If you have noticed my facebook status lately, and Trina's... as well as some of her blogs, we have been having something on our mind that is major that we couldn't share yet. Well, yesterday morning, it was finally let out of the bag by who it needed to come out from so I can now share.
Dale Garland, our senior pastor, has accepted a position of senior pastor at another church, Valley Baptist in Hemet. Having heard him tell the story yesterday of how God has confirmed this decision makes my initial thought of why he was going less significant. Initially, the reason that was given was to save our church from going financially bankrupt. We have been going through problems as a church that have multiple reasons, including people losing their jobs and going back to the daycare.
Having heard Dale talk yesterday about how God has been working behind the scenes was encouraging. God was working from different directions, directions that wouldn't normally be used in my head. Our Director of Missions for our association talked to Dale about how every time he would pray for the church out in Hemet, Dale's name would pop into his head. Without giving Dale the name of the church, he asked if Dale would trust him with Dale's resume. Upon reading Dale's resume, they called a potential pastor they were looking at and told them thank you for applying, but no thank you. They started all over again with their pulpit committee with Dale.
It was interesting though. Dale met with their pulpit committee after the holidays (They made first contact in November but Dale told them that he needed time to pray it over and not to contact him until after the holidays) and they asked him, "Why do you want to leave your church?" His answer, "I don't. But I am open to where God is leading."
He went in initially with 2 names he was going to give them to tell them to pursue these pastors but never gave them the names because they fit together well. Dale put up obstacle after obstacle for God to overcome and God tore down obstacle after obstacle (and knowing a few of the obstacles, God tore them down with tears and pain.) God made it perfectly clear that Dale is supposed to go to Hemet. It isn't the church finances or that the church that was talking about buying our property fell through and we lost momentum. Those may have been the initial catalyst but God went way beyond that.
Dale is supposed to go to Hemet and I pray that God blesses him and his family out there even more than He has here in Fontana.
So that leaves our church with questions though. Dale has been the senior pastor for 8 years and now we are in a place again where we have to look for a new senior pastor. But wait! We have an assistant pastor, Brian, who is an excellent preacher and everyone loves to hear him preach. He just got his bachelor degree. He was just ordained (the same day as I was.) And he loves our church. God may not be abandoning us after all :)
There are worries though. The last two pastors we have had have both had doctoral degrees. Brian still needs to go to seminary to get his masters. Brian became a Christian at the church so people have seen his growth with the Lord and may not give him the credit God is bestowing on him because they've seen him grow (not height wise... Brian is 6'8" and has been for years.) As Jesus said, a prophet is not accepted in his own home town. I think Brian has grown so much from even when I first knew him and God has specially prepared him for this job.
Last night, I had a chance to talk to Brian and his wife, with my wife, about the changes coming. I told him that I would offer my resignation letter for him to consider but that I was going to be behind him no matter what. His decisions are my directions, even if I disagree with him behind closed doors -- they will never come out in the open. He is going to be my pastor and with that position comes the respect due him. I have considered Brian my best friend for years now. He knows more about me than almost anyone else... at times rivaling my wife.
I know that there are going to be people who look back at the daycare and now at what is happening with Dale leaving and are going to be calling for my position, my head and my volunteer pastoral position at the church. Dale is no longer going to be around to protect me from the negative wave that I am sure is going to happen. It is a blessing and a curse in many ways that I am oblivious to too many things. My ministry and calling take precedence over what people feel about me, although they are not exclusive to each other. I need to be a minister but criticism is not going to destroy what God is doing. I need constructive criticism (although constructive gossip is still bad.)
I don't know God has planned for the next 6 months even the next 2 weeks, but know that whatever it is, God is good... all the time. I pray that He will still use First Baptist Church.
