Greetings Friends,
It is with a heavy heart that we write to inform you that our Senior Pastor, Joshua Clough, has informed the Board of Elders that he will be stepping down from his position. This was a decision he did not come to lightly, but rather through much thoughtful prayer and discussion with his wife, Claire.
While Joshua sees great opportunity and potential for Grace Chapel, over these past months he has sensed that he is not the right person to lead us into the future, and has sensed a call from God to go back to serve within the United Methodist Church denomination.
The following is a letter from Joshua to you all, explaining his decision:
Dear Grace Chapel,
Recently, I entered a season of personal reflection. The question I reflected on, with prayerful discernment, was this: am I called to continue as the Senior Pastor of Grace Chapel?
I believe God has led me to the conclusion that I am not. I am privileged to have served you for this short time. Please know that my intention was to stay longer. And I am deeply grateful for your love, care, and faithfulness. In my time here, I have come to love and appreciate Grace Chapel.
I now ask you, as I have asked the Elders, to release me as your pastor. I know this is a difficult request and one with which I have wrestled and prayed. I ask for two primary reasons.
First, I have deepened my understanding of personal call within the United Methodist Church, where I was ordained and to which I have decided to return.
This doesn’t reflect anything the church has or hasn’t done. I felt welcome here. Your love and care and hospitality greeted me and my family as we arrived at a new church. Really, this is about where I feel I best fit and called to serve.
Through prayer I have gained a clear sense of direction from God. In response, I’ve offered to God my willingness to follow him, even if the decision proved difficult. And while many have crossed traditions or denominational lines successfully, I am called to return to the tradition that has formed and shaped me.
God has laid this on my heart, and I must respond. For me, this is a step of obedience, and I trust God’s plan for this season.
Second, I believe Grace Chapel has a vibrant future, so it’s important Grace Chapel find the person who will lead into the future.
Grace Chapel is a wonderful church with an important role in Greater Boston, and I’m grateful for the time we’ve shared together. These kinds of things happen; our best intentions don’t produce the hoped for or even expected outcome.
I recognize this decision presents a disruption to our lives, both yours and mine. I trust God has prepared a hope-filled future. I know you too must take a step of obedience and trust God’s plan for this season.
Together, we take a step of obedience and trust God’s plan for the life of our church.
I’m sure many questions will come up both now and in the coming days or weeks. I can’t answer all of them, and even what I can provide may feel insufficient. Yet, I have full confidence in you, the congregation, the leaders and servants, the family of Grace Chapel.
I have full confidence in your Board of Elders and the Staff of Grace Chapel, and through their strong leadership Grace Chapel will continue to grow and flourish.
As Paul prepared to depart his church at Ephesus, he told them from Miletus, “Now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all whom God has made holy” (Acts 20:32).
In Christ’s love,
Joshua
We want to thank Joshua for his partnership over these past eight months. It has been a joy and a pleasure to get to know him and learn from him.
While his time here was short, his impact on our ministry was meaningful and we wish him only the best as he returns to the United Methodist Church denomination. We pray that God will use him in incredible ways, wherever his next assignment may end up being.
We knew going into this transition that taking on the Senior Pastor role and relocating to New England would be difficult for anyone following a long-tenured Senior Pastor like Bryan Wilkerson.
While it is difficult for all of us that Joshua has come to this decision, we believe in our hearts that God has been preparing someone else to lead us where the Lord wants us to go in the future.
We have learned a lot over these past months and even more in the preceding year during the Senior Pastor Search process. We intend to apply all of what we have learned and heard from our congregation as we search for a new Senior Pastor for Grace Chapel in the coming months.
If you have any questions, or thoughts you want to process or someone to pray with, please reach out to your Campus Pastor, a staff member, any of the Elders, or reach out to the Office of Senior Pastor at
Prayerfully, and with thanks and appreciation for you all,
Victor Gerdes, Board of Elders Chair & Mark MacDonald, Executive Pastor, on behalf of the Board of Elders
