Rev. Alex Rahill has announced he will resign from his position as director of church planting for the Covenant, effective August 31, 2024. Rahill has served in the role since 2016, with a brief appointment as interim executive minister of Start and Strengthen Churches in 2018–2019. Prior to this, he served as director of church planting for the Great Lakes Conference.
Church planting became embedded in his calling in 2002 when Rahill helped to plant LifeChurch in Canton, Michigan. LifeChurch went on to plant two more congregations in neighboring Livonia and Southfield, and those churches planted two more Michigan churches in Auburn Hills and Riverside. Since then, Rahill has been a strong proponent of churches planting churches. In a 2021 article on church planting, he spoke passionately about a church planting system that provides local, conference, and denominational support and care for new churches. Under his leadership, the Covenant has revamped its church planter training—moving it online and creating cohorts and coaches for church planters to help better support and prepare them. During his tenure, more than 120 churches have been planted. The suite of training tools, which was a significant part of his vision, is nearing completion with the final phases of the Spanish language tools coming online.
“After much prayer, I have come to the decision to step down from this role,” Rahill said. “Our journey together has been filled with many blessings, challenges, and milestones. Together, we have witnessed the hand of God moving in remarkable ways, and I am humbled to have been a part of this incredible ministry. As we reflect on the past and look toward the future, I believe we stand on the threshold of a new chapter in our shared mission.”
“Alex has been a fruitful leader,” says Paul Lessard, vice president of mission priorities. “He recontextualized the training to be principle-based and descriptive rather than prescriptive and model-based. That shift allowed for a greater fit and support for the many ethnic and multiethnic churches we’ve been planting. It has been a huge culture shift for us.” He continues, “His greatest contribution, however, has been the strength of his leadership of the church planting team and staff during the disruption of the pandemic. His deep spirituality and hope for the church shone brightly in the uncertainty of those times. I am grateful for his work and faithfulness. He will be missed.”
Rahill will work closely with Paul Robinson, executive minister of Serve Locally, to help ensure a smooth transition.
