DOMESTIC MISSIONARY
Hello! My name is Jon-Michael Schweigart
I am the Pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Knob Noster, MO and the Director of Warrensburg Lutheran Campus Ministry
or aka: Domestic Missionary.
I'm from a military family so I have lived in several places all over the country. For High School I ended up in St. Louis Missouri, where I met Melissa. We were high school sweethearts and she’s been with me every step of the way.
My route into ministry was atypical at best. My life had been filled with hardship, and throughout the worst of it I was not a Christian, meaning, during those times, I genuinely thought I was alone in my struggles. After years of being repeatedly shown that I could only count on myself in the world, I was shown a different way. I was shown Jesus Christ. Discovering that a God existed who was willing to take my burden from me absolutely changed my life. That’s why I have devoted my life to publically proclaiming Christ. I genuinely like to show people that there’s another way to live. There’s a hope that makes life worth getting out of bed in the morning. There’s a peace that quiets even the stormiest of situations. That hope and peace can only be found in Jesus, everything else is just a pale imitation.
Upon finishing my Master’s at Concordia Seminary I was called into this very unique position, a Domestic Missionary.
FAITH AND CAMPUS MISSION MINISTRY
Faith and Campus Mission Ministry was created to supply a domestic missionary to serve as pastor for Faith Lutheran Church in Knob Noster and as Director of the Warrensburg Lutheran Campus Ministry. This ministry came together because many Christians in Central Missouri realized that there were two communities in need.
Faith Lutheran in Knob Noster Missouri had gone through several vacancy pastors. Many of you all know what it’s like to not have a Pastor of your own. It is certainly possible to survive as a congregation without a Pastor, but it is very difficult to thrive without one. That’s why Paul instructed Timothy on how to raise up Pastors in a church. The people of Christ need someone to proclaim the word and administer the Sacraments. Further, the people of Faith Lutheran needed someone to provide stability in the outreach to Whiteman Air Force Base. The church needed their own servant to continue the work of God.
Similarly Warrensburg Lutheran Campus Ministry, a ministry to the students and staff of the University of Central Missouri, was in need of a new director. The previous director of 35 years was ready to retire. She is a wonderful woman and dedicated her entire life to ministering to the students of the University of Central Missouri. Someone was needed to fill her shoes.
So, these two groups, along with Pastors and laity from the various churches in the area, came together to meet this need for both communities. The result of this hard work, significant donation, and immense amount of prayer, allowed Faith Lutheran Church to call a “domestic missionary” to serve both locations.