Many people have been asking me how ministry at church is going recently. They know it’s a loaded question, because the past few years have been rough. So, typically, they take a big breath asking the question and then I take a big breath before trying to answer the question.

Here’s a quick highlight reel of ministry over the past three years. Fall of 2018 I went on sabbatical. I had been doing ministry for a decade. Then, upon returning in February of 2019, our former senior pastor suddenly resigned and the transition was not ideal. Although I had peace with our new leadership and my fellow pastors, the congregation was confused, hurt, and upset. It didn’t help that the whole ordeal dragged itself out over months and multiple layers of communication. We lost about a third of the congregation to this difficult transition. In sum, 2019 was by far my least favorite year of ministry, because I spent more time dealing with transition issues than time spent doing the ministry work I love and enjoy.

Yet, we pressed on through that difficult year looking forward to 2020. We were ready for a better year!

2020 saw a global pandemic shut down in-person gatherings. The church thrives on in-person gatherings. We did our best to quickly pivot to online. We spent lots of time on Facebook, Instagram and online-services. We made phone-calls to every person in our congregation. We did our best. In the midst of this pandemic we also navigated a presidential election that threatened to further divide our congregation that was already trying to stabilize and relaunch after 2019’s shake-up.

So, now we find ourselves in the summer of 2021. You can now see why the question, “How’s church?” feels loaded. But, thankfully my answer is very positive. I tell people that since Easter, it feels like the dark clouds have parted and we’re starting to see and feel the sunshine in ministry. People are returning to church. Our congregation in Ballantyne has grown from about 75 people at the beginning of returning from quarantine to now about 250 in-person. We had about 500 people attend our outdoor Easter celebration. We’ve seen old faces returning. We’ve welcomed new faces into our congregation. Best of all, we’re not talking about politics or leadership transitions! It’s beautiful! We’re talking about life, the Bible, and where Jesus is calling us to go next. I’m truly encouraged seeing the growth and momentum building during this post-pandemic season. I see that carrying over into the Fall and look forward with anticipation of what God will do in our community.

Family-life is full and wonderful. Hadley is working from home. She takes care of the boys full-time. Also, she is using her creativity to sell homemade jewelry (her company is called Messenger Co. and she’s on Instagram). Isaiah and Amos just turned four this past weekend. They are full of life and energy. They are into monster trucks, superheroes, and always want you to play with them. Isaiah is a leader. He is also very kind and gentle. But, he prefers if we all follow his lead. He is also very persuasive. Amos has a big imagination. He can talk superheroes all day and has lots of questions for me about each character. He also is very skilled athletically. We foresee them both enjoying sports someday.

Today I’m reminded of the importance of gratitude. There is always something to complain about, but there is also always something to be grateful for. I’m thankful for my family, my home, my job and, most of all, God’s grace. Thanks for following along here. Please, pray for patience in our parenting. Pray for our marriage. Pray for wisdom in my leadership in the church and for clarity to lead the congregation faithfully in following Jesus. Thank you!

Faith, hope, and love in Christ,

Gentry