Ephesians 2, Preview
This past Sunday, January 25, I announced that I am moving on as pastor of Faith Church. My new role is Human Resources Manager at Agriteer, a farming equipment sales and service company in the mid-Atlantic region. I’ll have more to say about that and the future of the blog in the coming weeks.
As I’ve shared the news of my transition out of pastoral ministry with people this past week, I’ve said that it has been both a long time coming and lightning fast.
The fast part is that as recent as the first week of January 2026, though I was in the interview process with Agriteer, I thought it was unlikely I would get the job. I have no Human Resources education, and my only experience is the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants small church HR that we’ve cobbled together over the years here at Faith Church. And the farm equipment industry? I know nothing. I figured just about any other candidate would be more likely to get hired. When they called and offered me the job, I was shocked, and it meant transition would happen rapidly.
The “long time coming” part goes back a ways. For many years I have hoped, dreamed, prayed, gone to school, got degrees, and became an adjunct professor, all in the pursuit of becoming a full-time professor, like my grandfather, father, and father-in-law before me. I applied for a handful of positions at regional Christian universities starting in 2019 when I was in my doctoral program.
And I got some interviews. At one institution I got as far as the round of ten remaining candidates for a professor of ministry position. Then at Lancaster Bible College, I applied for a professor of pastoral ministry job. With my family heritage there, adjuncting there for years, and my experience at Faith Church, I felt I was a strong candidate. I learned that about one hundred people applied for the job. I had multiple interviews, and made it to the final three. The thought of training up the next generation of pastors excited me! As did continuing my family legacy at LBC.
When they called to tell me that I was not being selected, I was heartbroken and asked if they could tell me anything about why. They said I wasn’t diverse enough.
I had to admit the truth of that assessment. Not only am I ethnically white, but with the exception of our missionary year in Jamaica, all my years of ministry have been a white context. And if LBC, which is also historically majority white wanted to diversify, I applauded them. Sure, I was disappointed, but I was also encouraged by Christians who were taking strides to pursue diversity.
In our continuing study of Ephesians, this coming week we will study Ephesians 2, and Paul’s theme is diversity in the church. There was a problem with racial segregation in the early church. Sound familiar? It should, given the story of American Christianity.
Read Ephesians 2 today, and then join me back here on the blog tomorrow as we begin to study this important chapter.
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 
As you shared bits of your interviewing experience, I see it as a time to listen and discern God’s calling for you.
It brought me back to the last job I interview for. There were a dozen applicants being interviewed for a posting for a Christian organization. I did not get the call-back as scheduled by the human resources panel. So I figured I was past over. I mentally reviewed the interview. I was offered the job. In a subsequent discussion I found out that the two areas which I had identified as having presented my self poorly, were seen as my strongest potential contribution to the organization. I filled that role for 11 years, my most rewarding years of my career.
Thanks for sharing. Very encouraging!