POTW – Page 5 – Alumni Blog

March 24, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Matthew Schwarzentraub

By: Dezaray Barr

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Matthew Schwarzentraub, the Connections Pastor at Croswell Wesleyan Church in Croswell Michigan, graduated from IWU in 2012 with bachelor’s degrees in Christian Ministries and Biblical Literature. He graduated just this last year from Wesley Seminary with his masters of divinity from IWU as well.

Schwarzentraub has been a pastor of Croswell Wesleyan five years this June. He began as an intern in the children’s ministry. In the fall of 2013 he resigned, but just a few weeks later he was called back by the senior pastor to be the connections pastor.

“My job is to serve as the connections pastor, focusing on hospitality, connections and life groups,” Schwarzentraub said.

While a student at IWU, Schwarzentraub was involved in the young adult ministry at College Wesleyan Church and was a senator in IWU’s Student Government Association. Both involvements and his friends at IWU affected him in large ways.

Schwarzentraub said, “I believe that, even though I did not see it at the time, those two activities shaped the way I minister to this day. Another equally influential factor is the close-knit friendships that I made at IWU. I learned more about God and more about how he created me through my friends. We encouraged each other to lean into who we were made to be.”

Schwarzentraub favorite professor during his time at IWU was Dr. David Vardaman who taught Church Leadership and Wesleyan Church History. “What I love about him is that he is real, and he cares deeply about his students. I could sense that he wanted to teach knowledge, but he also wanted to teach character,” Schwarzentraub said. “I always knew that he cared about me personally.”

Matthew Schwarzentraub during his time in children's ministry — Matthew Schwarzentraub during his time in children’s ministry

One of Schwarzentraub’s favorite people at IWU was Dr. Keith Newman. “I’m not exactly sure how I got connected with him in the first place. It was probably through SGA,” Schwarzentraub said, “but I remember sitting down with him and discussing options for seminary. I had my mind on an established, more prominent program. He told me a story about a surgeon and a family doctor. The surgeon sees people, operates on them and doesn’t see them again. The family doctor sees patients, knows them and checks on them frequently throughout their lifetime. Dr. Newman then asked me to think about being a professor or a pastor. The more prominent seminary will train you to be a professor and you will know students for a semester and then send them off. This other newer seminary will help you continue to develop the heart of a pastor and you will know people for a lifetime. Which one do you want?”

Schwarzentraub knew his calling to be a pastor was real as a child. “One of the most distinct experiences came from my senior pastor when I was younger,” Schwarzentraub said. “It was at North Lakeport Wesleyan. I was involved in the Wednesday night CYC (youth) program, and we had to interview the pastor. As I finished my interview with Rev. Steve DeNeff, he asked if he could ask me a question. ‘Matt, what do you want to do with your life?’ I replied, ‘I want to be a pastor.’ He smiled, and later he was talking to my parents and recalled the conversation. After telling them what I said Pastor Steve said, ‘If he would have said anything else, I would not have believed him.’”

If Schwarzentraub could give current IWU students one piece of advice, it would be, “Put people first. It is easy to get distracted and be focused on results,” Schwarzentraub said, “but people need hope and the best way to show them hope is by listening, encouraging and caring.”

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Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a sophomore Strategic Communication and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. At IWU Dezaray is involved in PRSSA leadership and runs both the JWHC Blog and her own blog. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.

March 17, 2017March 17, 2017

Aaron Gross: Pastor of the Week

By: Heather Cox

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Aaron and his wife Peggy, photo from Facebook

Rev. Aaron Gross graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministry and graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2012. He became an adjunct faculty for Wesley Seminary in the fall of 2012 teaching a spiritual formation class for pastors. In addition, Gross is going to begin in the Doctor of Ministry program with a concentration in preaching in the upcoming summer of 2017.

Currently, Gross is the Senior Pastor of the Logansport Church of the Brethren.

For Gross, being an IWU student was a very rewarding journey which he is very thankful for. Gross began his journey at IWU as an adult student taking night classes in Fort Wayne to satisfy his General Studies. From there, he transferred those credits to IWU’s Marion campus to begin his Christian Ministries degree.

Becoming an adjunct faculty was a blessing which came through a very important conversation Gross had with Wesley Seminary’s Dr. Smith.

“I sat with him in Baldwin one day during my undergraduate degree and asked him, ‘How do I know if God wants to me to teach at a college level or continue to preach in His church?’ Dr. Smith said, “‘Is one of them wrong? Is it wrong to teach pastoral ministries or to preach God’s word? This is not a right or wrong answer. Could it be that God just wants to give you the desires of your heart?’” Gross explained.

It was a few years later when Gross was walking across IWU’s campus that he expressed to the Lord what his desire was.

“I remember saying, ‘God, if it is okay with you, I would love to teach young men and women at this campus how to be good pastors,’” said Gross. “It was just days later that Dr. Schenck asked if I would lead one of the cohorts for the master of divinity program when I graduated. Dr. Smith was right, God was just wanting to give me the desires of my heart.”

