John Lewis Named Pastor of Grace Church
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Grace Church of New Glarus, Wisconsin, a small, rural town south of Madison with just over 2,000 people, has named John Lewis as their new lead pastor. For nearly 20 years, John has served the church as its youth pastor, working under the ministry of Pastor Roger Olsen who recently went to be with the Lord.
Grace Church of New Glarus was started in 1992 by a small group of believers. A year later Roger Olsen was called to come and pastor the small congregation of about 50. His faithful ministry and God’s grace over the past 26 years has seen the church grow to around 250 attenders on Sunday mornings. Roger’s steady manner and easy-going personality helped shape the church into a solid work . Even today the congregation, though often crowded, still meets in the renovated but unpretentious storefront building from its early days.
In 1993, while while working on his Master’s Degree at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, John Lewis came to know the Lord at a Billy Graham crusade. He soon connected with the Marquette Gospel Tabernacle (now Waters Edge Church) where he was baptized by Pastor Ron Drake. After finishing his studies in Marquette, John felt a strong call to the ministry and in 1995 began attending Christian Life College in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
After graduating in 1999, he did a six-month internship at the Duluth Gospel Tabernacle under the direction of pastors Dean Bjorlin and Rolf Fure. After his internship, John began calling pastors in the FCA directory, which is how he connected with Pastor Roger Olsen in New Glarus. John began his work as youth pastor at Grace Church on April 19, 2000. John and his wife of 17 years, Angie, have two children, Alayna (15) and Noah (14).
John is now looking for a youth pastor to join him in ministering to the families of New Glarus. “Our congregation is a close-knit family with a wide age range,” he notes, from young singles, to young families, to seniors. “We are also multi-cultural,” he adds, “with a charismatic worship style and a strong emphasis on preaching God’s Word.” The church values the congregational testimonies and use of spiritual gifts as well. The Wednesday evening youth meeting averages 35 to 40 students (grades 6 through 12).
If you ask John about the church’s goals, he will offer several emphases: reaching the lost, connecting believers as family, helping them grow in faith, in serving their gifts, and impacting their world for Christ. “One of our biggest challenges at the moment is space,” John observes. “The sanctuary can get pretty tight some Sundays.” The church is in conversation about purchasing land in town to put up a new building.
Applicants for the youth pastor position may send introductions and resumes to:
Pastor John Lewis
Grace Church
P.O. Box 430, 416 2nd Street
New Glarus, WI 53574
OR email: John@gracechurchng.org
OR call: 608-558-2858
Further details about the job description are available by clicking HERE.
