Moving In Ministry

Making a move is a very difficult choice in life. Moving in ministry is even tougher. Unlike many ministers I've talked to, Kim and I have never "had" to move. We have felt "called" to move.

We worked in Ft. Worth, Texas for fourteen months as our first work. When the minister left, we knew it was time to move forward. While we could've stayed, we didn't have the skill and experience to handle what that congregation needed. We also know our choice to serve there was really a choice to serve with the minister more than with the congregation. We left.

At the same time, we felt strongly led to the church in Livermore, CA. We had never heard of Livermore, but the people were wonderful and God really matched us up with the right church at the right time. Many of the teens from that era (1988 - 1995) refer to that as the "glory days" youth ministry. It was certainly a blessing for our family. Ashley was born three weeks after we arrived, Josh came 14 months later and Livermore helped us grow and mature.

In the fall of 1994, I became aware of some financial difficulties facing the church. We had some really tough times in the leadership, but had weathered those storms and moved past several difficulties. When we realized the church was only two months away from operating in the red and laying employees off, I sent out one resume to one church -- Cordova.

Cordova was again, the right church at the right time. While we could've stayed at Livermore, the congregation there wasn't in a position for me to preach and teach and write. They still needed me to wear more than a dozen hats. Cordova on the other hand was prepared and ready to help me focus my ministry in a new direction. Josh and Ashley started and completed school in Cordova.

Now, the next chapter. . . .