Kingsland Baptist Church
- Denomination: Baptist – SBC
- Location: Katy, TX
- Website: https://kingsland.org/
The First Call
By 2016, Kingsland Baptist Church was experiencing significant growth, not just in numbers but in vision. The team articulated a clear, compelling direction for the church to follow, and Executive Pastor Brad Flurry could see that the road ahead would demand more than his role could sustain.
Recognizing this, Senior Pastor Ryan Rush encouraged Brad to find someone who could complement his leadership and join the team in their long-term vision. Brad was given the green light with the words, “Go find him.” Brad picked up the phone and called Vanderbloemen, immediately initiating the search for Kingsland’s first Executive Pastor of Administration.
“I love their core value of rapid responsiveness,” Brad says. “I love to be able to call, email, or text, and I get something right back instead of waiting for days.”
This search laid the groundwork for a trusted relationship. In the eight years that followed, Kingsland and Vanderbloemen would go on to work together on six key hires, each one a critical piece of Kingsland’s committed team.
About Kingsland Baptist Church
Kingsland Baptist Church has been serving Katy, Texas since 1977, when it was planted by Tallawood Baptist Church. Today, Kingsland is one church with two thriving locations—its Central campus and the North Katy campus, launched in 2020 to better serve their growing community. Their mission is to invite all people to experience true fulfillment in Jesus Christ, one home at a time, which has fueled their service to reach deep into the community around them.
In 2019, Kingsland launched the Empowered Homes initiative—a multi-platform effort that includes a website, podcast, and leadership network—to equip families and church leaders with practical, gospel-centered resources. These efforts align with their specific vision to see 1,000,007 homes transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ. Through each of their ministries, Kingsland continues to pursue their vision with boldness.
Strategy and timing
From the moment Brad first reached out to Vanderbloemen, the search moved forward with purpose and clarity. The Vanderbloemen team quickly came alongside Brad and Ryan to understand the whole picture: the practical needs of the Executive Pastor of Administration role, the intricate dynamics of the church’s culture, and Brad’s vision for a leadership partner. With that insight, Vanderbloemen assembled and presented an initial slate of five strong candidates, each with impressive qualifications and vetted character. While the talent was there, Brad knew instinctively that their perfect fit hadn’t been discovered yet.
Rather than settle, the search team pressed on with discernment and urgency. After a few more phone calls from the executive search team and just a couple more days, Vanderbloemen presented two more candidates. That’s when Todd Pendergrass entered the picture, and everything clicked into place.
About Todd Pendergrass
Todd Pendergrass had spent most of his life serving in churches throughout the Southeast, including 13 years serving a church in Memphis, before stepping into roles outside of the church, landing him in a nonprofit children’s home.
“My heart was always to be back in the local church,” Todd says. “I just didn’t know where that opportunity might arise. Then I got a phone call from Vanderbloemen.”
That was the executive team, who had found Todd within their network and knew he would be a good fit for Kingsland. Over the phone, Todd was introduced to a faraway church in Katy, Texas, and learned about an open position that aligned with his background and calling to return to vocational ministry. He applied with enthusiasm, and after accepting the role, he’s quick to affirm that his placement was no coincidence. “The Lord brought us here,” he says.
“The most expensive thing we have is staff,” Brad says, “so let’s take care of them, let’s leave them well, let’s take care of their families, and that was the heartbeat of Todd.”
That was nearly eight years ago, and since then, Kingsland has partnered with Vanderbloemen to fill several more key roles. That includes their tech director, adult ministries pastor, international pastor, worship pastor at the North Katy Campus, North Campus student pastor, and a personalized compensation report. Over time, Vanderbloemen has helped Kingsland build a unified, mission-driven team committed to the church’s vision and the Kingdom work happening there. Every person hired through Vanderbloemen has remained a dedicated member of the church’s staff.
“Our team had very little turnover in these eight years. That comes from everybody having a good understanding of what direction we are going,” Todd says. “ This is a special place, and it’s an honor for me to work here. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
