A New Season – An Update on Scott & Courtney

When I came to Christ in college I made a commitment to God that I would follow Him anywhere He would lead and do anything He would ask. That adventure led me to my beautiful wife Courtney, multiple mission trips around the world, to build our family through international adoption, to step out of a successful sales career into full-time vocational ministry, and to help start Life Church where I’ve served full time for the last 10 years.

As Daniel says, “God changes times and seasons.” The time for us to follow God in the next season of that adventure is here. I am stepping back from my full-time pastoral position at Life Church into a part-time role. I am also going to work full time with a startup in Indianapolis called Dulead. We will focus on utilizing technology to help organizations do leadership development in a way that is continuous, consistent, measurable and extremely effective.

This is not just a job change but the culmination of a dream that God first planted almost two years ago. As many of you know, I spent five years in the marketplace working for a technology company before helping start Life Church. Living out my faith at work was something I enjoyed, something we encourage YOU to do every week, and something over the last two years God made clear that I would do again. Also, over the last several years God has given me experience and a passion for raising up and developing leaders.

A year ago Courtney and I realized that we hadn’t taken any major steps of faith recently. In many ways, we had become comfortable and complacent. We asked God to change that. (This is a very dangerous prayer so pray it at your own risk!) Over the last year through lots of prayer and counsel with many friends and mentors, we determined this is the direction God is leading us. We are excited and expecting God to do great things in this next season. We are also a little hesitant as we step into the unknown and take a risk in leaving what we’ve been used to.

Now to answer questions you may have.

  • Are you leaving Life Church? No! We are NOT leaving Life Church. We love Life Church. Life is our family. We plan to be involved and serve just like we ask everyone to do that calls Life Church home.
  • Are you still on staff? Yes. I will remain on staff at Life Church in a part-time capacity. I will still preach 1x a month and lead our First Impressions Team.
  • Are you still a pastor? Your gift and God’s call on your life doesn’t change based on where your pay check comes from. So yes! However, since I won’t be in a full-time pastoral role I won’t be available as often for counseling, meetings, etc. We want to protect our family time so I will frequently redirect people’s requests to our full-time pastoral staff. Thank you in advance for being understanding.
  • Is something wrong at Life Church or with you personally? No! I understand it’s human nature to hear something like this and starting asking questions or make assumptions about what is really going on behind the scenes. Don’t go there. However, if you do, let me put to rest what you may be thinking:
    • There are no LEADERSHIP issues at Life Church. Tony is awesome and we continue to be extremely close. He has been a spiritual father to me for over a decade and that will continue. We have a great staff, elders, and there is nothing unhealthy going on.
    • There are no FINANCIAL issues at Life Church. We are healthy financially.
    • Life Church is NOT in decline. The opposite is actually true. There is growing momentum. God is bring people to Life and lives are being changed in ways that have never happened before. It’s an exciting time to be at Life Church!
    • There is no PERSONAL moral failure, family issue, or anything else wrong with me or my family that has led to this.
  • Will this hurt the church? We have already started working a transition plan for my role and responsibilities. I expect this will HELP the church. More people will have opportunities to lead. More people will be able to step up and utilize their gifts and talents. More people will carry the load which is healthy for everyone!
  • Who is doing _____ that you used to do? Probably Tony, Tana or Starla right now. Start with them and they’ll direct you to the right person.
  • How long will this last? Is this permanent? Many years ago God taught me to not make long term plans and to be content with today. This is the right step for me personally, us as a family, and Life Church for today. Will it last a year, two years, 10 years or decades? We don’t know. But we do know God does. Let me remind you what James 4:13-14 says: “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”

I am excited for the future! There is momentum building at Life Church that is of God and the best is yet to come! Developing leaders is my passion and being able to utilize my background with technology to do that is something I can’t wait to focus on full time. God is good. God’s Kingdom is going to advance at Life Church, in business, and Indianapolis. I’m so thankful to be a part of it. Let’s go change the world!

Question: If you have any questions or want more info comment below or contact me directly. I’d love to talk more about what God’s been up to. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

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10 thoughts on “A New Season – An Update on Scott & Courtney

  1. I am more than thrilled for you, Scott. As scary as it is, it is also exciting when God changes things up. I know God will spread you around to more people and that will be a good thing for them. More love spread around. I pray and know that God will have His hands on everything and everybody you touch. Bless you lots….

    • Cathy, thanks so much! I appreciate your support and prayers. God is good and I’m looking forward to what is ahead in this new season for both Life Church and our family!

  2. Congratulations! I have thrilled in watching you grow. Listening to our heart, and more importantly listening to our Father’s direction is what we strive for at Life Church. You are obeying a higher authority. Recently, I have witnessed you step into furthering the Kingdom by praying with my son-in-law Carlos and helping Alex Lion. You are fearless and selfless, like the apostle Paul. You take on life. You have inspired me to be a better Christian.
    Pax Vobiscum.

    Randy

    • Randy – thank you! It’s a joy to be able to serve others and see life change. I’m thankful for you and Rose and your relationship. How is Carlos doing?

  3. Scott,

    Godspeed in your new endeavor! You have a vast skill set that will prove beneficial to all those with whom you interact. Many blessings on your horizon!

    Love, your father-in-law, Brooks