INTRODUCINGDR. RUSTY HAYES

Dear Ascent Church Family,After many, many months of prayer, reading and reviewing candidate resumes, watching hundreds of hours of sermons, and over 30 hours of face-to-face interviews with final candidates, it is with great confidence, excitement, and anticipation that we, The Ascent Church Pastor Search Team, and Elder Board present Dr. Rusty Hayes as our recommendation to become the Lead Pastor of the Ascent Church.

Rusty is one of the only candidates that met all the requirements that was outlined in the Lead Pastor Profile. He has: - 13 years of experience as the Lead or Senior Pastor in multiple congregations. - More than double the minimum desired years of preaching and teaching on a regular or weekly basis. - Both multi-site and merger experience. - A heart for community and neighborhood ministry. - Exceptional leadership skills for developing both members of the congregation and his church staff. - A proven track record of bringing unity and healing to a church body and community. - And MOST IMPORTANTLY, Rusty has a deep passion for sharing the gospel and guiding people into vibrant relationships with our Lord and Savior.

It is without hesitation that we humbly recommend the membership of The Ascent Church call Rusty Hayes to shepherd this body of believers as our Lead Pastor.

In Christ,

Elder Board Pastor Search TeamAaron Atwood (Chair) Dan DaetzMark Hopkins Hidye FletcherBryan Kavanaugh Tim MarburgerDave Reed Jason MezeyRic Sieben Maria Peterson Laine Sparks

Pastor Search Team Bible VerseTherefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

Pastor Search OverviewThe partnership between the Pastor Search Team & AGORA Search Group resulted in contact with over 3,500 potential candidates for The Ascent Church Lead Pastor role. AGORA invested in 100+ contacts beyond the initial contact group, 13 of whom became Active Candidates. There were 3 Final Candidates who were brought in for the Weekend Experience from those 13.

This decision was bathed in many hours of prayer and an overwhelming amount of time by both the Search Team & AGORA. We believe that the Holy Spirit has brought us to a place where we can confidently make this recommendation with great unity.

The due-diligence completed with Dr. Rusty Hayes through this partnership included, but is certainly not limited to the following: • Initial Contact Call lasting 30-60 minutes. • Review of the Candidate’s Resumé & AGORA Online Surveys. • Review of the Candidate’s Sermons (10 or more sermons) for theological and cultural

alignment.• Phone Calls to those within the AGORA network connected to the Candidate for

initial impressions.• One day reviewing the Candidate’s Profile followed by a 2-3 hour video call with the

Candidate. • Multiple calls to and from the Candidate to discuss various topics from theology to

organizational structure by multiple team members at AGORA.• Internal team meetings at AGORA to discuss the Candidate being presented as a

Final Candidate in collaboration with the Search Team.• Initiating the Face-To-Face experience in which the Candidate is interviewed on the 7

deadly sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride). • Interview with the Candidate’s family in their home over a meal prepared by the

family. • Visit to the Candidate’s current church in which everything from the condition of the

grounds to the children’s area, staff offices and worship experience are examined. • Questions around town where the Candidate’s current church is to examine the

reputation of the church. • Reference calls with 3-7 references. • Completion of a Candidate Portfolio sharing the story and heart of the Candidate. • Weekend Experience in which over 12 hours of intentionally planned interviews were

completed. • Weekend Experience where multiple groups of leadership within the church were

able to interact with the Candidate in casual to professional environments. • Weekend Experience where the wife of the Candidate was informally interviewed. • Debriefing with the Candidate for a time of review and prayer.

“I have never gotten over the grace of

God. I love Jesus.

”R usty Hayes grew up the oldest child of a Christian home in Louisiana. “My father was a medical doctor who used his practice for the Lord and my mother was a gifted musician who

performed often for her King. I also had grandparents and other relatives who knew and loved Jesus dearly. I learned the gospel as a very young child and can remember believing in Jesus as far back as my earliest memories.” Tragedy struck his family, however, when he was thirteen years old. At that time, his dad was killed in an auto accident. This devastated him and for the next five years Rusty struggled with his relationship with God. “I entered the foot-ball/sports culture and lived an immoral lifestyle in my pain and an-ger. Then, during the summer of my senior year, I went on a youth retreat and had a deep and intimate encounter with the Lord.

