Several years ago I sat for lunch with a young man of a church I had served in my early thirties. I expressed a sense of regret at leaving the church and disappointing several young families who had become active under my leadership. In response, the young man said, "But, John, just think about how many people you made happy by leaving." That's the lot of a pastor, I suspect.

But there are times when a pastor leaves a church and his departure deserves some comment from those of us outside the church. Dr. John Avant has tendered his resignation to the folks of New Hope Baptist Church in order to accept a vice presidency with his denomination's home mission agency. Dr. Avant will soon be a position to help more than 38,000 churches.

Dr. Avant led New Hope in its most significant transition and changes in its history, the way I see it. Years from now the people of New Hope will give testimony that they had a pastor who saw the situation and took action, unafraid of what people might say or what others might think about him. He did what was right as God gave him the light to see the right.

He probably did not make everyone happy at New Hope. Usually there are tradeoffs. A visionary pastor who can move mountains does not have personal, pastoral time for every member of a 5000 member church. That's why there's staff. A large-church pastor leans on his staff and therefore survives and thrives. Dr. Avant has been blessed to have had Barry Thompson as a pillar of strength and strategy all his years at New Hope.

With demographics in transition around New Hope Road, Dr. Avant opened the door so African-Americans would sense a welcome and promised a significant involvement. He led in calling New Hope's first African-American ministerial staff member. No little accomplishment in a traditional church in a traditional southern town.

Rather than building a bigger box for New Hope, Dr. Avant saw an opportunity for Gospel expansion when no one else could see the possibilities. A small, struggling church on Fayetteville's south side approached New Hope about a possible life-giving transfusion. Not only did New Hope give the small church a new lease on life, the whole scenario developed into a mighty new church near the intersection of Highways 74 and 85. It's now called New Hope South.

Dr. Avant advanced a new New Hope as "one church with two locations." No one other than another pastor and Dr. Avant's closest advisors could possibly understand what it takes out of a man's soul to lead in such massive expansion. Pastors often will say, "Not another building program." Not only did Dr. Avant take on staking out new ground on the south side for the Kingdom of God and then building a rather significant structure on it, but he also led in expansion of the older campus on New Hope Road. No small stuff.

Dr. Avant and I have never been buddy-buddy. I haven't talked to him in over two years, I think. The one time I did call out to him in my own emergency, he saw me immediately and offered sound and assuring counsel.

Yet, I wanted to put the above in print. John Avant could have been another Nehemiah right in our own midst. Thank you, John, for building the Kingdom of God here in Fayette and never failing to come down.

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