The Dingman Company Finds Senior Pastor for United Church of Chapel Hill
January 8, 2018 – Executive recruiting firm the Dingman Company has helped place Rev. Cameron Barr as senior pastor of the United Church of Chapel Hill in North Carolina.
He will assume his role in March, and is expected to preach his first sermon for the church on March 11. Rev. Dr. Rich Kidd of the Dingman Company led the search.
The church was seeking an effective preacher and worship leader who would engage intellectually and spiritually with its educated congregation and inspire its members to reflect and act on biblical insights.
Rev. Barr fit that bill. Currently, he is pastor of Grinnell United Church of Christ in Grinnell, IA. He is a graduate of Davidson College and Vanderbilt Divinity school, where he was honored with the Newcomb Prize for exemplifying the ideals of “the minister as theologian.” After serving Howard Congregational Church of Nashville, TN during seminary, Rev. Barr practiced ministry for two years at Plymouth Church in Des Moines through the congregation’s pastoral residency program. He arrived at Grinnell in 2014. In his role at Grinnell UCC, Rev. Barr worked with the congregation to discern an authentic vision for ministry that is consistent with our church’s core values, the church said.
Worship
As new senior pastor in North Carolina, Rev. Barr is expected to help interpret and convey to the congregation contemporary dimensions of theology, tradition and biblical interpretation, while honing understanding through personal study, prayer and continuing education, said the recruitment firm. He has ultimate responsibility for all aspects of worship, and specifically for offering outstanding preaching and leading creative, inviting worship services, said the search firm. Rev. Barr will also officiate weddings and funerals, as requested, for church members and will have discretion to do so for friends of the congregation.
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The United Church of Chapel Hill was founded in 1957 as the union of several Christian traditions. It has an active and growing congregation of 955 members who come from diverse backgrounds and religious traditions, said the search firm, but all are attracted to the church by their passion for biblical truth, social justice and caring for God’s creation. Revenue for the most recent fiscal year was just over $1 million.
The Dingman Company, which has locations in Westlake Village, CA and Virginia Beach, serves both secular and religious clients. They include private schools, colleges, universities and seminaries, missions organizations, broadcasting/media, church and para-church organizations, relief agencies and development organizations, childcare, social services and rehabilitation concerns.
Dr. Kidd, vice president of the firm, has a diverse background that ranges from the business world, across the church community and into Christian higher education. For five years he served as director of campus ministries and adjunct faculty at Regent University in Virginia.
Faith-Based Searches
Hunt Scanlon Media periodically reports on search assignments either underway or completed for faith-based organizations. Here’s a look at a few from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
CarterBaldwin Executive Search placed Larry Griffith as CEO of Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA). The board’s selection comes after an extensive search that involved reaching out to more than 1,000 potential candidates. The assignment was conducted by CarterBaldwin founding partner Price Harding.
Diversified Search placed Sean P. Roddy as chief financial officer for Catholic Charities USA, one of the biggest charities in the country. Nalini Perkins, managing director of the recruiter’s non-profit practice, and Mark Mulvanerty, managing director of its financial officers practice, co-led the assignment.
Vanderbloemen Search Group has been selected by First United Methodist Church in Jonesboro, AR to lead its quest to find a new youth minister. The organization is seeking an individual who is “devotional” and has strong leadership skills. Vanderbloemen has carved out a unique recruiting niche helping churches and ministries find mission-driven leaders.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
