A Change in Landscape

An open letter to Gateway Baptist Church, Ballentine, SC:

Dear Friends,

Each of us who have a relationship with Jesus Christ are called by Him, to Him, and for Him. Once we enter that relationship with Christ, we are called into the physical expression of that relationship. This is where our vocations are manifested as a result, not as an end in themselves. [From Os Hillman]

Over the past three years, I have been honored and privileged to serve as one of your pastors. God placed a call on my life early and equipped me with gifts that have enabled me to be a servant leader in business and most recently at Gateway. Now, he is moving Patty and I into the next landscape of our calling.

I will be stepping down from Gateway staff at the end of the year and joining a small local company. Through this opportunity, I believe God will provide opportunities for me to utilize my gifts in the workplace as well as with various boards, both ministry-related and secular. I am particularly excited about opportunities that may lead to working with emerging leaders.

While I will no longer be on staff at Gateway, Patty and I will still be active members involved in giving and serving in our church as together we pursue the vision to reach our community so that they have the opportunity to experience LIFE in Christ.

Os Hillman goes on to write in a way that is compelling to all of us:
Our calling goes beyond our work and includes our relationships to others: our spouse, our children, our neighbors -- and our co-workers. We must remember this in order that our "work calling" does not become elevated at the expense of the other important aspects of our lives. This is the holistic approach to the gospel in which God made all of life equally important.

Therefore, the next time someone says, "I was called into the ministry" or "I am in full-time Christian work," stop him or her and tell him or her we are all in full-time Christian work. There is no secular and religious in the economy of God. I have a dear friend who often says, "I am a servant of the living God masquerading as a dentist." So, too, are you first a servant of the living God.

With love and gratitude,
Russ