Our Next Lead Pastor – Found!

What an amazing journey the last 15 months has been! How well I remember standing before our church Sunday, November 3, 2013, and announcing that my season of serving as senior pastor was coming to an end. While Ronda and I and the elders had been working on transition for a couple of years, the church was naturally taken by surprise. I had given subtle messages along the way about not always being here, but even I have a difficult time imagining not leading the church after being at the helm for 35 years.

The transition began five years ago when Dave Wells, our church overseer, challenged me to start thinking about transition. I wasn’t very receptive at first – after all, I still had energy, vision, and goals for our church. I sensed God’s grace on my life to lead. But Dave patiently and persistently reasoned with me that my season would surely end and I better prepare for it now. Reluctantly I asked God for guidance and gradually became convinced that Dave was right. How thankful I am for his sage wisdom.

In preparation for the transition, I and the elders read books and articles, interviewed pastors who had gone through such a transition, listened to teachings, and talked and prayed a lot. Ronda and I have the deepest appreciation and respect for our elders and wives. They demonstrated compassion and support for us, wisdom and leadership, and the kind of devotion to Jesus and personal sacrifice necessary to be godly overseers. We will be forever grateful for them.

And then the search began. We hoped to have identified my successor within one year, but after eight months, we came to the end of our list of candidates. That was the low point for me. While I chose to trust God to provide a shepherd for his flock, I saw nothing promising on the horizon. So we enlarged the circle by sending an email to various pastors, apostles, and overseers I knew, asking if they knew anyone who qualified. You can’t imagine my relief and surprise to hear from my old friend Kendrick Vinar in Chapel Hill, NC. He informed me that he had a man on staff who could very well be the one we are looking for, though he feared he would upset his staff for making the recommendation. As Kendrick described him, I felt a growing excitement, though I seriously wondered how anyone might be willing to move from North Carolina to Northern Indiana.

Jeremy and Tiffanee Gwaltney

Jeremy Gwaltney proved to be God’s awesome choice for us. He and his wife Tiffanee paid us a “sneaker visit” (we didn’t tell our church he was coming) last October. Just ten minutes after sitting down to brunch with our elders and wives, he began to feel like one of us. Our discussions only confirmed our common beliefs, vision, values, and goals for God’s Kingdom and the church. We fell in love with them as we tried to manage our hopes and expectations.  An ensuing visit by Jim and Joyce Dreier, our associate pastor, along with Phil and Diann Bontrager, one of our elders, knit their hearts and moved the process along. Finally, Jeremy visited our church in January to preach and connect. What an exciting and confirming weekend!

Last Sunday morning we had the joy of bringing Jeremy in via Skype to announce to our church his acceptance of this important leadership position. He received a standing ovation as our church warmly affirmed God’s choice. I couldn’t hold back the tears as my heart swelled with the joy of knowing I was handing over the church I love to a man so called, capable, and trustworthy. I look forward to becoming best friends and doing all I can to make him successful.

So what will I do at the end of this year when my commitment ends? I plan to stay in the church, behave myself(!), and serve in specific areas such as teaching classes and heading up foreign missions. I will also be more available to help other churches. And I plan to finish my Master’s degree this year at IUSB to become certified to serve in new ways in our community. I love to speak and train, so I hope to develop something in that area.

I am often asked how I am doing. Actually, quite well, thank you. I am thrilled to have Jeremy on board, I am energized to lead until he comes, and I look forward to what the future holds. But ask me again in January when I no longer participate in things like elders meetings, staff meetings, and weekly office activities. I am not so naïve as to think that it won’t be difficult at times. But I am confident in God’s will and grace.

When I announced my coming resignation (note that is not retirement!), I called the sermon, “Seasons in the Life of a Church.” I am finishing a long season in my life and beginning a new one. It’s time to Dream Big, which is the theme we chose for this year at Harvest. I am dreaming big for our church as well as for Ronda and me. The next season is about to begin, and it promises to be a great one. Let’s follow Jesus into it with faith and expectation.

It’s Time

Recently I announced my plans to resign as lead pastor of Harvest Community Church. It's time for a new season for our church and for me.

This comes at a time when our church is doing very well. Good morale, momentum, and unity are a few of the indicators of the health we are enjoying. We have many gifted and dedicated leaders who are fully engaged in their relationship with Jesus and the mission God has given our church. Our financial condition is sound and improving.

And I am doing well. I have energy, vision, and passion to teach, lead, and care for people. In the last few months I have found a new level of vitality in my preaching that has both surprised and encouraged me.

So if things are going so well, why move on? There are actually several reasons.

I am in my 35th year of being the lead pastor. I never dreamed I would stay in this position this long. I have seen God’s faithfulness in times of joy and challenge. But I also sense that his grace for this role is ending. I’m finding the daily responsibilities and accompanying challenges a little more daunting than in the past.

It’s time for younger leadership. This is crucial to the future of our church. Our church was started largely by my generation, and we need to be more engaged with and transition to the next generation if our church is to thrive and continue to reach our culture and world. We need the innovation and connections a younger leader can bring.

For these reasons our elders and overseers are working on a transition plan to bring on someone in their 30’s to early 40’s. While we do not have an obvious successor either inside or outside the church, we are confident God will direct us to the right person. We also do not have a firm timeline, but we are actively moving ahead with the process.

Ronda and I are not planning to move away or take the leadership of another church. We will continue to participate in the life and ministry of our church. Also, I hope to expand my role in caring for other churches while getting more involved in our local community. I’m interested in utilizing my teaching and leadership skills through employment opportunities that arise. To better position myself for this next season of my life, I am pursuing a master’s degree. Who knew that I would be back in school at my age?

Initially, the prospect of leaving something I gave so much of my life to was difficult. But now I am getting excited about what this change will bring to me and our church. The timing just seems right even if there are some big blanks that need to get filled in.

