Lead Pastor Announcement

It’s unanimous! After a 100% yes vote, Chad Manbeck is officially Richwoods’ next Lead Pastor!

The Manbeck Family will worship with us beginning November 1st, and Chad will bring his first message as lead pastor on November 15th!

A legacy of helping people find and follow Christ.

The story of Richwoods is not and has never been about one person. It’s about us all, collectively, working together to help people find and follow Christ.

What began with 25 people meeting in a basement in the 60s has grown to the church we call home today. Along the way, God has used the people of Richwoods to share the hope of Christ in our own backyard and around the world.

We are so excited to step into this next season God has for us as a church; keep reading for an exciting message from the elders!

A Message from the Elders

It is with great pleasure that we, the elders of Richwoods Christian Church, nominate Chad Manbeck as Richwoods’ next Lead Pastor! Wow! This has been a long and difficult search. We have been working on this for almost 27 months, have used two search firms, tracked 57 candidates, and considered at least a dozen more.

The elders have spent a great deal of time with Chad and checked more references than we ever have before. Between staff and elders, over 140 manhours were invested in getting to know Chad, his heart, and his calling. Through this process, and with much prayer and discernment, we believe Chad will make a great lead pastor for Richwoods. We are confident that we have found a person who loves Jesus, is passionate about ministry, and is an excellent leader, a relatable teacher/preacher, a discerning visionary, a caring pastor, a devoted husband, and a great family man. We believe the congregation will love Chad’s wife (Jenna) and kids (Luke, Jordyn, Trust, Ethan, and Selena).

More About Chad

Tell Us About Yourself and the Manbeck Family

I grew up in Northeast Ohio where I lived for 29 years and have one sister Melisa. Jenna and I met at our local church, were married and had our first child (Luke) in New Philadelphia, Ohio. My wife is a beautiful, compassionate woman of God who cares for neglected children and for seeing young women find and follow Jesus. She is my spiritual hero and one of the most steadfast people I’ve ever known.

After Luke was born we sensed God’s call to begin pastoring with a friend of ours in the Atlanta area. While in Atlanta we had our second son (Ethan), deepened our love for God’s church, and began to fall in love with vocational ministry. Since our time in Atlanta, we have planted a church in California, served as a young adult and associate teaching pastor in Kansas City, and served as lead campus pastor in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have served on multiple lead teams, and have been honored to work with some incredible leaders all across the country. While in Las Vegas we adopted 3 children (Jordyn, Trust, and Selena) and grew in our leadership, passion for foster and adoption, as well as began to feel led towards the role of lead pastoring a church. We love theatre, movies, golfing, family time, reading books, and have a greater passion for God’s church than ever before!

What excites you about coming to Richwoods and Central Illinois?

So many things excited us about the adventure and opportunity ahead. We love Richwoods’ history, impact in Peoria, heart for God, and desire to see people find and follow Jesus Christ. With the challenges of this pandemic season we see huge potential and hope for Richwoods to make an incredible contribution to the Kingdom. We love the values of the church, the passion for God’s word to be preached, and the welcoming spirit as soon as you walk into the commons.

Moving back to the Midwest is so exciting for us. We are both from this part of the country, all our family lives in the Midwest, and we have looked forward to coming back “home” for many years. It is an answer to prayer that God has led us to a church we will love and a part of the country that is wonderful for our family. He is so gracious and kind!

Education & Ministry Experience

Liberty University

Graduated – 2014
B.S. Religion
Summa Cum Laude

Canyon Ridge Christian Church – 2017-Current

Las Vegas, NV – Lead Campus Pastor & Lead Team

Church at Coffee Creek – 2014-2017

Olathe, KS – Associate Pastor & Elder

SunGrove Church – 2012-2014

Elk Grove, CA – Spiritual Formation Pastor & Lead Team

River Church of Acworth – 2007-2010

Acworth, GA – Students and Young Adults Pastor

Past Sermons at Richwoods by Chad Manbeck

Search Process Timeline

July 2018 – Jim Powell informs Elders of his pending resignation
Early August 2018 – Elders inform congregation of Jim Powell’s resgination
August 2018 – Elders partner with Vanderbloemen to aid in the search process
October 2018 – Vanderbloemen presents first 4 candidates
December 2018 – Jim Powell’s final weekend with us
Throughout 2019 & Early 2020 – 14 candidates were presented from Vanderbloemen and multiple tweaks were made to the job profile and the attributes of what we were looking for in the ideal candidate
Over the course of 2019 & 2020 – 40 guest speakers were brought in from around the country to help us network, get our name out, and drive up potential interest in the position
May 2020 – Elders make the decision to end our contract with Vanderbloemen and partner with Slingshot Group, an organization with deeper roots in our Christian Church heritage
Summer 2020 – Slingshot presents Chad Manbeck and 2 additional candidates
July 2020 – 1st Interview with Chad Manbeck
August 2020 – Chad Manbeck served as a guest speaker and has 2nd interview
September 2020 – Chad Manbeck returns for 2nd weekend to preach as well as to have interviews with elders, senior leadership team, staff, and others
September 14, 2020 – The elders nominate Chad as our Lead Pastor Candidate

How can you get involved?

Pray

We’ve asked for your prayers all along this journey, and they are as important now as ever before.

– Continue to pray for the elders and leadership as we prepare for this transition.
– Pray for Chad and his family, as he wraps up his current role in Las Vegas and as their family prepares to move to a completely new place.

Vote

Our by-laws state that we must have a quorum of 30 members and have a 3/4 vote to approve the elders’ nomination for Lead Pastor. While we value everyone’s input and all are welcome to vote, it is important that we are transparent that in order for votes to truly count they must come from a member.

Voting will take place on Sunday, October 4, immediately following both the 9am and 11am worship services. The congregational meeting will be available to tune in to online or to join in person.

All voting will be done online, but if you do not have access to a device to complete voting, accommodations will be made.

FAQs

Have questions about the process?

Email Us

Meet our New Lead Pastor, Chad Manbeck