8 | May 2026
A Kingdom Story: The Birth of The Church at Kettering Some of the most powerful moves of God begin not with a grand vision statement or a strategic plan — but with a pastor on his knees, asking God what to do next. That is exactly where this story begins. A Pastor’s Hardest Decision By Chad Keck, West Region catalyst, Dan Mullins, and Ralph Green IV
After thirty years of faithful ministry at Gathering Place Baptist Church, Pastor Dan Mullins faced what he de- scribes as one of a pastor’s hardest decisions — when to retire. “It isn’t about leaving the ministry,” he reflects, “because a pastor never truly stops serving the Lord. It is about how to preserve and protect the members he has served.” As Pastor Mullins prayed, God gave him a clear in- sight — the church needed a younger pastor to reach a new generation. “The priorities of God’s church have remained the same — evangelism and edification. How - ever, ministry outreach to the new society has changed.” A full year before his retirement, Pastor Mullins began preparing his congregation for the transition — laying a foundation of doctrinal stability and shepherding their hearts toward change. His congregation excelled at that. But he knew the new man would need more than a will- ing congregation. He would need financial support, ex - perienced leadership, and the backing of a larger church. That conviction led him to call a friend.
The Church at Kettering worships together.
Two Pastors, One Vision As the pastor of First Baptist Church, Kettering, I had my own burden. When I became pastor, I believed strongly that First Baptist needed a Kettering presence — a gos- pel witness planted firmly in the community for which the church was named. When Dan Mullins called, we discovered that God had been working on both sides of the same equation. “We began to meet and pray about the change for both our churches,” Pastor Mullins recalls. What emerged was a
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