A NEW SEASON OF LEADERSHIP AT LIBERTY

A New Season of Leadership at Liberty

Over the past while, Liberty has stepped into a significant moment in our life together, one that has been a long time coming and carefully, prayerfully discerned.

I wanted to take a moment to share a bit of the story behind our recent leadership transition, and to reflect on what it’s meant for us as a church family.

Walking Together for a Long Time

I’ve been part of Liberty for over twenty years now. I joined when I was still in college, not long after the church began, and I’ve served alongside Noel for the majority of my adult life. We’ve led together in different seasons, through growth, change, and a deepening sense of what God has been calling Liberty to become.

Over the last number of years, as Liberty has increasingly taken shape as a movement of Home Churches and Community Churches across the city, it became clear that our leadership structure needed to reflect that reality more intentionally. Those conversations didn’t happen quickly. In fact, Noel first raised the idea of this transition with me about four years ago, and since then we’ve taken time to listen, pray, talk, wait, and seek clarity together with the Elders.

This has been slow, deliberate, and shaped by a shared desire to be faithful to what God is doing among us.

Stepping Into New Roles

As part of that discernment, I’ve stepped into the role of Senior Pastor at Liberty. My focus in this role is to help keep the whole movement aligned, healthy, and rooted in the vision God has already given us. That means working closely with the Elders, supporting leaders across our churches, and helping us stay faithful to our beliefs, loves, and practices as we continue to grow.

At the same time, Noel has stepped into a role we’re calling Missional Catalyst. This gives language to something many of us have recognised for years. Noel carries a particular gift for pioneering, prayer, and mission, and for helping others step into what God is already doing.

In this season, that includes leading a new Home Church and outreach in Fassaroe, but it also recognises a wider calling that Noel carries. Over time, he has increasingly sensed God inviting him to help spark and strengthen things across the city of Dublin and, in time, beyond it. That might look like prayer initiatives, new partnerships, emerging works, or simply being present where God is already stirring something new.

This transition creates space for Noel to explore that calling more fully, with time, freedom, and trust. And Liberty will be the first to support and be involved in that journey. As God opens doors, we expect to listen together, pray together, and step into what He’s inviting us into, as a church family.

It’s important to say clearly that Noel is still very much part of Liberty. He remains an Elder, a leader, a voice, and a presence among us. This transition hasn’t been about him stepping away, but about releasing him into a season that reflects both his gifting and the needs of the wider body, while allowing me to carry the responsibility of leading Liberty as a whole.

We’re still working side by side, as we have for many years.

A Meaningful Moment Together

We marked this transition together in a co-missioning service last Sunday, and it was honestly one of the most moving moments of my life in Liberty.

We worshipped, told the story of how we arrived here, and then Noel and I sat together and shared openly about what God has been doing and where we sense He’s leading us next. Our Elders affirmed the unity and clarity they feel around this step, and then something really special happened as the church body gathered around us, laid hands and prayed.

It was holy, grounding, and deeply affirming. It reminded me again that leadership in the church is never something we carry alone. We do this together, under Jesus, dependent on the Holy Spirit, supported by the prayers and faith of the community.

Why This Matters

One of our real hopes in this transition has been to model something healthy.

Churches don’t always navigate leadership transitions well. Too often they’re rushed, unclear, or driven by pressure rather than prayer. We wanted to show that it’s possible to move between seasons with trust, humility, and generosity. That different callings can be honoured. That leadership can be shared, released, and reshaped without fear.

We believe God leads His church through seasons, and that maturity often looks like knowing when to carry something, and when to pass it on.

I’m deeply grateful for Noel’s leadership, friendship, and trust over so many years, and for the Elders who have walked closely with us through this process. I’m also incredibly thankful for the wider Liberty family, for your prayers, encouragement, and faith as we step into this next chapter together.

If you’d like to hear more of the heart behind all of this, Noel and I recorded a conversation on the Liberty Conversations podcast, sharing more personally about the journey and what lies ahead. You can find that here.

I’m expectant about the days ahead, and excited to see how God continues to form us as a people who practice the ways of Jesus together, in everyday life, across our city.

Rob