March 12, 2023: Announcement: Mike & Teresa Klassen Leadership Transition

Announced in-person at the March 12, 2023 SunRidge church gathering.

Dear SunRidge Community Church,

When Teresa and I planted this church in 1997 we were committed to do our part to lead as servants for the long haul. We believed we were being obedient to move and start a new church.

We believed we were to start a church for people who didn’t want to go to church.

We knew this was not going to be very easy, but we wanted to be obedient.

We wanted to be obedient to a calling, even when we were uncomfortable,

Even when we made mistakes.

Even when we hit challenging seasons.

We have always believed in longevity – that you need to be in a community for a long time to build trust, to build relationship; that you don’t leave when things get rough, that you walk the hills and valleys with people. We believed that this was the obedience God was calling us to.

Along the way, we asked many times, “Lord, are you still calling us to lead SunRidge?” It was a question we visited regularly and recommitted to regularly.

Somewhere we also began to wonder… “how does this end?” We wanted to lead and then to transition in a way that really honored our church. The Lord did not give us any indication we were to leave, but the thought was coming to us to think about just the topic of leaving.

Four years ago we began to think about what healthy transition would look like

And we began talking about this as a leadership team more seriously. Very seriously. Then the pandemic hit and we felt the Lord was asking us to pause the conversation, to continue to stand with SunRidge through this next difficult season.

The world around us was reeling and things were shutting down. Things were confusing. We felt God was calling us to call the church to stand firm.

This became one of the most difficult periods of my leadership life.

When things started to open up once more, I sensed the Lord was instructing me to call our Leadership Team, our Elders, to focus on refreshing our minds and hearts on what it means to be an Elder. So we did that for a year.

After which I felt released to pick up the conversation about transition out of this leadership role. As we have talked about this time for SunRidge and for us personally, we have agreed that is time for me to begin to step aside.

Why is this important, especially when we don’t have an associate pastor and when there is rebuilding to be done?

I want to be very clear about this – about how Teresa and I feel about this – we want this stepping aside to be a gift to you. Instead of trying to find another associate pastor, we believe the Lord is now asking you to replace me and let that new leader be involved with hiring those who will serve with them. This only makes sense…it is the stronger move to do so.

I’m 62. I am zealous for some things I have always been zealous for, but…let’s be honest, I don’t have the energy I had 26 years ago to lead as a younger person could. And there are a lot of things in this culture and in this time and for this church that is going to require fresh eyes, and fresh energy and fresh zeal.

At this crossroads, as we are paying attention to being a healthy, missional church, let’s hire for the next generation. Let’s hire for what is to come.

Teresa and I are committed to doing everything we can to continue to be faithful leaders in this church as you seek the Lord for who is to be your next lead pastor. We plan to stay and pray with you and walk with you and serve you until the baton can be passed.

We love THE church, and we love this church. The gift we want to give is to welcome the new and cheer on the new and for SunRidge to thrive in its next 26 years.

What are we going to do when our Lead role at SunRidge is done?

Our plan is that we are going to a sabbatical. A time of stopping. A time of reflecting and healing and being renewed so that we can faithfully do what God has for us to do.

We don’t have a job to go to. We haven’t applied anywhere. We are not looking to apply anywhere. Nothing has caught our eye. And we aren’t even thinking in that direction.

When the time is right, we will stop. And we will be on a sabbatical.

As you process this, may the Lord give us all peaceful hearts to know Jesus is our leader.

Matt16:18 I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Jesus is our provider. and Jesus will lead us forward.

Jesus knows the next pastor just as he knows how to supply every need in this church.

With love from,

Mike & Teresa