There are many people in churches across the world trying to discern whether or not God is calling them to serve as the pastor of a local congregation. This calling is not, in most cases, easy to discern. I remember struggling to figure out whether or not I was called to the pastoral vocation. In addition to praying, I sought the counsel of people who were seasoned pastors. Their advice was helpful to me as I discerned the call. Now that I have had fifteen years of experience as a pastor, those with a potential pastoral call are seeking my counsel. Here is what I tend to communicate to them and will share with you:
3 Reasons not to Become a Pastor
-Egotism: There will be times when our pastoral ego gets stroked. “Great sermon…you are so authentic…you are the best pastor ever” are, let’s be honest, nice to hear. However, if we begin to rely upon these comments to keep us going in ministry we will discover that no amount of affirmation is enough. Ironically, if we seek ego strokes we often find ourselves wanting more and more, even when we are receiving them. What is more, God is ultimately after the crucifixion, and not the stroking, of our ego. Pastoral ministry, in time, is divinely designed to strip us of egotism. And, if we don’t submit to this stripping we will either resign or become a pastoral monster. Resignation is the better choice. Simply put, do not become a pastor to have your ego stroked.
Ease: Lay people sometimes say to their pastor, “it must be wonderful to have a job where you just work on Sundays.” I always shot back, “and don’t forget about Wednesdays too!” Lay people don’t say this to hurt us, but the fact is there are some pastors who do get into this racket for ease. Let’s face it, lazy people can hide out in pastoral ministry for a long time in some churches. However, the pastors who seem to most effectively lead their congregation to embody the values of God’s kingdom in the world are among the hardest workers I know. They care deeply about the local church living up to its calling to make disciples who make disciples. They care about resourcing not just the stuff that happens on the church campus but community development as well. These hardworking pastors lose sleep over these concerns. Some of them get ulcers. Every one of them will be called to go into challenging ministry situations at the most inopportune times, usually after they finally fall asleep at 1:00 am. While pastors must seek to live balanced lives, most long-term effective pastors will admit that leading a local church is anything but easy.
Equity: Do not become a pastor to get rich. In most cases, it is not the most lucrative career choice you can make. Pastoral ministry is a calling and not a career. A calling is chosen for you and a career is chosen by you. Most of us, if we were making the call, would choose a lucrative career. Why not? This is not to suggest that pastors should not be paid for their work; they should be paid a livable wage. But, if making lots of money is your goal, don’t become a pastor. I recently spoke to a pastor friend who said he hasn’t had a raise in seven years and has only had four raises in the twenty years he has served his congregation. What an outrage! My friend is among many pastors who have had similar experiences. The point is, don’t become a pastor to get rich. However, if any local church lay leaders are reading this article, for the love of God and your pastor pay a generous wage to your pastoral leaders.
3 Reasons to Become a Pastor
Commitment: If you are the kind of person who has a hard time making or keeping commitments, I would advise you not to become a pastor. If you do, you will quickly quit and seek out a safer kind of job. There are so many joys in this pastoral line of work to keep us going, but there are also overwhelming challenges. People who lack commitment will quit during the intense challenges and, therefore, miss out on some immense joys of pastoral work. In the apparently non-committal culture many of us live within, “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully committed to Him [and his work]” (2 Chron. 16:9). To borrow from the recruitment phrase of the Marines, God is looking for a few good women and men with the commitment to be pastors. Similar to marriage, pastoral ministry requires a “for better or worse” level of commitment. If you are not completely committed, when the going gets tough, you’ll quit.
Compassion: Several times in the Gospels we read “Jesus was filled with compassion.” The Greek word for compassion is splagchnizomai. The word does not mean sappy love. Instead, it is a deep pain in the bowels that results from empathy toward another person and causes one to act on behalf of that person in need. If you are considering becoming a pastor you must have the capacity to be moved with compassion for people. You might say, “well, I’m just not an affectionate and tender-hearted kind of person.” Compassion for people has nothing to do with personality type. Whether you are more of a thinker than a feeler or more introverted than extroverted, if you are called to be a pastor you are called to feel such deep compassion for people that you are moved to act on their behalf. If you become a pastor you can expect to experience, to some extent, the heartaches, frustrations, and disappointments of the people you lovingly lead. In other words, be prepared for some pain in your bowels!
Courage: Leading a local church through the wilderness of status quo and into the promised land of their potential for missional impact takes lots of moxie. Think about some of the tasks of the pastoral minister. The pastor is expected to go into a hospital room and comfort parents who are watching their six year old son die of cancer. A couple you married comes to your office, without appointment, broken by marital infidelity and seeking your help. Every week on Sunday morning people gather desperately hopeful that you will have the courage to invite God to speak a word to them through you. An influential lay leader is trying to lead the congregation back to “Egypt” and away from the “Promised Land” of missional fulfillment. It will take a significant amount of courage to confront this person in love. Pastoral leadership is not for pansies!
