Watch the full message “Running Our Race”
on our Message Library or listen to the Podcast.
Celebrating where we've been.
Trusting God with where we're going.
The Next 20 is an opportunity to celebrate all that God has done through Landing Place Church over the past 20 years. From six people taking a step of faith to the church family we are today, we’ve seen God faithfully lead, provide, transform lives, and use countless people to carry His mission forward.
We invite you to explore this page, hear directly from Pastor Mark, the Elders and the Search Team. Learn more about the next steps in finding our new Lead Pastor, find answers to your questions, and most importantly, join us in praying for the leader God has prepared for Landing Place Church.
A Video Message from Pastor Mark
A Personal Note from Pastor Mark
Dear Landing Place Church Family,
When I think about the past two decades, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. We have led people to Jesus who transforms lives. This transformation has shown up in so many ways: people coming to faith and getting baptized, children being dedicated to Christ, marriages being restored, and people growing closer to the Lord. We celebrated mountaintop experiences and walked through low valleys together. Through it all, God has been faithful. I don't take for granted the privilege He has given me to serve as your Lead Pastor.
The church was never designed to depend on any person other than Jesus. Landing Place Church doesn't belong to me, our staff, or our elders. It has always been and will always be His church. We are simply entrusted with something that He has placed in our hands for a season. Our responsibility is to carry it faithfully and, when the time comes, hand it to the next leader.
I know this announcement may bring a lot of emotions and questions. We will do our very best to help you process the emotions you experience and to honestly answer the questions that arise. This decision to pass the leadership baton is not one I take lightly. Many pastors hang on to their leadership role far too long, waiting until the church is in decline. My desire is to proactively transition when both Landing Place Church and I are at our very best.
Our family has no plans to relocate or disconnect from God’s work here at Landing Place Church. We Intend to continue to attend, serve, and financially support God's work here indefinitely. In December of 2026, I will graduate from Colorado Christian University with a master's degree in counseling and will continue to work with Cornerstone Christian Counseling. I've discovered that counseling brings me back to something that drew me to ministry in the first place: pastoring people. I have found great joy in helping people walk through difficult seasons.
This is the beginning of a transition that we anticipate will take about a year to fully execute. In the meantime, I will continue to be your Lead Pastor. There will be no quiet quitting, lame duck administration, or slowing down. I will be here next week, next month, and every moment throughout this transition. I pray that my last day as Lead Pastor will be my best day.
I don't want us to spend the next year consumed by a leadership transition. I want us to keep our eyes on the race. Because the race is bigger than the runner. The best days of Landing Place Church are still ahead. Not because of me or my successor, but because Jesus said, "I will build my church." Landing Place Church has never ultimately depended on me; it has always depended on Him. The race continues. Let's run it together—with endurance, with faith, and with our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Thank you for allowing me to run this leg with you. Thank you for trusting me, loving my family, serving alongside me, and allowing me to be part of so many important moments in your lives.
With gratitude and great anticipation for what God has ahead,
Pastor Mark
A Message from Our Elders
Landing Place Church Family,
Today marks an important moment in the story of Landing Place Church, and we want you to know that we enter this season with deep gratitude and great confidence. We are incredibly thankful for Pastor Mark and the nearly 20 years he has faithfully served this church. His leadership has helped lay a strong foundation for LPC, and we are grateful for the way he has prepared—not only for today, but for the future of this church. We are also grateful that he and Karen will continue to participate in the LPC family and the life of this church.
As Elders, we want you to know that we have been preparing for this transition for several years, and we believe God has been faithfully guiding the process every step of the way. We are committed to seeking His wisdom as we identify the next Lead Pastor and being transparent in our communication to you throughout the journey. Most importantly, we want to remind you that this is Jesus' church, and He is not finished with Landing Place Church. The Next 20 is not about simply finding our next leader; it is about trusting God with the next chapter of the mission He has entrusted to us. We invite you to pray with us, stay engaged, and continue running the race alongside us. We believe the best is still ahead.
With gratitude and hope,
The Elders of Landing Place Church
Neal, Brian, Jeremy, Bryan, Joe, and Reid
What Happens Next?
We're approaching this transition with prayer, intentionality, and a commitment to keeping our church family informed along the way. Here's what you can expect:
Finding our next Lead Pastor is an important responsibility, and we want to approach the process with wisdom, prayer, and care. That's why we've partnered with AGORA Search Group, a Colorado Springs-based firm that specializes in helping churches and faith-based organizations find exceptional leaders. Since 2000, AGORA has completed hundreds of searches and brings extensive experience in both ministry and executive recruiting to the process.
