by Doug Rehberg
In 2000, after 10 years of ministry at Hebron, thanks to the care and support of the congregation, I was awarded a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Reformed Theological Seminary. One of the goals of the D.Min. program was to focus on an area of ministry development that would achieve three purposes: (1) make a contribution to the wider Christian church; (2) be the foundation for a doctoral level course in the subject; and (3) be publishable. Each of these purposes was met by us working together.
The reason I say that each purpose was met by “us” is because that’s literally what happened. Not only did the 1995 Session vote to allow me to begin my D.Min. program, but they gave me the time and many of the resources necessary to do it. Additionally, many of you participated in the Leadership Development Project (LDP), the focus of my thesis. The LDP took nearly 100 Hebron members (and others) over a 12-year period through an 80-hour course of study and experience to teach them how to be “disciple-makers”. It has been gratifying to see the fruit of the LDP manifest itself in so many lives.
Further, in the early 2000s the church leadership discerned the wisdom of offering me a 10-week sabbatical to turn my doctoral thesis into a book worthy of publication. Over those weeks Tim Williams and Larry Bowlin took several of my duties, including preaching, so that I could turn my thesis into a marketable book, Leadership Jesus Style, published by Reformation Press in 2008.
In 2015 after determining that the Lord was calling me to remain at Hebron for the foreseeable future, I began working on a ministry succession plan. What began as a private effort quickly became a shared exercise with the Executive Team, and then the entire Session. This effort resulted in a comprehensive multi-year ministry plan for Hebron.
Over the last five years we all have witnessed the remarkable transformation of the ministry and staff of Hebron. We have achieved solid and successful alterations in every area of the staff: administration, children’s ministry, facility management, worship and youth ministry. But the greatest change was the advent of Henry Knapp as Hebron’s Co-Pastor. As you may know, Henry began his tenure at Hebron in January 2019, a year prior to the original plan. We had hoped to finish the Barclay Building refurbishments in 2019 and bring the Co-Pastor on in 2020, but because of the state of Say Yes finances and Henry’s availability, we moved his hiring up a year. What a blessing that has been for all of us!
Another significant alteration in the plan was the delay in hiring an Associate Pastor. According to the plan, we had hoped to bring the Associate on in June of this year. But, with the Covid crisis still with us, this is again for the best. The current plan is to bring on the Associate Pastor in January 2021. What hasn’t changed in the plan is the Session’s willingness to afford me another sabbatical from August 24 to November 30, 2020. Due to the foresight and generosity of the elders and leadership of Hebron, I will be taking a significant time away to accomplish the three principle purposes of a sabbatical: (1) to recharge my spiritual and emotional batteries; (2) to work to discern the call of God on my life and ministry; (3) to enable the leadership of Hebron to move the ministry of Hebron forward without me. After the sabbatical is concluded, I will be back at Hebron through the balance of next year. Our goal is for the Associate Pastor to begin working with Henry in January in transitioning Henry from his current focus on the young adult ministry to assume the Senior Pastor position in September 2021.
I want to thank you again for the opportunity to take a sabbatical. My hope is that this time will be as fruitful for you as it will be for me. It’s amazing to look back over these 30 years of ministry at Hebron and see all the things for which we have to praise the Lord! I am confident in the ability of the staff and leadership of the church as we move boldly into the future together.