So much more could be said. Faithful pastoral practice is not simply the avoidance of three E’s (egotism, ease, equity) and the embodiment of three C’s (commitment, compassion, courage). These considerations are, however, good guides for the person who is contemplating saying “yes” to this frightening, adventurous vocation called pastoral ministry.
© 2010
Lenny Luchetti
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
What If God Was One of Us?
What If God Was One Of Us?
In 1995, Joan Osborne asked us to consider, through one of her songs, “what if God was one of us”? Here are some of the lyrics:
What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
These words may make us cringe. Insinuating that God might be a “slob” just like sinful humanity gets our hackles up in a hurry. Osborne, to her credit, is at least willing to explore what the church has too often ignored. She seems willing to wrestle with the implications of the incarnation of God as one of us.
The truth is that God not only was one of us but, I believe, is one of us and one with us because of his incarnation in the flesh. There is, to this day, an embodied member of the Trinity who looks an awful lot like a first century Jew but with a glorified body. The incarnation not only cost the eternal Son something over 2000 years ago, as detailed in Philippians 2, but perhaps the incarnation of the Son as Jesus Christ has an ongoing cost. Whether or not you agree with my conviction about the ongoing cost of the incarnation, you will no doubt agree that incarnation is costly. God’s willingness to come “from heaven to earth to show the way” by becoming one of us and one with us cost him greatly. And, since we too are called to incarnational ministry, we ministers have a price to pay as well.
What does incarnational ministry entail? For Jesus Christ, it meant laying aside divine privilege to take upon himself all of the pain, angst, sorrow, temptations, and trials of the human condition (See Isaiah 53). He did ministry by getting close enough to the people he sought to serve that he became one of them and one with them. He served primarily through solidarity. Clearly, he gave up much of his privilege and power in order to elevate those without either to a new level of living. He went from heaven to earth, from Son to servant, from eternal King to peasant Jew. That’s incarnational ministry!
Thank God we will never have to travel as far south as the Son did, but we too are called to Jesus-style incarnational ministry. Christian ministers visit those in prison to incarnate good news. We are called to roll up our sleeves not only to serve the poor and homeless but to share life with them. We must be willing to resource under-resourced communities even if it means spending less money on important, but unnecessary, audio-visual worship service enhancements and fellowship hall renovations. We need the courage to be a voice for the voiceless even if it means putting our own reputation on the line. Pastoral leaders use our position and power not to build our ego but to build up the culturally undignified. Incarnational ministry is costly!
There were two internal questions that surfaced in me often during my 15 years as a pastor no matter the context. First, how can my ministry incarnate the realities of Christ and his kingdom? And the second question was, am I willing to pay the price necessitated by incarnational ministry? To be perfectly honest, there were days when I chose to play it safe in the confines of my ivory professional tower. I regret those missed opportunities to incarnate good news. But on my better days, I got it! The more I got it, the more the people I served as pastor began to get it (though some of them “got it” long before I did), and once we got it together there was no turning back. The pendulum had swung and we became a church that existed to make Christ known through incarnational ministry that cost us time, energy, money, personnel, blood, sweat and tears.
Incarnational ministry is costly, but the ultimate price was paid by the God who became one of us.
In 1995, Joan Osborne asked us to consider, through one of her songs, “what if God was one of us”? Here are some of the lyrics:
What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
These words may make us cringe. Insinuating that God might be a “slob” just like sinful humanity gets our hackles up in a hurry. Osborne, to her credit, is at least willing to explore what the church has too often ignored. She seems willing to wrestle with the implications of the incarnation of God as one of us.
The truth is that God not only was one of us but, I believe, is one of us and one with us because of his incarnation in the flesh. There is, to this day, an embodied member of the Trinity who looks an awful lot like a first century Jew but with a glorified body. The incarnation not only cost the eternal Son something over 2000 years ago, as detailed in Philippians 2, but perhaps the incarnation of the Son as Jesus Christ has an ongoing cost. Whether or not you agree with my conviction about the ongoing cost of the incarnation, you will no doubt agree that incarnation is costly. God’s willingness to come “from heaven to earth to show the way” by becoming one of us and one with us cost him greatly. And, since we too are called to incarnational ministry, we ministers have a price to pay as well.
What does incarnational ministry entail? For Jesus Christ, it meant laying aside divine privilege to take upon himself all of the pain, angst, sorrow, temptations, and trials of the human condition (See Isaiah 53). He did ministry by getting close enough to the people he sought to serve that he became one of them and one with them. He served primarily through solidarity. Clearly, he gave up much of his privilege and power in order to elevate those without either to a new level of living. He went from heaven to earth, from Son to servant, from eternal King to peasant Jew. That’s incarnational ministry!
