It is said, "The one constant in life is change." Juxtapose that with the scriptural claim, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."

We all face change in our lives: changes in our health, changes in our families, changes in our work, changes in technology, changes in our churches. On a personal note, I have experienced several changes in the past months: a new grandson was born and the oldest grandson graduated from high school. The 18-year-old decided to move from the Sacramento area to the East Coast for college. He has survived Cadet Basic Training and is a "plebe" at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His decision has made a big difference in my life as he carries on a family tradition. The position I now hold as acting interim president of DHM represents another significant change in my life as I relinquished the flexibility of retirement and relocated from Ohio to Indiana for several months.

I have been serving the church for 10 years on the DHM Board and during that time I have witnessed many changes: a change in DHM's name; three changes in presidential leadership, with a fourth president to be selected in 2008; a variety of other personnel changes; and, changes in strategic direction and program emphases.

The ministry to which I have been called is going to require that additional changes within DHM be made before the arrival of the new president. My work will focus on ways that DHM can build up the body of Christ by strengthening congregations through partnerships with regions, providing those programs and services that the congregations cannot undertake alone.

In an effort to receive the guidance of those we seek to serve, I am meeting with individuals and groups within and beyond DHM to determine what leadership and programming the church most needs from us. I would welcome input from our readers, especially those involved in leadership at the congregational level. I will coordinate this information in a report to the DHM Board and to the longer-term interim president, the Rev. Don Shelton.

As we in DHM attempt to determine what God wants us to do, I believe we need to ask the question, "Does what we are doing or proposing to do build up the body of Christ?"

We need to discern what it is that God is calling us to do.
In the fast-paced world in which we live, change is inevitable. And we must adapt by asking ourselves, "What faithful response should we make in the name of Jesus—the One who is the same yesterday, today and forever, yet who promises to make all things new?"

My work at DHM is being informed and inspired by the 4th chapter of Ephesians which emphasizes ways of building up the body of Christ. I invite and encourage you to read that scripture and to join me in praying for the future ministries of DHM.

—Dan Clark, acting interim president of Disciples Home Missions, is a member of and lay leader at Washington Avenue Christian Church, Elyria, Ohio. He will serve DHM until the arrival of interim president Don Shelton.