The Adventure of a Lifetime

An adventure of a lifetime.

This is what was promised to me if I decided to not go to the Seminary in the Fall of 2015. I had been serving in southwest Detroit at what was then known as “Family of God in Christ Ministry, Incorporated”, a small mission partner of a few larger suburban congregations that serves the homeless, addicted, and poor. I had been serving here since the Fall of my first senior year (yes, my first senior year) at Concordia University Ann Arbor, where I studied Family Life Church Work, Social Work, and Psychology, with a little extra theology to boot. I wanted to learn from an inner-city pastor at a real inner-city congregation. Ministering to the people wrapped up in sufferings of all shapes and sizes really appealed to me, especially after my mission trip to Watts in Los Angeles, California. God had really spoken to me through these people, so I made some changes when I returned in the Spring of 2013, following where I felt the Holy Spirit leading me.

This was the new plan: take a few pre-seminary courses, don’t worry about “declaring” Pre-Seminary, serve at the Family of God, absorb as much as I could from their leadership, and go to Seminary to begin studying to be a pastor in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Then it would be off to wherever God intended me to go. Perhaps some small church in the mountains of Montana. A thriving church in downtown Dallas? I could figure out the “wife and kids” thing along the way. One can dream right?

However, in 2015, Family of God was on the cusp of something big, something magnificent. Something that I was sad I was missing out on. Something that Pastor Hill convinced (I say he tricked me, but who’s keeping track?) to stay a little while and figure the Seminary track out along the way. I wanted to be a part of this amazing ministry for a little while longer.

We were praying for deliverance from a terrible corner in southwest Detroit. A corner that was ravaged by drug and human trafficking, surrounded by crack houses and an old, abandoned pizza joint where people would shoot up. A corner with a gas station right across the street where the local pimp lurked as he sent dozens of women out for “work”. A corner that witnessed countless beatings, theft, and even murder. On this corner was a small storefront with a big metal door that violently slammed behind the person who would open it, rattling the giant padlocks on the bars covering and protecting the windows.

But inside? Inside this storefront was the very presence of Jesus Christ. Inside was true warmth, comfort, and tranquility. Inside was love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Inside was this little church on the corner that was refuge and solace to the neighborhood people. It was light in the darkest of all places. The light that no darkness could overcome.

Over the next several years, I saw God do some incredible things. Deliverance from addiction, countless baptisms, real people bound by sin, suffering, and pain celebrating the Lord’s Supper together and the freedom they have in Christ. We miraculously moved from the small storefront on Sharon Street to a huge building that became a safe-haven to hundreds of people in southwest Detroit, a mission for over 30 churches and hundreds of volunteers who became not just hearers of the Word but doers of the Word, and a learning lab for men and women who are being built up and trained to serve the Lord as pastors, deacons, and deaconesses.

It was these people who came in every single day who constantly taught me what it means to be a Christian man. To be patient, loving, and compassionate. I became immersed in a culture and a member of a church that “got it.” There were no church politics, no bureaucratic hangups, no policies that needed to be “followed” that got in the way of real ministry. It was a group of people loving other people. Praying for other people. Weeping with other people. We all encountered Jesus together.

Over the last ten-plus years, I have become so grateful that I listened to the Lord’s calling as He led me to Family of God. He led me into the unknown and provided for me and my family time and time again. He had His way with me and transformed me into the man I am today.

Which is exactly why this is so difficult.

It’s time to listen to God and follow his lead, yet again, into unknown territory. As of Sunday March 17, I have accepted the call to serve as Associate Pastor of Discipleship at St. John Lutheran Church in Rochester, Michigan. My last day at Family of God will be Sunday March 31 (Easter Sunday).

My wife and I have been praying about this for a significant amount of time, and we both feel that this is where God is calling me/us to serve His people. It’s an opportunity to build and raise a family surrounded by other families with children within the school, to pour into other young families (specifically parents) seeking refuge in an ever-changing culture, and to preach boldly the marvelous news that Jesus is the Christ. I will have a strong emphasis on teaching, preaching, and equipping disciples of Jesus to go into the world and BE Christians, not just go through the motions. I will be tasked with building mission partners at St. John and lead others in service to Christ’s church. To the people of St. John, I am excited and ready to go into mission together. We have a lot of work to do.

And while I am looking forward to this new challenge (and yes, it will be a different challenge), I will miss my family in Southwest Detroit. More than they will ever know.

