Advertisement He and his family are moving to Athens, Ga., to be closer to their families. His last day will be June 15.
“God hasn’t given me any more beyond showing me that I needed to leave and I needed to be in Georgia,” Holt said. “Beyond that, He hasn’t shown me yet. But I am confident I will be shown when the time is right. It’s an enormous leap of faith.”
Moving wasn’t an easy decision for the family. Originally from Georgia, Holt graduated from the University of Georgia in 1983 after which he felt called to the ministry. He was a college pastor in Minneapolis for four years, then went to Trinity Evangelical Divinity College in Chicago.
First Free Evangelical Church started in 1915 in a tent at 15th and Jackson streets in La Crosse, and everyone in the congregation spoke Norwegian. In 1990, Holt became pastor at the church when it had 80 members and was located on Campbell Road in La Crosse. There was just him and a part-time secretary. He was 30 years old and he and his wife, Dede, had a 6-month-old daughter.
The church now gets more than 1,400 people on Sundays. There are seven full-time pastors and a staff of 22 full- and part-time employees. They moved from the little church on Campbell Road to using space at Aquinas and Central High Schools over the years until building the new facility on Mason Street in Onalaska. The congregation moved into the $5.2 million facility in July 2002.
What excites Holt is the remaining building debt will be paid off in just three more years.
Holt, 47, and his wife now have four children: the 6-month-old daughter is now the eldest of four at 18 years old and just graduated from high school.
At first, she argued that she wouldn’t move with the family because she had grown up here. When she came to him and said she prayed about it and felt she needed to move with the family, Holt took it as one more affirmation that he should leave.
“He’s shown me a number of signs that this is my next step. When she told me that, it cemented my certainty,” he said.
Without a job to go to and four children at home, Holt has a lot to be uncertain about. He said he is putting his name and resume out in the Athens area, but he wants to be careful to listen to what God wants. His daily prayer time alone with God will increase, he anticipates.
“After July 16, I need to be ‘locked in’ with the Lord and wait on His Word.” But, he said, he’s actively waiting.
While he’s putting out his resume, he is praying about writing a book. “Not having a paycheck is scary,” Holt said. “But if a door doesn’t immediately open up, I’ll take that as a sign that God wants me to write the book. … I’m scared, but I’m excited.”
He said he believes the success of the church is its philosophy of bringing together the truth and grace of God. “We bring the truth about God and the truth of his mercy and love,” Holt said. “That combination is the key to healing.
“We have a community of people here that accepts people and welcomes them to come as they are,” Holt continued. “No matter if you’re a Catholic, Lutheran, whatever, or how much you think you’ve sinned, we accept you as you are.”
Holt said the most exciting thing for him and what fills him with pride for the church has been to see the changed lives. “That’s what Jesus is all about. So many people fall in love with Jesus and get accurate education about God,” he said. “This is a church full of people who have been changed by God. Every Sunday you hear profound stories about how once-empty lives are now filled with purpose and meaning.”
The basis of the church is to make God alive and for each person to have a personal relationship with Jesus. “We’re about the relationship with God. Religion is us trying to reach God through good works. A relationship with God is God reaching us through Jesus Christ. What everyone says when they first come here is they feel the joy. That’s the presence of God. It’s alive. People are glad to be here.”
As he reflects on the growth of the church during his almost 18-year tenure, Holt said he felt like he’s been a bystander. “I have literally felt like a spectator watching God work. It’s amazing what He has done. Time and time again, He has provided — whether it was staff or meeting places or money. Whatever we have needed has come just when it was needed.”
While Holt is quick to point out that all the success of the church comes from God’s work, he also is quick to recognize the contributions of the many people involved in the ministry work of the church.
“The people of this church are wonderful — I can’t say enough about them,” Holt said. “It’s been a privilege as a pastor to get to know them.”
Holt said he signs all his personal letters with one of two statements. One is “I love being one of your pastors,” to which many reply, “We love being your sheep.”
The other message he writes is “Jesus is the head of this church.”
“I want people to point at Jesus, not me,” Holt said.
That’s the message he’ll leave his congregation with. “My last sermon is this Sunday and I’ll end it by saying, ‘David Holt is leaving, but God is not.’”
AT A GLANCE
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