Rick Ousley to leave pastorate at Brook Hills, looking to future ministry

Ever since his freshman days during the 1970s at Samford University in Birmingham, Rick Ousley felt he was called to serve only one church as pastor. Fifteen years ago, he found that church when he became senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham.
   
That is why the decision to move on to his next phase of ministry did not come easily.
   
“(Brook Hills) has been my life assignment as far as pastoring,” Ousley said. “Every part of my being loves and cares for, with a shepherd’s heart, every part of this place.”
   
Recalling members he has seen grow up in the church, both spiritually and literally, Ousley said, “Those aren’t numbers sitting in the (sanctuary) seats, those are stories.”
   
But after 10 months of battling health problems due to an arteriovenous malformation — a mass of arteries and veins growing together inside his brain — and experiencing a massive aneurysm this spring, Ousley said he knows it is time to move on to ministries that will let him spend more time with his family.
   
On June 5, he announced his resignation to the congregation, explaining it would be effective Sept. 18. Until that time, he plans to continue preaching and will continue in his usual ministries at the church.
   
“For too long, my family has gotten leftovers from me, because I’ve been so caught up in the task at hand,” Ousley told the congregation. “This was the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make in my life but I know it’s right.
   
Later, in an interview with The Alabama Baptist, Ousley explained that even though he is leaving Brook Hills and is not called to another pastorate, that does not mean he is retiring. “I feel like I’m just starting the fourth quarter, and there’s a lot of game time left on the clock,” he said.
   
He plans to stay in the Birmingham area and to focus on four areas of ministry, the first being young pastors. “I really want to invest myself in young pastors,” he said. “I want to get them to think about a life assignment, rather than ‘get one church to move on to a bigger church.’”
   
Ousley said he also wants to reach out to the next generation by reaching out to youth at conferences and camps.
   
A third area of focus for Ousley is to travel to the missions field and minister to pastors there. “If I’ve helped one pastor, then I’ve helped the whole congregation,” he said. 
   
And he wants to work to break down the racial, social, economic and denominational barriers that separate Christians.
   
“I’m going to go anywhere and do anything  I can to be a part of Kingdom work,” he said.
   
By focusing his life on these ministries, Ousley said it will be easier to balance his time between work and family. “I’ll be gone two to three days and then be home three to four days and give my family my undivided attention,” he said.
   
He also plans to remain a member of Brook Hills, although it will probably be more through tithing and special events. “This place will always be in my heart,” Ousley said. “If I happen to have a Sunday where I’m not preaching, I’ll come worship, but I hope I’m preaching every Sunday.”
   
Ousley said the process of looking for a new pastor has begun, but he does not expect to be a part of that process. “It’s a challenging time, but that’s when the blessings come,” he said. “I believe for The Church at Brook Hills, and for myself, the best is yet to come.”