Meet Our Newest Elder Candidate: Joey Piotrowski

News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Downtown Cornerstone,

On Sunday, we presented Joey Piotrowski to the church as an elder candidate.

Therefore, we are taking the next month to give you time to meet with him, ask questions, and/or express any encouragements or concerns you may have. One of the over-arching qualifications for a pastor is that he must be “above reproach” (1 Tim. 3:1). While we have done our homework, this period of assessment is an additional step to ensure all bases are covered and to ensure you have an opportunity to speak into the process.

The office of pastor (or elder) was created by God, for the leading, feeding, and protection of his flock, the local church. Therefore, we treat the testing, equipping, and installation of such men with great seriousness—and joy!

Joey is a man of integrity, love for Jesus, and for His church. As elders, we believe he is called, qualified, and ready to be appointed as a pastor. However, we are taking this time in case you know something that we do not.

That said, would you pray for the Piotrowski family in this season? Would you also pray for our church? It is a sign of God’s grace to us that we continue to have men, like Joey, being raised-up to serve Jesus’ people in this way.

Let’s ask Him for more.

Provided nothing arises that would cause us to pause, which we don’t foresee, we will vote on his installation during our February 1st Members Meeting. Please save the date and time. It will be a great celebration and a joyous moment.

What follows (below) is a short interview so that you can get to know him a bit better.

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Q: How did you meet Jesus? How has he changed you?

JP: I grew up in a Christian home and lived a relatively moral life, but I wouldn’t say I treasured Jesus early on. When I was 12 years old, my family switched churches, and I understood the gospel clearly for the first time. I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior and began to feel a deep love for him and a desire to pursue him. I experienced seasons of growth through various high school and college youth groups but struggled to keep my heart on fire for the Lord after college. For several years, my affections fluctuated between hot and cold as busyness crept in.

In 2016, we found DCC, which began a season of significant growth in my life, especially in the past 5 years. I am extremely grateful for God’s work in my life through the ministry of DCC and have found my affections for Christ continuing to grow through the various means of grace. I now find my heart treasuring Jesus and desire for others to joyfully experience the same.

Q: Tell us a little about your family.

JP: My lovely wife, Chelsey, and I met through our campus ministry in college, and we have been married for 11 years. We have four kids: Calvin (7), Wyatt (5), Hannah (3), and Chloe (1). We enjoy spending time with our community, reading together, family movie nights, and playing outside. Chelsey and I both grew up here—she’s from Kent, and I’m from Gig Harbor. Our extended family is largely in the area, which is a blessing we don’t take for granted.

Q: What are you most passionate about?

JP: I’m passionate about clearly proclaiming the gospel in word, in deed, in the unity of believers, in our love for one another, and in marriage as a picture of Christ’s love for his Bride, the church. I love God’s Word and am eager for people to see the wondrous riches it reveals about who he is. I’m zealous for hearts, including mine, to find their ultimate treasure in Christ and to steward everything for his glory and our joy, now and forever.

Q: How did you get involved with DCC?

JP: I heard about DCC from an old college roommate, who heard about DCC from the Maxwells. At the time, I was working downtown, and though we lived in Kent, we knew we wanted to plant roots in Seattle. We tried several churches but ultimately landed with DCC because of the sound Biblical teaching we heard.

Q: What are your current areas of oversight?

JP: I’m currently leading a community and have served on staff over our Facilities and Operations for the past 3.5 years. I get to work with many of our Sunday volunteer teams to help with the details behind the scenes. At the beginning of this year, I also started taking on responsibilities related to Finance, HR, and Tech. I’m looking forward to co-teaching an equipping hour class this winter.

Q: How did you determine you were called to be a pastor?

JP: I first felt a desire to be in ministry when I started managing the bookstore back in 2021. I was simultaneously getting a taste for church operations while also reading a lot of theologically rich books. Shortly after that, an opportunity opened up on staff, and I started in my Operations role in 2022.

I spent the next several years exploring my desire to be an elder through various opportunities—leading community, counseling cohort, pastoral residency, Simeon Trust workshops, etc. Throughout this process, I found my heart for our church and my desire to help shepherd the flock continuing to grow. I am still growing in ability and grace and am praying that God would help me steward what he’s given me to serve the church and build up his body.

Q: How can we be praying for you and your family in this season?

JP: We would love prayer as we continue to shepherd our children in all their various stages and needs. We are excited for the season ahead and would appreciate prayers for grace and faithfulness amidst all the changes in work and ministry.