Reflecting at 15 Years - Leave

This post is the last of my reflections on the first fifteen years since I was called to ministry. Technically, the timing is still a little over one month away, but this past Sunday was my fifth serving in my current church so the timing seemed appropriate now.

Essentially, these reflections have been based upon the discipleship process I use - to learn, to live, to love, to lead, and today's post, to leave. In fact, that is why we must disciple others as we are discipled. We must learn, live, and love, but as we do, we must lead others because one day we will leave.

Now you may be thinking about a pastor or staff person leaving a church, and that is a part of it. But we all leave. Either we quit, we move, or we die. And that is why we must lead - and particularly lead well. The question is will the work of ministry thrive after you? What is most important to those who remain will continue, but will it continue well? If Jesus had to leave, then none of us are irreplaceable, no matter what we might want to think from time to time. People have come and people have gone long before you and I and will continue to come and go long after we are gone - unless, of course, the Lord returns.

So the question is not if we will leave, but when. And that means we should be preparing (discipling) others to carry on the work after we are gone. A quick survey of Scripture shows the best leaders did this (Moses with Joshua, Jesus with the disciples, Paul with Timothy, Titus, and many others). And certainly God was instrumental in keeping His story going, but if it wasn't for Joshua continuing the mission, would we know Moses? The disciples were charged with sharing the story of Jesus. Timothy was charged with passing on what had been passed to him.

You may think, "Well those are biblical characters, I am just me." But how many generations of "just me" people have brought us to the point we are today. And that is why we must lead before we leave. This is one of the most important lessons I have learned since that day many years ago. We had just left a church a few months before for reasons that were very real, but that I will not divulge. But less than two years after my initial call, we were called to leave the church we were then attending as I was called to (bi-)vocational (youth) ministry in Buckner, Mo. After serving there for eight years (to the day), I was called to pastor in Fairfax.

I learned a great deal serving in Buckner and have many friends there to this day. But I did not do enough to prepare for my leaving. I did far more than nothing, but I should have done more. And, in that case, I knew for months that I would be leaving, I just didn't know exactly when or where and by the time I did know, it was too late to put a system in place.

So, now in Fairfax, I am preparing others for some point in the future when I will leave. I have no sense that such a time is anywhere near. It may be twenty years or it may be two. I don't know and I don't care because God has called me here and here I will stay until He calls me elsewhere. (To date, I have not initiated conversations with the places I have served, nor do I plan to do so. He has taught me to let Him lead in this so I don't look for openings elsewhere or send resumes, so I truly try to wait upon Him to know both the when and where, both within the church and in my teaching.)

All of that said, I day is coming when I will not longer serve as a pastor in Fairfax. And thus, I must lead with that in mind. A great deal of joy exists in the process of helping others to find their callings and fulfill it. But challenges exist as well. But ultimately, this is about leaving a legacy. How will I be remembered? Will my time have helped or hurt the church? I tell students in a class I teach that our goal as a minister should always be to leave a church in better shape than you find it, and ultimately to attempt to leave it for the next pastor/minister the way you would hope to find it when you arrived. The latter may not always be possible, but how we leave a church says a lot about our true intentions. 

And that is why focusing on "How will I be remembered?" is not the ultimate goal. How will Christ be honored in my leaving is a much better question? Is the ministry better prepared for the future after I depart than when I arrived? Have others been equipped to fulfill their service in ministry? Have others been given opportunities to test themselves in their understanding? This is what Jesus did before He left. It is what I must do before I may leave if I am serious about fulfilling my role as pastor.

The notion of preparing others for my departure is one important part of my learning. I now must better live it, in part because I love my church. Therefore I must better lead those who are members of this fellowship of believers and those who are a part of the periphery. For my Master left me this charge and will return one day to see what return I have to offer Him. (Matthew 25.14-30). May I be faithful to discipling others in each step of the journey in order that I may hear, "Well done good and faithful servant" (Matthew 24.21, 23).

Reflecting at 15 Years - Lead

The fourth post in this series represents the next step in the discipleship process for me. The first three are to learn, live, and love. To learn can benefit others, but is ultimately for, and about, us. To live requires us to do something, and can be for others, but often starts as us just beginning to do something. To love is about us doing things from the aspect of joy and for the benefit of others. But none of these ideas represent a full transference of ourselves into another. Yes, love can, and IS needed, but Jesus said to make disciples and that requires, according to His words that we teach them to obey everything He has commanded.

Obviously, teaching and learning are intertwined. And to fully realize Jesus command to “Follow Me” means that we are living, in part, while we love. And Jesus said that loving God and loving others were the two greatest commandments (Mark 12.29-30), and then added a third (a new commandment) to love one another (John 13.35). All of these are a part of being disciples. But to make disciples, we also must lead. Or as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11.1)”.

So the four step in the process is to lead. As a pastor, an educator, a parent, a husband, etc., I am called to lead. But true leadership isn't for my benefit, it is for the benefit of others, and most importantly, for God. That is what it means to make disciples – to help others better know themselves in the context of knowing God, so that, in turn, they might make disciples as well by learning, living, loving, and leading others.

The problem is that in too many churches (and in all of life), the Pareto Principle is in play. You may not have known the name, but you are, perhaps, aware of the principle. Applied to a church, the principles suggests that 20% of the church does 80% of the work, gives 80% of the money, etc. But the Jesus principle is that 100% of His people are each to do their portion of the work (i.e. be the body of Christ) which means 100% of the people are involved in making disciples. And, I have yet to find the “Escape Clause” in the Bible.

