Responding to Moral Failure in Church Leaders
By Kevin G. Harney, Lead Pastor, Shoreline Community Church
By Kevin G. Harney, Lead Pastor, Shoreline Community Church
The most recent rash of moral failures, accusations, and heartbreak over sin and human frailty is upon us. Ed Stetzer shared some very helpful reflections on this topic recently. (The Moral of Moral Failings of Christian Leaders by Ed Stetzer.) Every time this topic hits the church (and world) I find myself examining my heart, dissecting my life, and crying out to God for all of those impacted. After forty years following Jesus and leading in the local church I have a growing number of insights I hope are helpful for you.
Let’s Not… Look the other way and ignore the problem.
Of all groups of people, the church must be open and ready to hear those who have been hurt or abused in any way. We can’t fool ourselves saying, “If we ignore this it will go away.” We must have open ears and hearts to the cry of those who are hurt. Of course we need to listen with discernment and wisdom. An accusation does not always mean an injustice has happened. But, it is essential that we create an environment where people know they can come, speak, and be heard.
Let’s Not… Air our struggles and battles in the public or social media.
We live in a highly connected world where news goes viral at the push of a button. As much as is possible, Christians need to do all we can to deal with grievances face to face and in a biblical manner (see Matthew 18:15-17).
Let’s Not… Function as judge, jury, and executioner.
There is a judge, His name is the Lord Almighty. Christians and church leaders must listen, address real issues, take action, and bring judgment. But, none of us is wise and holy enough to sit as the final judge.
Let’s Not… Take delight in the fall of brothers and sisters.
Far to many of us get secret or even public pleasure when someone in a prominent church or place of leadership falls. May God forgive us and change our hearts.
Let’s Not… Say, “I saw that coming,” when we said nothing when it was happening.
I have heard so many people confidently explain that they saw character issues or problems in the life of a leader months, years, or decades before the sin became public. This prideful declaration betrays our own sin of silence. Let’s refrain from bragging about what we saw coming. Instead, let’s speak up immediately when we see cracks in a leader’s character…before more lives are damaged.
Let’s Not… Gossip and talk about brothers and sisters struggling with sin.
It is easy to spend time talking with other Christians about specific people and their sins. There are a lot of better ways to spend our time. Maybe these conversations should quickly pivot to how we can live with boundaries, walk in holiness, and pray for those who are broken in sin as well as who have injured by the actions of others.
Let’s Seek To… Embrace the reality that men and women are different.
All Christians should acknowledge that God has made men and women differently. One of the primary breeding grounds for some of the recent accusations and actions comes from trying to operate as if men and women are identical. We are not the same and the rules must be different in how we interact and serve Jesus together.
Let’s Seek To… Set boundaries that honor Jesus, and protect people (including ourselves).
While in seminary I presented a study on boundaries for church leaders. In particular, my own rules. I never meet with a woman one-on-one in any private setting. I don’t drive with women alone in a car. I don’t make personal calls or send personal texts to women (I do it through my church account and make sure it is church related and public). I presented ten clear rules. Both students and professor accosted me. I was told, “You are afraid of your own sexuality!” I said, “Yes, I am terrified by it!” Then I declared, “I will still be in ministry in thirty years and most of you will not!” That led to a robust conversation. Just for the record, I have lived with those rules for over three decades and I am still in ministry.
Let’s Seek To… Create ministry environments where the gifts of women and men are fully used for the glory of Jesus.
God has gifted all people. Wise leaders can have boundaries and still create a place where all gifts are leveraged in all people.
Let’s Seek To… Listen with grace and take every accusation seriously.
When a woman or man, a girl or boy comes with an accusation, a concern, or a story of inappropriate behavior by a church leader, we must listen. No matter how painful and no matter how hard it is to hear.
Let’s Seek To… Take appropriate actions to find the truth.
Once we have heard, we are compelled to dig in and find the truth. A church board or staff team must do everything in their power to find the truth, no matter where it leads. The truth might be hard to face, but covering it up will always do more damage to the person who was brave enough to tell their story, to the church, and to the person who is being accused.
Let’s Seek To… Confess quickly and blow the whistle on me.
If I am living in sexual sin, hurting others, and crossing lines, the best thing to do is confess this to God and to appropriate church leaders. It is always better to blow the whistle on myself than wait until someone else speaks up.
Let’s Seek To… Create Strong accountability relationships.
Every church leader should have one or two people who know their frailties, struggles, and temptations. These people should have leverage to make the hard calls, ask the challenging questions, and blow the whistle!