AGORA takes a relational approach to pastoral searches. Rather than simply looking for candidates who meet a list of qualifications, they first take the time to understand who we are as a church—our history, culture, values, theology, and vision for the future. From there, they work alongside our Search Team to identify and evaluate potential candidates, conduct thorough interviews and reference checks, and help us discern who is the right fit for Landing Place Church. Their goal isn't simply to find a great pastor; it's to help us find the right pastor for LPC and the next chapter God has for us.
AGORA will meet with the LPC staff, Elders, Trustees, and Search Team on September 18-20th to begin the process.
Our Search Team has been entrusted with the important responsibility of representing our church family throughout this process. Made up of Elders, staff members, and members of our congregation, the team will
work closely with AGORA and provide insight into the heart and culture of Landing Place Church. They will help ensure that the voice of LPC is represented, ask important questions, participate in candidate interviews, and prayerfully help evaluate each potential candidate. Throughout the process, they will approach this responsibility with humility, wisdom, confidentiality, and a deep desire to follow God's leading.
As AGORA identifies potential candidates, the Search Team will have the opportunity to learn more about each person and determine whether they meet the needs of LPC. Candidates will be considered based on their experience and qualifications, as well as their theology, leadership, character, ministry philosophy, and alignment with the culture and vision of Landing Place Church. AGORA will conduct interviews and reference checks as part of this process, helping ensure that candidates receive a thorough and thoughtful
evaluation.
As the process narrows, the Search Team will spend more time with the candidates who emerge as potential finalists. This will be an opportunity to go deeper—to ask questions, build relationships, understand each candidate's leadership and vision, and prayerfully discern whether there is a strong fit between the candidate and LPC.
This isn't simply about determining who is qualified. We want to discern together who God may be calling to lead Landing Place Church into its next season.
Once the Search Team has completed its work of discernment, the process will move toward identifying the candidate we believe is the right fit for LPC. The search team will pass along their chosen finalists for additional conversations with church leadership (Elders, Trustees, Staff, and Volunteer Leaders).
The final steps will include additional conversations with LPC leadership and the candidate and their family, allowing both sides to move forward with clarity, confidence, and a shared sense of calling.
We recognize the significance of this decision, and we will take the time necessary to make it prayerfully and thoughtfully. The final hiring decision will be made by the Elders.
Once our next Lead Pastor has been identified, the focus will shift from finding the right person to preparing for a successful transition. Pastor Mark and the incoming pastor will have an intentional period of time to run together before the baton is officially handed off. This will allow the next pastor to learn our church, our people, our culture, and our ministry firsthand while giving Pastor Mark the opportunity to help make the
transition as smooth and healthy as possible.
Meet The Search Team
The Search Team has been entrusted with an important responsibility:
helping LPC prayerfully identify our next Lead Pastor.
They represent a cross-section of our church family and are committed to approaching this process with wisdom, humility, confidentiality, and prayer.
Heather Dawson
LPC Staff
Jeremy Eng
LPC Elder
Jessie Campagna
LPC Family Member
Gabrielle Christie
LPC Staff
Shannon Garza
LPC Family Member
Neal Peterson
LPC Elder
Joel Tellez
LPC Family Member
A Message From The Search Team
We recognize the significance of this moment for Landing Place Church, and we don’t take our responsibility lightly. Choosing the next Lead Pastor is one of the most important decisions we will make, and we are committed to approaching this process with prayer, wisdom, humility, and great care.
We believe God has been faithful to LPC through every season, and we trust that He is already preparing the person who will lead our church into its next chapter. Our role is not simply to find a qualified candidate, but to prayerfully discern who God is calling to serve this church at this particular time. That means listening well, asking thoughtful questions, seeking wise counsel, and remaining open to where God may lead—even when the path isn't always clear.
Throughout this process, we are committed to keeping you informed and providing appropriate opportunities for you to understand where we are in the search. We want this to be something we walk through together, not something that happens behind the scenes. Your questions, encouragement, and perspective matter, and most importantly, your prayers matter.
We are asking our entire church family to join us in praying for wisdom and discernment, for unity within our church, for Pastor Mark and his family as they enter their next season, and for the pastor God is preparing to lead Landing Place Church. We may not know exactly what the future holds, but we know the One who holds it.
Frequently Asked Questions
After prayer, reflection, and seeking God’s direction, Mark believes this is the right time to begin the process of handing off the leadership baton as LPC prepares for its Next 20. He does not see this as stepping away from Landing Place Church. He and Karen plan to remain part of the LPC family, continue attending and serving, and support the church moving forward.
We are committed to being thoughtful and intentional in identifying our next Lead Pastor, and Mark is flexible with the timing of the transition. Our search firm, AGORA, has found that the process typically takes 9–12 months to complete. Following the search, there will be a transition period during which Pastor Mark will serve alongside the new Lead Pastor to provide continuity and support. We anticipate this co-leading period will begin sometime in the summer of 2027.
