Silver Spring, Maryland—Last week, the Spencerville Church Board voted unanimously to approve the hire of Crystal E. Ward into the newly created role of Executive Pastor. Elder Jerry Lutz, President of the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and Elder Eli Rojas, the Ministerial Director for Chesapeake Conference, facilitated the discussion at a specially-called church board meeting on April 5.
I’m elated to accept this call to Spencerville Church and look forward to working alongside Pastor Chad, his team, and each Spencerville member. I have a deep passion for evangelism and community engagement and see many exciting possibilities to prayerfully explore as we seek God’s will for ways to advance His kingdom.
Crystal e. ward
Chad Stuart, the Senior Pastor of Spencerville Church, said, “As the pastoral staff has become more acquainted with Crystal, we’ve seen first-hand that she’s a prayerful, Spirit-led person who has a deep relationship with her heavenly Father and a very clear calling to full-time ministry. When we spoke with her references, there was a similar thread—several of them affirmed that they, too, recognized God’s calling on her life. Crystal has a proven track record of effective leadership, is highly organized, and will be a great asset to the church going forward. We’re excited to have her as part of the team and welcome her contributions to the mission and ministry of Spencerville Church.”
After accepting the call to serve, Crystal reaffirmed God’s leading throughout her life and specifically within this process. “As I look back, I recognize how God has prepared me for full-time ministry. I’m elated to accept this call to Spencerville Church and look forward to working alongside Pastor Chad, his team, and each Spencerville member. I have a deep passion for evangelism and community engagement and see many exciting possibilities to prayerfully explore as we seek God’s will for ways to advance His kingdom.”
Crystal steps into the Executive Pastor role while working toward the completion of her Master of Divinity at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. Before her time at the seminary, Crystal served the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in Harlem, New York, as an ordained elder, finance chair, and host for Ephesus TV. In addition, she enjoyed an extensive 20-year career in banking and finance, working for JPMorgan and Citibank. Most recently, Crystal served as a Senior Vice President at Citibank. However, after sensing God’s calling on her life, she decided to faithfully pursue His call to full-time ministry. Crystal will continue working toward her degree after relocating to Maryland this summer. She expects to graduate in 2023.
Crystal will transition to the Silver Spring area to begin work as the Executive Pastor on July 1.