there; Church of God leaders have visited, talked about God, and prayed there. Now, however, the gallery is for sale, as Tolle focuses his attention on the next season of his life, which includes leading the Man O’ War Church of God.
Leading Man O’ War
Mitchell Tolle says he had carried a burden for the Man O’ War Church for many years when J. David Stephens, then Kentucky’s state overseer, gave him the opportunity to meet with their church council about their need for a pastor. “I never dreamed of becoming a pastor; I just knew that my life was changing,” Tolle said. The council vote was unani- mous, and on his first Sunday there, 72 people came. In three years, attendance has grown to 300.
Worship services include a variety of music, an intergenerational focus, and video testimonies. Tolle preaches theme- based sermon series, and says the chil- dren’s church mirrors those themes. It is not surprising that this artist- turned-pastor likes to “mix things up” in the sanctuary. “We have free-standing chairs instead of pews, so every few months I like to move things around,” he said. “At first, some people were bothered about ‘their’ chairs being moved, but now they look forward to see what will happen
next. I also like to change the platform around, using different layouts, designs, and colors.” The sanctuary “seats 700 uncomfortably,” and Tolle says the minis- try potential is “incredible.”
The associate pastor, Ed Toller, who was a lead pastor for 23 years, and the minister of music, Herschell Morgan, both came to Man O’ War as bi-vocational leaders with no salary guarantees. Mitchell Jr. is serving as youth pastor while managing his dad’s
God Gives Gifts to Focus Us
WHEN I WAS an 18-year-old leaving for art school in Cincinnati, my dad saw me getting ready to pack my guitar. He said, “Son, you can’t do everything you want to do.”
This shocked me, because I had never heard him talk like that. Then he said, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” So I left my guitar at home, and didn’t pick it up again for two years. I realized I needed to focus on my art, not my music.
How has God gifted you? What has He put in your heart to accomplish for His glory?
First, listen to your dream from God.
Second, embrace the loftiness of the dream, even though others may not get it.
Third, don’t let resources limit your dream. Let facts yield to faith. Fourth, begin to behave as if the dream is in hand.
Finally, never stop dreaming. You can accomplish great things through your God-given gifts. —Mitchell Tolle
26 EVANGEL | October 2010
Lance Colkmire is editor of the Church of God Evangel.
“Meredith”
gallery. Pastor Tolle signs off his weekly radio program, “Living on Purpose,” by call- ing himself “your bi-vocational pastor.” Tolle said the staff’s example of play- ing dual roles “creates relatedness with the people and places ministers in the marketplace where they belong. It also encourages church members to step up as volunteers. We have teams of volunteers in the nursery, greeters, ushers, teachers, prayer ministry, and refresh—the people are engaged as ministers.”
The church has multiple prayer ser- vices and does city prayer walks. Tolle describes the city of Lexington, noted for its gorgeous horse farms, as “beautiful and whitewashed on the outside, but sinful and broken inside.” He says the Lord has given him a vision of a citywide revival reaching its 500,000 residents, and some other area pastors share his heartbeat. Seeing the remarkable ways the Lord has moved in Mitchell Tolle’s life since he was sitting in that homemade high chair, an earthshaking revival in Lexington is not hard to envision.
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