Our Definition and Purpose
The Mission Study is an integral part of the Pastor search process.  It is a defined and intentional time for our congregation to gain a better sense of how our history has shaped us, who we are now as a community of faith and service, and what we discern as God’s plan for the future of Piedmont Community Church.  

The Study is led by the Mission Study Team, which is charged with gathering data, information and input from individuals affiliated with the church as well as those in the broader community. The Team will prayerfully discern the vision and mission of the church on the basis of their findings, and will create The Mission Study Report, which will be used as an integral guide for the Pastor Search Committee in their search for new future leadership. 


Download The Mission Study Report


The Mission Study Team

The Mission Study Team (MST) is a group of eight people called by the church leadership. Beginning fall 2021, they researched the congregational and spiritual health of Piedmont Community Church and garnered the feedback, ideas, expertise and vision of all members of our congregation and our wider communities. The Team used multiple avenues for all individuals to ensure that their voices were heard. These avenues included town hall discussions, a survey, direct outreach and an interactive webpage on the church’s website. 

As a result of their work Dr. Steve Schibsted was hired as Interim Pastor in January, 2020 and then installed as Senior Pastor March 2022. A formal Installation Service was held January 2023.



The Mission Study Team (MST) was commissioned on Sunday, September 19, 2021 during worship services at Piedmont Community Church.


Cathy Nancarrow, Co-Chair
Cathy has been a member of Piedmont Church for more than 30 years. She and her husband Paul were married in the church and raised their two sons, Scott and Jay, to join them in participating in fellowship and spiritual life. Cathy has served on the Board of Trustees as President and on the Christian Education Board. She taught Sunday school for 5 years, sang in the Adult Chancel Choir and served on the Committees to call a new Senior Pastor and our Youth Pastor. Cathy lives in Upper Rockridge and is the Associate Director of the UC Curation Center at the UC Office of the President in Oakland.


MC Taylor, Co-Chair
MC Taylor lives in Oakland with her husband, James. They have two children who grew up in Piedmont Community Church and two grandchildren. MC has been a member of the church since 1990 and has served on the Board of Trustees as finance chair and president and has gone to Mexico and Kafita with high school groups several times. She and James taught Sunday School for 11 years and were very active in parents fellowship. MC recently retired from investment advising.


Bob Cheatham
Bob and his wife Kay have been church members since the early ’80s, having moved to Piedmont in 1969.  They have three children, all raised in Piedmont, and 6 grandchildren. Bob’s church involvement includes 10 years with the Mexico home building program; about 30 years in the Saturday Men’s Bible Study group; membership on the church’s Mission Action Team and volunteer legal work on some church activities. Activity other than career (lawyer), family, and church has been volunteering with youth mentoring and board membership in nonprofit organizations and in connection with the juvenile justice system.


Dr. Steve Schibsted, Transitional Pastor
Dr. Steve Schibsted began his service to Piedmont Community Church as Transitional Senior Pastor in January of 2021. Prior to coming to our church, Steve was the Transitional Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley. He has served a number of Presbyterian churches since 1983, including 17 years at Bidwell Presbyterian Church in Chico. Steve recently celebrated 34 years of marriage with his wife Leslie. They have 2 adult children, Allie and Drew, and a 5-month-old Golden Retriever puppy, Coby.  He enjoys hiking, cycling and gardening.


Margaret Hiller
Margaret has been a member of Piedmont Community Church for 43 years, since she was a young child. Margaret and her husband Jeff were married in the church 25 years ago, in a ceremony officiated by her Piedmont Community Church youth pastor, and her daughters Megan (17) and Genevieve (14) were baptized at the church.  She has participated in the church’s youth and adult handbell choirs since she was 10 years old.


Aaron Aubrecht
Aaron Aubrecht lives in Piedmont with his wife, Amy, and 3 kids – Kate, Alex and Claire. He has been a member of Piedmont Community Church since 2011.  An active member of the church, Aaron has served on the Christian Education Board (2012-15), and the Stewardship Committee (2014-2018).  He was baptized in the Lutheran Church (ELCA), is a proud US Air Force veteran, and currently is the Chief Product Officer at Venafi, a security software company.


Katherine Campbell
Katherine has been a member of Piedmont Church for about 7 years. She sings in the choir and her children have been active members, participating in the Mexico Mission trip for many years. Her daughter Kaelin also traveled to Malawi with the church 2 years ago. Katherine is a reading specialist who works at Hillcrest School in Oakland Unified School District. She is very interested in helping the parish find a new minister who will create a welcoming environment for a diverse community of parishioners.


Ryan McCorvie
Ryan McCorvie was drawn to Piedmont Church by its beautiful liturgy and its family ministry. He has been attending services since 2018 and has been a member of the church since 2019. Professionally, Ryan works as a statistician for the Department of Public Health. He lives with his wife Lisa and twin daughters in Rockridge.


Contact the MST
To provide comments or ask questions, email the MST at mst@piedmontchurch.org