‘Go West, young man.”
At age 27, with a Bible degree from Oklahoma Christian University and five years of experience preaching in Vermont, Bruce Henderson did exactly that.
In October 1973, Henderson moved roughly 2,900 miles west with his wife, Wanetta, and their two young daughters. They relocated to Carson City, Nev., the state capital, for him to serve as the minister for the Airport Road Church of Christ.
Little did Henderson know that he would remain in that role 50 years later — eight times longer, so far, than the national median for Protestant pastors, according to Lifeway Research.
“You know, I just kind of leave it up to God,” Henderson, now 77, told The Christian Chronicle in a recent interview. “I’m still excited about ministry.”
The small Nevada congregation had around 40 attendees when he began, and most of them were middle-aged,…