Let’s Seek To… Show grace and forgiveness when people are truly repentant.
We are all sinners in need of amazing grace. Let’s extend the forgiveness of God to all broken sinners, even leaders. We can do this while addressing sin and calling people to repentance.
Let’s Seek To… Pray for people who are caught in sin (far more than we talk about them).
When we find ourselves talking about or thinking about people embattled in public sin and scandal, let’s go right to prayer. Cry out for justice, pray for the truth to be known, Ask for healing in the lives of the victims, and seek God’s restoring power in the life of the offender.
Let’s Seek To… Recognize that with growing leadership influence, the target on our back for spiritual attack gets larger.
A doctor friend of mine was asking me about some of the recent news on leadership failings. He said, “We really need to pray more for church leaders. The bigger the church and responsibility, the larger the target on their back. I agree! Let’s pray, in the power of Jesus, for spiritual protection of church leaders.
Let’s Seek To… Develop a practice of self-examination.
Invite God to search your heart and life. In Psalm 139:1 & 23-24 we read:
“You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me…”
King David acknowledged that God knew him in his mother’s womb, knew his every thought, knew every unspoken word, knew him inside and out. He still prayed…
“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
May the God of power, truth, and grace search our hearts, know our thoughts, forgive our sins, and make us more like His Son, Jesus Christ!
Note: If you want to dig into the topic of meaningful self-reflection consider reading Leadership from the Inside Out…Examining the Inner Life of a Healthy Church Leader.
Kevin Harney (KevinGHarney.com) is the lead pastor of Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, California, the Founder and Visionary Leader of Organic Outreach Ministries International (OrganicOutreach.com), and the author of the Organic Outreach trilogy and many other books, studies, and articles. He is also a regular contributor to Outreach Magazine.
Providing Job Opportunities to Veterans in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz company Bright Vision Solar, and its managing director Paddy Brady, work together with Goodwill and Workforce Santa Cruz County to provide job opportunities and on-the-job training for homeless veterans like Chris Hofer in the local area.
Fred Mok - Asian Americans speaking into the Racial Reconciliation Conversation
Before our first Asian American Pastors Gathering, we interviewed Fred Mok, Associate Pastor at Garden City Church. Fred shared his thoughts on Asian Americans having a voice into the racial reconciliation conversation, on community, and so much more. Watch the 5 minute interview below!
VC Henry Kaestner - Living out your Faith in the Workplace
1 of 10 tips from Henry Kaestner for living out your faith:
focus on the kingdom first
This March, we joined Mark McGovern and Experience Church for our third Lifework DinnerTalk. We ate delicious food from Aracely Cafe, made new friends, and talked about what it means to be a Christian Marketplace Leader.
Work on the Altar of Heaven: Are you getting the answer right, but living it out wrong?
Stepping into the simple and warmly lit Aracely café, nearly 40 pastors and business leaders shook off the rain. Several immediately pulled out their phones and started searching for a connection. It seemed appropriate though that in this far corner of Treasure Island, in this place whose name means altar of heaven, that if you want to connect with God, the rest of the world needed to go silent.
Some had driven nearly two hours to hear Henry Kaestner, managing partner of Sovereign’s Capital. Wearing the ubiquitous VC uniform of a muted sweater and button up shirt over jeans, Henry did not endeavor to stand out. If anything, he hung back a little when introduced. Sitting on an industrial metal stool, he stated sincerely and humbly, “The most important thing in my life is faith. Work fuels the fire but is not as important as family. So, my priorities are faith, family, work, and fitness.”
Henry and his founding partner David Morken originally came to Silicon Valley to raise capital for a telecom startup. While they didn’t have a fish on their business cards, they made it clear to investors that they worked for the glory of God. They went 0 for 40. No one bit. It was later that Henry realized they weren’t seeking God, they were being willful. In the end their friends and family funded Bandwidth.com which went on to build one of the largest nationwide IP networks. If you’re making a call on Skype, chances are you’re doing it on the network Henry helped create.
Henry and his partner grew their success on the foundation of an intentional faith-based work culture, proving that Christian businesses can compete but finding that the VC business didn’t get that. This led Henry to start Sovereign’s Capital in 2012, a venture capital fund for Christian led businesses. Henry shared, “The worst part is saying no to 99.99% of companies which is why we then started faithdrivenentrepreneur.org to encourage faith driven enterprises, not just in tech but for anyone looking to create jobs, love on customers, and build community.”