Gross has a pretty powerful story behind his call into ministry. Though he had started out in his family run business straight out of high school, it was while on a men’s retreat that Gross felt God had ministry in store for his future.

Gross said he was nervous to come home and explain this calling to his parents, as this would now cause his father to have to close their family business at the end of his retirement.

“As I told my parents the story, my dad said, ‘Well, I guess it is time to tell him the story.’ I thought to myself, ‘What story?’ My mom started telling of her having rheumatic fever as a child, her struggles with infertility and being told she would never bear a child. She said, ‘Your dad and I were married and continued to hope that the doctors were wrong, but month after month it seemed if they were right. One night, I got on my knees and prayed, ‘Lord, if you will give me a child, I will give him back to you.’ Nine months later you were born,’” Gross said.

Since hearing this story and being in full-time ministry, Gross treasures this story in the midst of difficult times.

“I have thought back to that day many times. When times get tough and I don’t see God’s hand at work, or when I am just tired of the fight ministry always seems to present, I go back to that moment and remember I am a child of a parent’s prayer, and I continue the work God has called me to do,” Gross said.

Even with this confirmed calling to what Gross does on a daily basis, there are still hardships and difficulties that come with it.

“Ministry has had its ups and downs,” Gross said. “There almost comes a time when you are afraid of good days because you know what is coming. But how do you decide if a problem is big or small? It seems that big problems have a way of diminishing in size and small problems grow into great difficulties.”

Through the difficulties that ministry brings, Gross said he is blessed to serve a growing congregation in a dying city.

“Our town has gone from 22,000 people to 16,000 people in twenty years. But the church has gone from 34 in worship to over 200 on a Sunday morning in that same amount of time,” Gross said.

The church has also added a Friday night service called “Hurts, Habits, and Hang-ups,” which brings in 70 people who are recovering addicts and their families. The church also has a ministry called “Prayer and Share”, in which they partner with teachers and faculty in their local school systems. The ministry brings them cookies and candies once a month, to let them know the church is praying for them.

The church also started a daycare to provide teachers a place close to their schools to bring their children for child care.

“Eighteen years ago, the church was used one day a week. Now we have room numbers on all the rooms to keep track of what is going on each night,” Gross said. “These rooms are filled with activities like exercise groups, accountability groups and meditation groups.”

As for advice for current IWU students, Gross has something practical to tell students.

“When your time at IWU is over, live your life in such a way that others would want to attend this grand university because of what they see in you,” Gross said.

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Written by Heather Cox, writer for the Alumni Office. Heather is a junior Journalism major at IWU. She is also the Editor of GrantCOnnected.net, a community news site run by IWU students. She is unsure of where life will take her after college, but she knows she never wants to stop writing!

January 27, 2017

Don Corder: Pastor of the Week

By: Heather Cox

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Don Corder, photo obtained from Facebook

Don Corder graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1991, after attending the University for his MBA.

While working toward his MBA, Corder was also working for General Motors. Following graduation he went into business until 2000, when he experienced what he described as a burning bush moment, and began working in a mega church.

“In 2000 I had my own consulting business, and I had a little consulting role they asked me to fix something for them and it was a real simple fix for a professional operations manager,” Corder said. “I went in and thought I was just gonna do a little consulting gig.”

However, six months into working at the church, Corder was named the Chief Operating Officer over the 50 million dollar ministry which employed 500 people, and was affiliated with 1200 churches across the nation.

“I left there in 2010,and I was about 50 years old so I thought, ‘Good! I have just enough time to get back in the industry to make some money so I can retire!’” Corder said. “God had a new plan for me. So I went and did a little administrative gig for a big methodist church.”

This church was in the process of hiring a new Executive Pastor, so in the meantime they had Corder temporarily sit in that position. When the Executive Pastor was hired, he had a vision for a shared services plan which would help neighboring churches as well. In this process, the church realized their family of churches was overpaying positions and unnecessarily replicating administrative functions.

“I began working with the church to develop something that would be effective and save our family of churches money,” Corder said. “Shortly thereafter, however, the church went through a few changes and essentially asked me if I would like to run with this new initiative separately from the church. I agreed, and that was the day that The Provisum Group was born.”

The Provisum Group offers business services such as Accounting & Financing, IT Administration & Support, and Communications & Marketing to church and non-profit ministry leaders.

Over the past three years since The Provisum Group began, Corder said they have grown tremendously without trying.

“It excites me to know that when a new church signs up for our services we are literally saving them money and helping to put more dollars to use towards the mission and vision,” Corder said.

Through working in both business and churches, Corder eventually ended up writing a book, titled “Minding His Business,” (reminder to ink) which was published in 2015.

“In business I did mergers, acquisitions, and turnarounds for years. Hardest, coldest, most analytical, relationship void part of business and then all of a sudden I’m managing churches,” Corder said. “I’m able to be able to cross that bridge, and I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’m passing on experience or wisdom and people have said to me ‘You need to write a book!’. And my response to that was, ‘Well, if God wanted me to write a book he wouldn’t have made me hate writing so much!’”

