One of the things that we have loved about our life, is that we have gotten the opportunity to meet hundreds of different people from all over the country and for the most part it has felt like an unbelievable adventure. We have loved getting to know people and have built lifelong memories with dozens of people.
As many of you reading this know, our journey the last 2 years has been pretty unexpected in the midst of unplanned shifts in ministry and geography. During this time our faith in God has grown and my calling to student ministry has been even more solidified. Over the last 4 months I have had the opportunity to talk to, visit, and invest into dozens of churches from all over the United States that have been looking for leadership in their student ministries. I have met some incredible churches and people that God has used to help fan into flame our passion for the local church and the hope for integrity of leadership. We have been committed to not find a job, but to wait and be patient to find the place that God has for us in the next stage of our life, even when it meant making difficult decisions of turning down offers of employment, and restarting the search process.
Six weeks ago, I started talking to a church that is one of the most humble, passionate churches that I have ever known. They are a church that is influential in their community and has a desire to influence their community for Christ by meeting people’s needs, telling them about Jesus, and equipping people to be who God made them to be. Their current student ministry pastor is an incredible guy who has built a team of staff and volunteers to impact the student community. In the last year he has started to fill the tug to invest in connecting people of all ages into community and will be transitioning to that type of role in the church in the weeks to come. The student ministry is very active with a great middle school and high school group and they also are resourced with an amazing youth complex.
After a couple of visits, many conversations, and lots of prayer, we are excited to announces that I will be taking the position of Director of Youth Ministries at Lincoln Berean Church in Lincoln, NE. We are excited to invest in a community that loves Jesus, believes in the next generation, and is committed to impacting the world. We are amazed at how God matches us up with places that are a great fit for our wiring and giftedness. I am excited to be a part of a ministry team that focuses on impacting the community for Christ, while being actively for each other. I am thrilled to get the opportunity to lead a student ministry that has been resourced with a great staff team, an amazing group of volunteers, and a passionate group of students who are ready to influence their community.
Over the coming days I will be sharing more of the journey and what God has been teaching us. Feel free to reach out if you have questions.
Prayer Requests: As this transition is quick so that our kids can start school in Lincoln (yes they already started in AZ, but they get to restart in NE), we have some things for you to be praying for.
- Our AZ house to sell quickly so that Kris can join us ASAP
- Hannah’s admission, registration, and financial situation to be expedited at the University of Nebraska
- Our car in AZ that broke down the day I left to drive to Lincoln with Hailey and Zach
- That we can secure housing in Lincoln
- For our family to connect with people here in Lincoln and for friendships to be quickly formed.