Dear Church Family,
Not knowing where to begin with my thoughts, I’m going to attempt. May God bless this letter, and the message contained, and may understanding be granted by its reading.
I’ll be direct with its’ point, although the explanation will take some time. I’m announcing my resignation, that January 30th will be my final Sunday as Youth Pastor for Cedar Rapids First Church of the Nazarene. Let me first clear the air about any suspicions, I know you’ve dealt with resignations before. My wife and I are doing incredibly well, and our marriage is as strong as ever. Pastor Tim and I get along great, he’s been an incredible pastor, friend, mentor, and human being. My NYI President and I get along great as well. There is no more drama in the Youth Group than the normal gossip and uneasiness that comes with putting a group of teens together in a room week after week. From the surface, there is no visible reason for this resignation. That’s why this is hard.
When Sarah and I first moved here, we had never lived anywhere else before. We had dreams of being an incredible Youth Ministry couple, that God could use and would use anywhere in the country, or the world. We knew that most Youth pastors spent about 5 years at a church, and perhaps sooner, or later, they would move on to the next church; wherever and whenever that might be. We were excited about all of this. But after living here for a while, we began to realize things about ourselves both as individuals, and as a married couple…things that by their nature must affect us when realized.
Sarah comes from an incredibly close-knit family in Decatur, Illinois. I’ve actually adopted Sarah’s family as one to look up to, and strive towards becoming like someday. You may have noticed Sarah, and I when possible, head to Decatur on a regular basis. This might have just been written off as visiting family, and I think that’s what it was in the beginning. But as our ministry here progressed we began to realize more and more that Iowa wasn’t the place for us at this point in our lives. Visiting your family often is no substitute for the experience of actually living near them, and sharing in their daily lives. As Sarah and I began to think about our near future, and perhaps starting a family, or just trying to be honest with ourselves, we realized we needed to be closer to her family for this stage of our life, perhaps even longer.
It’s been preached, and I’ve even spoken on the fact that we exist on the outside from who we are on the inside. And because of that, when we realize something about ourselves on the inside, our outside lives must reflect that change, or we’re not being honest about who we are. When we do that, our life slowly begins to fade and dull, and we miss out on so much that God offers us. When Sarah and I realized our life needed to be back near family, we hesitated to do anything about it. I didn’t want to become a “short-term” Youth Pastor. We told ourselves we could stay a while longer. But in practice, that became impossible. Because who we are, and what we do on the outside, must come from within. Within, our home and hearts have been yearning to be closer to family. Our ministry here, as much as we love each of you and enjoy what we’ve been involved in here, began to become only a surface of ministry. That is something God warns about in every aspect in life, to not allow ourselves to live only on the surface. And so by writing this letter, by announcing to the church, and by moving to Decatur and whatever lies ahead is an incredibly freeing and life-giving experience, as hard as it is. In this moment I am being more honest and real than I’ve been in a while, and life is coming again to areas it had left a while ago. I hope that even in this moment, God is using me as a living testimony of what He wants from each of us…an authentic life; being real with ourselves, each other, and most importantly, being real with Him.
As for First Church of Cedar Rapids…I pray that my time here has not been merely taking from you. I hope that God has used me in some ways to touch the lives here. I know that I have been forever changed by my time here, and I will never forget the first church family to call me “Pastor”. You will forever be my first church experience, and that can never be changed. I know I’ve not been the epitome of “Youth Pastor”…there are a lot of things I could have, and should have done better. You took a chance on a kid who had just graduated college, and for that I’m eternally grateful, I hope you’ve not been disappointed. I believe there has been a purpose for our ministry here, and as hard as it will be, I have a peace about making this transition. I pray you will always consider yourselves partners in the ministry God is doing through me, because you have invested so much in our lives.
What exactly will I be doing in Decatur? I can’t answer that for sure as far as employment goes. There are about 7 Nazarene churches in the area, and I’m thinking of volunteering my time with a youth group there until a position opens up. I will also be traveling and speaking at any events I can get my name out to, because I’ve realized I enjoy that a lot more than I thought I would. I am also leaning towards going back to school for another degree or even a Masters. Please continue to pray for us, as we will also be praying for you all…daily. Thank you for everything, and feel free to ask me any questions, or throw things at me…whichever you need to do…I expect both.
In love, and with Christ,
Chadwick Anderson
words from wick 