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Spending the last 11 years at Calvary Temple, Pastor Cher Paulson has stepped into a new ministry role, just six blocks away as Executive Director at Living Bible Explorers.
She served at Calvary Temple alongside her father, former lead pastor Bruce Martin. As he stepped away from the pulpit to retire she stayed on board through the transition of finding a new lead pastor. Once one was found she felt God calling her to something new. "I was like, 'Okay Lord, what's next for me?' He opened this Living Bible Explorers Executive Director position. And it has been fantastic. It's still very new, but it's also still ministry, just in a different context," Paulson says.
Still pastoring but in a different way, the new role has allowed Paulson to "Minister to the junior high and high schools around our area, opening our doors, we're at 600 Burnell Street and we open our doors for lunch programs and drop-ins."
Paulson knows she couldn't do it without the staff that works hard to build relationships with each teenager and show them God's love. Ultimately, "The Holy Spirit equips you and He gives you the grace to do what He's called you to do. So, I just rest in that."
As Paulson continues to follow God's lead for where Living Bible Explorers goes in the future, she is excited to have the team around her to help lead. "I work with a board that is so passionate and they work so hard to do what God wants us to do out of 600 Burnell Street and I just am so thrilled. I want to follow in step with the Holy Spirit and lead to the best of my ability."
Moving from church ministry to parachurch ministry has been an adjustment for Paulson, but her pastoring years have definitely made it a smoother transition. "It's actually amazing how it has prepared me. There are a few different ways that pastoring is happening now in my new role. With the families, I got to go on our retreat and I got to speak to the parents because of my pastoring and preaching over the years, I'm ready to do that and I love to do that."
She says that her experience through the pastoral transition at Calvary also prepared her for the new job and becoming a better mentor. "Leading a team like that for the last 18 months at Calvary Temple, we had an interim Pastor, Bill Pipe and he came in and modelled what it meant to mentor and it was amazing."
While she admits she didn't understand how it would all come together, she sees it now. "I'm using it now and it is just amazing how God has set up my years of pastoring and ministry and the things I've been involved with and volunteering with, and it's all come together in this role and He's so good."
As far as what Paulson hopes to see LBE accomplish in the future, "My ultimate dream for LBE is that we can get the families involved connected to a local church. We are not a local church. We are a parachurch. We come alongside and want to connect people with the local church so that they can be discipled for a lifetime in a local church."
Paulson adds that she believes in the power of prayer. "If you feel like you have the gift of intercession, if you could just pray for the families in that West End around Burnell Street. And that Living Bible Explorers would have would have the wisdom and discernment to know what to do when, and that God would provide."