Any change takes is tough. Whether that change is at home, at work, or at the gym, change of any sort brings about a mixture of feelings, emotions, and, in the case of the gym, pain. Every time.
There are big changes coming down the pike where I serve on staff at Grace Community Church. My pastor, Ron Edmondson, is leaving to pastor Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. Ron helped launch Grace over 6 years ago, and has served as co-pastor the whole time.
Ron and his wife, Cheryl, are leaving a huge hole as they transition out. Ron is an unbelievably gifted leader and communicator. He’s helped lead our staff team, and our church, from 11 families to ~2500 on Sunday mornings. He’s shaped the culture of our church, and our staff team, into a healthy environment. Ron’s not leaving a disheveled mess of a leadership team. In fact, I believe that we’re as healthy as we’ve ever been. He’s leaving on a high note, which makes this faith step even harder.
For most people, it’s easy to walk away from something that’s unhealthy. Especially when you have something healthy to walk into.
But for Ron, he’s doing the opposite. He’s walking away from something that’s thriving (Grace) and towards something that isn’t (Immanuel). Which makes this an even larger step of faith.
I’m proud of Ron, for the step he’s taking, the work he’s done, and the work ahead of him. His next team will be blessed to sit under his teaching and leadership.
I’m also excited for the days ahead of us at Grace. I’m confident in the leadership of Chad Rowland, our lead pastor. God has crafted him to lead our church, and he’s got a staff that’s ready and willing to follow. I’m excited to see how God’s going to use Chad in the coming weeks, months, and years, as Grace transitions into its next season.
Here’s the video we released this week, explaining Ron’s new position, and casting vision for what’s to come.
Question: what’s the biggest change you’ve ever had to face?
on my wall. I collaborate on it during meetings so that it’s a collaborative effort with the people I’m meeting with and they don’t feel like I’m just staring at my computer screen. When the meeting is over, I snap a picture of the whiteboard with my phone and drop it in Evernote into my ‘meetings’ folder, tagged with the appropriate type of meeting. Now I can go back later and reference my notes. In fact, the image (composed of my handwritten notes) is digitally searchable via Evernote’s built-in search.
