In the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, an outreach-oriented church launched in 1948 called Mission Church. Today, the church’s ministry still centers on outreach like providing weekly meals to families in need, an Earn a Bike program, and laundromat services. For the past 25 years, Mission Church has been led by Pastor Tim Stauffer with the support of his wife Karen.
Tim first put his faith in Jesus and got baptized when he was 12 years old. During that time, he was also taking guitar lessons. At 16, he began leading worship for a small Mennonite church in Michigan where his father led. Leading a group in worship from his guitar is still Tim’s passion.
In 2001, Tim and Karen came to Mission Church to visit his great uncle who had been the lead pastor for 54 years. That Sunday, his great uncle handed his KJV Bible to Tim and said, “You’re preaching,” then took a seat. “That’s how I got my candidacy there,” says Tim with a laugh.
Throughout his decades at Mission Church, God grew Tim by helping him learn to wait for God’s timing. “I am not a patient person,” he says. “God may have a different plan, and if you just wait he may show his will. If you can watch for that and be a part of that when the wind of the Holy Spirit goes in one direction, you’re not tugging and trying to go the other way.”
At 74, Tim is currently the oldest actively serving lead pastor within FEC. He also went through cancer treatment seven years ago. His time at Mission Church with Karen has shown how they’ve learned to lean on each other. “She’s a good encourager to me.”
As he looks to the future, Tim is excited by the prospect of a future pastor who will invest more decades into changing lives in the Fort Wayne area. Planting roots in a community of deep fellowship has taught Tim the power of Christ-centered relationships. “To me it’s a much more rewarding ministry when you can have a group of people who want to invest in your life as much as you want to invest in theirs.”