Henry has observed through his investments in faith driven entrepreneurs that when asked if success is critical to salvation, all would get the answer right and say no, but they would live it out wrong. 34 out of the 36 entrepreneurs he has invested in have high levels of anxiety, much more than most Christians. Grace was lost on them.
“It’s a problem of identity. You get caught up in the narrative of the world when you have success. Your identity turns from Christian to successful tech founder, lawyer, fill in the blank. No one continues to grow 20% month over month.
We help them to understand there is a God who loves them, who doesn’t need their money, who just needs their hearts. It is hard to get them to understand.”
Henry himself grappled with this. When his son Benjamin got sick for over a year, he was really thrown. During that time, Henry could not be more than two miles from his son’s school. “It was really depressing. I realized that my identity was based on being a successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist. It was a season that God loved on me as I struggled through it. It was one of the most spiritually rich times of my life though at the time I didn’t see it at all. A God who loves is all that matters. If we tap into that then we can respond by bringing all we are to the altar.”
******
10 Tips for Living it out Right
Focus on the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). Henry’s strategy to balancing life and work is to put God first. “It was hard to do but the decision was easy. Some people think they can focus on earthly success for this season in life, then can focus on heavenly success in the next season – this is dangerous. When you focus on success first you often fail, but when you focus on God’s Kingdom first, earthly success can often follow. This takes trust in God.”
Sabbath is a litmus test. Many entrepreneurs work 7 days a week, telling themselves that’s what it takes to succeed. This tempts you to think it’s all you. It leaves you hallow. An entrepreneur Henry knows confided, “I’m doing awesome because I started taking Sundays off.”
Commune regularly with the living God. “You may think of yourself as working for God but that fosters a performance mentality versus letting God work through us.” Staying connected with God through prayer, scripture, and fasting ensures the right mentality. Like anything else, it takes discipline to make time for God. Henry reads a chapter a day along with nine men who then group text each other. When driving the kids to school, 5 miles a day, 5 days a week, they listen to sermons. As a family they pray together daily.
Seek God in your decisions. “When making decisions you want to be intentional, seeking God’s wisdom through things like prayer, fasting, and the wisdom of others. Ask, ‘Lord is this a season when I need to do this? Help me understand how long this lasts.’ When we made mistakes, we were being willful instead of seeking God. There’s a difference between being willful and being faithful.”
Invite your spouse into it. Once Henry started telling his wife about his business, he found, “God can speak through her on something I was trying to figure out on my own.”
Meet regularly with people who hold you accountable. “There is something powerful about being in relationship with people like you, who are going through the same battles. Look for people with spiritual wisdom. Help each other be holy and to wrestle with blind spots. Ask each other questions like, ‘What does success look like for you?’” Taking inspiration from C.S. Lewis’ Inklings group, Henry meets on a Tuesday morning once a month, with others who will both criticize and encourage his work.
Partner with a believer. You want the best person for the job and sometimes an unbeliever looks like the best person at first. “As I read Hebrews, I became convicted that I needed to be equally yoked as I started the business. When starting a new business make it non-negotiable.” What if you are already in business with an unbeliever? As the Bible says about marriage, don’t divorce them, but pray for them.
Make your culture, goals and values public. “Our success came from these values - faith, family, work, and fitness. Business is all about acquiring and retaining customers, which is all about retaining your employees, because when you train them to retain customers you don’t want to lose them. A wife of one of our employees told me she loves this place because her husband gets home at reasonable time – she’ll never let her husband leave!” When you publicly say family is a value then it becomes hard not to let employees go home at 6. In Henry’s company, it’s considered a “fire-able offence” if you call or email while on vacation. Making it public makes you accountable.
Be salt and light at any level. When reaching out to others in your workplace, do so with gentleness and respect. “I know a lawyer who works for American Express. She found a couple Christians in the company and they started to pray every Wed at lunch. She got a little nervous and asked HR if this was ok. It ends up there is no law against this. She felt emboldened to put up signs. 130 joined. It got big enough that American Express noticed. They came and asked, ‘Will you serve as a focus group for how products fit for faith-based groups?’ If a mid-level legal in a large company can be salt and light, we all can.”
Serve sustainably. Be part of a church community and serve. Start by asking, “Where do I feel most alive with God?” Ask your senior pastor, “How can I serve here?” If the pastor understands how God is working in your life, they will foster that instead of just assigning you to serve where there is an urgent opening. This is the only way service is sustainable.