Eventually, Corder was introduced to a ministry that desperately needed a business plan but was unable to pay him for his work. Corder said he made a covenant with God years ago that he would treat each meeting with pastors as a divine appointment, so he knew he had to help with the ministry. It was then he found out there was a ghost writer who was a part of this ministry.

“It was just the Holy Spirit who said ‘Well, time to write the book!’ so I swapped them a business plan for a book,” Corder said.

Written specifically for those who are right brain thinkers, “Minding His Business” is essentially a business primer written similarly to a devotional and was purposefully written in a language that pastors can understand.

“My calling in my life is to take stones out of pastors shoes, and the book was written to take stones out of pastors shoes,” Corder said. “I don’t care how well any pastor runs his church. I couldn’t imagine a pastor reading that book and not finding one thing that could make his or her life easier. That’s the purpose of the book.”

Corder said his mission is to help churches do their business. “I get so much feedback from pastors and ministry leaders– how they both laugh and they cry because they see themselves on the pages,” Corder said.

“You see, experience and wisdom are different,” Corder said. “Experience can be painful. Experience is what you gain from something going well and/or when something goes wrong. Wisdom is what you gain from the experiences of others. It is just as helpful but less painful.”

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January 20, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Brian Bradford

By: Heather Cox

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Rev. Brian V. Bradford graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in April 2000, after studying Political Science/Pre-Law and Religion and Philosophy.

Six months ago, Bradford began serving as Lead Pastor at Wheaton Wesleyan Church, and said it is because of Indiana Wesleyan that he is in full-time vocational ministry in the first place.

Bradford said it was while he was a student at IWU that he grew to become a man of confidence, and experienced many positive “firsts.” These “firsts” include raising his hands and singing aloud in worship, being mentored by an upperclassman, creating his own group for mentoring underclassmen, academically working harder than ever, and traveling to unfamiliar places.

There were many professors and other individuals Bradford developed a relationship with during his time as a student, and each of them has greatly impacted who he is today. These individuals include David Bartley, Glenn Martin, Keith Drury, Bud Bence, Scott Turcott, B.J. Fratzke, Rob Thompson, and Robert Otis.

“I will never forget Dr. Turcott taking prayer requests in class. I will never forget Dr. Martin teaching me more about how to think biblically and critically than simply sharing historical facts and world events. I will never forget Chaplain Gary Swyers believing in me enough to ask me to speak in chapel,” Bradford said. “However, one person who stands out above so many was Gale Richmond. Gale wasn’t a professor. He was an administrative staff member. However, he would frequently take me and a few other hungry college guys out to lunch and speak truth into our lives.”

Bradford also referenced Dr. Barnes (the president at the time), Keith Roorbach in transportation services, and Bonita Wuertley in the religion office. Bradford said each person modeled Jesus to him and with him.

Though Bradford is leading a church today, it was not where he had always pictured he would be. Even though Bradford led Bible studies in Bowman house at IWU, served in churches during his sophomore and junior years, and had preached several times before he graduated, he still struggled with his call to ministry.

Originally, Bradford felt called to be a lawyer. However, while studying for the Law School Admission Test during the second semester of his senior year, he began to realize if he were to be truly obedient to God, he needed to apply to seminary.

Even still, the process and the journey has not always been easy– there have been obstacles to overcome, as well. Bradford said his biggest difficulty has been to overcome his lack of faith and fear of failure. He said throughout high school, college, and even in seminary, he often succeeded but had to learn that his success was no what it was all about.

“God longs for us to have faith in Him, not in our own abilities, talents, and gifts. Early on, I errantly believed ministry was about my work ethic and the people I knew,” Bradford said. “Over the years, God has stripped away my pride and rebuilt faith in its place. Instead of fear, now I pray and step back and watch God work. He always shows up, time and time again. Whether raising money for missions trips or reaching out to our local community, God always provides, and builds our faith in the process.”

Today, Bradford said the congregation of Wheaton Wesleyan Church has a wide range of ages. The church got its start 60 years ago and is just west of Chicago, 8 blocks away from Wheaton College. Even still, the congregation did not have college aged students when Bradford first arrived 6 months ago, though that has started to change. Today, they have 10-20 college students regularly attending.

“On the other end of the age spectrum, we have Ms. Merle. She is 109 years old and can likely out run you with her walker! Merle is definitely the oldest living Wesleyan on the planet!” Bradford joked. “The challenge of being a pastor is figuring out how to relationally and pastorally connect with Merle, who has attended WWC for 50 years, and yet love on college students, who are simply trying to pass their statistics exam next week.”

Bradford said this generational gap is why he loves the local church, and Wheaton specifically.

“The body of Christ brings together people from all walks of life to accomplish one purpose, the glorification and edification of our Lord,” Bradford said. “Because we have been blessed with these students, as well as a large contingent of seniors, God has given us a task. Pass on wisdom, faith, and leadership to the next generation. Mentor them. Encourage them to become all God longs for them to be. And in the process, us older folks may just grow and learn as well.”

As for advice for current IWU students, Bradford said not to wait until after graduation to begin ministry; instead, start now.

