Will and Susie have been talking openly and with the ACF overseers and even some staff for several years about when it might be appropriate for them to release leadership. Those conversations took a more serious and focused turn about two years ago, right around the time of Will's 30th anniversary as the senior pastor of ACF. Will and Susie have been consulting with the elders and outside counselors for that entire time seeking God's best on when it was time to hand over leadership to someone else. It recently became clear to them that June 1st, 2025, might be the best time to give leadership a new face at ACF. June 1, 2025 will be Will's 32nd anniversary at ACF and Will and Susie's 40th wedding anniversary.

So, while this may feel sudden to many of us in the congregation, it has actually been a years-long and prayer-filled process.

ACF governance allows the senior pastor to pick his successor.  That being the case, Will and Susie have been talking openly with the elders and confidants about how they might find the person or couple to succeed them in leadership at ACF.

On Easter Sunday of 2024, Susie and Will had lunch with Kenton and Emily Boone and asked them to begin considering taking the helm of ACF, as Will was nearing the end of his assignment at ACF.

On June 1st, 2024, Kenton and Emily accepted that invitation. Will spent the course of last summer communicating with the elders and staff leaders about his desire to see Kenton and Emily step into senior leaders at ACF. Will also began training and equipping Kenton for the leadership role of senior pastor. The Elders and the Pastor’s Executive Leadership Team fully support Will and Susie's choice to ask Kenton and Emily to follow them as leaders of ACF. They are very excited, hopeful and prayerful about the future of Austin Christian Fellowship.

Honestly, as hard as it is, this is the Lord's timing. Will did not become certain of the timing of his transition out of leadership until early February 2025. It became very clear to Will in his spirit after praying and talking with Susie and other leaders at ACF that June 1st was the best time for him to step aside. This is obviously fast from the ACF congregational standpoint. Once God says "go," we have to obey and go. Susie and Will are doing that.

Will is definitely not retiring from ministry. Susie and Will both have calls to ministry that go back to when they were in high school. Those calls have not changed. But the where, when, and how of their ministries are changing. Will is most comfortable with the terminology that he is stepping aside from leadership at ACF. He really feels it is time for new leadership to take the helm and lead the church into the next season. He simply feels like he is getting out of the way. What he and Susie do in ministry going forward is yet to be determined. But they both feel quite confident that a new season will come. Nothing will ever replace ACF for them. But a new assignment is no doubt still out there.

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Emily Boone is a fan of all things hill country, days spent outdoors, and can often be found spending her spare time riding horses or playing with her golden doodles. Having grown up at ACF as Susie and Will’s second child, Emily is fortunate to have known and walked with Jesus most of her life and to have been a part of ACF since its inception. After graduating from Baylor University in 2012, Emily spent time working in the non-profit world both at a church and at a Christian summer camp for many years. Currently, Emily works as a professional photographer, documenting weddings and portraits for her clients. Emily's greatest loves in her life are Jesus, her husband Kenton of 10 years, and her family and friends. 

Kenton Boone has been serving as one of the pastors at Austin Christian Fellowship for the last few years. It’s been a long road that began with God’s clear call to ministry at the age of seventeen in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas. That road led Kenton to serve as a volunteer in Young Life, an Assistant Summer Camp Director in Navasota, a Student Pastor in Dripping Springs, and now ACF. Kenton and Emily have been married for the last 10 years and have been grateful to call the hill country home for more than half of that time. It’s not an understatement to say that Kenton loves God and others. Community has always had a large part to play in his story as he’s sought to follow Jesus well alongside close friends. When not at home with his wife and their puppies, Kenton can be found running out on the trails.

Kenton's title will be Senior Pastor of Austin Christian Fellowship. Emily's role is completely unofficial. She has no title or designated responsibilities. But as Kenton's wife, she'll obviously be very involved in ACF as God leads her.

In a word, rest. The cumulative effects of 32 years at ACF and over 40 years of pastoral leadership have left the Davises ready for some down time. They need time to reflect and celebrate all that God has done in the last four decades of their lives.

Susie and Will are very hopeful that they can call ACF their home church for many years to come. That said, Susie and Will, Emily and Kenton, and the ACF Overseers are all fully aware that some time might be needed to let Emily and Kenton get established in their role as leaders before Will and Susie return. That needs to be the first priority. We should not expect to see the Davises at ACF for a minimum of six months, probably longer. But they will be back.

In the near future, probably very few changes can be expected. Other than the obvious change of the senior leadership, the ACF staff, elders, and deacons will all remain intact as they are. Will is asking every leader, both paid staff and volunteers, to stay in their position at least for one year to give the Boones a chance to get settled in. It would be great if all of us can commit to giving this process at least a year of prayer and serving to see what God might do with it. Changes are inevitable, but Kenton and Emily are committed to making those changes slowly and only as God leads.