By Brian Williams, BGAV Field Strategist

Many churches are facing new realities and the difficult challenges that come along with those. As churches learn how to adapt to these new realities, they are also asking new questions about how church staffing is impacted by these changes. While some churches are overwhelmed and discouraged by the changing landscape, others see new opportunities and ways of moving forward with ministry in their church and community.

Northwest Baptist Church is in a rural area just miles away from the North Carolina state line and minutes away from the Great Dismal Swamp. A couple of years ago, there was a pastoral vacancy at Northwest Baptist Church. The former pastor had served in a full-time capacity, but the church would not be able to financially support a full-time pastor in the next season of their life.  

During that time Bryan Gravely was serving as part-time minister of youth at Ivy Memorial Baptist Church in Hampton. Bryan serves as the Director of Plant Operations at The Chamberlain, a senior independent living facility overlooking the Chesapeake Bay located at the historic Fort Monroe. Bryan’s journey in ministry began when he was asked to serve as a chaperone for a youth mission trip with Parkview Baptist Church in Newport News. As he continued to work with young people, Bryan’s call to work with students began to take shape.

When Bryan was called to serve across town at Ivy Memorial, he had been well trained and discipled to work with young people. The evidence of his call flourished in his ministry at Ivy. He also began preaching periodically, and it was soon apparent that God was calling Bryan into preaching ministry. In October of this past year, Bryan was ordained and became the pastor of Northwest Baptist Church. He maintained his employment at The Chamberlin while serving his new congregation of 20 people.  

On New Year’s Day, tragedy struck a family at Northwest. The chairman of deacons was notified that his 50-year-old son had suffered a heart attack. The son was transported to Norfolk Sentara, where family and friends began to arrive. Bryan had never taken a seminary class and had never faced this kind of tragedy in his role as pastor. More than 40 friends of Ray began to fill the waiting area, most of whom were hunters and fishermen.

Bryan’s ministry at that moment was one of presence and prayer. Twelve hours of heart surgery ensued. A week later, Ray passed away. The funeral was planned for several days later, with little time for Bryan to get his mind and heart around his first funeral as a pastor. On the day of the funeral, an estimated 470 people showed up in a church that seated just over 200 people. There is no paved parking lot at the church, so people parked on the church grounds. The cornfield directly across from the church was turned into a makeshift parking lot. The sanctuary space was fully saturated with as many people as could possibly be crammed into every corner and crevice. Others stood outside as the service was being conducted.

A couple of months later, residents at The Chamberlin were notified that the priest would not be able to be present for Ash Wednesday. Some of the residents, who were aware that Bryan served as a pastor, asked if he would lead the service of administering the sign of the cross on the foreheads of the worshippers. Although he had never done anything like that before, Bryan agreed to step in and honor the requests of those who celebrate this tradition. As it turned out, residents from a wide variety of faith traditions came to the service, and each one of them requested that Bryan administer the sign of the cross.

Further, the residents asked Bryan if he could lead their Bible Studies and worship. In effect, they desired to call Bryan to serve as their on-campus pastor. Bryan now leads this ecumenical group each Tuesday in Bible study, and one Thursday each month he preaches a sermon for the residents.  

In reflecting back over the journey so far, Bryan credits being fired from a previous job at Bed, Bath, and Beyond as being instrumental to his story. Had he not been fired, Bryan says that he would still be a church “consumer.” His journey as a minister has been one of navigating new experiences and opportunities as they emerge.  

Bryan’s story is one that many churches in their own way—and with their own “Bryans”—will be experiencing in days to come. Although many people mourn that the glory days of church have drawn to a close, God is raising up a whole movement of disciples and leaders through whom the glory of God will be revealed in new and different ways. The skills and gifts necessary to navigate cultural changes may very well look quite different than those required of past generations. In many ways we have come back to Acts, and God is doing new things in new ways with new people.

While Bryan was sharing his story with me as we sat at Jason’s Deli, a gentleman at a nearby table began to listen along. Toward the end of the conversation, he came and stood just out of sight to my right as he focused on what Bryan had to say. He then interjected himself into the conversation and asked Bryan his thoughts about a recent show he had watched which claimed that the letters of Paul were not faithful expressions of the teachings of Jesus at certain points. In an instant, Bryan assumed the mantle of apologetic, teacher, and theologian.  

Although churches may not look the same as they did several decades ago, the movement of Jesus is alive and well in our world. It is being experienced in new and fresh ways that are reminiscent of the original way in which the movement was begun at Pentecost.