Let’s See Where This Goes: Ivan Ramirez on Trusting God, Cultural Tension, and Pastoring Across Difference (Part 3) | PT 124

What happens when God leads you somewhere you never imagined—but you say yes anyway?

In Part 3, Pastor Ivan Ramirez reflects on his transition from the city streets of Chicago to leading a small-town church in Wisconsin. With humor, vulnerability, and pastoral wisdom, Ivan shares how cultural challenges, ministry mergers, and personal growth have shaped his approach to leadership—and why “let’s see where this goes” has become his life mantra.

🎙️ In This Episode:

• Why stepping away from ministry became the turning point

• The unlikely path that led Ivan to Burlington, Wisconsin

• Navigating cultural differences and subtle bias as a Hispanic pastor in a white rural context

• How healing, humility, and faithful presence create space for healthy ministry

⏱️ Timestamps:
03:00 — Leaving ministry and finding rest 07:00 — Preaching on July 4 and falling in love with a new church 10:00 — Merging two congregations and selling a building in two days 15:00 — Pastoring as the only Hispanic leader in a white community 19:00 — Confidence, calling, and finishing seminary after 20 years 22:00 — Letting go of “going home” and serving where God sends 27:00 — The wisdom of “let’s see where this goes”

💡 Takeaway:
You don’t have to know the outcome to be obedient.

Ivan’s story reminds us that when we trust God enough to take the next step—even without a plan—He writes stories we never could have imagined.