FROM THE DESK OF JOSIAH LEUENBERGER
Dear NIFW friends,
As many of you would attest to, when we engage in conversations around what it looks like for each of us who know Jesus to serve him faithfully with our gifts and abilities, with a sense of openness to how God might lead us in new ways, we put ourselves in a position before the Lord that is both exciting, as well as uncertain. It has been my joy to have these kinds of conversations with many of you about your faith and work journey through the ministries of NIFW.
I write now to share that the Lord has used these conversations in an exciting, yet bittersweet, way in my own life. For several months I have sensed the Lord drawing my heart to shepherd a congregation with pastoral leadership and the preaching of God's word.
I write now to share that I have accepted a call to serve as the Lead Teaching Pastor of Monterey Church in Monterey, CA. I will conclude my time as Director of NIFW in mid-July. My family and I thank the Lord that he led us to be a part of the NIFW and Christ Presbyterian Church communities.
We thank God for giving us this season, and for the ways that he has grown our love for him, the Church, and the world through our time together. My time as Director of NIFW has given me new perspective and experiences that will shape the way I lead moving forward. I am incredibly grateful for this.
Thank you for the kindness and support you have shown me as Director of NIFW.I am excited to see who the next leader is that God has been preparing for this role. I am also excited to see how God will shift the ground underneath that person's feet to draw them to the place he has prepared for them.
May the words of the Psalmist be fitting for all of us as we journey on in our participation in Christ's mission:
"May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations."
(Psalm 67:1-2)
With much affection in Christ,
Josiah Leuenberger
Paul Lim and Lauren Brett will continue to lead NIFW as we embark on hiring a Director for the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work.
