Frequently Asked Questions

Both locations will continue to receive full support from Hill Country while they remain multisite locations. The Hill Country Elders are also working through all elements of future support, including financial, personnel, and administrative (e.g., HR, benefits). Upon independent launch, there will be additional elements of onetime and ongoing support. Once each church becomes fully independent, they will have the option to join The Association of Hill Country Churches, which provides ongoing support for member churches. Hill Country is an active participant and contributor to the Association.

The first step of identifying the Lead Pastor is to establish local Elders who will:

• Seek individuals who exhibit the biblical qualities of eldership, have proven leadership experience, and demonstrate a clear calling to the church.
• Conduct a full search process similar to the one used to find Tim Kuhl as our Lead Pastor. This includes the following:
  • Sermon Screening Team
  • Elder Board Interviews (theology, missiology, leadership, character, doctrine, and culture fit)
  • Staff Interviews for relational insights
  • Presented as candidate to the congregation
  • Presented for congregational vote to Steiner Ranch/Leander congregations (as required by bylaws)

The Hill Country Elders and Readiness Team remain committed to finding a location that will sustain Leander well into the future. At this time, we do not know if Leander will have a permanent location at launch.

Two teams will be formed for each location: the Readiness Team and the Local Elder Board.

• Readiness Team candidates are identified by the Hill Country Elders and Executive Team. We seek individuals who exhibit the biblical qualities of leadership, possess a passion for planting, and have demonstrated investment in their respective locations. We personally invite them into a prayer process, and upon affirming their commitment, we will onboard them to the roles and responsibilities of the team.
• The Elder Board will be selected using a similar Elder Selection Process employed by Hill Country to select elders.

It is likely we will begin adjusting some ministry practices and adapting our current multisite approach to prepare the locations for independence. However, none of these practices, including teaching, have been determined yet.

Initially, Hill Country Elders will make decisions. Once a location has their own Elders, we will begin transferring more decisions to that local board. Please refer to Phases 1-6 as outlined on this webpage.

A full commitment to our locations will remain consistent to the point of launch. We will evaluate any ministry done together, and when working together is more effective than working separately, we desire to continue that approach. An example is the Great Adventure, where some components are independent, while others are shared. While we do not yet know which ministries, if any, will collaborate across all three locations, we aim to do what is best moving forward.

Yes, currently seated and past Elders will have the option to become Elders at the locations. Hill Country is committed to sharing all leadership in this process, including both staff and lay leadership.