Words will never be enough for how much Family of God means to me. It is where I learned the love of Christ in a radically different way, loving the unlovable, serving the ungrateful, and forgiving the unforgivable. It’s where I learned to preach, to teach, to counsel, to love with every ounce of my being. Its where I made mistakes, stared Satan right in his face more times than I wish to say, and broke up physical fist fights. It’s where I buried 14-year old Joey in the cemetery across the street from the old Family of God building, just one of too many funerals of my dear friends. It’s where I baptized dozens of children, adults, and recovering addicts. It’s where I both distributed and received the Lord’s Supper. Its where I sat at the feet of one of the most respectable, honorable, God-fearing men that I have ever known. It’s where I met some of my very best friends in the world. It’s where I encountered Jesus nearly every single day for the last ten years.

My life is better because of the Family of God.

So, to the people at Family of God, who showed up every single day to eat, to fellowship, and to study, thank you. Thank you for welcoming me into your lives and blessing me. Thank you for listening to me, making me laugh, and praying for me. Thank you for allowing me to be your pastor. It is truly one of my life’s greatest joys. You will always be family.

To the volunteers, you have no idea how much of a blessing you are to me. To sit back and watch Jesus radiate through you has been quite a joy of mine. Because of you, our job was made a little bit easier.  I have seen our Lord work marvelously through each and every one of you. You’ve given me a gift of not just pastoring the people of Family of God, but also you. It’s been a true joy of mine. Thank you.

To the members of St. Stephen Detroit, a congregation I was blessed to serve for a few years alongside of Family of God, thank you for challenging me, encouraging me, and studying God’s Word with me. Thank you for trusting me with ministering to your sick and your shut-ins. My prayer is that we have been able to lay a foundation for the future of this church in this neighborhood.

To our board, old and current, thank you for sticking your necks out for me. Thank you for vouching for me, listening to my input for the ministry, and treating me with love, dignity, and respect. You have made this journey quite excitable at times, to be sure, but you’ve also had my back time and time again. Thank you for your commitment to this church.

To my colleagues—Pastor Nick, Pastor Tim, Deacon John, Deacon Ron, Deacon Paul, Marcie, Deacon Pat, Chris, Deaconess Terry, John Solano, Ms. Gloria, Amanda, Alex, Logan, Ben, Rachel, and yes, even you Jacob—you all made the Family of God fun. Many nights when it was difficult to be at the Family of God, you made the difference.

To Ms. Sue Hatcher, the founder of Family of God, I have so much love for you. Your notes of love and encouragement gave me constant hope. You helped to center me when things got frustrating and point me to Jesus. Thank you for all you have done for me and for the Family of God.

To my brother pastors, thank you for being there for me. Not many guys can say that they are “close friends” with so many pastors from other congregations. Being able to preach at your congregations, enjoy lunch with you, pour my life out to you with no fear of judgment, study God’s Word with you, laugh with you, and battle the enemy alongside of you has been an unbelievable experience. You guys kept me going when it felt like so much was against us at Family of God. I look forward to working with you all for many many years, just in a different way.

To my family, you have supported me through thick and thin. You’ve listened to me complain and rejoice. You’ve visited the Family of God and loved the people as if they were members of your own congregation. They became as much a part of your life as they were mine. Thank you for your unwavering love.

To my wife Brandi, I don’t even know where to begin. You are my greatest blessing. God used you in ways, big and small, to keep me going. You’ve been my shoulder to cry on, my embrace when the world closes in, my light when things go dark. You’ve been my constant. You have been supportive in whatever direction God has led us. Thank you for being tangible grace, mercy, and forgiveness to me.

And finally, to my mentor, my spiritual father, my closest confidant, and my hero: the Reverend James M. Hill, known to so many people as simply Pastor Jim. I don’t know how I will ever thank you. From the first time that I called you and you still had that ringback tone that played Casting Crowns’ “Jesus, Friend of Sinners,” I knew that you were the real deal. And you took a chance on a punk 21-year-old college kid. You believed in me, pouring so much time and effort into me and my development as a Christian, as a pastor, and as a man. The love I have for you is unmatched. I owe my entire pastoral career to you. You’ve not just taught me about Jesus, but you have shown me and delivered Jesus to me over and over and over again. You’ve helped me construct sermons. Sermons that that challenge the hearer to become more than just a “hearer of the Word, but a doer of the Word.” It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to not just do ministry with you for the last 10 years, but to do life with you. I pray that people will continue to hear your influence for as many years as God gives me as a pastor. I love you.

As Brandi and I make this transition to a new challenge, we will always treasure and keep the Family of God close in our hearts. I give Jesus all the glory for my time I spent there and pray for many more years of continued success in proclaiming Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins. Thank you, Jesus, for the Family of God.

It has truly been the adventure of a lifetime.