The gift of the property, however, also brought a new set of responsibilities. A church that had started in a park was suddenly responsible for an entire facility, along with the legal, administrative and maintenance work that came with it.

Juan Carlos described the transition as the church’s biggest challenge. His wife and leadership team have taken on significant responsibilities alongside him, and the church is working to build the organizational structure it needs to grow well and care for both its people and its new home.

For him, the calling has never been about having an easy road.

“Ministry is not a career; it is a divine calling carried deep within the heart.”

Pastoring Wasn’t Always the Plan

Juan Carlos isn’t the only pastor who found himself answering a call he couldn’t shake.

Jay English, co-lead pastor of Garden City Church (formerly Journey Church – Beach Park) with his wife, Sonia, grew up surrounded by pastors. He knew how hard the work could be, and for a long time, he wanted no part of it.

“I’m not going to tell you I was necessarily drawn to it. I think I ran away from it for the longest time,” he said.

Eventually, after making his own way and then reaching a point of full surrender, Jay told God he would do whatever He asked.

And the calling he’d been running from was still there.

When he finally said yes, he was almost 30.

“When I said yes to that … it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made,” Jay said.

Ryan Miller, senior pastor at Gurnee Community Church, took an entirely different route.

Ryan came to faith after being an atheist and eventually sensed God calling him into ministry. Instead of following that call right away, he built a successful home-remodeling business.

Years later, while driving to a client’s house and listening to a sermon about the lost sheep, he realized he couldn’t keep putting it off. He pulled over to the side of the road, overwhelmed by the sense that God was calling him to ministry. Eventually, he and his wife gave the business to their employees and he followed the call, attending seminary first and then moved on to pastoring.

Today, he can’t imagine doing anything else.

“Now I can’t imagine my life not being a pastor.”

Paul Fowler, executive pastor and Lake Forest campus pastor at Christ Church, grew into his ministry. He began serving as a youth pastor in the city, served in a role stewarding his church’s finances, and ultimately came to serve in his current role.

“I love getting to serve the people here, I love getting to be a campus pastor,” Paul said. “I can’t believe I was about to say no to this.”

Four different stories with a common thread, once each of these pastors leaned into the call, they couldn’t imagine walking away from it.

The Challenges People Don’t Always See

Pastoring looks different depending on the church.

For Jay and Sonia, one of their biggest challenges is also one of their greatest hopes: building a truly multicultural church.

Garden City Church began as a multi-site campus and became independent in 2026. As longtime community members and pastors of the church, Jay and Sonia have deep roots in the area. Recognizing the diversity found in Lake County, they strive for Garden City to reflect it across generations, ethnicities, and cultures.

“It’s not based on tradition, but… really based on loving Jesus, creating a safe place for people of every culture and having a great time while we do it.”

At Christ Church, Paul faces a different kind of challenge.

The church has four campuses, which means there is a constant balance between each campus’s unique identity and keeping everyone moving in the same direction.

“When you’re in a multi-site church… you have to have good alignment, and so sometimes it actually requires doing less,” he explained.

For Ryan, the challenge is woven into the nature of the role itself.

“It’s a hat that, once you put on, you can never actually take off.”

And for Juan Carlos, the unexpected challenge has been learning how to steward the remarkable provision God gave Nueva Vida.

The calling is a blessing. So is the responsibility that comes with it.

What Keeps Them Showing Up

Ask a pastor what keeps him up at night, and you’ll probably get a different answer than if you ask what keeps him showing up.

For Juan Carlos, much of the weight comes from caring for the spiritual lives of the families in his church while also managing the practical responsibilities of a growing congregation and property.

But when he looks around at the people who have been with Nueva Vida from the beginning, he is encouraged.

His wife has been a constant source of strength. So have the leaders who stood with them when there were only 15 people gathering in a park. Those same people are still serving, working and caring for the church today.

For Jay, the question is how to reach more people.

“What keeps me up at night is trying to figure out how to reach more people,” he said. He sees the church’s responsibility as doing everything it can to reach people with the gospel.

And then there are the moments when he walks into Garden City and sees people from different generations and backgrounds worshiping together.

“When I have people who walk in for the very first time…and they can’t stop crying, and they say that our church “feels like home”… I know it’s the presence of God.”

For Paul, one of the greatest joys is watching people move from simply attending church to actually becoming part of it.

He wants people to connect, serve and discover that they have a place in the life of the church. And when someone comes back and tells him they’re grateful they found that place, it reminds him why the work matters.

For Ryan, the answer comes down to one person.

“It’s worth the one.” Seeing one person encounter God’s grace and move from spiritual death to life makes the hard parts worth it. Then, he says, you keep going “despite all odds, to see another.”