Pastor Rob has provided the following statement: “In our family, we have been wrestling with how we should serve, love and pray for those closest to us. As many of you know, we are set to become grandparents in just a few weeks. For the past five years we have been wrestling with, if, or when the Lord may call us back to the Midwest to be near family. In that time, we have had multiple opportunities to take pastorates in the St Louis area. Each time we did not feel a freedom to do so. In fact, I can remember telling Susy that every time I thought of pastoring a different church, I felt jealousy for the man who would serve here. But, now, the Lord has opened a different door, one we did not expect or anticipate or see coming. I have been invited to join the executive staff at the Missouri Baptist Convention as the Director of Evangelism and Prayer. This invitation was not something we pursued, but rather, was opened to us in an unexpected way. Ultimately, we have felt the Lord make it clear that this is his next step for us, as I shared with the Leadership Council nearly a month ago. I feel called to use whatever gifts the Lord has entrusted to me to help a state convention refocus its efforts on evangelism and prayer. So, we have accepted that call. ”