Over the course of the past year, my wife, Beverly, and I have felt that God has been preparing us for a change, making us ready for a new assignment in Kingdom service. Not wanting to take that prompting lightly, during the recent sermon series on worship from Isaiah, the two of us dedicated time and space to seek the Lord specifically about his call and our future.

We’ve walked closely with our church leadership for the past several months, and especially during the last three weeks, to test and be sure that we are hearing clearly from the Lord in order to make the right decision, both for us and Champion Forest—one that is honoring and obedient to Him. After this season of prayer and processing, Beverly and I believe that it’s time for me to step down as your senior pastor in order to follow the Lord in a new direction and into a new season of our lives, effective Sunday, Sept. 8.

Although we don’t yet know exactly what our next season will look like, I do know that it wouldn’t be fair for me to continue to serve as the senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church as we figure it out. This great church needs and deserves a full time, fully focused leader with a huge vision for the future.

Although the timing may feel sudden, please understand that we’ve been walking this direction for a while now, and as soon as we gained clarity about our calling, we felt compelled to obey without delay. In addition, God has used some personal challenges I’ve been walking through, not related to the church, to confirm for us that now is the time to step aside.

Beverly and I love our church family deeply, and we know that we will stay connected in some way as our grown children continue to worship and serve at CFBC. In the meantime, what we do know about our future is that we will continue to serve the Lord in some way, with a desire to continue the investment of our lives in the kingdom of God. We are deeply grateful for the past 13 years at CFBC, and we will pray without ceasing for the transition that is to come, knowing that God is good, and he is faithful, and this church’s best days are ahead.