“Become a Big Brother or Big Sister at the YMCA in Marion. I did, and I am better for it. Serve in a local church’s children’s ministry or on their worship team. Seek out a mentor and meet with them regularly. Start a midnight bible study in your dorm. Do whatever God challenges you to do,” Bradford said. “You’ll never be in college again. You’ll never have this opportunity again to surround yourself with Godly professors, administrators, friends, and coaches. Take advantage of this time.”

“My collegiate days at IWU taught me so much, but above all, they taught me to be faithful to the task to which we’ve been called,” Bradford said. “Thank you for highlighting my story, and my ministry. I am truly honored and humbled.”

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January 6, 2017

Pastor of the Week: Neftali B. Lopez

By: Dezaray Barr

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Neftali B. Lopez is the Pastor of Iglesia Wesleyana Amistad Cristiana in Carmel, Indiana. Lopez is a graduate of National Bible College with a degree in theology in 1996. He went on to receive his M. Div. of Chaplaincy and Ed. S. in Leadership from Liberty University in 2011.

Rick Carder, IWU’s Director of Alumni and Church Engagement said, “When I first heard of Pastor Lopez, I was excited about the opportunity to meet him and to hear about his ministry. His efforts to reach out to people that are in need & connect with a ministry of care is exciting. Ministries that reaches out to first generation immigrants is challenging. Pastor Lopez demonstrates the compassionate kindness that is needed to meet the needs of these families.”

Lopez felt called to serve in 1986, but was unable to discern specifically where or in what role he was called to serve God. Lopez said, “Since my dad was a pastor, I dreaded the headaches I saw he had with that responsibility.”

naftali-lopez3 — Naftali Lopez and his wife

However, Lopez followed God’s calling for his life. “I interviewed with a church and out of three pastors I was selected,” Lopez said. “While I was going through the process there was a peace both my wife and I were feeling, knowing that if it is God behind all this, He will bring us through. That is when I knew all these years serving at different churches had been preparing me for this time. I let the river of God’s direction flow through its course and let Him, the Shepherd of His church, be in charge of this process as we became obedient to follow where he leads us.”

Lopez’s current church, Iglesia Wesleyana Amistad Cristiana in Carmel, Indiana, began in 2000. It was sponsored by Trinity Wesleyan Church in Indianapolis. Every service is offered in Spanish and also provides instantaneous translation to English for those who do not understand Spanish.

Lopez said, “For many who are far from their native home, our church is their piece of home. If you come to our church, there are a lot of friendly smiles, hugs and the warmth and humble welcome that characterized a redeemed person. The name: Amistad Cristiana is what we really are: Friendly Christians worshipping God and welcoming others to join.”

Lopez also currently serves as the IWU chaplain in the Adult Non-resident program at the West Indianapolis and Greenwood, IN campuses. Lopez encourages current IWU students to remember, “You can rise up, you and God are majority. Get up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

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Spanish Translation:

Neftali B. Lopez es el Pastor de Iglesia Wesleyana Amistad Cristiana en Carmel, Indiana. López es un graduado del Colegio Nacional de Biblia con un grado en teología en 1996. Él continuó recibiendo su M. Div. De Capellanía y Ed. S. en Liderazgo de la Universidad de la Libertad en 2011.

Rick Carder, director de Alumni y Church Engagement de IWU, dijo: “Cuando escuché por primera vez al pastor López, estaba entusiasmado con la oportunidad de conocerlo y escuchar sobre su ministerio.Sus esfuerzos para llegar a las personas que están en necesidad y conectarse Con un ministerio de cuidado es emocionante.Los ministerios que llega a los inmigrantes de primera generación es un desafío.El pastor López demuestra la bondad compasiva que se necesita para satisfacer las necesidades de estas familias “.

López se sintió llamado a servir en 1986, pero fue incapaz de discernir específicamente dónde o en qué papel debía servir a Dios. Lopez dijo: “Como mi papá era pastor, temía los dolores de cabeza que veía que tenía con esa responsabilidad”.

Sin embargo, López siguió el llamado de Dios para su vida. “Entreviste a una iglesia y de tres pastores fui seleccionado”, dijo López. “Mientras yo estaba pasando por el proceso había una paz que tanto mi esposa como yo estábamos sintiendo, sabiendo que si Dios está detrás de todo esto, Él nos llevará a través.” Fue entonces cuando supe que todos estos años sirviendo en diferentes iglesias había sido Preparándome para este tiempo, dejé que el río de la dirección de Dios fluyera por su curso y que El, el Pastor de Su iglesia, estuviera a cargo de este proceso a medida que nos volvíamos obedientes a seguir donde él nos conduce “.

La iglesia actual de López, Iglesia Wesleyana Amistad Cristiana en Carmel, Indiana, comenzó en 2000. Fue patrocinada por la Iglesia Trinity Wesleyan en Indianápolis. Cada servicio se ofrece en español, y proporcionan traducción instantánea al inglés para aquellos que no entienden español.