Before the DinnerTalk, Henry spoke to a small group of Bay Area Pastors in an effort to help to equip them in engaging their marketplace leaders. For a small glimpse of this GOLD session, watch the videos below!
Henry on Identity
Henry on Commissioning Marketplace Leaders
******
Quotes from guests
“This is really moving me. You said something powerful - ‘I want my employees to go home at 6.’ I wanted to stay later for my business, for myself, and for the optics of staying.” - Darren Allarde
“What he said was so powerful. It convicted me that my idol is being understood.” – Macie Peterson.
“Priorities was a big takeaway. Faith, family, work, and fitness. We don’t always arrange it that way.” – Rick Blanco
“So many nuggets!” – Sun Oh
“He has great perspective. A lot of us measure our success in terms of wealth. God doesn’t measure in terms of wealth. Can we be satisfied with enough?” - Lee Bartolomei
“The intersection between faith and work is so misunderstood. It’s a balance between doing well and making sure not to put too much emphasis on myself, to really give God the glory.” – Johnny Shiu
Santa Rosa Pastors Unite to Meet the Needs of the City
In September 2017, over 40 pastors in Sonoma County gathered for the first SoCo Pastors Network. Less than a month later, the Northern California Firestorm burned through their cities.
This group of pastors banned together to collectively meet the needs of the victims involved.
To get involved in long term relief efforts, CLICK HERE.
The Pastoral Unicorn - 30 Years of Pastoral Consistency
We had the incredible opportunity to interview two pastors who have been pastors at the same church for close to 30 years each (an opportunity that we consider *almost* as rare as spotting a unicorn). Terry Brisbane has pastored Cornerstone Church in San Francisco for 29 years and Mark Mitchell has been the senior pastor at Central Peninsula Church in Foster City for 31 years. See the below videos for their answers to some of our questions. To watch the full (1hr. long) interview, watch the video at the bottom.
When you officially became the lead pastor, did you ever think, "How did I get here?"
The Bay Area is a difficult place for the church. There are a lot of cultural nuances and a hostility towards Christianity. Has it gotten progressively worse or was it just as hard back when you started?
What is something that you’ve done in order to remain steadfast for so long?
How important is it to invest in the next generation of pastors?
What impact has you been a pastor had on your kids? What encouragement would you give to a young pastor starting a family?
What’s one seminary class that you wish they would have taught?
If you could go back 30 years, knowing what you know now, what advice would you give yourself?
Watch the full (1 hour long) interview below:
Jennifer Camota Luebke - Ability Revolution
"Disabilities don't restrict; environments do."
14 and 1/2 years ago, doctors told Dr. Jennifer Camota Luebke that her son had an intellectual disability and gave a grim prognosis for his future. In an instant, her priorities and focus changed to making sure that her son received the best education and was given the opportunity to attend college.
Jennifer spent years trying to find a private school that not only offered 1st class education but was also inclusive of kids with special needs. Time and time again her son, Antonio, was rejected.
However, these rejections didn't stop Jenn and she has found a way to ensure that Antonio thrives.
She has spent the last 14 years researching how inclusive environments can impact organizations. Last year, Jenn founded Ability Revolution, an organization that advises companies on how they can become ability-inclusive and provides training on how to lead and manage inclusive and diverse teams.
Jenn and Antonio at his High School Graduation
Over the last few months, Jenn has been working on filming Antonio's story. The film, titled "You Can Be Brave", is a story of not taking no for an answer and trusting God to open doors that seem impossible to open. She will be showing her film on the below dates:
Test Audience Showing, Feedback Requested-Sunday, January 28, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Sneak Preview-Sunday, February 18, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Contact Jennifer for more information.
A Story of Unity in the East Bay
"I'm a firm believer that we can do more together than we can do apart."
Doug Heisel, Founding Pastor at New Life Church, tells us what happened when he started looking for ways to partner with and equip other pastors in the Bay Area. Watch the video below to see what it might look like if we start looking for stories to become a part of rather than just focusing on our own personal stories.
Treating Your Workplace as Your Mission Field - Aaron Vogel, Co-founder @ District Donuts
"I want to be an example of what business can and should look like"
On Thursday, November 9, we joined marketplace leaders from around the Bay Area to grow and be inspired by Aaron Vogel, co-founder of District: Donuts, Sliders, Brew. We ate delicious food from Forager Tasting Room and Eatery, made new friends, and talked about what it means to view your place of work as your mission field.
If you missed it, check out the summary below and be sure to follow us to stay up to speed with more events just like this one!
