Reflections on a Season of Change
These are exciting times for Every Home. We are in a season of change.
On September 24, 2022, I will officially pass the baton of leadership to Tanner Peake, a brother I know you will come to appreciate as much as I do. For several years now, Dee and I have sensed God guiding us toward the day when we would need to pass the baton of leadership to the next generation. But don’t worry. We aren’t going anywhere. We will continue to make ourselves available to mentor those who follow us and give ourselves to increased seasons of prayer.
The Every Home for Christ board of directors has also asked me to continue serving as a member of the board in the new corporate position of CPO — chief prayer officer. To my knowledge, this is the first such role among Christian ministries like Every Home for Christ.
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SubscribeAs I prepare for this leadership transition, I reflect on the fact that I have been writing to you every month since I stepped into the role of international president in September of 1988, nearly 35 years ago. That was 12 years after Dee and I joined the Every Home ministry in 1976! In that time, you have joined us in celebrating incredible miracles like opening 100-plus new Every Home national works, taking the gospel to more than 2 billion homes globally, and — most importantly — seeing over 250 million precious souls respond to an encounter with Jesus! We have also seen the planting of 400,000 new-believer fellowships called Christ Groups, where those who come to Christ in areas with few or no churches can be discipled.
Since those early days in leadership, we have witnessed the Berlin Wall come crashing down and the Soviet Union dissolve, ultimately opening up all of Eastern Europe to the gospel. And on the homefront, Every Home for Christ built our beautiful international headquarters, The Jericho Center (now debt free), in Colorado Springs to mobilize day-and-night prayer for the nations. You have been with us through it all, joining us to see more people in more places reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
As I look to our future, I am filled with hope and optimism. I remember well when I first met Tanner Peake and his wife, Bethany. Working with them, I soon sensed that they would be a significant part of Every Home’s future. Only now do I see how important their role will be.
One unique spiritual “coincidence” in this succession process is that when I joined this ministry in 1976, I joined as director of prayer mobilization, a full-time position that very few ministries had at the time. Twelve years later, I was appointed international president. When Tanner Peake joined Every Home for Christ, he also joined the ministry as director of prayer mobilization. That was 12 years ago. His passion for the vision of Every Home for Christ is contagious, and I know you will enjoy getting to know him in the months and years to come.
Like my wife, Dee, Bethany Peake is deeply involved in the ministry, serving alongside her husband. She has led many of our staff meetings and has a unique gift for drawing people into the presence of God. Bethany has also initiated a program to strengthen the leadership of women working beside their husbands in the Every Home ministry worldwide, an effort in which Dee has joined her.
Unfortunately, the Church has witnessed painful, even disruptive, leadership successions in other ministries. This is not the case at Every Home for Christ. The process at Every Home feels more like Moses laying his hands on Joshua to commission his leadership before all the people (Numbers 27:18–20) or Elijah passing his prophetic mantle to Elisha (2 Kings 2:9–10).
The joys and triumphs of our years in ministry leadership have only been possible because of people like you. Your support and prayers keep our hearts steadfast and our path clear. It is my prayer for Tanner and Bethany that they will continue to be surrounded and supported by friends like you.
