 35 authors on how the church can impact the family. Now in its second printing, Collaborate reached #1 on two of Amazon’s Ministry lists. Michael also serves on the board for the American Children’s Ministry Association (ACMA) as the Vice President. The American Children’s Ministry Association exists to “create a professional standard in Children’s Ministry.”

Additionally, Michael speaks nationally and internationally on issues related to Children’s and Family Ministry.

Michael is the proud father of Wyatt, Emersen, and Eden. He married his best friend, Rose Chanley, over 15 years ago.

Email Michael at Michael@vanderbloemensearch.com or call him at 713.300.9665, ext 708

We are happy to announce that Ben Homesley has joined the Vanderbloemen Search Group as Project Manager. He is building infrastructure, systems, and helping manage projects as the firm continues to grow.

Prior to joining the Vanderbloemen Search Group, Ben worked as Event Manager at Reliant Park in Houston, home of the Houston Texans and the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo. Ben’s work at Reliant included managing and running point for large events including concerts, conventions, and assisting with NFL games and other sporting events. His ability to multi-task has suited him well for the fast paced work of our firm.

Employed at one of the largest event venues in the United States for several years, Ben has been able to take his working knowledge of management, systems, and logistics and bring them to the Vanderbloemen Search Group. Both candidates and clients will see a newer, fresher look to our systems, and will enjoy enhanced service as we continue to offer the premier experience in executive search for churches and ministries.

When Ben is not managing projects within the firm, he enjoys designing and constructing things, tech gadgets, camping and hiking with his wife Patricia (since January 09′) and his two four-legged children (read, dogs), Leroy Brown (’07) and Rosie. (’05) Ben and Patricia are part of the Ecclesia Community in Houston led by Pastor Chris Seay.

The Vanderbloemen Search Group is excited to announce the newest member of Our Team Justin Lathrop. Justin has over a decade of local church ministry. Justin’s first pastoral role was at the age of 21 as Senior High Pastor to over 400 students at Emmanuel Christian Center. In 2002 Justin and his wife Andrea moved to Red Oak, TX (Dallas), to serve as the Young Adult Pastors at The Oaks Fellowship.

Through the years Justin has served in various capacities at The Oaks that have enabled him to connect with pastors and ministries all over the nation. Because of those connections Justin soon became the person to talk to when hiring a new staff member for your church and in 2009 Justin founded HelpStaff.me.

Justin serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Life School, a charter school with 5 campuses and over 3700 students.He is also the co-founder of The Oaks School of Leadership, a innovative church-based training school for pastors.

Currently, he serves in the role of Executive Pastor of Strategic Development for The Oaks Fellowship.  Justin and his wife Andrea are the proud parents of two children, Parker and McKenna.

The Vanderbloemen Search Group is excited to welcome Gail Mayes to our team. Prior to joining the firm Gail worked for five years at a financial research firm in Northern Virginia founded by former Central Intelligence Agency employees. As a Research Associate, Gail became an expert on conducting secondary source research and background investigations on C-level officers for high-profile investor clients. Also during this time, Gail developed network analysis skills necessary for company and management competitive intelligence. During her time as an Associate Project Manager, Gail conducted thousands of telephone interviews for management and company competitive intelligence reports for hedge fund and private equity investor clients. Gail graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology from Grace College, Winona Lake, IN.

Now, as an Associate Project Manager at Vanderbloemen, Gail is excited to combine her interviewing and due-diligence skills with her love for the Kingdom.

In the fall, you can find Gail tailgating at Notre Dame football games with her husband Jason. Jason and Gail attend Lincoln Square Presbyterian Church in Chicago, IL.

Preston Mitchell has joined our firm full time as an Executive Search Consultant.

Preston and his wife were one of 30 families that founded Fellowship Church and subsequently hired a young preacher named Ed Young to lead them. From there, the church went on an amazing ride, growing to over 20,000 in attendance. Throughout the church’s history, Preston has been a key player. He was one of the first staff members at the church, and has been a key member of the senior leadership team for over 20 years, serving in many capacities, including Executive Pastor. He was also integral in helping establish and grow the C3 network of churches that are affiliated with the ministry of Fellowship Church.

