Crown to Compass to FeedSheep: The Schilling Family Ministry Journey

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On April 29, 2022, one chapter of our story came to a close.

For the previous 13 years, I had the honor to serve alongside many faithful servants at Compass-finances God's way, especially my dear friend and mentor Howard Dayton.
It was a privilege and pleasure for almost 18 years to glean wisdom, insight, and humility from Howard in my time under his leadership at Crown & Compass.

Howard’s influence significantly shaped me into the husband, father, and disciple of Christ I am today. His legacy on the Schilling family will be evident for generations to come. Thank you so much, Howard!

In the fall of 2021, the Lord began to stir my heart that my time serving with Compass was nearing the end.

A series of events began to unfold. Two, in particular, were significant. The first was an exceptionally kind man who approached me, sharing that he felt the Lord’s leading to provide for a three-month sabbatical to prepare our hearts for the next season of ministry.

The second came a few days later while meeting with my pastor. He encouraged me with a story of how an eagle builds its nest and then prepares her eaglets to leave the security and comfort of the nest so they learn to soar with her.  

The Lord used this story to confirm that He had been preparing me to 'leave the nest' and begin to ‘soar’ in what He had created me to be.

Although it was tough to say farewell to my dear friends at Compass, we knew it was time to begin the next chapter of our story. We had no idea how this tale would unfold, but we knew for certain God would be with us.

This past summer and fall could be summed up in two words: exhilarating and exhausting.

Exhilarating with my first experience of a sabbatical. To rest in God's goodness was an extraordinary blessing that provided much-needed refreshment to my soul. It was an exceptional gift that came at the same our family moved into the home God miraculously provided the previous fall.

Exhausting because when the sabbatical wrapped up in September, my mind was bombarded with thoughts like: What's next? Is God calling me to continue in ministry? Should I start a business? Serve alongside another ministry leader who reached out?

The answer from the Lord? Be patient and wait.

Ugh. It’s always the most challenging part of the journey. Amen?

As the next months passed and our savings rapidly dwindled. It became exceptionally hard to continue to wait upon the Lord. God was plowing deep into two significant issues in my heart: impatience and trust.

In late December, the Lord lovingly challenged me on these issues of my heart. He was providing all we needed, but I was becoming increasingly frustrated by how slowly things were progressing.

Then reminders of His faithfulness came flooding back. We’ve seen so much in our 25+ years of marriage & ministry. Especially 18 years prior when we started with Crown. We were overwhelmed with doubt & fear, not sure of how God would provide.

So like many years prior, He lovingly told us to: 'Keep your hands to the plow' and 'Be faithful with today.' So with a deep sigh, we again replied: “Ok, we’re in!”

Soon after, the Lord began to clarify the direction for the ministry of FeedSheep. The outreach would focus on the application of truth, not just teaching the truth. The end goal: “to multiply appliers” or ones that put God’s word into practice, not just a belief system.

Scriptures came to mind like James 1:22, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" and in John 10:27 where Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." God’s word is full of His desire for us to hear and follow Him.

God wasn’t asking us to teach others hear and follow, but live to it. Especially when it gets hard.
Do we have the “hearing & obeying” down? No. Not even close. But we are committed to growing on this journey and grateful to Lord for the adventure we’ve been on, realizing we can’t lead others to a place we've not been.

So what’s next? I’m excited to announce the launch of FeedSheep.org. A place where we hope to love, care & serve the sheep that join us on our quest to: