Changing Churches

One of the people I follow very closely is changing churches. Tony Morgan is the pastor of administrative services at Granger Community Church. This is the church that everyone on our staff and many of the key leaders in our congregation have visited for the Innovative Church Conference. This is the church we learn from more than any other. Tony is one of those leaders that I learn a great deal from on a weekly basis.

I was shocked when I received an email from the senior pastor at Granger, Mark Beeson, announcing Tony's move. Tony will be moving to New Spring Community Church in South Carolina. Perry Noble is the pastor there. This is a church on the move. 1 out of every 22 people in their county attend this church. There are counties in which this isn't true for all of the churches combined! The incredible thing is New Spring is only 7 years old.

I am going to watch this move very carefully because moves are going to start to be announced soon within the United Methodist Church system. Starting next week the bishop will meet with the rest of the cabinet and decide which pastors will be moving to new churches this year. This is very often a stressful time for pastors and churches. My previous church will be getting a new senior pastor. The current one has been there over 25 years and is retiring.

I will watch how Tony, Granger Community Church, and its senior management team go through this transition. I will keep you updated with my learnings.