Our Story
OUR STORY
Part 1
From Ministry
to Ministry
Dave Johnson spent over 4 decades in senior leadership at a church, with all of its complexities and demands. Managing expectations — and not always meeting them. Maintaining his faith — and not always feeling it. But his years in ministry, as a leader, teacher, preacher, author, and mentor was marked by his impact.
And upon retirement … Having experienced what it takes to stay in it for the long haul, he’s moved into a new type of ministry — helping others stay in it for the long haul in order to build Things That Remain.
Part 2
Staying In It for
the Long Haul
By “it,” we don’t mean the ministry — because you don’t have to be in vocational ministry to have a Kingdom of God impact in the world. We mean the faith. And by “faith,” we don’t mean orthodoxy — because believing the right things about God isn’t the same thing as being a person of faith and hope and confidence in God.
Staying “in it” means your faith and hope and confidence in God aren’t just intact, but deeply personal — far from bitterness and cynicism; committed to things that remain.
Part 3
Things that Remain
In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, the Apostle Paul says that fire will ultimately reveal the quality of each person’s work. It will burn up all that won’t last. And what lasts will remain.
Wood, hay, and stubble are not sinful or evil things — they simply have no substance, so they’re easily consumed by “the fire.” None of them can eternally transform a life. None of them last.
Things that remain are the things worth building. And TTR exists to help ordinary people – particularly pastors and leaders – build into their lives those things that might remain.
Part 4
A Life of Being >
A Life of Doing
TTR is for more than ministry professionals and leaders by trade or title. It’s about people — in every walk of life.
Staying “in it for the long haul” takes an interior life that is vibrantly alive – and while Dave doesn’t claim to be the perfect example of this, 40 years of ministry and faith, hope, and confidence in God that remain gives him perspective that many need.
We’re here to help people discover their true self in God and – from that place of established identity – be able to build things that remain.