David McNitzky
David McNitzky understands what it’s like to go from the frying pan into the fire. McNitzky was only 39 years old when he was appointed as Senior Pastor at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, a congregation that was more than twice the size of his previous appointment.
“It was a significant increase in responsibility. And I wasn’t sure I was up to the task,” says McNitzky. “I needed to learn a lot. But I also needed to unlearn some things. The skillset that helped me to navigate through my first three churches was not necessarily the skill set that I needed to succeed at a much larger church.”
Today, Alamo Heights is a dynamic and thriving congregation that supports worship and services across four different ministries, including the New Heights Community Church and Asbury Church, both in San Antonio, as well as the Riverside Community Church in Spring Branch. Each congregation is unique, yet they have all benefited from the solid foundation created by the leadership at Alamo Heights.
It’s no surprise that when TMF was initially considering putting together an Entrepreneurial Pastors Learning Community of younger pastors who were matched with the mission fields of larger churches, David was the first person considered as the facilitator.
“I was in the original Tall Steeple group, and witnessed first-hand how valuable the group became to all of us,” explains David McNitzky. “I was excited about the opportunity to work with this group and share some of my own learning pains.”
Even though McNitzky is the facilitator of the group, it doesn’t mean he gets a free ride. “I’m quite sure I get more out of the group than they do. They’re very open to challenging me, and ensuring that I continue to grow.”