Lead Minister Search
A New Chapter for Southwest
God has been incredibly faithful to Southwest Church. Since October 1997, He has used this church to help people follow Jesus, make disciples, and bring hope to our community and beyond.
One of the things that makes a healthy church special is that it understands that every leader is an interim leader. None of us owns the church—we steward it for a season. Our hope is that Southwest Church will continue following Jesus and making disciples long after any of us are gone.
That makes leadership transition not something to fear, but something to embrace.
Roger Hendricks has been the Senior Minister since the founding of Southwest 29 years ago. In that time he has carried out his role well and has set an enduring example of loving God, loving others, serving the community, and sharing Jesus. Knowing the time would eventually come to find the next Lead Minister, Roger began preparing the church and its leadership for his eventual succession.
Earlier this year Roger and his wife, Jayne, felt the time was right, and he approached the church elders and leadership to begin praying, fasting, and preparing for the succession process to move forward. Southwest’s leaders have been preparing for this for the last several months including an announcement of Roger’s retirement plans and timeline on August 23rd.
Southwest is a healthy church with a meaningful presence in Springboro and the surrounding communities. We have a story worth celebrating, a mission worth giving our lives to, and a future worth getting excited about.
And we believe the next chapter will require leadership that can connect with a new generation—someone who loves Jesus deeply, handles Scripture faithfully, leads with humility and courage, and is willing to roll up their sleeves and help Southwest become the church God is calling us to be.
We aren't looking for someone to simply maintain what already exists.
We're looking for someone who wants to help us build what comes next.
We believe Southwest's best days aren't behind us. By God's grace, there is still so much more ahead.
One of the things that makes a healthy church special is that it understands that every leader is an interim leader. None of us owns the church—we steward it for a season. Our hope is that Southwest Church will continue following Jesus and making disciples long after any of us are gone.
That makes leadership transition not something to fear, but something to embrace.
Roger Hendricks has been the Senior Minister since the founding of Southwest 29 years ago. In that time he has carried out his role well and has set an enduring example of loving God, loving others, serving the community, and sharing Jesus. Knowing the time would eventually come to find the next Lead Minister, Roger began preparing the church and its leadership for his eventual succession.
Earlier this year Roger and his wife, Jayne, felt the time was right, and he approached the church elders and leadership to begin praying, fasting, and preparing for the succession process to move forward. Southwest’s leaders have been preparing for this for the last several months including an announcement of Roger’s retirement plans and timeline on August 23rd.
Southwest is a healthy church with a meaningful presence in Springboro and the surrounding communities. We have a story worth celebrating, a mission worth giving our lives to, and a future worth getting excited about.
And we believe the next chapter will require leadership that can connect with a new generation—someone who loves Jesus deeply, handles Scripture faithfully, leads with humility and courage, and is willing to roll up their sleeves and help Southwest become the church God is calling us to be.
We aren't looking for someone to simply maintain what already exists.
We're looking for someone who wants to help us build what comes next.
We believe Southwest's best days aren't behind us. By God's grace, there is still so much more ahead.