What People Are Saying About Us

Steve is an absolute professional with a God given talent that facilitated a great need for Emmanuel Baptist Church. Steve’s natural talents and abilities were an answer to prayer that effectively helped us navigate this important search. I would highly recommend Steve for your needs.

Walter Ploegman
Board Chair, Emmanuel Baptist Church Chatham

It truly was a pleasure and a blessing to have Steve Adams work along with us in the search for our new Lead Pastor.  He provided wise and timely advice, and his knowledge, encouragement and insights were of great benefit to us as a team.  Steve’s experience and his desire to support the Church was evident throughout the entire process.  We confidently recommend his services.

Don Nickel
Search Team Chair, Grandview Church, Kitchener

Steve Adams is one of the best church leaders in our country who employs wisdom and wit to propel God’s people to not settle for “good enough. I commend Steve fully to you.

Rev. Dr. Jonathan Stairs
Lead Pastor, Temple Baptist Church, Cambridge

Incredibly helpful! Every meeting had a purpose and moved us further down the field. This role of middleman that he played was invaluable! We greatly sensed God’s leading through Steve’s direction. I highly recommend Steve’s services concerning your staffing needs!

Richard Flemming
Chair of Pastoral Search Committee, Calvary Baptist, Guelph, ON

It is our pleasure to offer an endorsement for Steve Adams.

We are a non-denominational church located north of London Ontario having served this community for 43 years.  We were without a pastor for 2 years and after our efforts of trying to fill this position we were made aware of Steve’s business of helping churches fill leadership positions. From our first meetings with Steve, we sensed his confident and calm demeanor putting all of us at ease (our Search Team and Board of Elders).  He laid out a plan for us to move this process ahead.  Having Pastored for many years he was able to bring clarity, personal experience and the ability to be in touch with potential candidates.

All of the mandates were fulfilled, and we have a new Pastor starting in a few weeks.  Might I also say that this whole process had been bathed in prayer, so we were able to see the Lord’s hand moving through this process.  Therefore, we have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending Steve Adams.

Brian Burnet
Chairman of the Board of Elders, Community Bible Church

I would wholeheartedly recommend Steve Adams as a pastoral hiring consultant.  We engaged Steve to help us with our lead pastor search in late 2022.  We had been without a lead pastor for some time, and it was uncertain if we had internal staff and board resources to conduct what we felt was a very important step for us.  Working with Steve was a very positive experience, and I would not hesitate to hire Steve again.

Specifically, Steve helped in the following ways:

• He provided a structure and the tools for the process.  Each of the search team meetings had a purpose and Steve provided excellent materials and advice for us to discuss including profiles on the candidates and how they matched our preferred profile.
• Steve interacted with our staff in a proactive and effective way to help them feel confident in the process and that they had some input in the process.
• He worked with a large search committee with good humour, patience, and diplomacy.
• His contacts and networks gave us a larger reach that we otherwise would not have had and his ability to pre- verify candidates based on our criteria saved us a great deal of time and effort.
• As the Chair of the search team Steve gave me invaluable insight and suggestions as we moved forward.  But perhaps most importantly, Steve was always encouraging and continued to remind me and us that God was at work.

Rob Gamble
Chair, Leadership Board, Grace Community Church, Guelph, Ontario

Frankly, hiring Steve Adams has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.  He’s conducted 2 primary staff searches for us.

His years of experience as a senior pastor, his expertise in evaluating the gifts and temperament of candidates and his God-given ability to discern a good fit is invaluable.

Finding and keeping good staff is one of our toughest jobs in today’s church.  Steve takes so much of the risk out of the process, bringing the most likely candidate to the church for the final decision.  His expertise in using the Predictive Index personality profile was invaluable.  I found it uncanny how accurate the software and Steve’s interpretation of it was for us.   Steve freed us up to stay focused on the day to day demands of the ministry while waiting on him to do the research.

Steve is a solid man who loves the local church and has many years of personal experience in leading multiple staff.  I recommend him without reservation.

Blessings as you seek the Lord for the ministry staff that will serve with your congregation!

