Pastor Chane Hutton, BR-KC pastor, recently retired from South Kansas City Baptist Church (now Testimony Church) after 54 years in ministry. In his usual self-deprecating fashion, Chane often said that no one knew him, except for his wife, Jennifer, who was Administrative Assistant for BR-KC for 14 years. We hope Chane doesn’t really believe that because Chane was well known across our two-county Association of over 120 churches on his own merits. Chane was known for his passion for church planting and was on the team of planters and pastors who met to encourage planters and to catalyze new work across the Association.
Chane Hutton began his ministry as a youth minister at First Baptist Church Sapulpa, Oklahoma. He tells the story about his father getting a lucrative job offer in Sapulpa. Chane was perfectly happy as an upper classman in his current high school and community and told his dad that he wouldn’t move to Sapulpa for a million dollars. Two years later he was called to Sapulpa as a youth minister for $50 a week. I think we’ve all learned that where the Lord is concerned, we should never say never.
After serving in churches in Oklahoma, life would eventually bring him to Kansas City to attend seminary at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He took an associate pastor position in a church in Excelsior Springs while going to school and it was there that he met Jennifer and was married. Chane would minister at Langsford Road Baptist Church successfully, before planting a church called Az-U-R in 2007. This was a church where people were loved unconditionally, and the emphasis was put on presence not appearances. Eventually, Chane would come to South Kansas City Baptist Church where he would finish out his long, distinguished ministry career. Chane saw the need to have a leadership succession plan with his retirement coming. Seeing that the community around South Kansas City had become largely African American, Chane and pastor Gary Jones of the U-Church merged their two congregations into one multi-ethnic church called Testimony Church. Already, the new church has begun reaching people from the community and beyond, including a student from Avila College named Malik who is showing great promise as a future leader.
Somewhere in that busy half century of ministry Chane found time to raise a daughter and two sons, learn the bass guitar and coach football at Summit Christian Academy. He and Jennifer now reside on a beautiful acreage outside of Branson, MO and they are learning a whole new skill set of gardening, poultry and all that comes with country living.
Chane, and Jennifer, we celebrate with you a lifetime of faithful ministry and devotion to our Lord. We will forever be grateful for the short time the Lord allowed our paths to cross in this life and the privilege of doing Kingdom work with you.
