New pastor, First Christian Church are a match made in heaven

The Rev. Chad McMullin believes he and First Christian Church are “a beautiful match.”
McMullin, whose first day as the new senior minister at First Christian was Wednesday, said he spent a lot of time in prayer contemplating the move from Texas.

“The Lord has a way of leading you where he needs you,” McMullin said.

A self-described “Air Force brat” who has moved many times in his life, McMullin comes to Sedalia after serving as senior pastor at First Christian Church in Rowlett, Texas, since 2006.

He graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, and worked at assorted jobs including wildlife technician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before being called to ministry at age 29. He attained a master’s degree in Divinity from Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa and was ordained on Dec. 29, 2002.

McMullin took into account the size of the town, the quality of the schools and size of the congregation as he considered taking the leadership role at First Christian, but he said as he interviewed with the church’s search team, he “saw the heart of the people.”

“Where the church is and where I am — we make a good match,” he said.

Sterling Green, chairman of the Pulpit Search Committee, said, “Through our interview process, in our interactions with him, his sincerity and his down-to-earth, honest responses were very important. ... He could relate to our people. He has a young family, and (if) things go as we hope, he will want to raise his family and be here for a while.”

McMullin has been married to Ronda for 16 years. They have three children: Chance, 15, Chelsea, 12, and Chase, 8.

McMullin said the search committee saw some of his sermons on DVD or online, but this Sunday he will lead his first service in Sedalia. He will work from Matthew 7, the culmination of the Sermon on the Mount, with a message of hearing and obeying the gospel and taking the messages personally.

“It will be fun,” he said.

After the service, at noon, there will be a luncheon at the church to welcome the McMullin family.

McMullin said services must be relevant, exciting, fun and serious — “You can run the gamut, sometimes all in the same service.”

First Christian has two services each Sunday, one traditional and one contemporary, and McMullin will preach at both. He likes the role the church plays in the community and its outreach efforts.

“We have an active congregation, that is important to me,” he said. “I am not here to maintain things; I am zealous about my service to God and doing his work.”

Green said the search panel felt “a positive vibe” about McMullin.

“The way things fell into place, all the arrangements that had to be made for this to fall into place ... we felt it was the right decision to make,” Green said. “We believe he will fit in really well, and we are hoping this will be a long-term relationship.”

“It is a privilege to be here,” McMullin said. “God paved the way for it to happen.”