Disciples are still willing to go anywhere, do anything and give up everything for the Lord. God recently called four ministry families to move to different cities -- a great example of spiritually unifying transitions.
“But in fact, God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” I Corinthians 12:18
“…and he [God] determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
Acts 17:26
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his step." Proverbs 16:9
“I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land a man to fulfill my purpose.” Isaiah 46:10-11
All of these verses speak to the sovereignty of God to guide the course of our lives as we serve Him. In the past several months, I have seen the Lord “arrange the parts” of his worldwide body in a very clear and concrete manner.
In the middle of 2008, Chris and Kim Reed were happily serving God and His church in Denver, leading the Southeast Region of the church there. However, upon seeing the need for experienced and faithful leadership in Sweden, the Reeds felt compelled by the Spirit to move there to help the church. Chris had helped plant the Kristi Församling i Stockholm back in 1984 and it had forever held a special place in their hearts. After much prayer and discussion, they made the selfless decision to uproot their family and head back to the mission field. They left Denver in February of this year.
This move left a vacancy in the staff leadership of the Southeast Region of the Denver Church of Christ. However, again after much prayer and discussion, the Elders decided to not only search for a new leader for the Southeast Region, but for someone who could serve as the Lead Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader of the entire church. They had not had a Lead Evangelist for quite some time, but rather had the Elders working in conjunction with the Region Leaders. The Elders and the Ministry Staff drew up a list of qualifications for this position, considered who in the brotherhood might fit these qualifications, and prayed to the Lord for guidance.
Shortly after that, I received a call from Greg Jackson, one of the six Elders in Denver. He asked me if I would consider accepting this position and moving to Denver. At that time we had been happily serving the Lord in St. Louis for five years. We had served as the Lead Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader in Denver until 2003, when we left to move to St. Louis. The Greater St. Louis Church had experienced solid and consistent growth for five years in a row; it was healthy, spiritual, and very supportive of our leadership. We were not looking for a move. However, upon considering the needs of the church in Denver, which had not grown numerically in five years, and the needs in Southeast Asia, which Denver helps to support, we were very intrigued.
The ensuing weeks were very difficult for our family: the thought of leaving great friends in a spiritual and secure environment, uprooting our two children-- one right before her 8th grade year and the other right before her senior year of High School, and selling our house in this economy made the decision very difficult. However, as a young Christian I had formed the conviction that when confronted with a choice, I would always choose the path that I believed would save the most souls in the long run of my life. That approach had led me from Louisiana, to California, to Missouri, to Thailand, to the Philippines, to Colorado, and back to Missouri again, and allowed me to impact countless souls and experience some amazing blessings of God. After much prayer and discussion, we made the decision to accept the offer and move back to Denver.
The St. Louis church was now faced with the same challenge that the Denver church was…who would serve as our Lead Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader? We prayed and searched the world over and found several willing and very competent candidates. After a series of phone interviews with our Core Group and a couple of face to face interviews, and after much input from our membership, and much prayer, we decided to offer the position to Jeff and Lori Mannel. They were the perfect fit for St. Louis and the Heartland. They had led campus and teen ministries in Chicago and Minneapolis, and churches in Syracuse and Cleveland, and had planted and led the church in Madison, WI for the previous 12 years. Like us, they were not looking for a move; they had envisioned themselves living in Madison for the rest of their lives. However, they saw the need; and after much prayer and discussion made the decision to accept the offer and move to St. Louis.
Thankfully, the Mannels had done an outstanding job of raising up a right hand couple in Kirk and Amy Stevens. They had been capably serving as the full-time campus ministers and were ready for the next challenge. Again, after much prayer and discussion, they were asked to become the new Lead Minister and Women’s Ministry Leader of the Madison Church of Christ. They joyfully and faithfully accepted this opportunity to serve.
What a whirlwind of activity. Presently, Chris and Kim Reed are zealously serving the Lord in Stockholm. The Lusks are moving to Denver in late June. All of the Evangelists and Women’s Ministry Leaders in Denver are moving around a bit: Doug and Suzanne Baity are leading the Northwest Region, Rob and Dawn Ferry are leading the Southeast Region and Wade and Debbie Cook are now helping in the Northwest, while continuing to lead the Youth and Family Ministry. Jeff and Lori Mannel are moving to St. Louis in mid June and Kirk and Amy Stevens have already assumed the leadership of the Madison Church.
There are certainly challenges that come with change. Relationships are strained, children are uprooted and housing investments are lost, amongst other adversities. However, there are also certainly blessings that come with change. New relationships are formed, new dreams are established and new growth is experienced. In the past we may have seen or experienced some “not so good” examples of transition in our churches, but I hope this one serves as a good example. God is still calling us to “Go” and we still need to respond with hearts that say, “Here am I send me.”