Dear City Church, 

As most of you know, over the past 9 months, we have been in the process of searching for a new Senior Pastor. Together, the elder board and Fred have determined that after leading City Church and serving San Francisco faithfully for 25 years, he is ready to pursue the next chapter in his ministry. We’re so grateful to Fred and Terely for shepherding us to this point, and we look forward with anticipation to what God holds for City Church in the future under new leadership.

On behalf of the search committee and the elder board, I’m delighted to announce that we have found the person who we believe God has called to this position. After much prayer and discernment, the committee has recommended and the board has decided to call Reverend Emily McGinley to the role of Senior Pastor of City Church San Francisco. 

Emily comes to us from Urban Village Church in Chicago, where she currently serves as the Executive Pastor and previously was the founding pastor for their Hyde Park/Woodlawn site. Our entire search committee and elder board are thrilled to have found her: we genuinely believe that God has providentially led us throughout this process, as we have gotten to know Emily and she has gotten to know us. Emily is an exceptional leader and pastor; she is excited about our church and our city; and we believe she possesses precisely the gifts needed to serve City Church and San Francisco in this next chapter of our life together. 

So what does this mean? Over the summer, the elder board will be working with Emily as we prepare for her transition into leadership at the beginning of a new ministry year this fall. And this doesn’t mean goodbye just yet to Fred: he will continue to serve as our founding pastor, though in a different capacity as he works for and with Emily as she steps into the senior leadership role. 

The search committee and the elder board are deeply grateful to God for this hire, and are excited about the changes that are coming: but we also know that this is big news, and you might have questions going forward. We are planning a member meeting for Sunday, June 5 where we will discuss the search process and transition in much more detail.

The entire search committee and elder board are also available to answer your questions: please feel free to reach out to one of us individually; or you can email me (sarah@citychurchsf.org) or the elders (elders@citychurchsf.org). 

With gratitude and praise to God,

Sarah Dahl

Search Committee Chair