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Megachurch Pastor Jon Weece announces he'll be stepping down to become regular member

Jon Weece, is senior pastor at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Ky.
Jon Weece, is senior pastor at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Ky. | YouTube/Southland Christian Church

Declaring that it is the right thing to do, senior pastor of Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, Jon Weece, has announced plans to step down from the helm of one of the state’s largest churches in January 2026 to become a regular member.

Weece, who joined the church as a teaching pastor in 2000 and became lead pastor three years later, made the announcement during a sermon at the church on Jan. 19 along with a full-throated endorsement of his friend, Pastor Scott Nickell, who's a member of the church's leadership team, as his successor. Weece also interviewed Nickell at the church on Sunday.

“I've always wanted to be healthier than the church I'm serving, that's definitely the case today. I'm not stepping aside because I'm tired. I'm not stepping aside because I'm angry or sad. I'm not stepping aside because I feel neglected or discouraged. I'm not stepping aside because I've done something immoral or nefarious or foolish,” Weece said.

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The charismatic megachurch pastor, who joined the ministry when he was 26, said he began thinking about transitioning out of the leadership role with church elders in 2021 and decided that passing the leadership torch to someone new would be a good move for the church’s future.

I've had a front row seat to ministry my whole life. My parents, my uncles, aunts, cousins, siblings, nieces, nephews, were all involved in church ministry and I've watched a sad dynamic take place at the leadership level. Preachers either leave a church way too early or they stay way too long. Both can do irrevocable damage to the church and not set it up for future success,” Nickell explained.

“I've always wanted to strike a balance with that. I heard an old preacher say one time there's three ways I can leave — you can carry me out, you can kick me out or I can walk out. I'm choosing the latter in large part [due] to a passage in the book of Numbers that's going to feel obscure to some of you but it's not to me, where God gives this directive to a priest, He says they must begin serving in the tabernacle at the age of 25 and they must retire at the age of 50.”

Jon Weece (R), senior pastor of Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Ky., has announced he plans to step down from his role in January 2026 and Scott Nickell (L) a current member of the church's leadership team will replace him.
Jon Weece (R), senior pastor of Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Ky., has announced he plans to step down from his role in January 2026 and Scott Nickell (L) a current member of the church's leadership team will replace him. | YouTube/Southland Christian Church

Weece said when he completely steps away from the pulpit in January 2026, he will be 52.

“I'm stepping aside because I genuinely believe it's what's best for Southland. And if it's what's best for Southland, man, I'm all in. So please hear me say this, my heart is full, so full of gratitude right now because it has been the absolute privilege of my life to serve you and to serve alongside you. The only favor I ask is, in the next 12 months let's just enjoy one another. I'm going to continue to lead. I'm going to continue to preach and serve, and more importantly, I just ask that you support Scott, his family, and let's set him up for future success,” he said.

“As I told our staff on Thursday, I love you too much to lead you too long. And I hope at some point in your hearts and minds you can come to grips with that the way that I have.”

He further noted that he supports Nickell as his successor because he is faithful, a family man, a friend, a fan of Kentucky, and a phenomenal follower.

“He's wise beyond his years, disciplined where it matters and maybe most importantly, he genuinely wants what is best for anyone he meets, especially you all,” Weece told congregants.

During his interview with Weece on Sunday, Nickell told the church that when the idea of him leading the church was first presented to him four years ago, he wasn’t eager to say yes because he understood the burden of being a leader.

“I've sat in such close proximity not only to you but to a good friend back in Colorado who sat in the lead role. I couldn't fully feel the responsibility [of] what you carry, but I was close enough to see that it's really heavy. And you'd have to be crazy, sincerely, to be eager to take on that level of attack, that level of responsibility without being absolutely positive that you're called to it. And so, because I love this church so much, I grew up here, I was certainly willing and want good for this church. But I wasn't chomping at the bit to sit in that seat,” Nickell said.

As the years went by, however, Nickell said he felt “a deep sense of calling and excitement.”

“Part of the reason we have this process in place the way it is, is so that the calling can be discerned,” he said, joking that he was perhaps the most interviewed candidate for the role in Southland’s history.

“There's good in that because that gave the elders and I, and you, the opportunity to take our time to walk through this confirmation process and God showed up,” he said. “The Holy Spirit was really clear, and so I've gotten to a place of not only being willing but being deeply sensing a calling to do this.”

Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost

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