By Duane Stine
Eastern PA District Team
After almost seven years of district ministry, I have sensed the call back to local church ministry. I have truly loved serving in this role under three different superintendents and alongside some of the best people I have ever had the privilege of working with. It has been an interesting journey to get to this point, but God has made the way very clear.
As I take time to reflect on this season of life, I have compiled several takeaways that I would like to share:
The first is one that hit me early on and just continued to grow throughout the years. From my time as a layman and on staff in local church ministry, I looked at the district as being there when you need them but otherwise something to be kept at arm’s length. I quickly saw ministry from the opposite perspective and embraced the value of a larger family of churches working together for kingdom impact and the district team as ones who were willing to lend a hand and help to unite the movement. I encourage you to lean into the district churches and team and allow them to lean into you.
A second takeaway is that churches really can merge! It is not easy. It is not the norm. But I watched it transpire in Dickson City as Peckville and Clark Summit became one church (Cornerstone) in a new location. It is beautiful when it happens, and I was thrilled to have a front row seat from the beginning to end of the process. Praise God for his leading and for the willingness of so many to submit and stick to a long and difficult process, keeping kingdom values higher than personal preference.
On the other end of the spectrum, church closures really hurt. In my lifetime I was able to track with the complete lifecycle of the Dillsburg church. I celebrated as people were sent out to plant the church and I was there on the day the church closed its doors forever. This is only one of a handful that closed in the past seven years and each was painful in its own way. The need for gospel preaching churches all across our district is great and planting churches and helping churches get healthier must always be a part of our mission towards greater kingdom impact.
Another takeaway is that in general, we try to avoid change yet change is happening all the time. The culture is always changing and so is the political landscape. Churches, leaders, pastors, people – they are always changing. Some changes seem slow as molasses in winter while other seem to come at breakneck speed. But either way, change is happening, and I believe I can honestly say that I have witnessed all the occasions listed in Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 to some degree in the past seven years.
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Verse 5 really stands out recently, “a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.” This has been quite evident during Covid as we have seen our means of social interaction turned on its head. Change is difficult but change is always occurring, and you are always moving towards one end of the spectrum or the other – willingly or unwillingly. I have also seen God in the midst of the changes as he brought new pastors to churches, provide finances and/or facilities out of nowhere, and led breakthrough in impossible situations! Change is happening. Why not lead in it instead of being led by it?
One of the most powerful, personal takeaways was the illustration of the Gospel ladder that was new to me at District Conference 2019. It has had a dramatic impact on my life and will continue to be a key in shaping my understanding of the Gospel. If you are unfamiliar with it, I encourage you to listen to the second session of the 2019 District Conference. It can be found here on the district website.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a few more takeaways to ponder without explanation.
We have amazing International Workers in EPA. Find ways to partner with them.
Development is essential for all of us. Never stop learning and growing.
Multiplication must be part of everything we do.
It has been a beautiful privilege to serve the Eastern PA District for the past seven years. I am grateful that I will remain in the district and will be able to stay more easily connected with many of you. I will leave you with the words of Paul to the Philippians that express my sentiment towards EPA:
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3-6)