Introducing our New Assistant Pastor: Elisabeth Hayes
We welcome Elisabeth Hayes as our new Pastor of Parish Life and Mission!
After a multi-month search that elicited candidates from California to Scotland, we are pleased to announce that our search team has discerned—and Session has unanimously approved—that Elisabeth Hayes has been selected as our new incoming Assistant Pastor for Parish Life and Mission.
“I’m so looking forward to serving you as your new Assistant Pastor! It is a real privilege to get to pastor a congregation that I’ve already grown to love and that has cared for me so well over the years.
Both Parish Life and Mission are core to Third’s determination to follow Jesus beyond the walls of the church and out into the world He loves. I’m excited to bring these two missional arms together under the same leadership–a holistic and integrated discipleship model which works towards ‘the renewal of all things,’ everywhere.”
Elisabeth Hayes
Elisabeth Hayes has been working at Third for the past three years, where she started as a Pastoral Resident in 2020. She later moved into a full-time role as the Director of Parish Life in 2021 where she has been working to equip leaders to lead and serve in their Parish Areas.
Elisabeth obtained a Master of Theology in Theology and Ethics at Union Presbyterian Seminary in 2021 and a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies in 2018 from Reformed Theological Seminary. Prior to her move to Richmond, Elisabeth served extensively in positions for both youth ministry and missions, working for four years directly on the mission field in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. There, she served as the Director of Spiritual Formation and was a founding teacher of the Nicaragua Christian Academy, and led initiatives such as developing and writing Spanish-language Bible curriculum for middle and high schoolers, building discipleship and Biblical education programs for Nicaraguan staff, and implementing short-term, cross-cultural internship programs for young adults.
Elisabeth is originally from Birmingham, Alabama, a graduate of Wake Forest University and a seasoned gardener. Elisabeth and her husband Will love to travel and cook for their friends at their home in the Northside, and they look forward to bringing home a puppy in November.
About the Process
The search process for this role was perhaps our most far-reaching and widely publicized search in recent years. Our search team, comprised of Danielle Avula, Beth Sprinkle, Melissa Lincoln, Jason Snook, Corey Widmer, and Ed Satterfield, connected with over 20 different networks and widely-networked church leaders, extending our search range to hundreds of contacts. We received eight applications from high-quality candidates and interviewed each of them, initially conducting around 15 hours of interviews and analysis. Of these eight candidates, five were men and three were women, and the team felt consolation around moving two of the candidates to the next round of interviewing– the behavioral interview. Those two then moved forward to the final round of interviews.
Since Elisabeth was an internal candidate, the team prioritized discerning with a “spirit of indifference,” and approached the process as unbiased as possible. While both final candidates have commendable experience, education, and earned wisdom, the search team unanimously selected Elisabeth and enthusiastically recommended her to Session for the following reasons:
Her demonstrated gifts in managing others, leading teams and volunteers, and working through conflict.
How she prioritizes people and relationships and strongly emphasizes the importance of trust-building, collaboration, and connection in her vision for pastoral leadership.
Her years of real experience in the mission field, which was far more than any of our other candidates. Through this, she has gained a high cultural intelligence and built a compelling vision for how our congregation can deepen our engagement with local and global partners.
Her discipline and perspective as a mature student of the Scriptures who brings powerful and relevant insight into our study of God’s Word and the equipping of our people.
We know she exemplifies these traits because we have witnessed it over the last few years in her work with teams of staff and leaders. This was most clearly demonstrated by the number of unsolicited letters of recommendation we received from staff and lay people, strongly endorsing Elisabeth as the candidate for this position.
With all that work behind us now, we are excited to see Elisabeth fill this role and provide critical leadership in community and mission for our Third congregation. We pray for the Lord to lead her and us in pursuing God’s direction in the years to come.
Elisabeth will begin in this position on Sunday, November 5.
She has been fully approved by our Presbytery for her ordination and installation into this call, and we will be planning her service of ordination and installation soon.
In the near term, Elisabeth will begin leading the strategic direction and oversight of our Parish Life ministry as well as providing pastoral oversight for Mission at Third. We are excited to soon begin the process of hiring a new Director of Missions who will oversee global and local missions support and congregational engagement.
We congratulate Elisabeth on this new position and are so grateful for how God has provided such a capable and compassionate leader for our community in this season.