López dijo: “Para muchos que están lejos de su hogar natal, nuestra iglesia es su pedazo de hogar.Si vienes a nuestra iglesia, hay un montón de sonrisas amistosas, abrazos y la calidez y humilde bienvenida que caracterizó a una persona redimida. El nombre: Cristiana Amistad es lo que realmente somos: Amistosos Cristianos adorando a Dios y dando la bienvenida a otros a unirse “.

López también sirve actualmente como el capellán de IWU en el programa no residente adulto en las escuelas de West Indianapolis y Greenwood, IN. López anima a los estudiantes actuales de IWU a recordar: “Ustedes pueden levantarse, ustedes y Dios son mayoría. ¡Levántense, recojan su alfombra y caminen!”

November 20, 2016

Pastor of the Week: Michael Cloud

By: Heather Cox

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Michael Cloud and his wife, photo obtained from Facebook

Michael Cloud attended Indiana Wesleyan University as a part time student over the course of several years, completing his M.A. in Religion.

Currently, Cloud is the lead pastor of The Cross Wesleyan Church, located in Rochester, Indiana.

While studying at IWU, Cloud said he really enjoyed Keith Drury’s class on discipling men. What Cloud learned in that class has stuck with him and has helped shape his life and heart as a pastor, a man and a husband.

“The class helped me understand myself as a man and how to relate to men so as to draw them closer to Jesus,” Cloud said. “Men struggle with understanding relationships and understanding women. We think and approach relationships much differently than women. As I have discipled and counseled men, I have tried to help them grasp these differences so that they might relate to their wives and daughters in a godly way.”

Cloud has even applied this to how he raised his own sons by taking them out on a weekly basis for some alone time with their father.

Rick Carder, Director of Alumni and Church Engagement for IWU, said Cloud’s best qualities include his energy and his commitment toward serving the community regardless of the sacrifice or challenge he has to make.

When God reassured Cloud he was called to be a pastor it was through a friendship with a young man who had struggled with drugs, alcohol, and abandonment from his father.

Cloud said he spent time with this young man and never questioned why he smoked or drank, but instead lived life alongside him, and poured love into his life. Eventually, this young man opened up to Cloud, telling him there was a time he was considering suicide when a girl literally walked into his life and prevented it from happening.

“He told me, ‘I knew I could tell you because you have never judged me.’ He opened up and talked about his many struggles in his life,” Cloud said. “God began to bring his healing love into Alex’s life. Today, Alex is happily married and going to church and living a clean life.”

It was through this interaction and friendship God reassured Cloud that he was where he was supposed to be.

“This happened after I had gone through a difficult time in my ministry and almost left the church as a pastor,” Cloud said. “God was reassuring me that I was doing what I should be doing.”

Cloud said that he loves what he does as pastor. He enjoys caring for people and serving the Lord. Even still, there have been difficult times he has had to walk through as a pastor.

The biggest thing that causes Cloud’s heart to break is Christians causing other Christians pain.

“I have witnessed the critical, judgmental and negative attitudes of many of those who call themselves followers of Jesus,” Cloud said. “My heart breaks over the wounds that I have witnessed Christians causing other Christians.”

Cloud said he has even been on the receiving end of personal attacks from fellow Christians. For instance, there was a time an anonymous letter was sent to his congregation questioning his ability to pastor and lead a church. He said he had to learn how to give grace and love in the midst of the situation, and not only lead his church through it, but his wife and sons through it as well.

As for what Cloud hopes he is able to do through his ministry, he wants these personal attacks between Christians to diminish.

“I pray that I can build love and grace into the lives of Jesus’ followers so that they can stop attacking those they disagree with, and live a life that walks out the character and nature of Jesus,” Cloud said. “I believe that this is how we can draw others to God. We must model what we teach, preach and say we believe.”

The Cross Wesleyan Church has only been up and running for seven years, but is already very involved in ministering to the community.

“Pastor Mike is serving an economically challenged community, and his ministry has seen significant impact in the needs of people in the community,” Carder said.

The Cross has a food pantry which is able to assist 600 families a month, as well as provide food for 14 other food pantries in the community. In addition to this, the church is able to provide groceries for more than 4,000 individuals each month.

“The church also reaches out to our community in a variety of others ways,” Cloud said. “One example is that we host a city wide Easter Egg hunt at the local high school in which the gospel is presented to the families of the over 400 children who come.”

As for advice Cloud would give to current Indiana Wesleyan students, he said it’s important to build a growing relationship with Jesus.

“They need to understand what they believe. They must also develop good people skills,” Cloud said. “One must learn to love and care for even the very ‘least of these.’ A head knowledge of God is significant. A heart knowledge of God is the most vital knowledge they need. They will enter our world as his ambassadors. They must learn to represent him well.”

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Written by Heather Cox, guest writer for the Alumni Office. Heather is a Junior Journalism major at IWU. She is also the Editor of GrantCOnnected.net, a community news site run by IWU students. She is unsure of where life will take her after college, but she knows she never wants to stop writing!

November 13, 2016

Pastor of the Week: Andrew Morrell

By: Heather Cox

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Marion native Andrew Morrell graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2011, after majoring in Christian Ministries.

REAL Community Covenant Church’s logo. Obtained from Facebook.