The Sacred in the Secular
What started as a bi-vocational entrance into the hospitality industry eventually drove Vogel and his wife to a moment of decision: return to full-time ministry or pursue a career as an entrepreneur.
“Should we plant a church or a business?” Vogel asked, not realizing how similar the two options really were.
“When a pastor leaves the ministry, people always ask, ‘Why are you getting a secular job?’” said Vogel. “But there is something sacred about the work that God gives us [no matter what it is].”
Mission in the Workplace
Vogel learned from his father—a hard-working man who held down three jobs at a time—how to “preach the gospel in street clothes.” Though he was never employed by the church, Vogel’s father set an example for his son of how to be Jesus to the people he encountered each day, from the familiar mailman to an eccentric male dancer.
“There is a mission in the workplace,” said Vogel, who instills the Christ-like hospitality that he learned from his father into each of the employees who work at the five District locations. He leads his business with one question: What real good work can be done in this industry?
A Different Kind of Community
Vogel and his wife extend their hospitality beyond the four walls of the coffee shop into their own home, where a smattering of 20 and 30 somethings regularly gather to experience authentic community.
“The people we shepherd aren’t a community of believers,” said Vogel. “I get to tell a better story—the right story—to all of these people about Christianity.”
Local Impact
After setting up the first District, Vogel began making regular efforts to care for the neighborhood—picking up trash, pulling weeds, and generally looking for ways to be a force for change and for good.
“We are particular people in particular places at particular times,” said Vogel, encouraging attendees to consider their own opportunities for impact. “Think more thoroughly about your business. How does God want your industry to be?”
Growing for Good
Vogel and his team have opened five District locations in the past four years, and have plans to keep growing. But it isn’t about building an empire for Vogel. “We’re a donut shop, but we try to do and be more and better,” said Vogel, who invests portions of his proceeds into partnership with a faith-based nonprofit that facilitates foster care.
“I want to grow exponentially because I want to be an example in our nation of what a business can and should look like,” he said. “We’re creating a new category in our city of what we do.”
AN Interview with Aaron Vogel
On Business World View
On Future Vision
On Employees
On Lesser Work
Grant Writing Tips
This quarter, we hosted 3 Grant Writing Workshops for Outreach Pastors and Non-Profit leaders. We learned so much throughout these sessions and were so honored to meet so many committed and passionate leaders. Below are some of the key takeaways.
1.) Determine if You're Ready
Grant writing makes you think. If you’re struggling through the grant writing process, and you just don’t have enough to put down on that paper or know how to answer many of the questions posed, it may not be time for a grant quite yet. That’s Ok! This will just serve as a starting point for you to make some changes to grow into an organization worth funding!
2.) There's Money Out There
Over $50 billion are awarded every year through foundations and corporate grants. We all hear about the free grants that are available to us, but very few of us believe that they actually exist or know where to get them. Be encouraged that there is money out there and is available for your organization.
3.) Collaboration vs. Competition
More than ever there is competition. However, more and more, organizations are starting to see that collaboration is key. Collaborative cohorts and system thinkers are sought after by investors. When you partner with others in the same space, you open yourself up to a whole new slew of donors. It’s common practice to share staff and resources with likeminded organizations. Collaboration provides the biggest opportunity to take limited resources and magnify through community-minded resourcefulness.
4.) Structure, Structure, Structure
When you first start a non-profit, you start out with an amazing mission and purpose. However, it’s easy to get bogged down in the minutia: GuideStar reporting, board configuration, 501c-3 filing and exemptions, etc.
Consider structuring your organization in a unique way. Ask yourself questions like, "Where is my current funding coming from?", "What does our leadership look like?", "Are we able to handle accounting?", "What are my short and long term goals?". Research some of the below options to see if they're right for you:
For profit with Social overlay
Fiscally sponsored subsidiary
Having a fiscal agent really takes a lot of that hard part out of it. There are a number of foundations that are interested in being fiscal agents for likeminded outreaches. Some do it for free, some don’t (standard fee is 10%).
Church
Sole Proprietorship
Partnership (General, Limited, Limited Liability)
Limited Liability Company
Corporation (Chartered, Subchartered)
Non-profit Corporation
5.) Board Configuration is Key
Form your leadership around your organization in a holistic way. You want boards that are diverse in age, ethnicity, background, and gender. Our boards should represent our intent, our focus, and the people that we’re trying to reach.
6.) Know Your Grant
There are various types of grants:
Project grants
Program grants
Organizational grants (capital funding grants, etc)
Know what type of grant you're applying for and know WHO you're writing for.
