On Sunday, March 28 I announced to our church family that I will be stepping aside from my role as Associate Pastor with Kings Valley Wesleyan Church. Here is the text of that announcement with a few changes (marked in italics).
Two years ago, Jim and Diane Agrell joined us as Jim became our lead pastor. It has been a great experience serving him as his Associate. I along with this church family gave Jim a strong affirmation in the Lord recently and he has agreed to continue leading us for years to come as God directs him.
In the process of many conversations over the past few months, Jim and I began to realize that my role as Associate Pastor needed to change. At the same time God has been stirring up renewed vision in me for what He is doing here in our region. He has been prompting me through my own prayer times and several conversations with other people that He has something additional for me to do helping with other ministry initiatives in our community. These initiatives include KVWC but also extend beyond us to His broader church. This has been a challenging process for Linda and me and also for Jim and Diane. But, in response to the way we feel the Lord is leading, I will be stepping aside from my formal position on the pastoral staff of KVWC as of July 1, 2010. The Lord will give wisdom to Pastor Jim and our LBA as they continue to build our staff for the future.
It has been a huge personal blessing to watch the Lord bless my wife Linda with our Kidzworld ministry and I am proud to say that she will continue to serve on the pastoral staff as Children’s Pastor here at KV. Pastors Jim, Dave and Brent have loved on me and shown great support for both Linda and me as we have shared with them about my transition. I am grateful for each of them in my life. I have loved serving with all of our staff, the pastoral team and the LBA as Associate Pastor.
My family and I will continue to live and serve as part of the KVWC family as our church releases the grace of God in our community. My primary focus will be to take some time to renew my own life with God and to get a firmer grip on what He wants me to do with the next chapter in my life. I want to throw my energy in with helping Linda with Kidzworld as well as the family life of KVWC. I am also excited about helping Kirk and Cheryl Smith establish the Eastgate House of Prayer. In the spirit of this morning’s message, we want to minister to the Lord by praying for His will to be done fully in our region.
It was our desire to include you our church family in on this new direction for our lives as early on in the process as possible. Because it is early in the process there are some important details that the Lord is helping us to discern. Your love and prayers are very precious to me and I love hearing from you concerning what you feel God is saying and doing and about what you feel is on His heart.
I will be taking some time for personal development as well and making myself available for writing projects, speaking and worship leading engagements as the Lord opens the doors.
Many blessings to you and Linda on your journey and the future changes the Lord has for you. Many times since I have known you, you have always or tried and done your best to put Jesus first and allowed Him to lead and you want to do what pleases Him. I have not forgotten messages you have preached even when I was a teen. "Your life" and Linda's has been an encouragement to me in so many ways...of course I see you as human..not perfect..but your always seeking and listening...and how how I need to do that more...thank you for your ministry to me Dan and Linda.
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