An Evolving Faith Announcement

I have transitioned out of my leadership role at Evolving Faith.

Hi friends,

I’m interrupting our special Field Notes series on The Unexpected Jesus today to share a bit of news.

For those of you who perhaps aren’t aware of this, I helped co-create Evolving Faith alongside my dear friend, the late Rachel Held Evans and our friend Jim Chaffee more than six years ago. Ever since, I’ve been at the helm, including for three years there with my co-leader and friend Jeff Chu. We’ve all travelled a lot of road together in those years.

Earlier this morning, we shared some bittersweet but ultimately good news with the Evolving Faith community that I thought you might also like to know. I have transitioned out of my leadership role at Evolving Faith. 

Why? Well, for a while now I’ve been experiencing an unmistakable draw towards a quieter season of life within our family as well as renewed focus on my primary vocation as a writer. I do feel a lot of peace and clarity about this, both for myself and for the beloved community at Evolving Faith. It’s right and good.

But just as clearly as I knew that my time leading Evolving Faith was drawing to a close, I also knew that this important work needed to carry on. With an online community of more than 12,000 members now and a thriving annual conference in addition to the podcast, we are still just getting started. Our mission is to cultivate love and hope in the wilderness, pointing fellow wanderers and misfits to God as we embody resurrection for the sake of the world. There is so much good work ahead for Evolving Faith. Truthfully, that work has never felt more important than right now. 

So I’m grateful that Evolving Faith is now being led by the team of folks at Crosspointe Church, based in Cary, North Carolina. If you recognize that name, it may be because my former co-leader Jeff Chu has been on staff there for more than three years now, as one of the teaching pastors. It was through that relationship that we began to discuss the possibility of Evolving Faith carrying on under their careful and compassionate leadership. 

In this process, I’ve grown to trust and respect Crosspointe’s leadership as much as Jeff does. Their heart is for Evolving Faith, for our mission, and for the importance of our shared work in the world. I have tremendous confidence that Evolving Faith is in good hands. They clearly share our values, understand our community, and have proven trustworthy to us throughout the process.

Here is a link to a newsletter that we sent out to the Evolving Faith community about this news. There, in addition to my own note, you’ll find a letter from their lead pastor Jonathan Bow and one from Jeff Chu that I think you’ll appreciate. It will answer a lot of the questions you may have.

And in the coming weeks, you’ll certainly hear more from Evolving Faith, including plans for the next Evolving Faith conference(!). There is a lot of hope and energy already buzzing for this next chapter. Even though I’m not leading Evolving Faith any longer, I will remain a friend to the community and the plan right now is for me to be with everyone at that next gathering.

Before I sign off to go have my little cry, I want to offer my deepest gratitude to everyone who has been alongside Rachel, Jim, Jeff, and me in this work over the years, whether it was for a moment in time or for the entirety of Evolving Faith, as beloved staff, volunteers, speakers, guides, artists, leaders, attendees, participants, and co-conspirators. You helped to co-create the sanctuary of this community and I never, ever take that for granted.

The truth is that when Rachel died, I didn’t know if I had it in me to keep going in this work. But then you all showed up. And you kept showing up with your honesty, love, lament, hope, laughter, friendship, and challenge in ways that continue to cultivate hope in me. You co-created Evolving Faith with us and to me, you have always been the best part. Thank you, thank you.

I’m grateful that I got to do that good work with such good people for so many years. It’s been meaningful, unforgettable, and an absolute honour to be a small part of your evolving faith journey in this particular way over these years. I’ll carry our stories with me always.

I send Evolving Faith forth into this new chapter with tremendous love, confidence in our shared future, and deep gratitude in my heart. 

With hope,

S.

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