Matt Metzger Called as Blackhawk’s Next Senior Pastor
It is with great excitement that we share that Matt Metzger has been called to serve as the next Senior Pastor of Blackhawk Church! At the March 8, 2020 congregational meeting, members expressed overwhelming support for this unanimous recommendation by the Elder Board. Matt has now entered into a strategic mentoring process with Pastor Chris Dolson to help ensure a smooth leadership transition, culminating July 1, 2021. We thank God for placing Matt and Rachel in our midst, for preparing them for this moment in time, and for the Lord’s good plans for the future of Blackhawk Church.
After more than 25 years of leadership, Chris Dolson has announced that he will retire from his role as Senior Pastor of Blackhawk Church, effective summer 2021.
Pastor Chris, his wife Becky, and the Elder Board proactively planned his succession over the course of several years. In January 2020, the Elders unanimously recommended to the membership that Matt Metzger, Lead Pastor of Blackhawk Downtown, transition to the role of Senior Pastor.
Chris continues to serve as Senior Pastor in the meantime and has entered into a more strategic mentoring process with Matt to fully prepare for succession. The plan is for Charles Yu to move into the role of Lead Teaching Pastor under Matt’s leadership.
After stepping away for a six month period, Chris will be returning to Blackhawk staff part-time under Matt’s leadership as Pastor Emeritus, working predominantly with the teaching team on the behind the scenes work of putting together series and mentoring younger teachers.
We are grateful to have this time of leadership transition with him. We celebrate his tremendous impact on Blackhawk and Madison and look forward to that continuing in the future. As a church, we embrace a bright future together as we continue to build a community that follows Christ in order to reach our community and the world with Jesus’ love.
A Conversation Between Chris and Matt
Pastor Chris and Matt reflect on ministry together over the years and discuss the leadership transition plan.
A Conversation with Matt and Rachel
Pastor Matt and Rachel share their story, about serving together, and their prayer for Blackhawk’s future.
QUESTION & ANSWER SESSIONS
Prior to the vote, we hosted three Q&A sessions. The goals were to help our church family to learn more about this leadership transition, get to know Pastor Chris and Becky, Pastor Matt and Rachel, and Pastor Charles and Serena better, in addition to answering questions. While these sessions are completed, questions may still be sent by email to communications@blackhawkchurch.org.
You May Be Wondering
How did the decision for this leadership transition come about?
Candid, proactive conversations between Chris, Becky and the Elder Board about succession planning began several years ago. They have all read about both successful and difficult leadership transitions elsewhere. They committed to planning well and have discussed this on at least an annual basis since 2013. In 2019, the team reached unanimous consensus on a transition plan to present to Blackhawk membership.
Is there more to the story?
When a leader announces his departure, people are often curious if there is more to the story. Chris and Becky are in good health and their marriage is strong. The church is healthy. The Elder Board and pastoral leadership are united. This decision has been made in a very positive context.
Tell us more about Pastor Matt...
Pastor Matt and his wife Rachel have served in pastoral ministry at Blackhawk Church for 20 years. Matt is an outstanding Christian leader with a big heart for evangelism and relationships. He has been very successful at building ministries, including our college age ministry, video venues, and Blackhawk Downtown, which is a large and thriving church in its own right and integral to our One Church in Three Locations strategy.
Why a succession plan rather than an external search?
As a rule of thumb, when an organization makes a change of this magnitude, if they like the direction the organization is heading and a qualified leader emerges, they look to bring a successor from within. This enables the organization to continue, rather than disrupt, the path it is on. This approach allows Chris to mentor and coach his successor.
Tell us about the vote...
We are a church with congregational authority over the largest decisions, like this one. Typically the Elders go through a discernment process and recommend a way forward. The congregation’s prayerful engagement helps to ensure that we are moving in the right direction. Voting occurs at a duly appointed business meeting in accordance with our bylaws. This requires a three-fourths majority vote of members present at the meeting. Our bylaws do not allow for absentee voting. The vote to call Matt Metzger as our next Senior Pastor passed by an overwhelming majority of 98.8 percent.
What is the plan for Downtown?
Matt continued to pastor the Blackhawk Downtown location until Adam Penning became the new Lead Pastor of Blackhawk Downtown in fall 2020. We are so grateful to have found the right person to fill this essential role.
Tell us about Pastor Charles’ new role…
Matt and Chris both agree that Pastor Charles Yu should not only stay on the teaching team, but lead the teaching team. This would be an elevated role that in many ways reflects the great leadership that Charles already brings to this team. He is leading our effort to become a more multicultural church. He has been the architect of several Blackhawk teaching series, such as Love this Book and Unexpected Kingdom, among others. He is a gifted theologian and teacher. Charles would report to the Senior Pastor in this role.
About Matt Metzger
Matt grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, while his wife Rachel grew up in Madison – attending Blackhawk Church from a very young age. They met at Wheaton College in Illinois, got married at Blackhawk in 1994, and then worked together in youth ministry at Matt’s home church in Ft. Lauderdale. Before moving to Madison, they served for three years at Peak 3, a high adventure ministry in Colorado.
Matt joined the Blackhawk staff in September 2000 as the College and Young Adult Pastor and began his role as Lead Pastor of Blackhawk Downtown in 2010. Matt will enter the role of Senior Pastor in July 2021. Rachel is on staff part time with the Weddings and Marriage Ministry. They enjoy using their gym membership, as well as staying active through doubles beach volleyball, wake surfing, and hiking. Matt and Rachel are both big fans of UW sports. They love spending time with their daughters Hannah and Leah, but also look forward to starting a new adventure together as empty nesters this fall.
About Charles Yu
Charles spent his early childhood in Taiwan and immigrated with his family to Southern California when he was ten. At UC Berkeley, he met his wife Serena and received a B.S. in electrical engineering. As they sojourned in Vancouver, British Columbia, Charles got his Master of Divinity at Regent College and worked as a minister to Chinese-Canadian college students. After moving to Madison in 1997, Charles began attending Blackhawk and received his Ph.D. in Hebrew and Semitics (Old Testament/Hebrew Bible) at UW-Madison.
Before coming on staff with Blackhawk Church, Charles enjoyed a teaching ministry with InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministries as a Campus Theologian. Serena currently teaches English in the Madison school district. They have two daughters, Kirstin and Nikki. In his spare time, Charles enjoys reading books on military history and barbecuing in the backyard.
The future is bright at Blackhawk. We honor Pastor Chris’ 25 years of devotion and look forward to God’s continued blessings in the months and years ahead.
For more information, email communications@blackhawkchurch.org.
