This is hard to write. Even the "post title" is so difficult to type. I always thought I would pastor and lead the community of Terrace Heights Baptist for a very long time. 11 years of attending, 10+ years of being on staff, and 6+ years of being the interim, or lead pastor, and it seems so short. I plan on writing a lot in the upcoming days, weeks, months to share thoughts and experiences that are just bursting inside of me to share--both about the past and as we look into God's future plans for us. But being in the present means I need to share with you all that I am resigning as the lead pastor at THBC. THBC is the only place I've known in my pastoral ministry life. It is home. But God has called us to go, so we only know that we need to obey. He has directed us to go to Tucson, Arizona and plant a new church.
Here is my letter that we sent out on Wednesday to our congregation:
Members and friends of Terrace Heights Baptist,
I wish I could discuss this issue with each of you face to face, but I
am constrained by time to handle this by letter. It is my duty to inform you
that I will be resigning my position as pastor of Terrace Heights Baptist
Church, effective after the necessary transitional pieces for THBC and my
family are in place. After the sale of our house, my family and I will be
moving to Tucson, Arizona with the intention of partnering with the North
American Mission Board as church planters.
Our Life Together
Eleven years ago, Jolene and I first walked through the doors of THBC
after being invited by Roger LeBlanc after a city league softball game. Marie
Turner was the first to greet Jolene, and Marie’s genuineness left quite the
impression on her, and was indicative of the church community as a whole. The
church was about to go through the 40 Days of Purpose book in their small
groups and I reluctantly agreed with Jolene to sign up for the group that met
at Mike and Sandy Gill’s house.
A lot has changed since that September Sunday in 2003. Jolene and I
arrived as spiritual babies, needing spiritual milk. God used many of you to
bring us into spiritual maturity, and in turn, God called us to shepherd and
lead our congregation into that same maturity in Christ. I think we can recall
1 Corinthians 1:26-27 at this point: “Brothers, think of what you were when you
were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were
influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of
the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame
the strong.” You all believed this and called me to be your pastor. What an
adventure it has been; God has proved his faithfulness time and time again.
Many of you are my closest friends. All of you are prayed for and
loved. We have grown together, cried together, laughed together and played
together. We planted a church, we sent out missionaries, we planted a tree, and
we anticipated the Lord’s coming again together. You have fearlessly and
unconditionally loved my wife and my kids—not every pastor can say that. Above
all we have sought to be obedient together and have glorified God and His Son,
Jesus, together.
Why?
The question I know will be asked: Why Tucson? The story is long, but I
will try to be brief. Five years ago, Jolene and I visited Tucson on vacation
and came away with a strong belief that we would return and live there some
day. It was a feeling that was undeniable for both of us and we always thought
it would be well after the kids graduate. Later that same year, after attending
the Northwest Baptist Convention in November, God impressed on me the desire to
plant churches. This is when the idea to plant a church in Moxee began forming
and coming to fruition. Through following years, Tucson and church planting
began to marinate in my mind and heart and they collided together this past
March.
I was excited for the church planting class this past semester in
seminary as Michael Johnson (our church planter in Moxee) and I were able to
take it together. I was excited for all the practical help we were going to
receive as we planted the Moxee church together. But God had different ideas.
At first I was perplexed and disappointed as we were taught about church
planting in the city with an urban emphasis, and many of the practical helps I
was expecting were non-existent. The first two days of class were frustrating.
Saturday morning started out the same and we began an exercise where a picture
of a city would be displayed and we would have to share how we would begin to
plant a church in that context. A picture of an important city in England, then
Dubai in the Middle East—what does planting a church in these cities have to do
with me, Yakima, and Moxee? My turn was next to share and I waited for the
picture to see what I’d have to come up with. Yes, the picture was of Tucson,
Arizona. God woke me up and it began to flow out of my mouth what Jolene and I
would do if we were dropped in the middle of Tucson. My perspective changed, my
love for Tucson changed, and my attitude towards all we had been taught up to
that point changed.
I should not be surprised that God began unfolding his plan to Jolene
and me. Through consistent prayer and faithful mentors we began the discerning
process of when to go. After the kids graduate from high school; maybe when
Ashtyn is done with elementary school; next year we could travel there to check
it out after we’ve planned and saved up money; all of these options were shot
down. We had no choice but to visit Tucson this year and see firsthand what God
was leading us to. We went in July and one thing was made clear to us: God
wants us to move to Tucson and begin the process of planting a church. There
are still questions, but the step of obedience for us is clear.
This whole process has not come without great emotional distress for
our whole family. We are excited to be doing what God wants us to do, but we
are pained when we think about the relationships we will leave behind. Here we
have a healthy church body, stability in our finances, a great elementary
school for our kids, and all of you. But now we will be moving to a new city,
new home, new schools, and a new church. But new is good. Good for us, and good
for you too.
What Next?
The timing of our departure is tentative and much of it depends on the
sale of our house. This will not stop us from beginning to move forward with
the process of selecting a new lead pastor. Those of you who have been around a
while know that the process works. Those of you who are new need to hang in
there and with much prayer follow the lead of those who you have entrusted as
leaders to serve the church at this time. You can trust them to approach the
coming challenges with prayer and genuine concern to seek God’s will. As for
me, I will continue to pour my heart and soul into preaching and teaching the
Word of God and into prayer for you. For as long as I am here I am “all in” as
your pastor, and when I leave I will still be “all in” as your friend and
partner in Christ because I believe in what God is doing here at THBC and in
the leadership and people of this congregation.
I know many of you will have questions and I will do my best to help us
all process this whole event. As for us, we have one thing to ask from you:
Will you send us out like missionaries like we sent out the Pumpellys? Would
you join with us as partners? Will you be our “Mother Church” like we are for
the River Church? We can’t see it any other way but to partner with those who
we love so much.
Saying goodbye is part of life, maybe the most important part. It is certainly
one of the most difficult things we ever do. I don’t imagine this
goodbye-saying will be easy. But the goal, what we are really looking forward
to—and it will come eventually—is the gratitude to God we will feel for the
many years we have been granted to be friends in Christ. And that is what you
all are to me, dear, dear friends.
Your friend and pastor,
Luke
