How An
Engineer
Found His
Calling After Retirement
By all appearances, Chuck Rapp’ s life was already full. He had a successful career in engineering and project management, a faithful walk with Christ since childhood, and a legacy of pastors in the family. But when retirement approached, he knew he didn’ t want to settle into comfort.
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary.
Raised in a Christian home with two evangelical pastor grandfathers, Chuck encountered the Gospel early. At age 12, during an evangelistic service, he responded to an altar call. His testimony, he says, is more about what the Lord kept him from than what he delivered him from.
That unwavering faith has become the foundation for a life of service— first in the marketplace, then in missions.
Chuck’ s initial career as a mechanical engineer was in technical sales, where he specialized in process automation for 15 years.“ Sales for me was Sunday school 101,” he jokes.“ I served my customers, told the truth, and treated them the way I wanted to be treated. In the early 1990s, I left that very successful( and lucrative) role to pursue a two-year short-term mission in Europe, working with a missionary in student ministry.”
After that mission experience, he transitioned into IT quality and project management roles, which he held for more than 25 years. Even during those years, missions was never far from his heart. He led or participated in nearly 20 short-term mission trips through his local church.
Then came thoughts of retirement. He received a pivotal piece of advice:“ You don’ t just retire from something but to
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