By Jessica Nunes
Former campus pastor Christian Dawson has left Northwest University for a new pastoral position at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Ore. Dawson leaves behind a legacy affecting many lives and forever changing the shape of NU’s Campus Ministries program.
Campus Ministries’ assistant Hannah Madsen and missions coordinator Megan Netherton talk about the effect Dawson had on their lives here at NU.
“Christian has been someone who is real and honest and has always been a friend to me,” says Madsen.
“He has genuinely taught me a lot about humble leadership, relational leadership, and about following Jesus,” says Netherton. She goes on to say that she “learned a lot about work ethic and vision from him,” and how following Jesus is intertwined with our everyday lives.
The future of chapel and a new campus pastor is still unknown. The replacement of Dawson will not be a hasty decision.
“We don’t want to move really quickly on from Christian. We want to honor the impact he has made,” explains Netherton.
Currently, Phil Rasmussen, who previously filled the role of campus pastor before Dawson, is acting campus pastor and will be continuing this role until the school can find a permanent replacement. Additionally, during this transitional period, we will hear from a mixture of students, faculty and guest speakers at chapel who will help address diverse and ethical topics.
Prayerful consideration is being taken into this decision, and it is something the Campus Ministries staff is taking very seriously. It is important to note that the Campus Ministries staff isn’t trying to find another Christian Dawson, but instead is open to finding someone best suited for the position.
As Netherton says, “Opportunities like this are a chance to look at restructuring and seeing if there is a way to empower the right rules and people.”