We have partnered with AGORA, an executive search firm specializing in Church Leadership to help find candidates. Initially, AGORA will meet with church leadership to understand what characteristics our next Lead Pastor should possess. Then AGORA will begin searching for a group of candidates to present to our Search Team. The Search Team will then narrow down a slate of candidates and present their recommendation to the Elders. Then various groups from among church leadership will have an opportunity to meet with selected candidates. At the same time, AGORA will spend time with serious candidates to provide additional vetting. The final step will involve the Elders extending an offer to the candidate that we feel is the man God intends for this role.
While the Elders are ultimately responsible to select the next Lead Pastor, our process has many voices and inputs along the way.
The Search Team was carefully selected by the Elders to represent the heart and future of Landing Place Church. The team represents a variety of perspectives and experiences within our church family. Our Elders prayerfully considered the individuals who would be best equipped to lead this important process, looking for people who know and love LPC, understand our mission and values, and can approach the search with wisdom, discernment, and an open heart.
Their role is to prayerfully seek God’s direction, carefully evaluate candidates, and help identify the person God is preparing to lead LPC into the future.
More than simply finding someone who can fill a role, we're seeking the person God is calling to lead LPC into its next season.
We’re looking for a spiritually mature, visionary, and relational leader who can honor the strong foundation and legacy that has been built at Landing Place Church while courageously leading us into our next season. We want someone who is a gifted biblical communicator, able to connect God’s Word with people from all backgrounds while clearly casting vision for where God is leading our church. We’re also looking for a leader who develops other leaders—someone who can build healthy teams and systems, empower staff and volunteers, and create a culture where people are equipped to use their gifts and grow. Just as important, our next Lead Pastor needs to have a shepherd’s heart, with the humility, integrity, emotional health, and relational intelligence to care for people and protect the authentic and welcoming culture that makes Landing Place Church special. Ideally, this person will have significant leadership experience in a church of similar or larger size and a proven track record of leading through growth, developing leaders, and navigating organizational change.
We don't have a predetermined timeline for the search. We want to be intentional rather than rushed, trusting God to lead us to the right person at the right time.
That said, we anticipate the timeline might look like this:
Fall 2026 – Search process begins
Fall/Winter 2026–27 – Candidate identification, interviews and evaluation
Spring/Summer 2027 – Final candidate identified and transition planning begins
Summer 2027 and beyond – Pastor Mark and the new Lead Pastor serve together during the handoff
These dates are estimates and may change as we prayerfully move through the process. We'll communicate meaningful updates as the process progresses. You will always be able to find the most up to date info here on this webpage.
After prayerfully consideration, none of our current staff members felt that this was the right time, personally or professionally, for them to pursue the Lead Pastor role. While our current staff will continue to play an important role in the life and ministry of Landing Place Church, the search for our next Lead Pastor will focus on candidates from outside our organization.
No. Pastor Mark will remain as our Lead Pastor until a new leader has been identified and the transition is complete.
The Trustees and our Landing Place Church leadership have been saving for this transition for over two years. Any expenses related to the transition will not affect our ongoing operations or budget, including our support of missions and community outreach.
While leadership will change, our mission remains the same: Leading People To Jesus Who Transforms Lives
We will continue to be a church that embraces our core values: Love God, Love People, Be Real, We’re Family, and Live Generously.
As we look toward the future, we will continue to prayerfully evaluate how God is calling LPC to live out that mission in the years ahead.
Yes! This web page will be updated regularly with updates and new information to share with you. And if you have a question or something you'd like the leadership team to consider, you can submit it below.
In early 2027, we will celebrate 20 years of Landing Place Church. As we celebrate this milestone, we're also looking ahead to the next 20 years. The Next 20 encompasses our pastoral transition, our celebration of God's faithfulness, and our intentional investment in the future of Landing Place Church. We're celebrating the last 20 and investing in the next 20.
You can help by continuing to do what you have always done. Pray. Serve. Invite. Give. Love people. Reach people. Make disciples. Don't pull back. Don't become distracted. Don't become afraid. Don't spend the next year looking backward. Look forward.
The most important thing you can do right now is pray. We have created an interactive prayer page to help us all pray for this transition. Pray for wisdom and discernment for the everyone involved in the search, for God to prepare and guide our next Lead Pastor, and for Landing Place Church as we step faithfully into this next chapter together.
Pray With Us
We're not just preparing for what's next. We're praying into it.
The Next 20 is a season of trusting God, seeking His direction, and believing He has more ahead for Landing Place Church.
Take a few minutes to pray with us through our interactive Prayer page.
Have a Question?
We know a transition like this can bring questions. Some may be questions about the search process. Others may be questions about what this means for Landing Place Church or what comes next. We want to hear from you. While we may not have every answer right now, we're committed to communicating openly and honestly throughout the process.
Please understand that some information—particularly information related to individual candidates—must remain confidential during the search process.