October 18, 2026
Dear Tabernacle Family,
In 2003, you invited me to become Tabernacle’s twelfth Senior Pastor. Laura and I experienced an unmistakable sense that God was calling us to Richmond, to plant our lives here and raise our family among you. When I began serving in April 2004, we couldn’t have imagined we’d spend more than twenty-two years here or all that those years would hold. But we trusted that call.
Throughout these years, I’ve often said that I would remain your pastor for as long as I believed God was calling me to serve here. In recent months, Laura and I have felt that same holy nudge that first brought us to Tabernacle, and through prayer and discernment, we’ve come to believe God is calling us into another season of life and ministry. Earlier today, at the conclusion of their worship service, Earle Street Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, voted to call me as their next Senior Pastor, and I have accepted that call.
I know this news may take some time to absorb, and I want to share what I can about the coming weeks. I’ll be working closely with Personnel Committee, Deacons, staff, and other church leaders to determine the timing and details of this transition. While those details remain to be worked out, I anticipate this transition taking place in November, allowing me to devote much of December to preparing for the move to Greenville. I expect to begin serving Earle Street in early January 2027. Laura will remain in Richmond through the school year and join me in Greenville in the summer. I ask for your patience and prayers for the staff and our lay leaders.
Together, we’ve carried forward Tabernacle’s longstanding culture of call. With grateful hearts, we’ve welcomed so many with open arms, walked alongside them as they discerned God’s calling, and sought to equip and send them with bread for the journey. Now, as God calls our family onward, I hope you’ll send us with that same grace. There’ll be time to say much more. For now, I give thanks for all we’ve shared, trusting that God will continue to sustain, guide, and bless Tabernacle for years to come.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Sterling W. Severns, Senior Pastor