Thank God we will never have to travel as far south as the Son did, but we too are called to Jesus-style incarnational ministry. Christian ministers visit those in prison to incarnate good news. We are called to roll up our sleeves not only to serve the poor and homeless but to share life with them. We must be willing to resource under-resourced communities even if it means spending less money on important, but unnecessary, audio-visual worship service enhancements and fellowship hall renovations. We need the courage to be a voice for the voiceless even if it means putting our own reputation on the line. Pastoral leaders use our position and power not to build our ego but to build up the culturally undignified. Incarnational ministry is costly!
There were two internal questions that surfaced in me often during my 15 years as a pastor no matter the context. First, how can my ministry incarnate the realities of Christ and his kingdom? And the second question was, am I willing to pay the price necessitated by incarnational ministry? To be perfectly honest, there were days when I chose to play it safe in the confines of my ivory professional tower. I regret those missed opportunities to incarnate good news. But on my better days, I got it! The more I got it, the more the people I served as pastor began to get it (though some of them “got it” long before I did), and once we got it together there was no turning back. The pendulum had swung and we became a church that existed to make Christ known through incarnational ministry that cost us time, energy, money, personnel, blood, sweat and tears.
Incarnational ministry is costly, but the ultimate price was paid by the God who became one of us.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Are you sure you want to be a Pastor?
Today will be the last of five intense days of teaching aspiring ministers the art of Christian Leadership and Preaching. This group is quite diverse in age, ethnicity, and perspective. Yet, we share a common love for Christ and the Church. As I think about some of our dialogue from class sessions and meals together, I can't help but wonder if I may have scared some of them away from ministry.
In the Church Leadership class I communicated the following:
-"Leading the people of God to align with the purposes of God is hard, laborious, and gut-wrenching."
-"If you step up to lead people through the wilderness of status quo and into the promised land of missional vitality you will take hits that hurt."
-"When you pastor a church you can't punch out at 5:00 and go home forgetting that Joe ran off for an affair with his co-worker, leaving his wife Jane and their 5 kids, or that 16 year old Brian is addicted to heroine or that 40 year old Sally is being eaten alive by cancer. Though we realize that Christ is the ultimate shepherd and that we are limited in ways he is not, we carry the burdens of the people we serve."
In the Preaching class I communicated:
-"Using words to try and impact lives is like trying to put out a thousand acre forrest fire with a garden hose (Will Willimon), yet we keep dragging ourselves up before the people hoping that the power of God will grace us and grip them with words that lead them into a new reality, a new kingdom."
-"Once we deliver our sermon on Sunday, we experience a few moments of sweet release that comes from delivering our homiletic baby. Then Monday comes and we wrestle with the demons that tempt us to doubt whether or not we really said what God wanted us to say or whether it was even worth saying anything at all since nobody seems to be listening. What is more, in the midst of these battles with the demons we call the 'Monday morning blues' we've got to prepare for another sermon all over again since Sunday is only a few days away."
Yeh, I think I may have scared a few of these aspiring ministers, unless, of course, they are called by God to this vocation. You see, if you're called by God it doesn't matter how challenging, heart-breaking, exhausting, and frustrating pastoral ministry may be. We do it simply out of loving obedience to Him.
In short, pastoring is not for the weak and wimpy. I would also add that, while pastoring is a rough line of work, the joys and delights far outweigh the pains and disappointments. When God uses your pastoral leadership to inch his people closer to the promised land of missional vitality, you will experience the kind of joy that makes pastoring worthwhile. When you sense that God is using the words he gave you to proclaim hope to individuals and renewal to a community, there is deep satisfaction.
Pastoring the church of Jesus Christ is a daunting, scary line of work. But if you're called by God to this vocation, go for it! When you know you're in the place God has called you, doing what he has called you to do, and making a difference while doing it, you'll be glad you said "yes" to God's call to Pastor.
In the Church Leadership class I communicated the following:
-"Leading the people of God to align with the purposes of God is hard, laborious, and gut-wrenching."
-"If you step up to lead people through the wilderness of status quo and into the promised land of missional vitality you will take hits that hurt."
-"When you pastor a church you can't punch out at 5:00 and go home forgetting that Joe ran off for an affair with his co-worker, leaving his wife Jane and their 5 kids, or that 16 year old Brian is addicted to heroine or that 40 year old Sally is being eaten alive by cancer. Though we realize that Christ is the ultimate shepherd and that we are limited in ways he is not, we carry the burdens of the people we serve."
In the Preaching class I communicated:
-"Using words to try and impact lives is like trying to put out a thousand acre forrest fire with a garden hose (Will Willimon), yet we keep dragging ourselves up before the people hoping that the power of God will grace us and grip them with words that lead them into a new reality, a new kingdom."
