March 3, 2024

Dear Members and Friends,

As I shared in worship this morning, today is the start of a new season in the life of our church and the Meyer family. At the close of January 2025 (28 years into our journey here), I will step down from my present role to make way for a new Lead Pastor who will shepherd the next exciting era of Christ Church’s life and influence. 

When Amy and I moved to the Chicago area in January of 1997, we had no idea how richly God was going to bless us. Our marriage and three children literally grew up with Christ Church. We’ve had a courtside seat to countless miracles of God’s grace. The growth and impact of this amazing congregation has been breathtaking to behold. For all these reasons and more, we’re grateful that our future plans will keep us here near you for many months of the year. We’ll get to see YOU and keep cheering for CHRIST CHURCH for many years to come. 

At the same time, it is clear God is calling us to move into our next season. I turned 65 on February 3, 2024. Amy and I want to change up the rhythm of our life to allow more space for reflection, relationships, and recreation than full-time work in a church our scale allows. I am eager to see Christ Church have a new Lead Pastor who can bring the level of energy and creativity needed to partner with you and our remarkable staff to keep Christ Church thriving long into the future. 

By January of 2025, we’ll be at a wonderful time for transition. TOGETHER, we’ll have completed the life-changing aims of our LIFT initiative. Our preschool will be open and our new disabilities ministry will be going strong. Our programs for all ages will be supported by freshly renovated and improved facilities. Our mission outreach will be more impactful than ever. Our finances will be stable and solid. The very best time for a pastoral transition is when a church is on the upswing. By God’s grace – as I hope you can see – Christ Church is on the rise! 

The Board of Trustees has been thoughtfully planning for this eventuality for a long time. We are giving you a heads-up about it NOW so that we can make our search for the next pastor public and so that you can join us in prayer for that. To answer some of the questions you will naturally have, the Board and I have put together a Transition FAQ that you’ll find supplied with this letter. There is also a Transition webpage we’ll keep updating. We’ve got a very good process now in motion. 

As you can imagine, this announcement is chock-full of emotion for me. I love all of you deeply. But I am also very excited for all we will do together in this year ahead and for what the Lord has planned for Christ Church beyond. Thank you for being my companions on this journey! 

With confident trust in Christ, 

Dan Meyer | Lead Pastor