7.) Write a Case Statement
So many of the grant applications that you’ll be filling out don’t provide much room for details (200-500 characters). A Case Statement is fluid 2-7 page open narrative that gives a holistic view of your organization. You can add a hyperlink to your Case Statement within the grant application for funders to see more. This document is meant to be modified and revised for each grant that you apply for and should include:
An emotional attention getter. Include quotes and photos. This first paragraph determines if the rest of the Case Statement is worth reading
Your mission and vision statements clearly stated. Then illustrate these throughout your case statement.
History of your organization-a brief summary of the organization(board, staff, participants, network). Also include:
Past accomplishments
Future goals
Outcomes and proof of impact-prove what you’re doing is worthwhile and that the donor’s support does make an impact.
Brief Stories
Quotes
Testimonials
Data
Financial/volunteer/in-kind needs:
How much do you need to raise and why(what will it be used for?)?
Other means of support:
Volunteer
In kind-gift cards, Goggle AdWords, banners, etc
8.) Know Your Budget
The budget and proposal should go through the same narrative. No surprise, funders want to see what you’re planning on doing with their money. Your budget is one of your best storytelling mechanisms and also one of the best ways to prove that you know what you’re doing and that you plan to spend resources wisely. A budget shouldn’t raise questions but should raise answers. Note that budgets are often the first thing funders look at.
Most of the grants you come across are going to fall under restrictive funding. The best way to succeed is to break down your budget and to cover all of the different fees that are hard to write grants for when you come across unrestricted funding.
Final Tips
Edit, TWICE!
Follow directions and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
Convince the funder you know what you’re doing. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the need in your community and your holistic programmatic response. The funder should feel confident that your organization would be a responsible steward of their funds.
Use Bulletpoints!
Save questions from each application and the answers you come up with in a file. Many times, the same question will come up in another application
Re-apply for grants that you haven’t received
To find donors and funding organizations that would be interested in helping to fund your organization, find like-minded non-profit organizations and look up their Annual Reports. These reports always contain their top donors. Once you have the names of those top donors, look their 990s up on Guidestar. Their 990 will not only contain their address and best phone number but also a list of their board members and key employees. Find these individual on LinkedIn and try to get introduced by a shared contact. The 990 also shows you how much these donors are granting and gives you a general idea of how much you’ll want to ask from them.
Have Fun!
It's important to note that while grant writing can be a tedious and daunting process, it can also be an exciting and hope inspiring one. This is a good opportunity to remind yourself of why you do what you do and challenge yourself to work past the hard parts. It's these small, steadfast actions that will eventually lead to the big moments that you envision.
Dotun Kukoyi
“I believe that, as Christians, we are required to disciple people”
Dotun, aka Dot, is a church planter sent from Nigeria to plant in the Bay Area. In Nigeria, Dot and his wife, Floretta, were partners in a law practice (with 1 other); something that Dot says shaped him into the pastor that he is today. They were thriving and content until one day, in 1991, Dot experienced something he refers to as a “holy mess”. In an instant, he was overcome with the love and joy of the Lord and was forever changed.
From that moment, Dot and Floretta began to embrace the life of ministry more and more. Still, they were surprised at their willingness when, in 1995, their pastor asked them to leave Nigeria to plant a church in London (with 2 days notice). They were again surprised at their response when they were asked to move to the Bay Area to plant a Nigerian church. But they did it anyways.
Dot wholeheartedly believes that a pastor should know and walk alongside each of his congregation. So much so that once his congregation reached 144 members (a number that he derived from the 12 tribes of Israel multiplied by the 12 disciples), he planted a new church. Several years after arriving in the Bay Area, Dot, alongside Floretta, have been instrumental in the planting of numerous churches throughout the Bay Area.
They are passionate about making disciples and believe that we should experience life with each other; influencing and impacting each other throughout the most joyful and most sorrowful days in our lives.
While he and his wife were unable to have their own children, they look back now and see that God did indeed call them to multiply but not in the way that they thought. Dot notes that he has way more spiritual children than he would have had biologically and understands that, while this particular aspect of his life was difficult, it’s led to more than he could’ve hoped for.
His story is one of just saying yes without knowing what was ahead. A story of wanting his congregation to thrive regardless of what church they attended. He’s a kingdom-minded planter and we’re so happy to know him.
Santa Cruz Cohort Video-Using Unique Skillsets to Help Others
What does it look like when a group of individuals with very unique skills and experiences come together to tackle the homeless problem in Santa Cruz County?