For many ACU students, Beltway Park Church is a home away from home, and now that home is undergoing renovations.

David McQueen, who has led the church for more than two decades as Beltway’s lead pastor, will hand the role of lead pastor to the church’s teaching pastor.

Geoffrey Turner will become lead pastor, while McQueen’s new title will be “legacy pastor.” McQueen, who has led Beltway for the past 25 years, said he first felt a necessary leadership shift nearly a decade ago.

In his sermon on Jan. 26 at the church, McQueen said the decision to make the change was made in the fall, but he said he’s known it was coming for some time – through divine revelation.

“Nine years ago, I was told that I would be stepping down faster than I or anyone else thought,” he told the church.

Rather than rushing the change, the church took a deliberate approach, he said. Leaders brought in outside counsel and created a yearlong evaluation process that included many staff members and outside pastors.

During this process, church leaders and elders spent months in talks, readings and prayer – yet when the time came, the leadership decision was clear.

“It was a 30-second vote,” McQueen said. “Everyone sat there and said, ‘He’s our guy.’”

McQueen said this was the fastest decision the elders have made, but for Turner, the journey of this moment was anything but expected, he said in a podcast distributed by the church last week.

“Eight years ago, there was no thought of leading Beltway,” Turner said. “I wanted to talk to David about whether me being the next pastor was a real possibility.”

However, over the years, he found himself stepping deeper into leadership in numerous positions, including youth pastor and north campus pastor. In the early days, he even preached full sermons in front of McQueen in an empty auditorium before delivering them to the congregation.

The hard work came full circle for him when he learned about the decision, as mixed emotions emerged.

“Joy, anxiety, happiness, peace – it’s been a long journey,” Turner said.

Turner’s passion for his faith and community was evident in his message at ACU’s Chapel seven years ago. In it, he encouraged students not to settle for anything less than their best and to build true community as God would want.

The same preacher who once told relatable jokes to Wildcat students now will stand before many of them as their new lead pastor.

“God has been doing a lot of cool things,” Turner said.