Announcement of Senior Pastor Change

Dear Friends of First United Methodist Church of Castle Rock,

From the very beginning, the Methodist movement has been a movement on the move. John Wesley rode on horseback across England, sending preachers into the fields and villages, trusting that the Spirit of God was always one step ahead of them. Francis Asbury carried that same conviction across the American frontier — appointing, sending, and trusting that God’s church was bigger than any one place or person. That tradition — the itinerant system — is not simply an organizational structure. It is a theological statement: that pastors belong to the whole church, that God is always doing something new, and that the mission is always larger than any single congregation or appointment. It is in that spirit that I write to you today.

My time with you has been one of the greatest gifts of my life and ministry. You have trusted me with your grief and your joy, your doubts and your deepest faith. In living out our mission of sharing God’s light and love with our community and beyond, I have found my own faith renewed again and again — by your faithfulness, your courage, and the way you have shown up for one another and for this community.

You are a church that knows how to love — how to open your doors, set an extra place at the table, and bear witness to the grace of God in ways both grand and quiet. That is not something a pastoral transition can take from you. It is who you are. God is not finished with Castle Rock First United Methodist Church, and I believe your best days are still ahead.

I also want to be honest with you: this is hard. Goodbyes are hard. You are not just a congregation I have served — you are people I love. And I think it is right to name that grief rather than rush past it. But we do not grieve as those without hope. God has been faithful in every season we have shared, and God will not stop being faithful now. As John Wesley reminded us in his very last days, “The best of all is, God is with us.” That is not a sentiment. That is a promise — one that is enough for whatever comes next, for you and for me.

Until my last day as your pastor, I am still your pastor — fully present, fully committed, and not done yet. We still have worship to offer, people to welcome, and work to do in this community. So let’s not spend these remaining weeks looking backward. Let’s end this chapter the way we have tried to live it: together, faithfully, and with everything we’ve got.

Grace and peace be with you, now and always,

Pastor Matt Franks

First United Methodist Church of Castle Rock