I am pleased to announce that after a prayerful search, we have hired Russ Van Der Vliet as our Executive Director of Administration. He will begin this new role on April 1. Russ will serve alongside me, and as part of the executive team he will play a vital part in providing leadership, counsel, and expertise on church-wide matters. Additionally, he will oversee the ministry services teams of our church, which include Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, Operations, and Communications. In this position, Russ will work to advance our mission and values by speaking into big-picture strategy as well as day-to-day operations of our church.
You may recall, last Fall we announced the upcoming retirement of Scott Landon, Executive Pastor of Administration. At that time, we began our search–only to discover that the Lord knew all along that the person for the job was already on staff.
Three years ago, Russ joined our staff as the Director of Finance and Accounting, overseeing our church finances and leading our accounting team. This has involved managing the budget process and preparing information for the church annual business meeting. Russ has played an important role on our Finance Committee, where monthly he presents financial reports and budget variances, as well as updating the committee on special projects and capital expense items. In addition, Russ has overseen the annual audit and managed our investments. Highlights from these past years are Russ’s work to refinance our loan, steward our resources to pay down our loan balance, and implement a new financial system that includes budgeting, financial reporting, and expense management. Prior to coming to Wheaton Bible Church, Russ had 26 years of experience in various accounting and tax positions that included managing large teams and cultivating client relationships.
Russ and his wife, Liz, have been a part of our WBC family since 2005. They have two college age children, Jack and Claire. Russ and Liz have served in Kid’s Life for 15 years and currently enjoy serving in Wednesday night Kids’ Club. They are a part of the Ignited Adult Community, Russ attends Men’s Huddle, and Liz serves as a leader in Place4You.
We are grateful that the Lord has led Russ to this new role. His character, competence, and experience, coupled with his knowledge of our church gained from his current position and from his years attending and serving at WBC have prepared him for such a time as this. Please pray for him during this transition as we look forward to this next season with Russ leading the administrative functions of our church.
-Pastor Hanibal