Unremarkable at First Glance

Behind the door in my office hang my diplomas and my ordination certificate. Most people who come into my office never see them—and that’s okay, because they’re there to remind me of my training and my calling. 

A few months ago, I paused and read through the yellowing parchments. I was surprised to realize that this year, 2025, marks 30 years since I was ordained. That thought took me to memories of my ordination service, and then to a pastor by the name of Bob. 

Remember your leaders 

I recently had lunch with Bob, who is 97 years old. Bob was my parents’ pastor when I was born. He, along with my mom and dad, dedicated me as an infant at Bethany Evangelical Free Church (EFCA) in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1963. Through his faithful, persevering ministry as a pastor, Bob called his congregations to be transformed by the renewing of their minds (Rom 12:2). 

Bob’s preaching, shepherding and vibrant spirit were tools God used to bring about gospel transformation in thousands of lives, even though he worked primarily in small and medium-sized churches. His biblically grounded, Spirit-empowered ministry continues to bear fruit long after he has moved on to serve elsewhere. This is how God multiplies the impact of transformation: like pebbles thrown into a pond, our words and actions ripple outward in ways we may never fully see. Transformational ministry carries forward in ways we often can't measure.

As long as I can remember, Bob and my dad were close friends. Even after Bob moved on to serve other churches, our families kept in touch—not just with the obligatory Christmas letters, but through regular correspondence. At times, Bob and his family even became vacation destinations for us. Once both couples became empty nesters, they would meet up for fun and fellowship. 

It was only in the last year that I reconnected with Bob, who lives just 45 minutes from my office in Minneapolis. What has stood out to me from eating lunch with Bob is that his influence on my life has almost all been indirect. Bob was not my friend; he was my dad’s friend, and they were friends long before I was born. 

Having a good friend makes a profound difference in a man’s life. My dad was a better father because he had a good friend and a good pastor. As a result, my dad grew in his faith, studied his Bible, and led family prayer and devotions at most evening meals during my childhood. While my dad made his own decisions about how to spiritually lead our family, I suspect Bob’s influence played a role in that, which subsequently had a lasting impact on me. 

Consider their lives 

One of my favorite stories about Bob took place in 1965, just a few years after I was born. While Bob was pastoring Bethany EFC, God led him and the congregation to plant two new Free Churches in Madison. At the time, Bethany was centrally located, and the city was expanding east and west. With God’s guidance, Bob planted both churches simultaneously. He preached early on Sunday morning at the mother church, then preached at the east side church later in the morning. After a nap, Bob would head to the west side for an evening service. Today, those churches—Door Creek Church (EFCA) and Blackhawk Church (EFCA)—are two of the largest in the county, and Bethany continues to serve central Madison, hosting multiple ethnic congregations. 

My parents were sent out from Bethany as founding members of Door Creek (originally called Buckeye EFC). Although Bob did not serve as my pastor, I was raised in a church he helped start. It was in that church I came to faith in Jesus Christ, was discipled and baptized. This church nurtured me through my school years. During my freshman semester in college, the church gave me a scholarship to attend Urbana ‘81, which changed the trajectory of my life. Two years later, they supported me on a three-month mission experience. Later, after I married in the church, they provided me with a modest scholarship each semester during my time at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to show their affirmation and support. All these blessings in my life trace back to Bob’s obedience to God.

While most of Bob’s impact on my life was indirect, there were two key moments in my adult life when he was very much present. The first came in 1995, when I had gone through the ordination process. My congregation was planning an ordination service, and when they asked me who I wanted to preach that Sunday, I first thought of Dr. Ivan York, the district superintendent, and then Dr. David Larsen, my homiletics mentor. But then I thought of Bob—a faithful, persevering, local church pastor who had held me as an infant. That morning, after Bob preached, he, my father, the district superintendent, and the church chairman laid hands on me and prayed at the close of the service.

The second moment came in 2009. In his retirement years, Bob was part of a gospel quartet and called me to see if our church would be willing to host a concert. We agreed, and the concert was well-received. Afterward, at our home for dessert, Bob and his wife, Margaret, asked how things were going at the church. We shared that, after a three-year building campaign and significant facility expansion, we were in a season of conflict and discouragement. Bob and Margaret listened without judgment, then shared their own experience of church conflict at Bethany. After 40 years, though living with forgiveness, there were still painful memories. With tears, they shared how my parents had walked with them during that difficult season, and how their friendship had developed out of it. I had never heard that story. 

That evening was transformative for my wife and me. Sometimes, what we do feels small and insignificant, but it matters. God uses it. And often, he multiplies it in ways we cannot fully comprehend. On the grand stage of life, Bob is like most of us: unremarkable at first glance. Yet, God’s transformative work in us goes far beyond us. The faithfulness and perseverance of a transformed life truly is remarkable. God takes it all, and by his grace, he multiplies it “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20-21).

Imitate their faith 

In recent visits with Bob, he has shared many stories about the ups and downs of pastoral ministry and the personal challenges he faced. For a decade, he watched his wife slowly decline from Alzheimer’s and eventually pass away. He recounted the joy of falling in love again, remarrying and the sadness of planning another funeral.

Perhaps the most poignant moment for me came when I asked him to tell me what my dad was like when he was in his 30s. Bob began to speak, then choked up, placing his head down to gather himself. After a moment, he looked up at me with a broken voice and said, “Your dad was a great friend.” That’s all he could manage to say, so we sat in silence.

I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on Bob’s faithful and persevering work, and how God has multiplied that work in my life in countless ways, both direct and indirect. I will always think of Bob when I read Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” 

Bob retired 30 years ago, and while he may not feel as transformative as he once did, from what I can discern, he’s still living a transformative life. Most of his friends have passed, and he is increasingly aware that his time on earth is limited. As he recently told me, “I’m old. I’m not going to be around much longer.” That brings me joy—not because of his approaching death, which will come to us all, but because of his faithful, persevering heart, and his hope for a new facet of gospel transformation that is just around the corner.