A floor littered with the foliage of popped balloons and a door plastered with cards filled with welcome and encouragement messages colored the office of the University Church of Christ’s new preaching minister last week— reminiscent of his ongoing introduction to the community.
A tri-citizen of his Australian birthplace his British heritage and his current U.S. residence Richard Little has found a new home in his quest for ministry in the Pepperdine community.
As an adolescent Little says he knew he wanted to reach out to people in a special way and he thought the best mode to do this was within ministry.
“When I was around 15 I really felt a call to minister to people and not necessarily ministering to the Church he said. I found that one of the best ways to do that was to be a part of a spiritual community and use that as a platform for ministering to people.”
Due to his native Australia’s limited options in four-year faith-based institutions Little came to the U.S. in 1990 to attend Harding University where he obtained both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Soon after Little worked as the university president’s full-time assistant while coordinating chapels teaching Bible classes and conducting short-term missions.
The aspiring minister went on to complete a doctorate degree in Christian education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and became a preaching minister at Naperville Church while simultaneously teaching at Wheaton College in Illinois.
But the choice to relocate was not without debate and his departure was met with discontented former colleagues.
Barret McRay the associate professor of Christian formation and ministry at Wheaton College worked side-by-side with Little and had mixed feelings about his decision to come to Pepperdine.
“He was just absolutely phenomenal McRay said. He is committed to the mission of higher education and he is committed to young people and committed to their formation in Christ-likeness. I am so happy for Pepperdine getting Rich. We are going to miss him so much.”
While Little was adjunct teaching and preaching he said he felt his family was grounded in the Wheaton area and he said they prayed for closed doors to keep them where they were most comfortable. But the opportunity of working at Pepperdine offered him an experience he could not ignore.
“What I loved about this possibility was seeing something I’ve never seen before… There was a church that was embedded within the academic community which is highly unusual Little said. The two passions of my life are church ministry and the academy and to find both of these now where I can wear a single title and in a single environment… it’s just incredible to be here.”
The church and the academic community at Pepperdine was an influential factor for Little’s move from Wheaton to Pepperdine.
Little has been at Pepperdine for three weeks and said he is excited to see the emergence of college students having a heart for social justice and the possibility for the University Church to partner with the communities of Malibu and greater Los Angeles to live out a call for action.
At the forefront of his ambition is connecting with his new community. “My immediate goal is to personally connect with members of the Pepperdine community which is student body and faculty and leaders within the Malibu community who can help us identify ways to live out our calling as a church family in the community he said.
Little also mentioned his long term goals for his time at Pepperdine include identifying which ways the Church can live out its calling to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Malibu and beyond.
What I like about this community is its ability to live out the Christian faith in a very safe and ecumenical environment that calls people to identify ways to live out the calling of Christ in the broader community Little said. That’s what really appeals to me.”
Little has conducted three services at Pepperdine so far and he hopes to become a strong spiritual leader of his new community. And his vision to influence the student body runs parallel to the university’s mission.
“I think that the true meaning in their life is discovered through the person of Jesus Christ and I think their genuine service is to people who need him he said.
McRay’s faith in his former associate is undying. I think he will be enormously successful McRay said. He’s a dynamic kind of person and where he goes he brings about transformations. He seems to be one of those people that God uses in that way.”