After giving his life to the Lord in 2006 and returning to school in 2008, Morrell sensed that God was calling and leading him to plant a church where his heart has been, in Marion, Indiana. Since then, he has planted REAL (relational, evangelical, authentic, loving) Community Covenant Church.

While he was a student at IWU, Morrell said Dr. Chris Bounds was his favorite professor. Morrell especially appreciated that Dr. Bounds allowed space to be open to what you believe, and didn’t try to force his own beliefs on others.

Morrell said while at IWU, he received a better picture of the body of Christ. He grew up in a Pentecostal church, a Baptist church and predominantly black churches, so learning about Wesleyan theology began to show him how diverse the Kingdom of God actually is.

Morrell said when he was growing up, he had wondered and questioned why there were black churches, white churches and Hispanic churches. He did not like the tension present within segregated churches, and has since then felt a passion for planting a multiethnic, multiclass church.

“During my time at Indiana Wesleyan University, I knew God was calling me to be a pastor, and I knew it was going to be a pastor of a diverse, multiethnic, multiclass church. But the thing about it was there were not very many here in Marion,” Morrell said. “And in this process He was calling me to plant a church, start a new work. He had shown me that this was something He wanted to be birthed in the DNA of the church, a church that would be birthed into diversity.”

Morrell said they bought a building on 13th and Adam Street last year, and have been in the process of remodeling it. They have begun weekly services a little over a year ago with those he had shared the vision of a new church with.

Morrell said the greatest challenge in this process has been eliminating biases that are present between a diverse group of people.

Andrew Morrell and his wife. Photo obtained rom Facebook.

“But the beauty in the diversity as you move through it and work through it, it’s a beautiful thing,” Morrell said. “This is heaven on earth, and if we can work to move through that and to understand that Christ has called us to live an uncomfortable life–not comfortable but uncomfortable–if we can work through that and understand there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, there is a beautiful picture to be a part of.”

For Morrell, the best part of pastoring and planting this church has been developing relationships with people and seeing fruitful outcomes.

“Relationships with people, building new relationships with people,” Morrell said. “Talking with people, and really sensing this deep desire I believe is in everybody. Hearing this come out of people, this deep desire to live authentically diverse lives, and to see that come out and lived out.”

As for advice for current IWU students, Morrell challenges them to refrain from living comfortably, and to instead choose to live uncomfortable lives.

“Embrace the unfamiliar. To embrace uncomfortability, to be comfortably uncomfortable because this is where we are called to have faith in this work of diversity,” Morrell said. “This is a faith thing and if we believe that a man died and was raised from the dead, and we can put our faith in this, then why can’t we put our faith in learning to love people and do life with people who are not like us and are from different walks of life?”

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September 29, 2016September 30, 2016

Rev. Brad Wright – “How God Uses Even Me.” – Pastor of the Week

By: Rick Carder

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This week’s Pastor of the Week goes to Rev. Brad Wright, lead pastor at Lafontaine Christian Church since 2013. Possessing the gift of Preaching and Teaching, Pastor Brad serves as an example of humility and practical ministry. During lunch, Pastor Brad shared that his Call to ministry was one that included challenge to allow God to use him although “I am not extraordinary,” he shared.

Not growing up in church makes Wright’s Call to ministry very insightful. He can relate to those that don’t show up to church. His love for people is remarkable. He talked with a dozen people as we shared lunch. He gave high-fives to several elementary kids and shared encouraging words with many others. It is obvious that his ministry is very effective. Serving a congregation of just about 350 people and leading his staff of 3-4 people, it is also clear that his ministry is that of God’s love demonstrated to people. “I like people,” he said. “I’m just a knucklehead that God uses,” he added. Not self-deprecation, but rather humility was what I observed. He is confident in his Calling, but he seems to understand how to relate to people every day. “God uses even me to make a difference,” he shared.

Although he did not grow up in church, he shared that he attended church as a teenager primarily because it was an opportunity to see the girl he was dating. Now married to that same lady, their ministry is community based. Missy, his wife, serves as a Probation Officer for Wabash County. They both shared in ministry prior to his current church with Whites Residential Services nearby that provides home-based, foster care, adoption, and residential care for young people. “We both attended Bible College in Florida,” he said. It was through that experience that he received his Calling to ministry, and they eventually married.

I asked Pastor Brad about what Bible verse he would consider his life verse. He shared that I Corinthians 15:54 & 55 meant the most to him along with Jeremiah 29:11. These verses remind him that God is a good God. “I am reminded of the wonderful work God has done in my life,” he shared. He told me that there are hard times in ministry but he encourages his staff and reminds himself that “we need to focus on the positive work God is doing,” he shared.

We talked a great deal about understanding the local church culture and community as well as understanding the mission of the church. “We just can’t take every good idea and apply it to the church’s mission,” he said. He expressed thanksgiving as he referred to his congregation. His focus is intentional as he considers the mission of the church. From the church website their mission expression is, “A group of imperfect people trying to walk with a perfect God and help other imperfect people do the same.”

