In April of 2005 I experienced one of the most amazing experiences in my life… I was appointed the Senior Pastor of Northgate church.
The journey had actually begun a few months earlier in January of 2005 when I came alongside Pastor Max Mcginnis to be mentored in my new role as Senior Pastor before he and his family left to answer God’s call to Santiago, Chili.
We had come from a smaller church (150) to a church of 600. The learning curve was obviously a big one! For five months I walked with Pastor Max and learned a ton! I memorized names from the directory, wrestled through policy manuals, read books on staffing, attended a lot of meetings, and worked a ton of hours with our awesome volunteers to get us into our new facility on time! And that was just church life!
In my own personal life we had a new baby, a new house, a new job, lots of new friends, and I started a new graduate program. Can you say WHOA! 
In May of 2005 Max and his family said “Goodbye” and the transition was finalized… I became the Senior Pastor of Northgate Free Methodist church.
Our first big challenge was to get into the new facility… we did it! I loved working with you! I was so proud to be your pastor!
Over the next two years we went through multiple changes.
- We said “Goodbye” to some staff and “Hello” to others.
- We went from averaging 600 on the weekends to averaging over 800 on the weekends.
- We launched a new service for 18-30 year olds at our south campus
- We saw changes in our style of worship
- We saw an increase in evangelism
It was an amazing two years, and yet through all of this God was stirring in my heart… a strange stirring… something that I had not anticipated… the call to church planting.
See, here’s the thing…
The “thing” ministry that totally drives me is seeing people give their lives to Christ and begin the journey… a journey that does not stop until we stand before Christ!
One of the coolest things happened in my life this year, a man that I led to Christ five years ago was approved for pastoral ministry in the Free Methodist church! There’s no greater joy! I love the journey!
I love it when people give their lives to Christ… and I’m willing to do WHATEVER it takes to lead them to Him!
Sometime ago I had a lady say to me, “It seems to me that if you had to choose between the churched and the unchurched, you would choose the unchurched.” She’s right.
Why? Because the “Churched” are “okay” (assuming that their faith is in Christ), but the “Unchurched” are not (assuming that they have not placed their faith in Christ).
I believe in Heaven and Hell. I believe that those who have placed their faith in Christ will go to Heaven and that those who have not placed their faith in Christ will go to Hell (see John 3:18 and 36).
The “churched” can go down the street to another church “doing church” the way they like it. They know how to read the Bible, pray, and of course there’s always FLN. They know where to go and what to do.
But what about those people who don’t? Where will the unchurched go? Who is reaching them? Few churches are growing because of salvation growth. In other words, most churches are not reaching the unchurched and the unsaved… and that’s not okay.
I feel a sense of desperation to bring as many people to Jesus as possible in the short time I have in this world! The words of my Leader, Jesus, sum it up for me, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” (John 9:4-5 NLT).
Over the last year of my life God has helped me to realize a few things:
- I want to see the “Lost” get “Found” and I’m willing to do whatever it takes, without violating Scripture, to make that happen.
- I am called to spend the rest of my life with a laser-tight focus on achieving this one end… Connecting the Disconnected to Christ.
- I will fulfill this mission best “without walls” as one of my friends put it today. To pursue the “Lost” without inhibition, to do WHATEVER it takes, without violating Scripture, to reach them for my Leader, this is what calls me.
This weekend I shared with you that I have discovered that I am “Cut from a different cloth.” I was made for this one thing… to pursue the “Lost” and bring them to my Leader… and so I will.
Some have asked, “Did you resign because of someone or someones?” The answer is an unequivocal “NO!”
Here’s the scoop… wherever I have been and wherever I go, I am going to instigate and facilitate change and that will ALWAYS bring “pushback.”
If God had called me to stay and serve at Northgate… I would have done just that.
The truth is God has called me to go and start a church with a laser-tight focus on bringing the unchurched/unsaved to our Leader, Jesus.
Someone asked me, “Do you think the grass is greener on the other side?” Uhhhh… other side of what?
We are leaving a great church, a good income, good benefits, lots of friends, and a role of honor to go to…. ummmmm…. nothing. I am going to nothing but the call of God, and that’s enough.
I run from nothing. I run to the call of God on my life.
I thank you deeply for the honor of serving as your pastor.
I have learned much and am a better man for having served Christ as your pastor.
I love you deeply.
Filed under: My life, Northgate News, church
Paul,
As I told you today, I am sooooooo excited for you!! What an opportunity! This sounds just perfect for you, even though you’re starting out with “nothing.” You’ll have each other and the mentors you’ve been blogging with and you’ll have the knowledge that you’re where God wants you to be at the moment, which in and of itself will bring comfort!
I have enjoyed having you as our pastor for the last 2 years and getting to know you and your family!! Yes there have been some tough times, but mostly things have been good, as shown by the growth seen at Northgate.
You and your family are very special and will be missed very much! Thank you for all you’ve done for us and again I’ll be praying for you in this next stage of life and I will enjoy hearing about how things are going through your blog, which I hope you will continue!!