He convinced me through this event that He loved me very much and desired a close relationship with me. I committed myself to Him marveling at His grace. Soon after, I broke off ties with my former life by moving to, of all places, Boulder, Colorado and attending the University of Colorado. There, the Lord formed my identity in Him. I joined various ministries including InterVarsity and the Navigators.

Eventually, I ended up leading Master Peace, a music/drama evangelistic group. Through Master Peace, I learned that I had the gift of preaching and the Lord used it to call me into the ministry. This wasn’t an easy decision. My goal at the time was to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a medical doctor. But God gave me such a burning drive to become a· pastor that I eventually submitted to His call. I’m so glad I did!”

Dr. Rusty Hayesand his wife Judi

During his time in Boulder, Rusty also met his future wife and love of his life, Judi. “Judi, is a godly, beautiful, vivacious bundle of fun and blessing. She actually had to audition in front of me for Master Peace to join the group! As soon as she walked in the room, she was in the group. I was taken by her immediately. We’ve been married now for 26 years and I love her deeply. She is the love of my life and my best friend.

Our oldest child is Olivia. She is much like her mother: beautiful, full of life, compassionate. She’s also our drama queen. She lives in Louisiana in my hometown and is a special needs aide at an elementary school there. She has a degree in cosmetology and is in the process of applying to McNeese State to further her education in special needs.

Natalie is our second child. She is an adventurer who has helped build playgrounds for disadvantaged children in Jamaica and Mexico. She also has plans to take a summer mission trip to Europe in the future. Of all our children, she’ll be the first to climb mountains and go white water rafting. She loves life and embraces it with gusto. Currently, she is attending Rock Valley College and working at a local restaurant.

Juliette is our comedian. She’s a sophomore in High School and is an excellent student. She loves practical jokes and has the gift of leadership. She is delightful.

I think my family needs the same things any family needs in church: a solid worship environment, caring friendships, biblical learning opportunities, an evangelistically effective culture (so they can bring their lost friends to church without embarrassment), and prayer. They also need to be loved and the freedom to be real. In other words, my kids are kids just like anyone else’s. They’re not perfect and shouldn’t be expected to be. But, they should also be expected to live as responsible followers of Christ. We give them these messages frequently and we delight in them.”

Joshua is our boy and has the best heart of any kid I’ve ever known. He is an introvert with a gentle spirit and wisdom beyond his years. He loves video games, superheroes, and Star Wars. He also has a great sensitivity for others and the Lord’s leading.

Dr. Russel B. (Rusty) HayesEDUCATIONDoctor of Ministry, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Dissertation Overcoming Male DepressionMaster of Theology, Dallas Theological SeminaryB.A., University of Colorado, Boulder. PsychologyOrdained, 1995 – Creekside Community Church (SBC), 2015 – First Free Church (EFCA)

PLACES SERVEDFirst Free Church, Senior Pastor, Rockford IL Stonemill Church, Senior Pastor, Sawanee, GA Sugarloaf Community Church, Senior Pastor, Sawanee, GA Grace Church, Pastor of Adult Ministries, Racine, WI

PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE• Author, All Things New: A Basic Training on the End Times,

2006.• Interviewed by Marshall Shelley (VP of Christianity Today)

and published in Leadership Journal (Leadership Journal, Fall Issue, 2013: The Growth at Cliffside).

• Author, Seasons of Hope, 2016• Contributor, Five Ministry Killers and How to Deal With

Them by Dr. Charles Stone.• Listed in the book, Building a Contagious Church, by Mark

Mittelberg.• Contributor, The Year of the Zebra, by Keith and Karen

Kelroy.• Contributor, More, by Allen Kraft (Sr. Pastor, Christ

Community Church, Greeley CO).• Creator and Founder of The Radio Minute, a weekly

evangelistic and inspirational broadcast heard on WZOK, ContemporaryTop 40 radio station, Rockford, IL.

Q&AQ: What is the most impactful ministry-related lesson you have learned?

