My earliest memory of Roger Shouse is a bulletin article. “I Hate Cancer” was the headline. It was 1997. I was just beginning a preacher training program with my father, and he was feeding me things to read, right and left. One day, he came into my tiny office with a thick stack of bulletin articles written by Roger Shouse. “You ought to read these,” he said. “The whole stack?” I asked. “The whole stack. He’s got a way with words. If you can learn to write like him, you’ll do well.”
I had already read quite a few articles from quite a few authors, but I had never come across anyone who wrote quite like Roger Shouse. I had never seen a title like, “I Hate Cancer” at the top of a church bulletin article, a deeply-heartfelt reflection on the passing of his mother. But my dad was right. Roger has always had a sharp ability to employ everyday words as a vehicle to connect the stuff of real life to the hearts of people, and the hearts of people to Jesus.
As it turns out, I’ve been blessed to work with Roger Shouse for the last nine years, and I wouldn’t trade that time and experience for anything.
Roger and I are very different. When I’ve stepped out of my office, walked down the church building hallway, and stepped into his office, Beethoven has been frequently exchanged for the Beatles. We have very different personalities, different ways of preaching and teaching, different approaches to getting things done, different preferences, but I believe those differences have complimented each other for the good of the whole. I know those differences have helped me grow. Roger never once pressured or asked or expected me to do things his way. He has always been gracious, giving me more than enough space to be myself. In fact, that’s what he repeatedly encouraged me to do from the beginning of our working relationship. “Just be yourself.”
That’s one of many things Shelly and I have so very much appreciated about Debbie. Never once, not in the slightest degree, did Debbie ever flex as “the preacher’s wife” and make Shelly feel for a moment that there was even a thread of competition or territory or unspoken expectation just because of what their husbands do for a living. Debbie has always been just lovely Ms. Debbie, the humble, hard-working disciple who loves Jesus and people. That absence of any pressure meant more to Shelly and me than we know how to put into words. We’ve worked really hard for 28+ years not to be “the preacher” and “the preacher’s wife” who have “preacher’s kids.” We just want to be the best versions of Jason, Shelly, Chloe, Jadyn, and Emma that we can be. Roger and Debbie welcomed that, modeled that, applauded that, and we will forever be grateful.
Roger is a fascinating blend of a person on numerous fronts. He holds the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of heaven in earnest seriousness, but he doesn’t even begin to take himself too seriously. I’m pretty sure he laughs louder and more heartily than any 60-something-year-old I’ve ever met. I don’t know that I’ve ever told the story to anyone, but during my first week at Charlestown Road, I’m pretty sure he almost killed us both with copy machine toner. He had picked up the wrong-sized cartridge and tried a little too hard to shove it into place, projecting yellow dust all over the inside of the machine. I happened to walk into the office suite just as he hit the POWER button on a vacuum cleaner and started using the wand to suck up all the dust. As I picked up the right-sized cartridge box and started to open it, my eyes settled on this prominent warning: “In the event of a spill, do not vacuum; may cause a dangerous fire or dust explosion.” When I got Roger’s attention and showed him the warning, he just laughed and laughed and laughed. “Wouldn’t that have been a bad beginning to our working relationship?” he asked.
Roger is a blend of deep appreciation for the very old and an insatiable hunger to grow in his understanding–even testing–of the very new. History, especially the history of the Restoration Movement, lights up his heart. But he’s also talked far more about the possibilities of artificial intelligence than any retiree I know. He has a deep passion for perpetual improvement, for always bringing the best and never settling. I don’t think I ever came home from an out-of-town preaching trip where he failed to ask me on my first day back in the office, “What did you notice? What did you see? Where can we improve?”
Roger is a blend of genuine concern for the aged, the newborn, and everyone in-between. I’ve never met the man who can more quickly and authentically connect with little kids in a church foyer. When I imagine Jesus saying to grumpy adults, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven,” I can easily imagine Roger standing right there, nodding his head, with a big grin on his face. The ease with which he seems to connect with high school and college students is remarkable. Who knows how many young couples he has counseled about faith, family, and finances? And yet, at the same time, I know of precious few who have done more behind the scenes for those who are grieving, lonely, and helpless in their old age than Roger and Debbie Shouse. I’m confident that I’m only aware of a small slice of their quiet generosity over the last ten years, but the little I am aware of is beyond encouraging.
I’ve been blessed with nearly a decade’s worth of opportunities to see, work with, and be shaped by the day-to-day-Roger when the bright lights were off and the crowds had dispersed. The tireless work ethic. The heart for people that keeps a good shepherd up at night. The integrity and Christlike responses when falsely accused and misrepresented. What’s kept him going? My hunch is the same question I’ve heard him ask so many times–of one across a coffee table, of a room full of preachers, and audiences of several hundreds. “Who am I that He would trust me to share such a precious message?” More than anything, Roger just wants to make Jesus proud.
Roger talks about Jesus as if they are lifelong friends. For the rest of my life, whenever I turn to Mark 5 or read the story of the prodigal son, I’ll briefly think of Roger. I’ve heard him talk about those passages as if he was actually there. He’s helped us see Jesus and deepened our desire to know Jesus better.
When I think of Roger Shouse, there are so many things that will continue to come to my mind, make me smile, and fill my heart with gratitude for nine blessed years.
How kind he has always been to my daughters.
The vibrantly bold color he’s brought to so many lives with socks, ties, and PowerPoint slides.
The firm conviction and authentic enthusiasm behind, “Sunday is the best day of the week. I wish every day could be Sunday.”
More than 900 podcast recordings and 4,000 Jump Starts.
The seeds of yet another annual congregational theme distilled into a simple phrase that would come to him on a long drive back home after a busy Fall gospel meeting…
“Just Like Jesus.”
“Walking in Hope.”
“Life, the Way It Was Meant To Be.”
“Good News for Tough Times.”
“Heaven Bound.”
“Now I See.”
“Rise and Build.”
“I Am His and He is Mine.”
“Finish What Was Started.”
“Bringing the Best.”
“Celebrating the Seasons of Faith.”
“The Joy of the Journey.”
As long as I’ve been blessed to know him, Roger has thought of himself as one of those servants blessed by the Master with the opportunity to set an enormous banquet table for a spiritual feast. How many times have we heard him say, “The table is full, you just have to bring your fork”? How many times has he comforted us by reminding us that death is just a door, and on the other side? The best.
He has taught multiple generations of elders what it means to serve with the hearts of shepherds. I understand Ezekiel 34 and 1 Thessalonians 5:14 better because of Roger Shouse. I have a more Biblical understanding of the kingdom because of Roger Shouse. I have a bigger heart for people than I did a decade ago because of the influence of Roger Shouse.
“Together, great things are done.” We’ve heard Roger say that many times in recent months here at Charlestown Road. He’s challenged us to be our best, to always bring our best. He stubbornly believes in the potential of ordinary people. I’ve been within earshot as more than one 20- and 30-something-year-old has hugged him and told him, “You’ve believed in me more than I believed in myself.” That’s what the best mentors and shepherds do. That’s who they are.
Roger, you have spent and been spent for our souls. My sincere prayer and earnest expectation is that generations of disciples not even yet born will be impacted by the seeds you’ve planted in hearts that are more aligned with the heart of the Good Shepherd than they would have otherwise been were it not for your diligent effort and Christ-honoring legacy.
May this next chapter be the perfect blend of fulfilling work that continues to challenge your mind, a much-deserved downshift in day-to-day responsibilities that refreshes your spirit, and family time that fills your heart with joy for years to come.
We love you. We thank God for you. My life has been forever changed for the better because of you.
Thank you for bringing so much joy to the journey.
