Sammamish Presbyterian Church

Joe Everson | Church Board Elder, 2020-23

When Tom first came to Sammamish Presbyterian Church we were facing several challenges including the sudden departure of our Senior Pastor, a significant decline in attendance and giving, multiple unresolved congregational conflicts, and poor staff morale. The headwinds facing our Church and our Church's Board were substantial.

Tom's leadership helped us to regain our footing as a Church body and helped us begin to work through and process the changes, the loss, and our unresolved conflicts. Tom showed just how gifted he is by slowly turning our ship toward calmer waters, so that we confronted our past but also began to build a meaningful future. Tom's leadership aligned our Board and our Staff around a strategic plan that empowered our leaders, addressed our capital needs, and helped prepare us for our next season of ministry as a Church.

Because of our work together under Tom's guidance we were able to turn the corner with our attendance and our giving challenges, rediscover our ministry to and with one another, and make significant improvements with our staff morale. Tom was the catalyst, the captain, the driver who helped to reshape us so that a new Senior Pastor has now arrived to a Church with a clear sense of identity, of purpose, and full of people eager to participate.