By Tim Arnett
WABASH,Indiana – Wabash City Councilman Aaron McClary, who is also the Youth Minister at Bachelor Creek Church of Christ, will resign his place on the city council and leave the city he says he loves. After much prayer and reflection, McClary said that he has accepted a position as Senior Minister at the non-denominational Markle Church of Christ, a church with roughly 500 parishioners any given Sunday. McClary has only sat on the city council since January after being elected as the councilman from Wabash’s second district which encompasses the downtown area. He is also the council’s liaison to the Parks board.
In a telephone conversation, he called the process of transitioning away from Wabash and Bachelor Creek Church both challenging and bittersweet. McClary noted, however, that God is simply calling him away into a new phase of his life. MiBash News was tipped off that he might be leaving the area after seeing his post on social media last week that his house was up for sale. As for now, McClary will commute to Markle but will move there when his house in town is sold. He added that the process could take one month or one year. Nevertheless, he will not serve out his four-year term on the city council.
McClary first came to Wabash in 2004 for an internship through a degree program at Cincinnati Christian. His wife, however, was born and raised in town and he said that Wabash is the only home his three daughters have ever known. He did admit that going from a youth minister to a lead minister is a natural progression, but added that he never saw being a youth minister as some sort of stepping stone.
A text from Mayor Scott Long to MiBash News reads in part, “While it saddens me that we will lose his talent in Wabash and on the City Council, I am happy for Aaron and his family that God is leading them to a new opportunity! The Republican Party will seek his successor . . . and I am sure that they will seek the best candidate to fill Aaron’s position.”
Mitch Figert, City Councilman for District 1, explains how the process to find McClary’s replacement works.
Figert added that potential candidates must reside in the district and have voted, in this case, on the Republican ballot in the last primary election. Wabash City Councilman Bob Greene called McClary as asset on the council and said that he will be missed.