Deric Bartlett
City Centre Church, Mississauga

WestPark  Church is a congregation of some 1200 attendees in London Ontario, Canada.  Upon the retirement of our Lead Pastor, Charles Stone, we engaged Steve Adams as our consultant to find the next Lead Pastor.  The pool of qualified applicants was small, the expectations were high, and the health of our congregation in the transition period was paramount. God used Steve Adams to lead us to God’s man for the Lead Pastor position as was his mandate, but Steve provided so much more than that.  He was tireless in attending meetings, always available to answer calls and emails, and intentional in providing Godly and insightful advice to the board.  When it became apparent that we would need an Interim Preaching Pastor to bridge the gap, Steve graciously consented. As a gifted communicator of God’s Word, he effectively ministered to our congregation, allowing our board the time to concentrate on our task.

In conclusion, I confidently endorse Steve. Feel free to contact me for further information.

Dan Bird  
Board Chair, WestPark Church, London, Ontario

“I successfully candidated for a Lead Pastor role where Steve was conducting the search process.  The process was never hurried and was a pleasure, due in large part to Steve’s leadership.  Open, honest, personable, and readily accessible, it was clear that Steve was looking out for the best interests of the church and my own.  If I ever have occasion to engage someone to assist in a search, I would not hesitate to engage the services of Adams and Co. I highly recommend them!”

Patrick Timney
Incoming Lead Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Guelph, ON

“Steve Adams was an invaluable part of my recent candidating experience. From anticipating concerns to thoughtful advice, he brought efficiency and clarity to the process. Steve’s experience and wisdom were evident every step of the way, both for me and the church. I highly recommend him for your next pastoral search.”

Jon Killoran
Lead Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Chatham

When we first put together a lead pastor search team, the task ahead seemed daunting with many other churches searching as well and us not knowing where to begin.  One of the best decisions the church leadership made was reaching out to Steve Adams to help guide us in the process.   With his many years in pastoral ministry, leading various size congregations and staff, Steve brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the team, as well as a confidence in meeting the task ahead.  Without hesitation, I would recommend Steve Adams to help in any pastoral search.

Mike Grasby
Chair, lead pastor search team First Lobo Baptist Church

Working with Steve was an absolute pleasure. During my journey of pursuing opportunities in pastoral ministry, he provided a level of professionalism that was unmatched by others. He ensured that the opportunity would benefit both the hiring church and me.

Bryan Lee
Senior Associate Pastor, City Centre Church, Mississauga

I would highly recommend Steve to you.  You’ll be glad you made the call.”

Rev. Steven Jones
President, The Fellowship

Steve has been great to work with in discerning my next pastoral role. His use of assessments in helping me understand how I have been gifted by the Lord was helpful in ensuring a good fit for both me and James North Baptist Church. His experience leading in the church and in Christian ministry enables Steve to help those involved in the process navigate the unexpected hurdles with confidence, all the while relying on the leading of the Lord.

Dave Gray
Lead Pastor, James North Baptist Church

‘We engaged Steve Adams to assist us with our search for a Youth Pastor, mainly because of his decades of experience and considerable network of contacts. Steve was consistently available to our team, and he provided the resources that helped us to discern the profile of our preferred hire. His guidance and support were invaluable to us in a process that resulted in a promising recruitment.’

Bren Stacy
Gateway Church

Working with Steve Adams on a pastoral search was transformative for our church. Not only did we get an excellent candidate, but the entire congregation was engaged, and we learned a lot about church and its needs in the process. Even after the hire, Steve provided coaching to our staff on how we can best work together. Steve provided the wisdom, network, and process we needed to find the right person.

Paul Sadler
Lead Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Richmond Hill

We engaged Steve Adams, of Adams & Co., to assist us in sourcing a Lead Pastor for our church. Steve has significant experience in this field,and demonstrated a clear understanding of the type of person we were looking for. This was evidenced in the excellent variety of potential candidates he sourced and presented for our consideration.  I found Steve to be capable, connected, organized, and insightful.  He was very responsive in all communication.  I would highly recommend Steve Adams to you.

Steve Creery
Chair of the Board, New Hope Community Church (London)

“Engaging Steve Adams in the search for our Lead Pastor produced a well-rounded dedicated team who thrived under his coaching and leadership.   Through Steve’s experience, he had broad knowledge of many potential candidates. A great part of our search was Steve’s organized process.  We started the search in Mid-February and held a membership meeting in July where the vote was overwhelmingly positive. Finding a new Pastor can be a difficult chore.  Steve’s coaching made it a rewarding experience.”

Dan Ciona
Search Team Chair, Bay Park Baptist Church, Kingston