Introducing Our New Director

by Alan Wells, Board Chairman

HigherTrek Friends & Family,

Proverbs 14:29 teaches us that patience leads to an abundance of understanding.

After searching for the next Executive Director of HigherTrek for over a year, our Board of Directors can affirm this truth. We are glad to announce that our patience was well worth the wait. The Holy Spirit has led us to unanimously agree that Paul Sigler is exactly who God has called to serve as the next leader of HigherTrek.

Paul is a recent graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He has felt a strong calling to help equip young men for a life of discipleship, and has a passion for utilizing digital discipleship to help resource those who share that desire. As you might hope, and probably expect, Paul also has a personal history of investing in the next generation. He’s led young  men’s groups, has been active in on-campus discipleship, and leads with transparency and vulnerability.

Paul is also not entirely new to the HigherTrek family; he has helped film and edit many of our video episodes and, as you’ll hear from him elsewhere in this newsletter, knew Christian on a personal level even before working with HigherTrek.

We couldn’t be more excited about Paul feeling called to this role, or about the future of HigherTrek. Paul is an innovative thinker, and as such, has a strong grasp on the fact that change is a natural part of growth. HigherTrek is no exception to that pattern.

God has led this ministry through nearly continuous growth and change since Chuck started Band of Brothers (now HigherTrek) twenty years ago. Chuck expected it was a one-time event.  However, the Lord had other plans, and used him to impact the lives of over 80 young men through annual summer programs. Several of you reading this newsletter were those men.

Since Chuck’s passing in December of 2015, HigherTrek has experienced continued growth and changed in myriad of ways; hosting programs in 5 different states, more than quadrupling the amount of young men impacted in a given summer, and most recently, utilizing digital content to guide teaching during programs (through the HigherTrek video series). Chuck would be (and is!) thrilled that the number of young men impacted by HigherTrek has more than doubled since he passed.

Many of you reading this letter have experienced for yourselves the powerful impact of HigherTrek’s video teaching series. I’ve personally had the privilege of witnessing firsthand how the Holy Spirit has used this series to impact like-minded young men in a HigherTrek group setting.

With the hiring of Paul, HigherTrek is once again on the cusp of growing and changing. As you already know, the Holy Spirit has led us to share the HigherTrek video series with others across the nation (and hopefully the world!), and to help resource other leaders to host their own “HigherTrek” programs. With that in mind, you can get a sense of our excitement for the future!

While HigherTrek intends to continue to offer “our own” programming, we believe the overwhelming majority of our focus will shift towards helping others (perhaps you???) to offer similar programs so even more young men can be reached. Just imagine campus ministries and local congregations across the country having access to HigherTrek’s content through a digital medium, as well as providing leader training resources for those passionate about discipling young men. The impact we have under “our own” programming is incredibly valuable, so much so that it begs us to extend our reach to equip others to offer their own HigherTrek programs (whether in a retreat like setting, or in weekly small-groups). The potential to “change the world” seems virtually limitless. Paul’s ministry background, and passion for digital discipleship, make him a perfect fit to lead HigherTrek into this next season of ministry and beyond.

Under Paul’s leadership, the HigherTrek video series will be finished by year-end. The plan is to “test pilot” the series with several like-minded ministries thereafter, in order to publicly launch the series later in 2024. Moving forward, Paul will continue to keep you informed as progress is made, and will also communicate about 2024 summer programs.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to let Paul (or me) know of people (and/or ministries) that want to help young men grow and might benefit from utilizing the HigherTrek video series. We’d like nothing more than to assist others in equipping young men to follow Jesus for a lifetime!

Finally, may I ask a favor? Would you join me in committing to praying daily for Paul as he leads HigherTrek? And as you pray, please also ask the Holy Spirit to guide every step of the completion of the HigherTrek video series.

Paul is clearly the man the Lord had in mind to lead HigherTrek. We’re confident you’ll feel the same as you get a chance to know him. The Board and I feel honored to be in ministry with him. After all, the best is yet to come.

- Alan Wells

P.S. A special “thanks” to our entire Board, and to our Board Search Committee (Christian Postel, Matt Joens, and Pastor Mike Van Rees) for their help during this search and transition. Your support, patience, and prayers were instrumental in this process!

Photo: Alan, Matt Telesford, Sergio, Xavier Canaverde, Paul. (Before officially starting with HigherTrek, Alan invited Paul to join him and Sergio (board member) at a summer program.)