-"Once we deliver our sermon on Sunday, we experience a few moments of sweet release that comes from delivering our homiletic baby. Then Monday comes and we wrestle with the demons that tempt us to doubt whether or not we really said what God wanted us to say or whether it was even worth saying anything at all since nobody seems to be listening. What is more, in the midst of these battles with the demons we call the 'Monday morning blues' we've got to prepare for another sermon all over again since Sunday is only a few days away."
Yeh, I think I may have scared a few of these aspiring ministers, unless, of course, they are called by God to this vocation. You see, if you're called by God it doesn't matter how challenging, heart-breaking, exhausting, and frustrating pastoral ministry may be. We do it simply out of loving obedience to Him.
In short, pastoring is not for the weak and wimpy. I would also add that, while pastoring is a rough line of work, the joys and delights far outweigh the pains and disappointments. When God uses your pastoral leadership to inch his people closer to the promised land of missional vitality, you will experience the kind of joy that makes pastoring worthwhile. When you sense that God is using the words he gave you to proclaim hope to individuals and renewal to a community, there is deep satisfaction.
Pastoring the church of Jesus Christ is a daunting, scary line of work. But if you're called by God to this vocation, go for it! When you know you're in the place God has called you, doing what he has called you to do, and making a difference while doing it, you'll be glad you said "yes" to God's call to Pastor.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Narrative Preaching
There has been lots of buzz of late concerning the power of narrative preaching to connect with postmodern people who crave, enjoy, and are moved by a good story, or narrative. Of course, narrative preaching is not new. Some homileticians, including Fred Craddock and Eugene Lowry, have been talking about the power of narrative sermons for more than three decades. However, the presumably more practical and relevant 3-5 point linear sermons have monopolized the preaching scene since the rise of Post-Enlightenment Modernity. Point by point linear sermons can be effective but, despite their promise of practical relevance, this sermonic form has become quite predictable. And, as preachers and listeners alike will confess, predictability can crash a sermon before it even takes flight. Perhaps another sermonic form is needed to captivate, inspire, and even surprise listeners.
The parables Jesus preached had a knack for inspiring and surprising listeners. Furthermore, the parables did not always tie up loose ends in the name of practical relevance. Jesus’ parables were structured by a narrative, not linear, logic. This is not to say that the only sermon that will honor the name of Christ is the narrative sermon; but we can conclude that if Jesus, the master preacher, employed narrative elements in his sermons, there has got to be wisdom in utilizing this form.
What a Narrative Sermon Is Not…
So, what is a narrative sermon anyway? I’m glad you asked. Let me first describe what it is not. A narrative sermon is not merely a few video clips thrown together to support the points the preacher is sharing. It is not the stringing together of a few personal stories from the preacher’s life to convey a handful of propositional points. Making points and then illustrating them with a variety of personal stories, though not homiletically diabolical, does not a narrative sermon make. No matter how many little narratives are placed within these sermons, they still incorporate an overall linear logic.
Even if the genre of the main preaching text is narrative the sermonic form may itself be more linear than narrative. Summarizing the story about a biblical character, say Moses, through linear points (i.e., Moses Prays with Passion, Moses Obeys with Passion, Moses Leads with Passion) forces a narrative text into a linear sermon that robs both the text and the sermon of their power.
Sermons with a linear logic flow from the introduction to point one (proposition, exposition, illustration, and application) to point two (proposition, exposition, illustration, and application) to point three (proposition, exposition, illustration, and application) to the conclusion. This form made good sense for a Modern world that, thanks to scientific empiricism, sought to dissect and explain the sum of the whole by reducing it to parts, or points. The desire to know, master, explain, and simplify a biblical text drove the homiletic machine.
What a Narrative Sermon Is…
The structure and goal of a narrative sermon is quite different. The narrative structure is not built with points but with the elements of a good story. Setting, character development, problem, plot, climax, and resolution make for a good story and, I would add, an excellent narrative sermon. The difference between the two sermonic forms is striking:
Linear Logic Sermons
Introduction
Point 1 (explain/illustrate/apply)
Point 2 (explain/illustrate/apply)
Point 3 (explain/illustrate/apply)
Conclusion (or more points)
Narrative Logic Sermons
Setting/Character Development
Problem
Plot
Climax
Resolution
The preaching landscape, especially in the West, has changed. People shaped by postmodernity tend to crave inspiration more than information, and experience over knowledge. This is not to suggest that postmodern people do not want to be well-informed; most do indeed. However, the people in our world and church must first be inspired before they even care to be informed concerning Christ and His kingdom.
