Peoples Church

A modern example of a church that passed the leadership to new pastors and yet kept its mission is the Peoples Church of Toronto.  Oswald J. Smith had a heart for missions and when he was unable to go as a missionary he founded a church that would send and support missionaries.  Each pastor following has been carefully chosen to keep the the mission of the church in focus.  There have been four pastors, Oswald J. Smith, Paul Smith, John Hull and Charles Price who is the current pastor.  As the baton was passed from one pastor to the next it was done in a way that continuity of mission was followed.
Leaders come and leaders go but the God of the church remains.  Moses was to step aside but Joshua was to continue the mission.  Moses commissioned Joshua but it was God who called him.
I heard Oswald J. Smith preach when I was twenty one years old.  He had come to our church in then Fort William as the speaker at the opening of our new church.  I do not remember a lot but I do remember that his sermons were about missions.