Preston brings 21 years of ministry experience in a high growth environment to our firm. While there, he was charged with building great teams, hiring and shaping great staff, and delivering results. His record of service at Fellowship is pristine, and the talent and insight he has gained in team building and staffing is among the best in the church world.

William Vanderbloemen says, “When you think of the great churches in the US, Fellowship comes to mind. When you think of the key leaders at Fellowship, Preston is right there. There are few churches that have seen growth and networking like Fellowship. Preston’s experience helping run a high growth, creative church will prove invaluable to our firm’s ability to deliver great staff to growing churches. We continue to be amazed at the team God is putting together at our firm, and cannot wait to see how God uses Preston in our work and ministry to the Kingdom.” You can contact Preston by emailing him at preston@vanderbloemensearch.com

We are happy to announce that Jonathan May has joined the Vanderbloemen Search Group as Director of Candidate Development. He will be developing relationships with candidates from around the country to ensure the firm continues to bring high quality people to serve in God’s church.

Jonathan has a Masters in Biblical Counseling and Biblical Studies from Dallas Theoglogical Seminary and is a licensed counselor. Prior to joining the Vanderbloemen Search Group, Jonathan maintained a thriving private practice in Dallas TX with West Counseling Associates and the Gaston House Transitional Living Facility, a transitional program for young men coming out of primary treatment for chemical addiction.

As the Director of Candidate Development, Jonathan will be working to grow all aspects of the firm’s interaction with candidates and ensure that Vanderbloemen Search Group is able to continue to connect highly skilled candidates with the right ministries. He has a passion for helping people find and utilize their gifts in a direction that will bring glory to the kingdom of God as well as personal fulfillment.

When he is not working with others Jonathan enjoys time with Mica, his wife of 7 years, and their two kids Jackson (2 ½) and Madelyn (15 months). He Sleeps when he can get it, laughs often and loves to be outdoors whether on a hunt, camping, or just a walk around the block. Jonathan and his family are in the process of finding a church home in Houston and are currently attending at Ecclesia in Houston.

We are excited to announce that Charles Jenkins joins our team as a Ministry Partner. Charles is a leader respected and revered for his innovative thinking, contemporary leadership, business savvy and holistic approach to social change and large-scale community development.

While Jenkins is widely known as the senior pastor of an 8,000-member church, the legendary Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, he is also a visionary, a trailblazer, a connector, a community leader, an advisor, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, an author and dynamic communicator.

Since taking the helm at Fellowship as senior pastor, following Reverend Clay Evans 10 years ago, Jenkins has more than quadrupled weekend attendance and created a variety of life changing programs and services for children, youth and adults. Under his leadership, Fellowship has profoundly and positively impacted the city through providing food, clothing, personal care items and critical assistance to tens of thousands of people in need through several of Fellowship’s outreach programs. Jenkins also created the Fellowship Educational and Economic Development Corporation to further focus on community improvement and empowerment. His belief that a community’s strength and future is dependent on the wellbeing of its youth moved him to establish Maximum Exposure, a youth development entity designed to elevate the thinking, understanding and behavior of urban youth. Jenkins also founded Gladiators, a mentoring group that focuses on the growth and progress of young African American boys.

Jenkins’ leadership further extends to the public sector where he serves on a number of corporate, educational, and governmental boards. Most recently, he filled a key role on newly elected Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Transition Team in addition to roles that include the Board of Trustees for The City Colleges of Chicago, Clear Channel Chicago Advisory Board, Illinois Attorney General Advisory Board and the Daystar School Board of Directors.

Additionally, Jenkins is committed to spearheading initiatives while forging partnerships with progressive entities and organizations to eradicate societal ills, promote change and improve the physical health, academic climate, and economic landscape of our communities. With an ability to influence popular attitudes, he is constantly mobilizing individuals, organizations, and communities towards necessary causes.

Charles Jenkins is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Christian Education and a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he earned his Master of Arts in Religion. Charles Jenkins is married to Dr. Tara Rawls-Jenkins and has two young daughters, Princess and Paris, and one son, Charles Jenkins, III.

You can contact Charles via email at charles@vanderbloemensearch.com