Narrative has been the most successful mode of communication for inspiring people across cultures and centuries. Simply put, story speaks to us in a manner that inspires movement toward an encounter with God. The Bible, in its canonical form, really is a unified meta-narrative that tells the redemptive story of God’s saving love for the world. Perhaps this is the reason why the Bible is the number one selling, cross-cultural book ever.
While I have incorporated various sermonic forms in my preaching over the years, the narrative expository preaching of a single biblical passage has impacted my own faith development significantly, not to mention what it might have done for those who have heard those sermons preached. While linear sermons are a necessary and helpful form for communicating didactic information, narrative sermons seem most-suited for transformational inspiration. The church will always need informative teaching but my preaching “gut” tells me that the narrative form has a better track record for opening up the door of didactic desire.
© 2010
Lenny Luchetti
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The parables Jesus preached had a knack for inspiring and surprising listeners. Furthermore, the parables did not always tie up loose ends in the name of practical relevance. Jesus’ parables were structured by a narrative, not linear, logic. This is not to say that the only sermon that will honor the name of Christ is the narrative sermon; but we can conclude that if Jesus, the master preacher, employed narrative elements in his sermons, there has got to be wisdom in utilizing this form.
What a Narrative Sermon Is Not…
So, what is a narrative sermon anyway? I’m glad you asked. Let me first describe what it is not. A narrative sermon is not merely a few video clips thrown together to support the points the preacher is sharing. It is not the stringing together of a few personal stories from the preacher’s life to convey a handful of propositional points. Making points and then illustrating them with a variety of personal stories, though not homiletically diabolical, does not a narrative sermon make. No matter how many little narratives are placed within these sermons, they still incorporate an overall linear logic.
Even if the genre of the main preaching text is narrative the sermonic form may itself be more linear than narrative. Summarizing the story about a biblical character, say Moses, through linear points (i.e., Moses Prays with Passion, Moses Obeys with Passion, Moses Leads with Passion) forces a narrative text into a linear sermon that robs both the text and the sermon of their power.
Sermons with a linear logic flow from the introduction to point one (proposition, exposition, illustration, and application) to point two (proposition, exposition, illustration, and application) to point three (proposition, exposition, illustration, and application) to the conclusion. This form made good sense for a Modern world that, thanks to scientific empiricism, sought to dissect and explain the sum of the whole by reducing it to parts, or points. The desire to know, master, explain, and simplify a biblical text drove the homiletic machine.
What a Narrative Sermon Is…
The structure and goal of a narrative sermon is quite different. The narrative structure is not built with points but with the elements of a good story. Setting, character development, problem, plot, climax, and resolution make for a good story and, I would add, an excellent narrative sermon. The difference between the two sermonic forms is striking:
Linear Logic Sermons
Introduction
Point 1 (explain/illustrate/apply)
Point 2 (explain/illustrate/apply)
Point 3 (explain/illustrate/apply)
Conclusion (or more points)
Narrative Logic Sermons
Setting/Character Development
Problem
Plot
Climax
Resolution
The preaching landscape, especially in the West, has changed. People shaped by postmodernity tend to crave inspiration more than information, and experience over knowledge. This is not to suggest that postmodern people do not want to be well-informed; most do indeed. However, the people in our world and church must first be inspired before they even care to be informed concerning Christ and His kingdom.
Narrative has been the most successful mode of communication for inspiring people across cultures and centuries. Simply put, story speaks to us in a manner that inspires movement toward an encounter with God. The Bible, in its canonical form, really is a unified meta-narrative that tells the redemptive story of God’s saving love for the world. Perhaps this is the reason why the Bible is the number one selling, cross-cultural book ever.
While I have incorporated various sermonic forms in my preaching over the years, the narrative expository preaching of a single biblical passage has impacted my own faith development significantly, not to mention what it might have done for those who have heard those sermons preached. While linear sermons are a necessary and helpful form for communicating didactic information, narrative sermons seem most-suited for transformational inspiration. The church will always need informative teaching but my preaching “gut” tells me that the narrative form has a better track record for opening up the door of didactic desire.
© 2010
Lenny Luchetti
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, June 28, 2010
My Last Weekend as Pastor of SWC
This past weekend Amy, the kids, and I had to say goodbye to a congregation we have come to love intensely. Going through three emotional services, an all-church farewell picnic, and a men's breakfast has wiped me out completely. I hate saying goodbye, especially to someone I really like; I really like (and love) this Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church family.
Swc, we have experienced the beauty, adventure, challenge, and mystery called the local church. I believed in the power and potential of a local church to transform communities in Jesus' name, but now I'm absolutely convinced of it! Journeying with you has been and always will be one of the highlights of my life.
If you would like to listen to my final message to SWC at our weekend services, grab some tissues and click on the following link:
Message: Packing Up
Swc, we have experienced the beauty, adventure, challenge, and mystery called the local church. I believed in the power and potential of a local church to transform communities in Jesus' name, but now I'm absolutely convinced of it! Journeying with you has been and always will be one of the highlights of my life.
