Dan's sister, Rebecca, was ordained in 2022

Hesitant because ministry runs in the family

Stepping into the call of God on your life may need a nudge, says Dan Hudson of Derby City Church

Dan Hudson didn’t expect to become a pastor. In fact, he was actively avoiding it. With his dad, grandad and uncle all Elim ministers and a general expectation that he would follow suit, he was keen to do something different.

“I love sport, playing football and tennis, so I got into coaching instead,” he says. “I also have a passion for young people, so began teaching in primary schools, running after-school clubs and teaching PE.”

By 2017, Dan and his wife Madeleine had joined Derby City Church and loved being part of the youth team there, so much so that pastor Dave Ayling offered Dan a part-time role as youth worker alongside his other work.

But a year later, Dan’s teaching work dried up, and he found himself at a crossroads.

“I wasn’t sure what was happening, then Dave offered me the opportunity to explore wider work in the church. I started leading the youthwork but also got involved in areas like pastoral care and working with older people.”

Through this, he began warming to the idea of ministry. “Dave asked, ‘Do you feel like God’s calling you to ministry?’ but I asked, ‘What do you think?’ I needed him to give me a nudge. I talked to Madeleine, and she felt I should go for it too.

“I was hesitant because ministry runs in the family, and I just felt that people expected I would be a pastor like my dad and grandad.

“My family never put that pressure on me, though, and I thank God for giving me incredible parents who have loved and supported me in my journey.”

Even though Dan was pushing away from ministry, he began to realise this was God’s calling over his life.

“I came to a place where it started to feel special to be part of the work my dad and grandad have been involved in rather than an inevitable continuation of what had gone before.

“I’ve also loved seeing my sister Rebecca go on the journey of becoming a minister. She was ordained in 2022 and is a gifted speaker with a beautiful heart for Jesus. We continue to learn from one another and spur each other on in our roles.”

Dan signed up as a Minister In Training in 2019, while continuing to invest in the youthwork he loved. His training allowed him to work with different nationalities, too.

“We had an international Pentecost celebration with more than 30 nations in the building and being among that was pretty special. Through experiences like this and as time went on I was accepting that maybe I was called to be an assistant or lead pastor one day. I just needed to take it a week at a time and see where God led me.”

 

Derby City Church is a bustling church led by Andy Lenton which serves its community with a variety of initiatives

Tough time

During his MIT period, Dan helped support the church through a particularly hard season. “2020 was a tough time, not just because of the pandemic but also because Dave Ayling, who had been part of the church for 18 years, passed away.

“Dave was an incredible man of God who made a huge impact on my life. He pastored, preached, raised up leaders and stayed close to Jesus.

“Through that difficult time, the church responded incredibly, being there for one another.”

Dan then began working with Andy Lenton when he joined the church as lead pastor in January 2021 and was grateful for the help of his dad, Paul, who is Regional Leader. Today, he serves as associate pastor at Derby City Church, having been ordained last June.

Since then, life has remained busy. In addition to supporting the staff team and the church’s events and programmes, much of Dan’s work has involved finding physical space for growing ministries.

One is DCC’s Hope Centre, which supports low-income families, refugees, asylum seekers and recently released prisoners through its Hope Store. Its food bank gives out up to 80 food parcels a week.

“Our work is growing, and we’ve just bought a building called Hope House, which we’re renovating. We’ll partner with another charity, Rebuild, when it’s ready and focus on building a network of hope around Derby.”

The renovations have been keeping Dan busy as the Hope Store has taken on space in the new building, and room has been freed up to revamp the basement for DCC’s children’s ministry.

Equally important has been pastoral care for church members.

“The growth we’re seeing is great, but I’m learning that while you’re managing that you’ve also got to stay close to people in church because it’s about going on the journey with them.

“It’s about sitting in their homes, talking and hearing their struggles. The fact you were there for them when they needed you is what they’ll remember.”

As we head into 2024, Dan plans to maintain this focus on discipleship.

“We’re doing Alpha courses and getting into a rhythm with other special events which we can invite friends and family to.

“We’ve been called to build community and bring hope, and we’ve got to stay faithful to that. God’s given us a great opportunity, and if we stay obedient to him, he will open new doors through 2024.”

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

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