Dwight Wessington was forty-one years old and happy in his pastorate at the Yakima Evangelical Free Church when he faced his major transition dilemma. At that point his career was well established: his seminary days had led to two years as an associate pastor in Boise, followed by fifteen in the top position at Yakima. During this time the church had grown from two hundred to more than twelve hundred.

A building program was under way; most of the funds had been raised. His stock in denominational circles had been steadily rising as well; he now chaired an important study commission on reorganization. A handsome, high-energy man with an electric smile, he kept his assortment of responsibilities humming with a minimum of strain.

Then came the day during a three-week vacation in the Canadian Rockies when Dwight called his office for a routine check. "There's a postcard here from Church of the Open Door in Seattle," said his secretary. "They want to know if you'd be interested in a telephone ...