Dear CHBC Family,

I have made the difficult decision to step down from my position as youth minister, effective at the end of June. I announced this decision to the students this past Wednesday evening. My family and I have come to this decision after much prayer, conversation, and seeking wise counsel. I feel a settled confidence—which I believe is from the Lord—that this decision is right and good not only for the Gilleskie family, but also for CHBC.

Anna, as a doctor, and I, as Youth Minister, have professions that demand a significant investment of time and energy. We want to be faithful to those callings, and also to the many others God has assigned to us: church membership, family relationships, friendships, and most importantly, our marriage and our daughter. Over the past year, God has been abundantly gracious toward us: our marriage is joyous and Eleanor is flourishing. But we are also keenly aware that we need a more sustainable pace of life in order to be faithful to our various responsibilities. Given the stewardship of Anna’s medical training and my vocation, and our responsibilities to our primary callings of marriage and parenthood, we have discerned that it is in the best interest of our family that I step down as youth minister.

Furthermore, I am firmly convinced that this decision is good for our church. A youth minister who is able to devote himself fully to the work of ministry—who is able to give more time, attention, and energy to the care and discipleship of your teens—will be a blessing to the teens of our church. I am eager to see who God provides as youth minister in my place, as I am confident that he will be a welcome leader of the ministry.

We have every intention of remaining members of CHBC. Until the Lord obviously calls us elsewhere, we are lovingly committed to you. Anna will continue as a resident physician at UNC. She will complete her residency in the summer of 2026, Lord willing. Meanwhile, I will prioritize my family, as I intimated above. As I am able, I will further my education in preparation for future ministry, should the Lord provide opportunities. I have been accepted into the PhD program at Southeastern Seminary, where I will study Old Testament and biblical theology. I will be able to study on a part-time basis, allowing me to prioritize my family.

I welcome your prayers for my family during this transition. I want to conclude on the following two-fold note:

1. First, thank you for entrusting me with the opportunity and privilege of serving as youth minister these three-and-a-half years. As I anticipate stepping down, I am freshly appreciating the gravity of the stewardship you entrusted to me. Thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayers.
2. Second, I hope you detect my optimism for the future of CHBC’s youth ministry. Ministers are transient, fallible, and weak—especially this one. The Lord of the church uses them as He wills and for the time He has appointed. But His steadfast love for the teens of CHBC remains. I expect that He will provide abundantly more than we can ask or think in the next youth minister. Please join me in praying for the next youth minister and for the team that is responsible for identifying him. May our Lord be glorified in this process of transition and in the future ministry to our teens.

With love in Christ,

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