From his website:

Before coming to LCC as the Senior Minister our family spent the last 20 years in some form of Youth Ministry from Children’s to Campus Ministry mostly in the State of Indiana. My wife Missy and I have two beautiful daughters, Tyler and Jaycie, plus one annoying dog!

This month is typically a time when many churches celebrate their pastor through Pastor Appreciation Month. We celebrate the ministry of the local church and most notably, pastors. This week we recognize Pastor Brad Wright and invite you to also congratulate him and the ministry he leads.

Pastor Brad is an IWU Alum, completing IWU’s online BS degree in Ministry in 2008.

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Written by Rev. Rick Carder, Director of Alumni & Church Engagement at Indiana Wesleyan University.

September 12, 2016September 19, 2016

From Reluctance – Rev. J. Scott Howington – Pastor of the Week

By: Rick Carder

What is the secret to longevity in ministry? This question danced around in my head while meeting this week with pastor Dr. J. Scott Howington, a twenty-year veteran at one church. The fundamental notion of a long-term ministry is not unusual especially in smaller churches. I thought to myself, others have served in church ministry for many years but not many remain in smaller congregations. To the point, in a recent survey poll from Lifeway Research, “suggested the average pastor’s tenure in a local church is 3.6 years (See Dennis Cook, July 18, 2011)” recorded in an article written by Dr. Franklin Drummons.

Eight Point Eight Two: How long do pastors stay in one church?

While it is suggested by Dr. Charles Arn from Wesley Seminary that long-term pastorates are best when leading larger, growing churches. Dr Arn shared;

I agree with Roger Parrot, who says: “Lead as if you’ll be there forever! Imagine that the organization and position you are in right now is what God wants you to do for the rest of your professional life” (Lasting Strategies for Rising Leaders, Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook Publishers, 2009, p. 19).

A pastor that exemplifies the maxim, “Lead as if you’ll be there forever!” is this week’s Pastor of the Week, Dr. J. Scott Howington. He pastors a smaller church in the suburbs of Chicago as a long-term pastor. This has worked for him now for twenty years. I wanted to know the secret. We have “become a community,” says Howington in a recent discussion we had over lunch. His acknowledgment that he knows of ministry colleagues who do not stay in ministry long term. He referenced that in days gone by many homes were built with front porches that symbolized the openness to having visitors. “We now have back yard decks with fenced-in yards,” he said. He is saddened that we just don’t seem to know our neighbors these days. In his usual optimism for church ministry he shared that we need to be intentional about efforts to “get to know people.”

Howington was a delight to speak with as he shared that ministry can be hard and disappointing but “People can let you down,” he shared. He said that his father, a pastor himself, cautioned him about this. “I went to Moody Bible Institute to become a TV news anchor,” he shared. He was not looking to go going into the ministry. One might say that he was it was his reluctance that helped fuel his commitment to ministry once he accepted his Call. “It was during a church service when a lady pastor shared a message about Abraham. It was the words he needed to hear that day that changed his future path and solidified his Calling. Howington said that the minister shared that, “God cannot have any part of you unless He has all of you.” These words forever changed his heart and mind and he changed his direction (completing the Communication Broadcasting degree). One significant lesson he learned which contributes to his longevity is that you must not hold onto things too tightly. He said, “Hold all things to God in an open hand.”

“My wife felt a Call to ministry or missions,” he shared. It was and is her influence that has impacted my ministry. “If it weren’t for her I would be living and sleeping in a refrigerator box in lower Wacker Drive in Chicago” he shared with a smile. According to the church website.

“Charlene and I were married in May of 1981. We lived in Winona Lake, Indiana for 15 years while I attended seminary and then became a staff member of Pleasant View Bible Church from 1985-1996. (We can talk sometime about our penchant for churches with the name “Pleasant”).”

His ministry is intentionally focused on serving single mothers. His D.Min focused on research that he shared many “churches do not have specific ministry to single mothers,” he shared. This is one of the ministries he is passionate about and he shared a story about how his church recently helped a student from a single mother in his church has been mentored by the men of the church. This student shared with Pastor Howington, I don’t have a father but, “the men in the church are like a father to me. They have always been there for me.”

Pastor Howington shared the importance of teaching the Truth of God’s Word. Referencing his church website;

“I believe that my task is to understand and explain the Bible as it relates to living life in the 21st Century. Then I must model what I preach and teach. I am convinced that the Bible is the most relevant book any of us will ever read.”

Pastor Howington also holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Grace Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministries from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

It is a joy to welcome Dr. J. Scott Howington to the ranks of the Pastor of the Week.

Written by Rev. Rick Carder, Director of Alumni & Church Engagement at Indiana Wesleyan University.

February 17, 2016February 17, 2016

PotW “Lessons from Relationships and Failure” Rev. David Dignal

By: Rick Carder

David opened his seminar on Conflict Resolution with the statement, “If you are breathing, you will experience conflict.” Sharing experiences from his ministry, Dignal offered ideas on handling conflict in our lives during a teaching session hosted by the IWU Alumni Association – Fort Wayne Regional Network on February 11, 2016. Dignal defined his greatest passion as resulting from opprotunities of ministry, “When you can mend a broken relationship is a win. Anytime you can get people on the same page is a win.”

