It's All About Jesus: Irving Malm’s Story
Photo provided by Irving Malm
“It’s all about Jesus, it’s all about Jesus, it’s all about Jesus.” Meet Irving Malm and you’ll likely hear these wise words shared with you. A humble man, Irving does not take credit for the things he has done, but always points people back to the focusing their attention on Jesus.
Christ Community Church’s Lead Minister Mark Ashton often says, “Reverend Irving Malm is our most senior pastor!” Irving is ninety-eight years old and served as the Senior Adults Pastor at CCC for twelve years. In 2018, he was honored for seventy-five years of faithful ministry with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). Irving is still active at CCC and leads a worship service at Maple Ridge Retirement Community in Omaha, where he lives. He is a humble, faithful minister of the gospel who loves Jesus with all his heart.
I had such a joy. I was so happy I asked Jesus to come into my life. It’s been a great journey ever since.
God has used the circumstances of Irving’s life to mold him into a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. Irving was raised in a loving family. His parents loved each other, loved their children, but most importantly, they loved Jesus. When he was about eight years old, Irving attended a Sunday evening service at his church. During the altar call, Irving watched as people went to the front of the room to pray. He sensed the Holy Spirit say to him, “Those people up there, they’re all praying to Jesus. And there’s a bench there, but at the end of the bench, there’s a little room. There’s room for you up at the end of the bench.” Irving went up to the bench. A woman approached him and prayed with him. In that moment, Irving experienced a radical transformation. He shared that after he prayed, “I had such a joy. I was so happy I asked Jesus to come into my life. It’s been a great journey ever since.”
Irving attended St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College) in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he met Maye, the woman who would become his wife. When he first saw her, he thought, “Wow, she’s pretty. Some guy will be taking her out on a date pretty soon.” They became friends, but it took him from the first week of September to Thanksgiving to ask her out on a date. Irving saw that Maye was a woman devoted to Jesus, a woman who obeyed God’s calling on her life. After Irving and Maye married, Irving registered for the draft during World War II. The military gave him a specific classification and asked him to stay in the US to provide spiritually for people on the home front. The C&MA ordained Irving as a pastor in 1943. Over the years, Irving and Maye helped lead a church plant and worked in small churches in several towns in Minnesota.
Photo by Marie Dufour
Painting by Irving Malm, scan of painting provided by Irving Malm
In the fall of 1965, Irving and Maye attended a C&MA district conference. The district was so large that the district leadership felt it was wise to multiply into two districts, which would require the election of a new district superintendent. The chairman of the nominating committee asked Irving if he was interested in being considered for the district superintendent position. Irving and Maye spent time talking and praying over this decision. They considered that it would mean the ministry they led in Mount Lake, Minnesota, would come to an end, but concluded that surrender to God’s will for their lives was the best option. Irving shared, “It’s hard to put into words how God leads us, but he does lead us.” Irving was elected as the first superintendent of the Rocky Mountain District and then as District Superintendent for the MidAmerica District. Later, he served as the Senior Adults Pastor at a church in Fremont and then at Christ Community Church.
While Irving worked at CCC, he also had opportunities to disciple the next generation. He recounted the story of a young CCC intern who had just received a wound from a person he trusted in ministry. Todd was hurt and confused. Irving reminded Todd that Jesus was the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep. Years later, Irving received a letter from Todd thanking him for the example of his life and for the words of encouragement he offered during that time. Irving shared that he didn’t really remember the conversation, but that in the flow of the conversation, he had said, “Todd, it’s all about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.”
Painting by Irving Malm, photo by Marie Dufour
As Irving has followed Christ over the past ninety years, he’s learned valuable lessons about surrendering his life daily to Jesus. He shared that he had to deal with the “tyranny of the urgent.” Charles E. Hummel, author of Tyranny of the Urgent, wrote, “Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.” Often people bring their to-do lists and their plans to God and then ask him to bless them. Irving shared that spending time with Jesus has impacted his life because it allows him to be led by the Spirit of Jesus (the Holy Spirit). While there are so many good things that can be done, Irving said, “the good can be the detractor or the hindrance of the best.”
In the eyes of men, it seems that Irving has accomplished so much during his time in ministry. But Irving shared that his life is not about making a name for himself. It is about surrendering to Jesus for his life. A paraphrased quote from F. W. Faber taped to his bathroom mirror serves as a daily reminder:
Look out to Jesus
Love his glory
Despise your self-centeredness
and be simple
And you will shine
without knowing it
or thinking about it
with Christlike splendor
whatever you do
and wherever you go.
As we learn from a life fully surrendered to Jesus, may we be reminded by his words: “It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.”
Rachel Bebee is the Project Coordinator for the Creative/Communications Team at Christ Community Church.