Blessings Paul!!
Paul,
We don’t know each other, though I find myself reading your blog on a regular basis.
Resigning from a ministry can be one of the toughest, and most heart-wrenching, decisions that a pastor can ever make. I commend you for having the faithfulness to follow where God is leading you.
Godspeed on your new adventure.
Paul, I will prob never find the words to say how you (and northgate) have changed my life eventhough i am a man of words and I still have two more months to come up with something. Call me churched or unchurched? I grew up in church almost every weekend and then went to a christian college. But when i set foot in the new Northgate building and met you, I had not been to church in prob two years. When you came up ot greet me you already knew my name and gave me a hug the very first week. You said “I have heard a lot about you and have been looking forward to meeting you”. I was so excited about the new building and the new pastor that i came every week (sometimes more than once a week) for the next year and have prob only missed 4-5 times in the one and a half years that have followed. You made me feel like the MOST special person in a HUGE crowd.
Let’s just say it this way. I have heard about some of the negative comments placed on this blog and will not even allow myself to read them. YOU CHANGED MY LIFE. You met me when i was utterly and completely broken. The day before i met you I wept like i had never wept before. You prayed with me while i healed (and shrunk), encouraged me while I grew and now you CELEBRATE with me as I rejoice in the many many gifts God has given me. I hope you see the full circle here as clearly as I do, especially when i grew the courage to invite other unchurched friends to Northgate for the first time. It doesn’t matter what clothes you wear, Jesus prob wore ripped and torn clothes and his feet were probably filthy. It doesnt matter what songs you sing. It doesn’t matter if you worship in a $15 million brand new state of the art church or in a barn (our Lord was born in a stable). You rock. You will be greatly missed, but you trained up many new warriors to pick up where you are leaving off. You trained us well. I love you and consider you my brother. Peace.
Pastor Paul
I am so sad but at the same time so happy! Isn’t that strange. I will miss you so much and I will never forget how you changed so many lives (just in my family alone) and how you helped me to trust in God and follow him in my decisions with Emily. I will also never forget what you have done for us as a family. I will miss your humor in your sermons and just your smile and welcoming face.
Paul,
Exciting times for you, on your journey. No doubt your decision was a tough one, but go–and go with strength and courage.
Was reading tonight in Joshua. This new place he was going. This new thing he was doing. These people he was leading. And over and over again, he heard these words:
Be strong and courageous.
Pastor Paul and family,
Sorry to see you go. It is God’s gain and Northgate’s loss. You are truly blessed to have such a supportive “bride”. She is to be admired also.
I have been blessed to call you my pastor. My life has been better with you as my pastor. God bless you and your ladies. Please keep blogging so we can keep in touch.
Lynda
Tears of Joy and Tears of Sadness,
Wow what a weekend… Taking a risk, following God’s will… is right on! Go for it! You are on the RIGHT PATH! I encourage others to do the same! You have no idea how perfect your sermon on “risk” fit into our Young teen lesson, then into the Youth CORE training program we went to yesterday. That is just more conformation it’s a GOD thing, thank you for listening to God’s will for your life and may all Christians do the same! May the LORD help us listen to Him!
I don’t think I have cried this much in a weekend… in a long time…
Change has never been easy, but in every change that I have gone through, it just makes me trust the Lord that much more. Saying “goodbye” and changes makes multi emotion flow…
Getting prepared for that final “goodbye”, is even harder than change at times. Finishing a race and ending this chapter on a good note is of ultimate importance for God’s church. Continuing good relationships, repairing old hurts is hard but very necessary for God’s glory! (People don’t understand the change; they may have bitterness, resentment, unresolved issues, sometime we say things they don’t mean and old garbage is left behind.) Finishing this chapter of Northgate’s history with very positive attitudes from all, may make the difference in the life of another for eternity. We all need to keep in mind: What would Jesus do and Say in this situation?
God will continue to bless your path because you are obedient to HIS will; and He will also bless Northgate when we stay obedient to HIM and His will!
Keep praying, don’t forget to listen, and be obedient to God’s direction even if we are uncomfortable with change, He knows much better than we do.
Thank you for your time and effort you have invested into Northgate and Our people; lives you’ve change because of your passion and love for the LORD are greater than you probably know! Thank you again!
We will miss you and your family! May God continue to direct you!
Young teens love you and will miss you too!
The Wells’
Wow! I’m sure that your church will miss your family. It has been really neat to read about your church, how it is growing, and how God is blessing you. Changes aren’t always easy to make but it is also exciting to follow the will of God. Philip and I are also making a change. We are leaving GBS this year and he is planning to spend more time devoted to his calling – church music ministry. God bless you and your family as you follow Him.
Paul, enjoy the journey! I’m proud of you man!
Paul,
We love you Brother. From the moment we met you, which wasn’t that long ago, we felt an instant connection to you. You are an amazing worker for Him. i totally understand what abigdog means when he talks about feeling like the most important person in the room. You have talent and beautiful ability to make everyone feel like the most important.