A: As long as you sincerely seek to serve God, He’ll make everything else work out. Stay close to God and let your ministry be an overflow of a healthy inner life with Him.

Q: What experience, if any, has caused you to question your calling?

A: That’s a loaded question because any pastor in touch with his sin nature feels unworthy of the calling. If I obsess too much about what’s at stake eternally when I enter the pulpit, I won’t sleep at night. But, more specifically, I once had a close friend in ministry betray me deeply and the pain from that experience was so intense that it caused me to question whether I could handle ministry from that point on. It deeply wounded me. But, I clung to God and turned to Him repeatedly and He got me through. The church and my ministry survived and the wisdom that resulted is priceless to me now.

Q: Describe your preaching/teaching style.

A: I am a relational, expository preacher, which means my job is to proclaim what the Bible says, in context, to its original audience as it applies to contemporary life. I like to connect relationally to the audience through authenticity and storytelling.

Q: How do you craft a message that is relevant to both Christ-followers and not-yet-Christ followers?

A: In our day and age, my contention is that Christ-followers and not-yets are not that different. Both need the meat of God’s Word desperately. If I’m authentically communicating the Text effectively, the Holy Spirit will cause fruit in both. The key is to never assume that every member of your audience is informed about the faith. So, for example, I don’t use Christian jargon like“sanctification” unless I explain it. I also make sure everyone knows where I am in the Bible (ex. “if you’re new to the Bible, Matthew is located at the beginning of the final third of the Bible”). In other words, I try to preach messages that anyone can understand but I won’t compromise the Scriptures in the process. I then trust the Spirit to cause the fruit to grow.

Q: What do you envision to be among the greatest challenges facing the American church at this time?

A: To learn how to be effective followers of Christ who graciously impact the lost in a culture that is increasingly hostile to our faith. We are living in Babylon and we need to be Daniels, but we’re used to living in Jerusalem and being Pharisees.

Q: The Ascent Church is a multi-site church. How do you see this as a missional strategy?

A: Preachers and worship leaders love giant auditoriums. Most other people don’t. Multi-sites provide more intimacy and authenticity. They also bring the church to regions that make it more convenient, friendly, and personal for lost people to attend church. One of the problems with a one-site-fits-all mentality is that as soon as someone has to drive for more than 20 minutes to get to church, they tend to stop going to church. And members of that church who are commuting 20 minutes have an almost zero success rate at getting their lost friends to drive that far to visit. If part of evangelism is inviting people to come to church (and it is), then multi-sites help to eliminate the drive-time barrier. Also, most effective evangelism happens with children. If l’m a lost parent who wants my kid to “learn good values” and I have to drive a 40 minute round trip to take my kid to church, I’m probably not going to do that. But, a multi-site five to ten minutes away greatly enhances the probability of participation. The larger a single site gets, the less effective youth and children outreach becomes because, by its very nature, the commute is no longer local.

Q: Why do you think that you are a good fit for this position?

A: The following is a list of reasons that come to mind immediately:

1. We’ve sensed God moving us from our current assignment.2. In my quiet times with God, I’ve sensed Him prompting me to explore

this possibility.3. Judi has confirmed that.4. Mentors and godly friends have confirmed it as well.5. The Ascent shares my theology, values, and personality.6. My wife is from Colorado and I attended CU. We also have family

there.7. The church and area have tremendous possibilities to glorify God,

and that excites me. I believe God can use me to grow The Ascent to greater effectiveness and health.

Bottom line, I want to use every ounce of my life for the Lord. I think The Ascent does as well. I think we could make a great team.

Q: How do you measure the growth and health of a congregation, and thus the effectiveness of your leadership?

A: I take metrics in three areas: Winning the Lost, Building the Believer, and Equipping Leaders. Experience has taught me that a healthy church has at least 10% of the church’s regular attendance number coming to Christ (as measured by baptisms), at least 70% of the church’s regular attendance number in a community of discipleship, and at least 5% of the church’s regular attendance number becoming new leaders every year. If a church has an average worship attendance of 1000, it should see a minimum of 100 baptisms a year, 700 people in a discipleship group, and 50 new leaders a year. Those metrics guide me generally speaking. And you have to listen to the Spirit in every situation.