If you would like to listen to my final message to SWC at our weekend services, grab some tissues and click on the following link:
Message: Packing Up
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Diversity: Sociological, Political, or Theological
As I think about the jouney of the church I'm privileged to lead, I rejoice in how diverse we've become. We have many different ethnic and socio-economic groups represented in our church. We have, by God's grace, become a church for all people, although those who don't want us to be a church for all people tend not to stay with us for too long. In any given pew, you may find a white homeless person sitting next to a young black professional couple on one side and a single hispanic college student on the other side. This is a delight to me!
We talk about diversity a lot, but not with political or sociological jargon. Instead, we frame the diversity issue theologically, since that's what concerns us most. Before I show my theological cards, let me see yours. What would you say to someone who asks, What theological rationale do you have to support your preference for an ethnically, generationally, and socio-economically diverse church?
I can't wait to see your thoughts on this!
We talk about diversity a lot, but not with political or sociological jargon. Instead, we frame the diversity issue theologically, since that's what concerns us most. Before I show my theological cards, let me see yours. What would you say to someone who asks, What theological rationale do you have to support your preference for an ethnically, generationally, and socio-economically diverse church?
I can't wait to see your thoughts on this!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
My New Mission...
This weekend at Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church (SWC), I announced that I would be leaving them to tackle a new mission for which they and God have prepared me. Telling a church family I love that God was calling me to another place of ministry was one of the most difficult things I have had to do in my entire life. I would rather box a Mike Tyson in his prime or walk on hot coals than do what I had to do this weekend at our services. The full text of my announcement to SWC is below. Or, if you would like to listen to the announcement (about 10 minutes), please click on the following link:
http://www.stroudsburgwesleyan.org/index.php?page=audio_sermons2&audio_id=109
My New Mission:
We have been exploring the lordship of Jesus Christ today and I need to share with you where the lordship of Christ is leading me and my family. About a decade ago I said to Amy, “I would love to invest my life in encouraging and equipping pastors sometime down the road, when I’m old and grey and have something significant to offer.” Over the past few years God has given me multiple opportunities to teach or preach to pastors and I have thoroughly enjoyed those experiences.
Back in August, Wesley Seminary on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University was established. This is the first seminary of the Wesleyan denomination. The seminary administration began the process of building their faculty for this exciting new endeavor. Because I wanted in on what God was going to do through this new mission of equipping pastors, I filled out an online application, hoping only that I might get an opportunity to be an adjunct professor and teach maybe a course or two each year. The dean emailed me a day later and asked if I would be willing to serve full-time. I was not ready for that question but, after some prayer, decided to explore this full-time possibility. I flew to Indiana for an interview in January and after they conducted a few other interviews, the seminary officially offered me the Christian Ministries faculty position in March. After much prayer, discussion, and the processing of many different emotions, Amy and I have accepted this opportunity to invest our lives in those who are investing their lives in local churches.
Let me explain why we accepted this new vocation. We have a million reasons to stay at Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church (SWC). Amy and I love you; we really do. I cannot imagine any pastor feeling a greater bond with his/her church than I feel with you. You are more than just a church or a job- you are family to us! I have so much fun serving God with you. I shouldn’t even get paid for this. After last weekend’s Easter services, I kept telling people I would do this for free (though I secretly hoped the board wouldn’t find out and cut my pay in half).
I love the team of lay leaders and pastors with whom I get to serve the purposes of Christ. They are some of the best people I have ever known. On days when I may have been tempted to believe that the God-sized dream for SWC was too big even for God, these lay leaders and pastors found ways to lift me up and remind me that with God all things are possible. I cannot imagine there being another church out there like SWC, a church where all kinds of people are treated as equally loved creations of God, a church that exists not to be a country club for saints but a hospital for sinners like me in need of some grace and hope, a church where our common human predicament and our common quest for Christ binds us together despite our diversity of skin tones, socio-economic levels, and ages. While I could list a million reasons to stay at this church that fits me so well, the most compelling reason for me to go, and it’s really the only reason I need, is because I believe that God is calling me to take the lessons you have taught me about the potential and purpose of the local church to the seminary in order to train, encourage, and inspire pastors.
One of the things that excites most me about my future vocation is that I get to look pastors in the eyes, pastors who are perhaps discouraged and leading struggling churches, and tell them that the local church really is the main instrument through which God builds his kingdom by transforming lives. I can tell them that with God all things are possible, that God can take the infighting in your church and turn it into energy to impact the community, that God can take an insular holy huddle and turn it into a force of love that cares as much for the people outside the church as it does for the people inside the church. I can tell pastors that when God shows up among a group of people yielded to him in love that absolutely anything is possible. I would have said this to pastors 7 years ago because I believed it, but as a result of my journey with you I can now say it with absolute conviction because I have experienced the wonderful, beautiful adventure called the local church.
