Zack and Rachael Dunlap—an amazing shepherding team!

Zack Dunlap and his wife, Rachael, were headed in two different directions when God caused their paths to cross. Rachael had planned on becoming an audiologist after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, but through her involvement in summer church camps discovered that her passion was in camp ministry. She felt such joy and peace the first time that she was able to talk with a younger friend about knowing Jesus personally that Rachael decided this was what she wanted to do full time. Eventually she was employed at the Judson Collins Center, a large Christian camp in the rolling Irish Hills of Michigan.

Zack grew up in Canton, Michigan thinking of someday teaching history. It was while attending a particularly meaningful session at a youth retreat however that he sensed God’s calling to become a minister and made the decision to follow that calling. Zack enrolled in Eastern Michigan University.

When the opportunity came to go overseas for six months with an outreach to youth at a summer camp, Zack decided to go. Just a few weeks before leaving, he went on a short retreat with the youth group at the church where he was interning. It happened to be held at the Judson Collins Center!

Prior to meeting, Zack and Rachael had decided separately that they would remain single if God wanted them to, but if they could serve Him better married then they wanted to be married. According to Zack, God just dropped his life partner right into his lap! Shortly after he returned from overseas, they got engaged and then married.

Zack graduated from Eastern, finished his Master of Divinity degree and was appointed to his first church at the age of twenty-four. At the time, Rachael was taking care of their twin babies and also working as a preschool teacher. They were a young couple, committed to serving the Lord as well as to their growing family.

Things didn’t go as expected though. The leaders in that particular church had hoped that a new young pastor with a family would infuse energy into their aging congregation. In Zack’s view, it was “too little, too late.” After just one year the church closed its doors, merging with three other congregations to make a brand new start.

Pastor Zack was reassigned to two churches in southern Michigan near the Ohio border. It was a good move for all of them. Zack was happy in his new assignment; and the family liked their new home. But eventually he got a phone call that a large church congregation in Metro Detroit was thinking of going “multisite” and was looking for a pastor to launch a sister church in a new location.

A one year training program was being offered by the denomination to anyone taking on this new ministry before officially starting. Another big move for the Dunlaps? They were very happy where they were.

Before the phone call offering Zack this position, Rachael had begun taking online classes toward her Master of Divinity degree at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. She too was feeling the call to “get involved in ministry in a new way, by becoming a pastor.” However, they both agreed that launching a new church would be a wonderful opportunity and decided to make the move with the twins, Samuel and Sophia, and two younger sons, John and Jed.

The Dunlaps are now living in a small suburb of Detroit where they have been helping establish and lead the new congregation for almost two years. Zack is devoting all of his time to pastoring and teaching, while Rachael is overseeing small groups and events. The church is growing, thanks to a vibrant program that includes Sunday School, small groups during the week, Vacation Bible School, a weekend family camp at the same location where they first met and several outreaches to the surrounding community.

Upon receiving her Master of Divinity degree from Asbury, Rachael will also eventually become an ordained pastor. How that will affect her role in their church is still to be determined; but surely they will be an even stronger ministry team. Praise the Lord for bringing Zack and Rachael together and for using this young couple in a powerful way!

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1Corinthians 16: 13 NIV