The PLI Experience™: Stories from the PLI Family

Rev. Tim Bayer and his wife Beth are alumni of both D2MC and Senior Leader. With their three children, they make their home in Tacoma, Washington, where Tim serves as lead pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church.

An often-missed part of the leadership experience is dwelling in God’s presence. It takes an incredible amount of courage and humility to lead by being still in God’s presence.

Tim Bayer

Why did you decide to do D2MC and Senior Leader? Was there a Kairos moment that led to it?

I chose to participate in D2MC to introduce our leadership team to the PLI community. We were growing and experiencing breakthroughs as a ministry, so I also jumped into Senior Leader to walk with a broader community of leaders who were in larger and more complex ministry contexts.

How did your PLI experience shape you as a leader? 

Senior Leader invited me to lean into God’s promises, especially when leading through seasons of change. It gave me the confidence and framework to think through and lead through conflict.

Navigating conflict in complex ministry systems is challenging because the senior leader wears different hats at the same time. The clarity gained from the content and the support from my PLI cohort gave me confidence to approach and lead through challenging conversations.

How have you benefited from PLI as a couple/family? 

Beth and I met some of our best friends through our PLI cohorts.

What is a take-away from your time in PLI that has stayed with you? 

Play is just as important as purpose. We integrate fun into almost every part of ministry leadership. Whether it’s a question to begin a meeting, staff lunch with no agenda, or a team outing just because, intentional fun reminds us that we have permission to be fully human while engaging in the work of ministry.

Share a story of a hope-filled outcome of reaching out into your local context and community. Where do you see God at work? 

Last summer, we prayed that God would use a newly-renovated community space for His glory and to serve more people. It was a prayer saying, “God, we are here and available. Reveal your desire to us.” Over the last twelve months, we are now stocking eight community necessity pantries and 17% more backpacks of food for hungry families. As a result, one employee shared, “I’m so grateful that I have access to food when I hear about how tough life and circumstances can be for students at home. Our Savior gives me peace in that I can rely on getting food to my families. Thank you so much. You truly make a difference.” Additionally, a father shared, “I never thought my kids’ school would be the ones putting food on my table and I am so grateful.” This family receives items from the pantry once a month and because of the generosity of Our Savior, we can meet the basic needs of families in our communities with dignity and humility.

What is God teaching you right now?

An often-missed part of the leadership experience is dwelling in God’s presence. It takes an incredible amount of courage and humility to lead by being still in God’s presence.

Finally…what would you say to someone considering PLI?

PLI is worth the time, energy, and dollar investment not only as a ministry leader but also as a spouse, parent, and disciple of Jesus in the world.