Frankly, it’s your fault that I even have this opportunity to invest my ministry in pastors. Because of your daring faith in God and your willingness to courageously follow him, we are the fastest growing Wesleyan church out of the 75 in our district. We are also part of the 1% of churches in America whose growth is primarily among people who were not going to church anywhere else. We are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, which is something that so few churches are able to navigate. But I love how diverse we are and how our oneness in Christ shines through our different strokes; and I’m convinced God loves it too! Of course, the radical hospitality, worship vibrancy, and missional vitality that constitutes our DNA will continue to guide us long after my departure.
The dream for SWC may have been birthed initially in my heart, but you and I know full well that the realization of the dream is much more attributable to God’s presence here than my presence here. And God is not going anywhere! I’m confident that God will be in attendance even after I’m gone. He won’t be sleeping in or shopping around for a new church. The stuff we’re experiencing at SWC is not because of who the pastor is, but because of who God is. If the culture of SWC continues to be one marked by deep dependence on God coupled with a courageous commitment to follow God wherever he leads us, it won’t make a difference what pastor comes or goes because the presence and power of God will be upon you and He is all you need. The good news for you is, after you release me to the new mission that you and God have prepared me for, God will still be at SWC and so will you. Therefore the dream continues, the momentum continues, the vision “to become a prayerful, diverse, community-involved church family whose passionate purpose is to help seekers become servants of God” goes on! The sad news for me is that I won’t be here to be a part of the great work God is still looking to do, but you and God will be here. And this is good!
There is no getting around it. We love you and will miss you immensely. You have been aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents to our kids. They think they have the biggest family in the world. You have prayed for us and loved us. You have given me one of the greatest privileges one person can give to another- you have let me be your pastor. And this has honored me more than you could possibly know. Not many pastors are able to say to their congregations what I am about to say to you; I have more faith in God because I have journeyed with you; I have more optimism about the potential of the local church to transform the community in which she resides because I have journeyed with you; and while no one really “gets” the Trinity, I think I’m beginning to understand how the church is called to reflect the intimacy and intentionality of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit because I have journeyed with you. Thank you so, so much for all the lessons you have taught me, lessons that have equipped me to go and equip pastors.
There are several informational items I want to communicate concerning the transition. First, you are stuck with me until July. Second, our District Superintendent, Dr. Wood, will be meeting with our board this week to begin the search for a new Lead Pastor. He is a man of great wisdom, who is as excited about what God is doing in our church as we are. He will provide significant guidance. Third, there is solid leadership in place at SWC. We have a pastoral team and board who will continue to provide excellent leadership and care to the church. You will not be leaderless during the search for a new Lead Pastor.
Please pray for the Pastoral Search Committee. Pray that they will be able to discern the pastor God is raising up “for such a time as this” and that they will not settle for anyone less than God’s best for this great church. Pray for me, Amy, Zach, Lia, and Sam, that God will mend the broken heart we will surely experience when we leave a familiar church family we love for a new adventure. Pray that the mission of SWC and the mission of Wesley Seminary would build the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus Christ is Lord. Thanks be to God.
http://www.stroudsburgwesleyan.org/index.php?page=audio_sermons2&audio_id=109
My New Mission:
We have been exploring the lordship of Jesus Christ today and I need to share with you where the lordship of Christ is leading me and my family. About a decade ago I said to Amy, “I would love to invest my life in encouraging and equipping pastors sometime down the road, when I’m old and grey and have something significant to offer.” Over the past few years God has given me multiple opportunities to teach or preach to pastors and I have thoroughly enjoyed those experiences.
Back in August, Wesley Seminary on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University was established. This is the first seminary of the Wesleyan denomination. The seminary administration began the process of building their faculty for this exciting new endeavor. Because I wanted in on what God was going to do through this new mission of equipping pastors, I filled out an online application, hoping only that I might get an opportunity to be an adjunct professor and teach maybe a course or two each year. The dean emailed me a day later and asked if I would be willing to serve full-time. I was not ready for that question but, after some prayer, decided to explore this full-time possibility. I flew to Indiana for an interview in January and after they conducted a few other interviews, the seminary officially offered me the Christian Ministries faculty position in March. After much prayer, discussion, and the processing of many different emotions, Amy and I have accepted this opportunity to invest our lives in those who are investing their lives in local churches.
Let me explain why we accepted this new vocation. We have a million reasons to stay at Stroudsburg Wesleyan Church (SWC). Amy and I love you; we really do. I cannot imagine any pastor feeling a greater bond with his/her church than I feel with you. You are more than just a church or a job- you are family to us! I have so much fun serving God with you. I shouldn’t even get paid for this. After last weekend’s Easter services, I kept telling people I would do this for free (though I secretly hoped the board wouldn’t find out and cut my pay in half).
