Etna Green Pastor Brings Local Churches Together
ETNA GREEN — There probably aren’t enough hooks on the rack in his Etna Green home to hang all the hats Rob Seewald has to wear. To be certain, however, he isn’t one to ever use the excuse he’s just “too busy” to give everything he has to the task before him.
A clergyman by trade, Seewald has used his gifts to expand his ministry in many other aspects of his life. He currently serves as the lead pastor in three area churches — Leesburg United Methodist, Bourbon First United Methodist and Pleasant Grove United Methodist in Warsaw. His goal is to add three more area churches to the network in what he has termed “Front Porch 2.0.”
The first version of Front Porch was launched several years ago at the Nappanee United Methodist Church. Seewald said the plan never really took hold there, which led him to Leesburg in 2011.
Three years ago, he joined Bourbon’s church and July 1 of this year, Pleasant Grove came on board.
“Often times, small churches struggle,” he said. “What we are saying is ‘we believe in you. We want you to be a stronger church and to grow.’” His vision is the churches remain independent, yet have the ability to share resources and their particular gifts wishing the affiliated churches.
“For example,” he explained, “if one church has a gift for youth ministry, they can share that with the other churches and allow them to focus on the strengths that they have been blessed with.”
Seewald knows that the addition of the third church will either prove or disprove the theory. “If it can work with three churches, it will work with six,” he said. “Each church will have its own pastor, but the ministries will be linked together.” He envisions his role as executive pastor, overseeing the churches in the consortium.
For the past five years, Seewald has served as associate district superintendent for the Northwest District United Methodist Church. He plans to relinquish that role this December.
Seewald also wears a corporate hat, serving as the corporate chaplain for Wishbone Medical, a Warsaw pediatric orthopedic company, whose mission is to provide access to anatomically correct medical implants to children around the world.
“Ninety-five percent of implants that go in children have been modified either by bending, cutting or rigging adult-sized equipment to ‘fit’ the child,” he said. “These devices were never meant to be put into kids.”
In his role, Seewald is the “keeper of the corporate moral compass.” He serves to remind everyone in the company of their mission. “Making money is important,” he said, “but our goal is to help children by fitting them with properly sized devices and making them whole.”
Seewald and his wife, Amy, have been heavily involved in 4-H for many years. He is in his final year serving as the president of the Kosciusko County 4-H Council. The couple has three children, Beth (Brad) Troyer, 24, Brittany, 20, and Anna, 5.
Diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth, Anna has been a true joy for the Seewalds. She often can be found riding a horse at Magical Meadows, the place she learned to walk. Anna will be able to start exploring 4-H next year, and is excited to do so.
“My goal is to help the churches, business and organizations of Kosciusko County to find their calling and to grow according to God’s plan,” concluded Seewald.