Five Years Today!

    Five years ago today I was installed as the Lead Pastor at Des Plaines Bible Church, now, The Bridge. The installation service began with it’s typical worship sequence with Doug Daube leading. Then, our elder chairman, Scott Olson, asked me a series of four questions in front of the congregation of which I answered, “I do with the help of God,” or “I will with the help of God.” I meant it.
    Following my commitments, the congregation was in turn asked similar questions and also gave the same sincere responses. Then a pastor friend of mine, Scott Carson, of Grace Church in Burlington, Wisconsin, brought the message. That evening, we had a celebration dinner in the church auditorium.
    The following Sunday I began a series from the Book of Acts and preached my first sermon as your pastor with the message title, “Change Is In The Air.” As we look back, it sure was, wasn’t it?
    Most of you were not here five years ago. But for those of you who were, it’s been quite a ride. Maybe you didn’t think I was altogether serious about the change that was in the air (I was pretty specific and we have stayed on that path) or maybe you thought someone would talk me out of all those changes. But as we acknowledged then, change is necessary for any organization to survive, much less thrive.
    And I’m thrilled by the changes of the last five years!
    For the most part, those changes represent changed lives of people who were not even followers of Jesus five years ago and are now passionately pursuing him with all they’ve got.
    Because of those changed lives, we have a changed demographic in our church. Look around and pay attention to all these new people! Most of them were not even heaven-bound when these changes began. Five years ago, most of us were forty-five and older, with only one couple in the church under the age of thirty-five. We had just seven kids in our children’s ministry the first few weeks I was here. Today, the fastest growing segment of our church is the under 35 age group and we have a hundred kids in Solid Ground almost every week!
    For the most part, we were all pretty much non-hispanic Caucasians five years ago, with a few exceptions. But now? While we may not reflect the look of a truly integrated urban church, this is one of the most diverse congregations in suburbia you will ever see. I think it is a thrill to God to see people of multiple ethnic and language backgrounds, all worshiping our one Creator God, together, and learning cross-cultural and cross-generational principles from his Word. We have people here with no church background, dead church background, non-Christian religion background, and some who grew up in a church like ours. This is the most diverse group of people in multiple ways that I have ever been a part of. And I’m loving it!
    Consider some of the things the Lord has done for us. In the last five years, we’ve restructured our leadership system, multiplied deacons, added staff, and enjoyed a renewed ministry culture. We’ve renovated the building, changed the name of the church to tell the community why we are here, seen many come to Christ and many baptized. Some of you have read through the Bible for the first time. Others are serving in significant ways, ways you never before dreamed you would. Almost all have made new life-long friends. Addicts have been delivered, marriages have been salvaged, young people have turned their lives around, old people have gotten reignited with spiritual things.
    There have been some tough times as well. It hurt when we lost our youth pastor a few years ago. It was a challenge going into a major building project just as the economy collapsed and many of you were losing your jobs. It was hard to see some leave with animosity over things they disagreed with. And I have conducted more funerals for godly saints in the last five years than in all the rest of my ministry combined.
    But the one constant...the one thing that has never changed from 1927 until today, is the ever abiding faithfulness of God. Because of his faithfulness I have no doubt that these last five years are only the beginning of great and mighty things he has had planned for a long time (Jeremiah 33:3) for this church.
    Hang on! The ride has only begun!