I love the team of lay leaders and pastors with whom I get to serve the purposes of Christ. They are some of the best people I have ever known. On days when I may have been tempted to believe that the God-sized dream for SWC was too big even for God, these lay leaders and pastors found ways to lift me up and remind me that with God all things are possible. I cannot imagine there being another church out there like SWC, a church where all kinds of people are treated as equally loved creations of God, a church that exists not to be a country club for saints but a hospital for sinners like me in need of some grace and hope, a church where our common human predicament and our common quest for Christ binds us together despite our diversity of skin tones, socio-economic levels, and ages. While I could list a million reasons to stay at this church that fits me so well, the most compelling reason for me to go, and it’s really the only reason I need, is because I believe that God is calling me to take the lessons you have taught me about the potential and purpose of the local church to the seminary in order to train, encourage, and inspire pastors.
One of the things that excites most me about my future vocation is that I get to look pastors in the eyes, pastors who are perhaps discouraged and leading struggling churches, and tell them that the local church really is the main instrument through which God builds his kingdom by transforming lives. I can tell them that with God all things are possible, that God can take the infighting in your church and turn it into energy to impact the community, that God can take an insular holy huddle and turn it into a force of love that cares as much for the people outside the church as it does for the people inside the church. I can tell pastors that when God shows up among a group of people yielded to him in love that absolutely anything is possible. I would have said this to pastors 7 years ago because I believed it, but as a result of my journey with you I can now say it with absolute conviction because I have experienced the wonderful, beautiful adventure called the local church.
Frankly, it’s your fault that I even have this opportunity to invest my ministry in pastors. Because of your daring faith in God and your willingness to courageously follow him, we are the fastest growing Wesleyan church out of the 75 in our district. We are also part of the 1% of churches in America whose growth is primarily among people who were not going to church anywhere else. We are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, which is something that so few churches are able to navigate. But I love how diverse we are and how our oneness in Christ shines through our different strokes; and I’m convinced God loves it too! Of course, the radical hospitality, worship vibrancy, and missional vitality that constitutes our DNA will continue to guide us long after my departure.
The dream for SWC may have been birthed initially in my heart, but you and I know full well that the realization of the dream is much more attributable to God’s presence here than my presence here. And God is not going anywhere! I’m confident that God will be in attendance even after I’m gone. He won’t be sleeping in or shopping around for a new church. The stuff we’re experiencing at SWC is not because of who the pastor is, but because of who God is. If the culture of SWC continues to be one marked by deep dependence on God coupled with a courageous commitment to follow God wherever he leads us, it won’t make a difference what pastor comes or goes because the presence and power of God will be upon you and He is all you need. The good news for you is, after you release me to the new mission that you and God have prepared me for, God will still be at SWC and so will you. Therefore the dream continues, the momentum continues, the vision “to become a prayerful, diverse, community-involved church family whose passionate purpose is to help seekers become servants of God” goes on! The sad news for me is that I won’t be here to be a part of the great work God is still looking to do, but you and God will be here. And this is good!
There is no getting around it. We love you and will miss you immensely. You have been aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents to our kids. They think they have the biggest family in the world. You have prayed for us and loved us. You have given me one of the greatest privileges one person can give to another- you have let me be your pastor. And this has honored me more than you could possibly know. Not many pastors are able to say to their congregations what I am about to say to you; I have more faith in God because I have journeyed with you; I have more optimism about the potential of the local church to transform the community in which she resides because I have journeyed with you; and while no one really “gets” the Trinity, I think I’m beginning to understand how the church is called to reflect the intimacy and intentionality of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit because I have journeyed with you. Thank you so, so much for all the lessons you have taught me, lessons that have equipped me to go and equip pastors.
There are several informational items I want to communicate concerning the transition. First, you are stuck with me until July. Second, our District Superintendent, Dr. Wood, will be meeting with our board this week to begin the search for a new Lead Pastor. He is a man of great wisdom, who is as excited about what God is doing in our church as we are. He will provide significant guidance. Third, there is solid leadership in place at SWC. We have a pastoral team and board who will continue to provide excellent leadership and care to the church. You will not be leaderless during the search for a new Lead Pastor.
Please pray for the Pastoral Search Committee. Pray that they will be able to discern the pastor God is raising up “for such a time as this” and that they will not settle for anyone less than God’s best for this great church. Pray for me, Amy, Zach, Lia, and Sam, that God will mend the broken heart we will surely experience when we leave a familiar church family we love for a new adventure. Pray that the mission of SWC and the mission of Wesley Seminary would build the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus Christ is Lord. Thanks be to God.
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