Just as Northwoods Church in Peoria, Illinois, celebrates its 32nd year in March, the church will also experience a leadership transition. When the senior pastor, Cal Rychener, transitions out of his role, he will be making room for his son, Jon, to step into the lead role. God has spent a lifetime preparing Jon for his new job, one step at a time. Jon’s call to full-time ministry and leading has come from God at each stage of his life. He said, “God opened doors, and I was obedient to walk through them, one step at a time.”
The first door opened when Jon was a college student, studying secondary education, intending to become a history teacher and a basketball coach. During his student teaching experience, the supervising teacher often sent him outside the mobile classroom to work with disruptive students. Sitting on the steps of the classroom, he talked to the students about their lives, and he grew more interested in ministering to them rather than teaching them.
The next door opened for him in 2011 when he moved to Galesburg, a multisite campus of Northwoods, to start a youth ministry. Then in 2014, another door opened when Northwoods asked Jon to lead the youth ministry at the Peoria campus. During that season of ministry, he began preaching at Northwoods, and he returned to school, obtaining his Master of Theological Studies. In early 2019, the Northwood elders began talking to him about stepping into a new role, as senior pastor.
After growing up in a ministry family and working as a pastor, Jon has experienced unique facets of ministry as he steps into his new role. He is excited to lead Northwoods as they reach a changing demographic in the neighborhoods around them and as they continue to plant new churches.
