Driven to Serve

For nearly 17 years, Len Bussey has faithfully served at Cross City Church. In his current role, he serves as a member of our Senior Staff team and advises on important decisions. His business experience and wisdom have proved invaluable. You might be curious about the salary that his level of expertise demands, but Len doesn’t get paid a dime—he serves for free as an Executive Volunteer.

Len is wired to be a competitor. In school, he excelled in sports. After college, Len carried that competitive spirit into his career. He worked hard and quickly moved through the ranks of his company. Even though he was successful, Len secretly dealt with insecurities. He placed unrealistic expectations on himself that led to dissatisfaction and a cycle of disappointment. His winning felt like losing.

In 1976, Len met Linda, and two years later they were married. Linda was a Christian and every Sunday morning, she would take their children to church. Len wasn’t interested, but Linda prayed hard for Len’s heart to change. Eventually, their kids began to ask the obvious question: “Why doesn’t dad come to church?” In an attempt to convince him, they even bought him a Bible for Father’s Day. He wanted to do what was best for his family, so he decided to join them. He said, “When I first attended, I very quickly noticed that the people who took care of my children at church were so filled with joy, calmness, and a contentment that I never had.” As he continued to look, he found people everywhere that had a peace he couldn’t find for himself. It hit him that he was living life for all the wrong reasons. At 40 years old, he chose to follow Christ.

Like Len had done with his career, he went all-in in his relationship with Jesus. Len was elected Chairman of the Pastor Search committee and began teaching a Sunday School class. That competitive spirit drove him to serve with great passion. Since coming to Cross City Church 17 years ago, he’s held multiple volunteer positions including his current role as an Executive Volunteer. Len knows that the future of our church depends on others serving.  He says, “There are so many people out there that are just sitting in the pew who have a talent—and God wants to use everybody.” Len found the contentment he was looking for when he chose to serve the Lord, and he hopes that others will do the same.