A "Double Portion"
Succession
By Dick Eastman
Several years ago, I began praying about who would succeed me as the international president of Every Home for Christ. It has been my privilege to serve in this position for 33 years and, prior to that, for more than a decade as director of prayer mobilization.
In 1971, the Lord spoke clearly to me about the calling on my life. I heard his voice: “Call the world to prayer.” At that time, I never could have imagined the way Every Home for Christ would become a significant part of this calling. It has been my utter delight to watch what God has done: he caused our calling to prayer to spring to life as the substance and fruit of a global mission’s movement, which has now taken the gospel to more than 2.5 billion homes, followed up more than 260 million responses, and planted over 400,000 new believer fellowships called Christ Groups.
Dee and I have always desired that God would bless us with a healthy succession process should the day come when we’ve felt it was time to let the younger generation lead. We dreamed not just of calling the world to prayer but of seeing the next generation uniquely called and gifted to carry this mantle into the future. We dreamed of seeing our heart for people in intimate relationship with Jesus embraced and empowered for the future of the church and the world. I have stated often that my desire in our senior years was to devote myself full time to the Every Home for Christ ministry in prayer and prayer mobilization. I feel now is the time to realize this goal and pass the mantle of leadership over this global work to the person I believe God has raised up “for such a time as this.”
Dick and Dee Eastman
I truly believe Tanner Peake and his wife Bethany are the leadership team that God has chosen to succeed Dee and me. It was with profound joy that I recommended Tanner as my successor to our board of directors, who unanimously agreed. Dee and I joyfully participated in his appointment as president-elect and joined our board in anointing Tanner and Bethany in a powerful time of prayer.
Tanner and I have worked closely together for the last twelve years. He began as our director of prayer and soon was promoted to our international director and after that as our executive director. During that time, I have seen Tanner emerge as a visionary leader with a truly unique passion for every person on earth.
Dick Eastman and Tanner Peake
I can assure you: you have never met anyone quite like Tanner. When you meet him, you will instantly sense his joy in Jesus. You will be stirred to action by his longing to see every person in the world encounter the love of Jesus. I trust Tanner to carry the organization of Every Home for Christ and our active efforts in more than 150 nations into the future with bold vision and transformative love. In fact, Tanner reminds me of Elisha: the young prophet who asked for a “double portion” of his predecessor Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2).
While transitions always require much of us, I believe this succession is a truly healthy one and the culmination of a plan set in motion by the hand of the Lord many years ago. Both Dee and I feel great peace as we navigate this process. Most evident to me is the way God has covered and carried this ministry to this very moment. He has raised up a new generation of younger leadership, gifted in wisdom, prayer, and full of vision for the future.
Dee and I are not retiring. In fact, we will still be very present to the staff and ministry of Every Home for Christ, especially in mentoring our leadership team. We are simply refocusing our energies on a new role in an even richer season of cultivating prayer. I look forward to spending entire days in prayer regularly at our headquarters, the Jericho Center, with our staff and leadership. I will continue to serve on the ministry’s board of directors. I also will be significantly involved in the American Center for Prayer and Revival (ACPR), Every Home for Christ’s prayer center across the street from the Supreme Court in Washington DC. I hope to continue traveling to spend extended times in prayer with our global leadership. Dee and I will continue mentoring Tanner and Bethany as they step into this challenging role, and we will provide spiritual and relational covering for the Every Home ministry into the future.
Every Home for Christ is privileged to sit under the wise governance of our board of directors — a group of men and women anointed by the Lord to govern this ministry prayerfully. Their wisdom and care in stewarding this succession is clear, and they will lead us through an orderly and timely succession plan in the coming months.
It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as the international president of Every Home for Christ for over three decades and to be involved with this vision for 45 years. It is now my great honor to pass the mantle of leadership over this global work — doubled in spirit, I am certain — to Tanner and Bethany. Please add their names to your daily prayer list.
