Student Ministry Staffing Change
Dear Friends,
I hope you are having a wonderful and blessed Holiday season. We have much for which to be thankful at Christ Church.
However, I am very disappointed to announce that Danny Hinton has submitted his letter of resignation, effective December 31.
In his letter, Danny stated the following: “I love the people of Christ Church and deeply desire their long-term success. I am also excited about the new leadership and direction you are bringing to CUMC. In fact, my desire to be a part of what God is continuing to do here at CUMC is one reason this has been a difficult decision.”
Yet, Danny has struggled for several months about an exciting new opportunity and call from God to found a DownLine Institute in Little Rock, AR. Four pastors from the Little Rock area have prayed for several years about reaching deeper into the spiritual life of their community for discipleship training. They heard of Danny’s amazing gifts and, of course, contacted him about the position.
As soon as we heard that Danny was considering issues related to his long-term connection to Christ Church, we made every effort to provide any and all alternatives to any offer he had or would receive. But, in the end, the issue had little to do with salaries, position titles, or scopes of responsibility. Danny has to do what he believes God is leading him to do, and we want to support and encourage him and his family in that new season.
Danny knows he is loved by Christ Church, and that makes this decision all the more difficult for him and for those who are part of the Student Ministry at Christ Church.
And, yet, Scripture teaches us that when God makes a transition in one place, He works a blessing in another. I am convinced that Danny’s season with us, though short in duration, was significant in impact, especially for the next steps of our church’s life.
He has laid the foundation for a great Student Ministry, one that is led day-to-day on the ground by a phenomenal team of men and women. We have met with each one of his staff, and they are committed to our students and to Christ Church. And, we made sure they knew that Christ Church was committed to them. In fact, we have made strides to strengthen our support and encouragement of them, especially in these next days.
Our Executive Pastor, Scott Lees, has developed a very detailed transition plan for the next weeks. Over the next few days, we are focusing on getting the word out about Danny’s transition and this opportunity for him to do amazing things for God in Little Rock.
We are also working with the Student Ministry Staff Team, the Student Leadership Team and the D-Group/Parent Leaders to strengthen the ministry that NO parts of our connection to students will suffer or be lost in the transition. Everything scheduled for the year will continue.
Finally, we are putting together the team of those who begin the search for the next leader of our Student Ministry. This process will involve opportunities for people to share their thoughts and considerations, but ultimately we know that God will send us the very best person He believes needs to lead our program into the future.
Last week, I met with the student leaders of our church. I was amazed at their spiritual maturity and wisdom, even in such an emotional time. One young man made the following statement: “Sometimes God moves the pieces and people we count on the most in this world in order that we will have no other opportunity but to lean totally on HIM.” How true. How wise.
In a perfect world, selfishly, we would wish that no one would ever leave or transition. But, not only is that NOT the way the world works, in truth—deep down—we really wouldn’t want that to be the case. For if that happened, then people would never go to accomplish their dreams, follow their hearts, or go where God needs them—to change our world.
That is what Danny is doing. We may not be happy about it now. But, we will be overjoyed when we are able to look over the horizon (of even this) and see what God has been doing all along.
We announced the transition to the congregation on Sunday, Dec. 4 and will have a time of prayer and encouragement for Danny and Rachel during the services on Sunday, Dec. 11.
If you have questions or need further information, feel free to contact me or Scott Lees at the church, 901.683.3521.
I want to thank you in advance for your prayers for Danny and for Christ Church.
At any transition point, I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s closing words to the church in Corinth: “And, so my dear friends, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic, knowing that everything you do for God is useful.”
We claim that. Be Salt and Light, my friends…You Matter.
Shane