For over thirty-five years David Dignal has served as a pastor in the Wesleyan Church. He has experienced ministry through his passion for teaching and leadership. David is an alum of IWU, finishing his Master in Religion degree through IWU. Dignal is also a graduate of Ohio Christian University (B.A. in Christian Ministries). He referenced Dr. Wayne Schmidt, Vice President of Wesleyan Seminary, who helped him learn how to manage conflict.

Dignal cited four areas of conflict: community change, financial stress, closed power systems, and prescriptive expectations. In the ministry of serving in a local church, he is reminded that working with people can be difficult but that, “there are many rewards as well.” In his ministry he has learned to lead gracefully.

Pastor Dignal now serves at Edgerton Wesleyan Church, where he has been since the fall of 2002. He has turned the church around by providing an optimistic leadership style that included teaching principles of leadership to its members. He is also a trained church planting assessor for The Wesleyan Church. Dignal’s main focus in coaching an individual is to see that person develop their full “LQ” – leadership quotient. He said the LQ means, “We have to promote leadership development. The leader has to grow and not depend on the past successes. You can always add to your ability.” The leader’s growth is the key to his or her personal and ministry effectiveness and fulfillment.

In sharing on a personal level, Dignal shared that he completed a process of being certified in the Wesleyan Coaching Network. About himself he said, “I did my training with Tim Roehl. I really do like the GROW model, simply because it keeps my focus on helping the person grow in whatever area we are working on.” He describes the GROW model by asking pastors to look at their ministry “Goals” and “Realities” as well as the “Opportunities” then they define the plan in what he calls “What will we do?”.

Dignal integrates his coaching principles by engaging the passion of people and helping them find their strengths. As the Director of Alumni and Church Engagement, I (Rick Carder) asked David Dignal to provide leadership coaching to the Fort Wayne Regional Alumni Regional Network. Dignal is creative and optimistic as our team looks to serve alumni in the region. The team works together to define objectives and goals that reach and serve alumni. His leadership and coaching is a positive contribution to this team.

During his conflict resolution presentation Dignal shared a personal example of leadership roles and their constant change. “Yesterday we celebrated my nineteen year old daughter’s birthday. We often remind our children what the relationship roles are,” he shared. Further, “In dealing with conflict we continue to define roles. I have to remember that she is nineteen now. I have to make adjustments too.” As he reflected about ministry he said, “As culture changes you have to make adjustments. The message doesn’t change but the way we do ministry does. There are new opportunities when culture changes.” Now that he is a grandfather, Dignal was asked about how ministry has shaped him over the years. He said, “The impact has been that the perspective of children’s ministry has changed. I have always valued this ministry but now that I have a grandchild, it has given me a personal connection.”

This is part of why Dignal is passionate about church renewal. He serves on the Church Renewal Team with the Indiana North District of the Wesleyan Church that helps churches to be more effective. “I am part of the renewal conversations which I enjoy,” says Dignal. His greatest joy is in serving Christ. He commented, “Seeing God’s truth worked out in real life scenarios is my passion.”

“I have a responsibility to communicate vision in a way that people can understand,” says Dignal, “I want to get everyone on-board.” He continues, “I am good at repeating the same thing over-and-over again so that everyone gets it. I say the same thing but I say it differently so that people get it.” He teaches as an adjunct professor for IWU. He often encourages his students by helping them to connect to what he teaching by using stories and illustrations that build on principles.

On a personal level David was asked what his life Bible verse is. He answered, “I don’t have a life verse but I have a favorite. It is Philippians 1:6. I paraphrase it simply, ‘What God starts he finishes.’” It gives him confidence in the darkest times.

In speaking about his ministry impacts, he talked about two significant experiences that have shaped him. “One of those is the pastoral heroes in my life.” Referring to the four years he served as a staff with Pastor Jimmy Johnson in Bonita, CA. “He taught me to be real and relax in who God created me to be.” He also reference a painful time in his life. “My failure as a church planter,” he said. He continues, “It has shaped me because it taught me humility and forced me to realign on my values in the church. My failures caused me to come out and realize the importance of ministry.”

The accomplishments include church planting and training specialties. During a public recognition following his presentation at the training event as the newest member of the Pastor of the Week (PotW) inductee, David demonstrated a servant’s heart by sharing personal successes and failures. He has served over 35 years of pastoral ministry experience, 13 years as an Adjunct Professor for Indiana Wesleyan University, and served 7 years as Assistant to the District Superintendent of the Indiana North District of The Wesleyan Church. He now serves as a ministry coach for the Wesleyan Church.

Pastor Dave has been married to his wife Stevie for over 34 years and have three children (Sarah, Jonathan, and Rebekah), one son-in-law, and one grandson. They met at Circleville College in 1977. She was from New York and he was from Pennsylvania but we met in college. They started dating when I was in my last year of college.

Sources: https://www.wesleyan.org/1471/coach-david-dignal

Written by Rick Carder, Director of Alumni and Church Engagement.