Dear Church,

We are at the beginning of the 36th year of CCS! After finding God in Southern California under the ministry of Pastor Chuck Smith, we ended up in Seattle at Calvary Fellowship. Then in 1990, I was 37 years old, married for 4 years, with newborn baby (our first, Trevor), and God called us to plant Calvary Chapel South.

God has been so very faithful to bless this church! I never dreamed God would do all that he’s done in the past 35 years. God has brought incredible people alongside us to share in the work of the ministry! We are so grateful for the faithful volunteers and staff who have made CCS what it is today. We are grateful.

Here we are, 35 years later! I’m 72 years old, married for 39 years and my little family has grown to be 6 kids, 7 grandkids, and countless sons and daughters in the faith! We are blessed.

I want to begin by saying how incredibly thankful I am for all that God has done in and through this church. He has been faithful in every season, guiding us, providing for us, and using each of us to impact His kingdom. 

I am especially grateful to our staff. Your dedication, love, and hard work behind the scenes have made this church a place where people experience God’s presence and truth. You are the heart and hands of this ministry, and I thank God for you. 

I am also deeply thankful that this church has remained faithful to the teaching of God’s Word. That commitment has shaped lives, strengthened families, and pointed countless people to Jesus. 

One of the things I have known for many years now; is that I want to do a good job of transitioning the church to the next generation of leaders. So, over a decade ago, I began praying and reading books on the topic and talking with several pastors who had been through healthy successions.

I’ve learned along the way that it is a very difficult thing to do well, and most aging pastors would rather not think about it. So, through the years, I’ve been intentional to get together with different people, just to talk “succession.”

One of the books we read, titled *Next*, includes this reminder: “Every pastor is an interim pastor.”  This is true; because it is The Lord’s church, not mine. And things that are alive and healthy must undergo transition and change if they are going to continue growing. As I’ve often said, “Without change, there is no growth. Without growth, there is slow death.” My desire, should the Lord tarry, is that the ministry of CCS carry on into the future; that it outlive me, and that it would change and grow into all of that God would have it to become.

So to that end, I want you to know that 2026 will be a year of passing the baton to the next generation of leaders.

God has been so faithful to bring in and raise up the next generation. I’m so grateful for each one. And after much prayer, I have asked Pastor Gerrit to step into the role of leading this congregation into the future. Gerrit has been serving with me for many years and I believe, as does our operations board and our staff, that Gerrit has been raised up as our next Lead Pastor.

Gerrit came on staff as our Communication Director in 2013. I found out some years after-the-fact he never intended to become a pastor. But God had other ideas. Throughout the years, he has led in many of our ministries. And in May of 2017, we made him our Executive Pastor; overseeing staff, our calendar, and helping me lead the church. Along the way, Gerrit has developed as a teacher of God’s Word. He has taken it upon himself to pursue further education; first at Western Seminary, then finishing his Master of Biblical Studies with Calvary Chapel University.

But it really isn’t his experience or education that qualifies him. What qualifies him is His Master, Jesus.

I do know with all my heart that God has provided someone who loves this church deeply, whose character is proven, who trusts in God’s Word, and who understands that true leadership begins with a servant’s heart.

This is not a surprise to most of you. Gerrit has demonstrated the way he cares and leads us faithfully. I am confident and excited to see Gerrit step into this role, it's going to be amazing!

In May of last year, I had my stroke. As many of you know, I was sidelined for a couple of months. During that time, Charlotte and I were blessed to see our amazing staff and volunteers continue faithfully teaching the Word and ministering to our community. Nobody missed a beat, the church didn’t panic, everything was smooth. 

We had begun the succession planning many years earlier, but the stroke certainly made a difference. This “interruption” gave me a clear picture of what God has done in providing a future for our church family that goes way beyond me. I am confident in the future of CCS!

So, let me answer a couple questions that some of you might have:

Charlotte and I are not going anywhere. You have been our church family for 35 years and will continue to be our church family. We plan to take a sabbatical in February 2027 (next year), and then return to continue supporting Pastor Gerrit and our church family in any way we are needed.

As far as teaching goes, beginning next month (February), Gerrit will be teaching once a month on Sundays, and that will be increasing throughout the year.

Again, we are grateful that the Lord has raised up Gerrit, and a whole team of leaders, from within our church family. We’re grateful that we are not having to search for and assimilate a leader from outside of our church family.

Gerrit has grown up here. Gerrit and I have worked closely together for a long time now. Gerrit share’s my heart for ministry; we speak each other’s language; we know each other’s quirks. Yet, he is different than I am and he will lead differently that I have led. I am excited to see what the Lord does!

At one of those succession meetings that I mentioned earlier, I wrote down my definition of a successful transition. This was over 6 years ago; Fall of 2019:

“A successful transition would be a relational ‘oneness’, ‘unity’ that embraces our differences - and that genuinely communicates and demonstrates a joy and excitement of what God will be doing at CCS. All the success has only just begun.” – Kevin Day, (Oct. 2019)

I want you to know how much I have loved serving as your senior pastor here at Calvary Chapel South. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to shepherd this church, to walk alongside you in life and faith, and to see God move in powerful ways through all of you. 

That is what I pray for – Unity. Oneness. Joy! Change is difficult. And let me be transparent, this is, and will continue to be, difficult for me. But that does not negate the joy and excitement I have for what God will be doing among us!

So there you have it! Now, let me ask you for a couple favors:

Favor #1: Will you please be praying for us during this process. We are confident God is going before us and will see us through. So, keep us in your prayers.

Favor #2: Please bring your questions, comments, and concerns to the source, because we also know that Satan will be doing his best to cause confusion and dissension during this time. So please talk to me, talk to Gerrit, talk to one of our pastors, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

At our Focus Dinner last Sunday, after giving this announcement for the first time, I asked my son, Trevor, to join me on stage for a short time of processing. You can watch the whole thing below.

Thank you for your love and for your prayers.

You are loved and appreciated,

Pastor Kevin

Gerrit will be prayed in as the lead pastor of Calvary Chapel South at our 2027 Focus Dinner (Jan' 2027).