Pastor Henry Schorr has announced his intention to transition out of the role of senior pastor at Centre Street Church once a successor has been named. This is about planning for the future and nothing changes for now. Pastor Henry will continue to be our pastor and provide overall leadership for CSC.

The goodness of God is apparent in this transition. God has given us a strong senior leadership team, a dedicated staff and He has been blessing us with growth and vision. We’re looking forward to the next steps in the journey He is leading us through.

No. Pastor Henry and Gwen have been clear that that they want to be a part of all the amazing things God is doing at CSC for years to come. In fact, he’ll continue to work at CSC and have primary responsibility for the preaching/teaching ministry, so we’ll continue to benefit from his presence and teaching for as long as the Lord provides and directs.  

Pastor Henry has been praying about this decision for many years, and he has been preparing for it, as well. We have a great senior leadership team at CSC who have been working alongside Pastor Henry and have been benefiting from his mentorship and investment, in most cases for more than a decade. Over the years, he has been empowering and releasing them into ministry, and it’s been a time of great fruitfulness and blessing. As a church, we are ready!

The next step is to pray for our church and our leaders; together and on our own. We all want God to be leading the decision about who should be the next senior pastor of CSC, and we need to seek His face together. We will be providing opportunities for prayer throughout the process.

With regard to the formal process; the bylaws that govern CSC require the Board of Governors to establish a pastoral search committee and then appoint six people to sit on it – three members of the board and three members of CSC who are not on the board. This committee then makes a recommendation to the full Board of Governors of one person they believe should be hired as our next senior pastor. The board then has the authority to decide whether or not to call that person as the next senior pastor.

Learn more about the board and their work Here.

Read the bylaws of CSC to learn more about how a senior pastor is called Here.

The board and the leadership of CSC have been thinking and praying about leadership within our church on an ongoing basis for years. We have been developing and raising up leaders to oversee ministries and help us pursue the mission God has for us. This includes leaders on our Senior Leadership Team (SLT), who steward the overall mission and vision of CSC, and the 12 members of the leadership team, who oversee particular ministry areas and work together to support one another and the work of the church.

The board has also been consulting with our membership. In 2024 we conducted a survey of members and also hosted a 10-year vision session with a cross-section of staff and congregants. We also engaged an external consultant to help with succession and transition planning. From this, the SLT and board prayerfully developed a vision for our future. As a result, we already have a good picture of the kind of person who would be a good fit as senior pastor and have a role description in place to help the succession committee with their work.

The most important thing we can do is pray. God must be the leader and mover in our call to a new senior pastor. Join us for the planned prayer events and please be praying on your own.

Thank God for:

• All the ways He has been blessing CSC. He is moving in our midst – growing ministries and increasing our impact. For example, at our services on Easter weekend, we saw attendance of over 11,000 people. 62 children & youth and 53 adults also made first time commitments to Jesus!
• The leadership, staff, and volunteers at CSC who are seeking the Lord and doing amazing work advancing the mission to which God has called us.
• The ministry of Henry and Gwen Schorr, which has had decades of impact and, with God’s help, will continue for many years to come.

Pray for:

• Pastor Henry, Gwen and their family as they prepare for a new phase of their ministry life.
• That God would be leading us in every step of the process of discerning the next senior pastor for Centre Street Church.
• For the Senior Leadership Team, the Leadership Team and the staff of CSC, that they would continue to look to God for vision and inspiration in the work of ministry.
• For the Senior Pastor Search Committee, that they would be guided by God in helping identify the right candidate for the senior pastor role.
• For our Board of Governors – our board has the responsibility of governing and overseeing our church. Ask God to give them wisdom and discernment in their overall work, and especially when it comes deciding who to call as our next senior pastor.
• For our church, that God would move mightily among us, turning hearts toward Him.

You can find a form to submit questions below. We are also planning a congregational meeting at Central Campus on July 9th to address any questions and pray for the calling of our next senior pastor. Additionally, members of the Board of Governors would be happy to chat.

You can find out more about them on our website Here.

We’ll be providing updates as needed in weekend services and posting relevant updates and information on this webpage above. 

We have a form above where you can write a message of appreciation and blessing for Pastor Henry and Gwen. Although they’re going to be around and active in our church for many years to come, we know that the next few months will be a time when people will want to let them know what they mean to all of us.

As a first step, our intent is to post the role of senior pastor internally to the staff of CSC and see how God leads and provides. However, we are always open to anyone who God might send our way to help us in our mission. People are welcome to send their profile and information to careers@cschurch.ca.