If you want to hear more about this transition, listen to the Sunday sermon in which I described this new season and announced my coming resignation.  You can find it at http://hccgoshen.org/multimedia-archive/seasons-life-of-a-church-2/.  Also on our website you will  find two other sermons that followed this one that offer more description to this season we are in.

And feel free to join the conversation by talking with me or any of our elders. Ask a question, share a concern, or simply get more information.

Please pray for us and our church. Our announcements and explanations to the church have been very well received. We have a great church family. And a great big God.

Gearing up for water baptism

I love water baptisms! These are great times to celebrate people experiencing new life in Jesus.

Water baptism is an outward symbol of a really big Bible truth that Jesus asked us to practice. It pictures our identification with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. When we immerse someone in the water, they are publicly proclaiming their death to their old way of life, burial of their sin nature, and spiritual resurrection to the new life Jesus offers us. All that happened when they committed themselves to Christ.

Our church is planning a water baptism during our 10:00am Sunday service of August 18. We used to have them outside at a river, lake, or swimming pool. While I really like the outdoor setting, we found having them on Sunday morning in our church’s baptistry gets more of our church family involved. Also, family and friends of the one being baptized get to witness the event and experience a church service with us.

Have you been baptized since you gave your life to Christ? If not, this may be your big opportunity. You are also welcome to attend and check out what this is all about. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about water baptism or how to have a new life in Christ. It's amazing!

A Life Well Lived

I’m sitting here reflecting on the many moving events of this last week. A week ago today a man who loved deeply and who was deeply loved left for his home in heaven. Ronda’s father, Herb Maust, died peacefully in his home at 84 years of age. Ronda had the privilege of being at his side as he slipped into eternity, cheering him on to his eternal reward and the Lord he loved.

Over 700 people showed up at the visitation to lend their support and share a story of Herb’s generosity. The family was so blessed to have one of Herb’s longtime friends speak at his funeral. Peter Wiebe and Herb met when they were both 23 as Peter became the pastor of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. Over the many years since, their friendship grew as they encouraged each other in their walk with Jesus and their respective leadership roles in life.

Herb and lifelong friend Peter Wiebe, April 2012

Last April Peter was in the area at the time of a Maust family gathering at our house. So he stopped by to a warm welcome by Herb and the whole family. Last Saturday Peter gave one the most powerful and appropriate funeral sermons I have ever heard. At 84 he still carries the strong passion and clarity of the Gospel that propelled his many years of ministry.

Herb left Peter and all of us a lot of material to work with. His life of quiet and often secret giving to others demonstrated the consistent love he was so well known for. I told Ronda Saturday evening on the way home, “That was the kind of funeral to live for.” Thank you, Herb, for living such a generous life. And thank you for caring for me.

What's on God's Mind?

I have lots of questions for God. While he isn’t obligated to me in any way, there are many things I don’t understand that I would love to ask him. And I do at times.

Then I read in the Bible that God has some questions for me. Or for people like me in the Bible. God asks questions like,

     “Where are you?”

     “Do you love me?”

     “What are you looking for?”

     “What’s in your hand?”

Maybe I ought to answer his questions before I expect him to answer mine. After all, he started the conversation. While the Bible has a lot of answers, it also contains some great questions. Could it be that God asks these things so we think and wrestle with what’s really important? God’s questions, addressed seriously, could actually change our lives.

Next Sunday I plan to start a series called, “Questions God Asks”. We will take a look at several of God’s questions and try to discover why he asked and how the answers can make a difference to each of us. Join us for the conversation.

Why I don’t read the Bible like I did

These days I’m reading the Bible less than I have for a long time. No, I’m not giving up on God’s Word in favor of my ideas or the internet. I just found another way to get a lot of Word in me.

I discovered an app for my iPhone that has made the Bible come alive to me. (You can also get it online on your home computer or laptop.) It’s an audio format that features dramatized readings of a couple translations.

Now when I get up in the morning and start my usual exercise routine of 12-15 minutes (I also do sort of a power walk or bike ride later), I open the app and listen to the day’s reading that I choose. I love it! Hearing the Bible, especially when it’s dramatized, offers a fresh, new perspective.

The app I use is Bible.is and is also available online at www.Bible.is. Either way it’s free, though I encourage you to go online and make a donation like I did to support them getting the Word out to other nations. (Another Bible app I like that includes more audio Bibles is YouVersion, but I don’t think they have a dramatized version.)

While the Bible is timeless and is God’s living Word, our times in the Bible need to be refreshed. If we always read the same way at the same time of day, it can become routine. We need to mix it up a bit. Try this dramatized Bible, and see how God speaks to you afresh.

The Loving Truth about Homosexuality

Sunday I plan to address the topic of homosexuality. I am hearing from people in our church who seriously want a clear teaching to address what they are getting in the media and movies.

Homosexuality is a hot topic in our culture. Gay marriage is debated daily. And emotions are running high with each side accusing the other of hatred.

I am most concerned for how the church handles this. I see two opposing views emerging. There are those churches who in the name of love and tolerance have abandoned the traditional, biblical view held by Christians for so many years that homosexuality is sin. Maybe it’s compromise, or maybe it’s just weariness due to the long debate.

The other view I see is held by well-meaning Christians who are trying to maintain what the Bible says but in the heat of the conflict end up coming across angry and arrogant.

I believe that as Christ-followers we must not only know and tell the truth about homosexuality but also live out Christ’s love towards those living in sin. Let’s stay out of the ditches of compromise and anger and offer those around us what Jesus did – truth wrapped in love that changed lives.

Stay tuned for Sunday. If you can’t be there, listen online (uploaded Tuesday at www.hccgoshen.org ) or order a CD from our office (574-534-3528).