We wish you the best, and are only selfishly brokenhearted that we did not get more time to take in all that you have to offer. It seems like the Holy Spirit moves almost like osmosis standing in the same room with you. Continue on your journey knowing that you have many gifts, but the best of all is your passion for God. Everyone who knows you knows the passion I am speaking of.
God Bless You, Sara and Jason Brunner
Correction…The question I posed was not “Do you think the grass is greener on the other side?” I asked….
Will contentment find you where you think the grass is greener? Will the same weeds grow in that yard over there?
What’s the difference? Emphasis on the word contentment. Are you content here (with ideal circumstances)? Will you be content elsewhere (with less than ideal circumstances)? You know what scripture says about contentment.
On March 22nd in your post “Do me a favor…tell me the truth” you said, “Don’t think you’re being a friend if you care more about my feelings than my future.” … “If you love yourself you will run from the difficult conversation and watch me self-destruct and I will know that you do not love me.”
I asked you those hard questions because I care about you and your family. I’m sorry if I irritated you. That was not my intention. What do the Proverbs say about instruction? correction? understanding?
I am praying for you and your family.
Green Grass. A hail storm. puddles of deep mud. If you stand with God, what is the difference? It doesn’t matter where you live, as long as you live where you are.
Paul,
As Dorcas said, we have made the decision to leave the ministry here at GBS in order for me to pursue my calling to church music ministry. A big surprise has been the number of times that I have been asked to reconsider (This in spite of the fact that I have repeatedly affirmed that I am making a change to pursue my calling!). I have also had questions about finances, affiliation, denomination, my motivation (the real one…not the one I’m giving [??!!], etc.
Keep your focus. God will fill in all of the blanks. My peace and yours too, comes from the fact that our “Leader” is calling! We’ll be praying for you and your family!
All the best,
Phil
Wow
I miss so much by missing one weekend service!!
I will surly miss you You have been a good stone to lean apon this past year and call you a blessing.
I pray that where ever you move on to that you will continue to be an encouragement and a blessing to the many as well as to the indivisual.
Thank you and God Bless
Erik
Pastor Paul,
I was traveling on business this past weekend when the horrible/wonderful news came of your resignation. I was shocked, sad, hurt, angry, sad, happy, sad, angry…I guess you get the point. I’ve had this horrible feeling for the past month that something was going to change drastically at Northgate, and I also had a horrible feeling that it had to do with you. I have so many mixed emotions right now. I’m so happy for you and your family, and I want you all to be happy and live the life that you deserve.
You’re absolutely an incredible and gifted person. You opened my eyes to so many things, and yes, Christ. I was one of the ‘unchurched’ with a world of anger. In one service, you opened my eyes to something that I will never be able to express in words. You have done so much for our family, again words can never express. I will miss you deeply, but I understand why you want leave. I feel so selfish wanting to keep you all to ourselves, but I also know the impact you will have on so many lives who truly need you in their life, as I did. I will miss your sermons, your sense of humor, and some of the best ‘every day’ life stories that I’ve ever heard. I will never forget the time and effort you put forth to make mine and Mike’s wedding day very special. It meant so much to both of us to have you marry us, and I will have that memory always. It was a perfect day.
I could go on and on….I have so many things I’d like to say. I wish you and your ‘ladies’ the best. I hope we hear from you now and then. I’m sure everyone will be anxious to know how well you’re doing and how many new lives you’ve touched. Thank You so much for coming into my life at a time when I needed you most! Never change who you are, and never change your sermons. You’re the best! You will succeed in your new venture, without a doubt in my mind. Our loss is their gain!
I want to thank you for Emmy as well. For making her memory a special one, and ensuring her memory will live on. Thank you for the blessings, the prayers, and the love you showed for Emmy during her short life. Thank you for helping me, and our family, understand why Emmy had to leave us so early. Thank you for the compassion and empathy, and for genuinely caring! I have never witnessed, and never will again, such an incredible baptism. I hope some day ‘G’ will understand just how much you did for her little sister.
Well, I said I could go on and one, didn’t I?
Take Care and Once Again, Thank You from the bottom of my heart!
We will sincerely miss you!
Teri and Mike 10/7/06
I’ve definitely heard both sides on this topic! I don’t think people should be so upset about God’s call on YOUR life. Yes, it’s sad and I hate to see you go, but that’s just it. You have to go. As a follower of Christ, when He says go, you go. I don’t think it’s fair for people to be angry at you for deciding to listen. I know it’s human nature, but my goodness! Some of the responses…… I don’t remember people getting this upset and angry when Pastor Max & Kristin got their call. Maybe it’s because the transition time was longer. Only He knows.
We have been blessed by having you as pastor and watching you encourage us to make God’s kingdom grow. We are praying for your entire family throughout the transition and hope you will come visit us. “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…”
[...] me to hear about what’s going on at my Dad’s church! It excites me to hear about Paul’s next steps! It excites me that I’m in a place where God is about to move me into a new ministry (even if [...]