Yes, including and involving others makes it more difficult to do certain tasks. But while that is true initially, over time, having more people involved means that more people are available either to help or to fill-in when others can't. And involving others might bring fresh insights as well. Furthermore, as we lead (make disciples) we realize how little we truly know (which is not the “Escape Clause”), which actually leads US to go back through the cycle as we learn more, live out what we now know, loving others as we do it, and then leading others. To me it seems that the Jesus Principle far outweighs the Pareto Principle.

Thus, as I approach the end of my fifteenth year of ministry, one of my goals for the next fifteen years is to help others break free of yielding to Pareto and take hold of following Jesus and more of His principles. After all, so many individuals have invested in me, how can I not do the same for others?

To do so, is a matter of paying something forward. But ultimately that benefit is not for me, nor for others, it is for God. And He has already made all of the payment that needs to be made! So, my doing is not because anything needs to be done. Rather my doing is in thankfulness for what He has already done – for as Christ proclaimed, “It is finished!”

Reflecting at 15 Years - Love

As I continue to reflect on my last fifteen years, I move to perhaps the hardest part for me, at least sometimes. Learning is not always easy, but it is something I typically enjoy. Learning for the sake of doing is a part of living. But why do we do what we do? Not just because we have learned it, though that is important, but a deeper purpose must exist.

The name of the post includes “love” so that is obviously where I am heading. But before I get there, let me state that I am a pretty practical guy. On certain aspects I can get a little overzealous, yet I have found myself caring and planning less on other aspects during the last few years. For instance, I majored in business and finance in college, but now I don’t overly focus on personal monetary issues. That isn’t to say I am negligent, but in the past, I would spend hours and hours and hours and hours planning down to the penny, and then some.

So, being practical, I want to make sure that what I am doing has a purpose. The purpose may not mean much to others, but as long as I see value (especially in the short and long terms), then it is worth it. Again, a for instance. This series of blog posts may not be read by many, but it is encouraging me to reflect, and I can come back to them in the future. And by posting them here, instead of just an entry on my computer, others may find a simple nugget of encouragement. So, this is worth it.

Personally, I have a vision statement, a mission statement, a strategy, and steps to full these. I have also developed each of these items for my role as pastor and for the church that I pastor. Some overlap certainly exists because who I am as a person influences my role as a pastor, as does the church I serve. But who I am as a person also transcends (or should) my role in any local church, although it should blend into any church as well.

But, and now we get to the core of this, while these statements help to keep me on track, if they do not incorporate love into the statements, or I do not choose to live by loving, then as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, what I am doing has no lasting value. It isn’t just what we do (even if that is in keeping with our goals), it is why we do it (i.e. not just to fulfill a goal). We were created by a loving God in order that we might love Him and love others (Mark 12.30-31). And our love is not self-generated, it is a reflection of God. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4.19).

I believe my immediate family would profess that I have always loved them. Not perfectly, but constantly. I appreciate how my relationship with my wife has developed during our years together. I have enjoyed watching my children grow and am now learning to appreciate them as young adults. All of this is a part of love, but to love is more than about family, it is to be a part of overall living.

I have learned. I have begun to live. Now I need to better love. I need to love what I do (the living part), but I need to love as I do as well. I need to be more intentional in loving others and investing in them to help them grow as people have done for me over these past few years. Recently, a friend told me that he believes I am loving toward others. I appreciated those remarks more than he could know, but I know that more of me needs to love more of others more often.

So a part of these next fifteen years, is to learn more about to love others, to live with a greater capacity to love, and to express that love in ways that are appropriate in any given moment. I will never have the full capacity to love like Jesus on this side of eternity, but if I fix my eyes on Jesus, my faith (and love) will become more perfect over time.

Reflecting at 15 Years - Live

Last week, I began a series reflecting on having been called to ministry fifteen years ago this coming summer. Two weeks from this Sunday will conclude my fifth year at my current church, and that is largely what prompted this exercise. Last week's focus was on what I have learned. This week will focus on the outgrowth of learning and our call to LIVE.

In much of the world today, the primary focus of learning is in order to do something. The internet has made it easy to watch a youtube video in order to accomplish a task rather quickly and easily (and cheaply!). However, for much of history, people have lived while they learned. What I mean is that apprenticeships have been a part of many cultures throughout history. Learning was often in the form of watching and then doing, and eventually showing others as they watched and then did themselves. While this form of learning still exists, it is not the primary way, at least not in the western world. Sitting in classrooms wondering what the purpose of learning a particular subject (e.g. Algebra) is commonplace. (For what it is worth, most everyone does use some level of Algebra daily. For instance, if you have $5 and would like coffee and donuts for breakfast, then you can by “y” number of donuts at 99 cents each, and one coffee (x) for that amount. Or  1x + 3y = $5, with taxes needing to be included and fractions/decimals being ignored. But I digress, especially because I do not like coffee and cannot eat donuts – gluten.)

While some people may choose to learn for the sake of learning, this is not the norm, especially in America. We want to learn for the sake of doing. Except in the local church. Many people each week attend church without expecting to learn, without a desire to serve, and with no remorse for either. And if something is learned, then it is often not applied. (I understand that some pastors and/or teachers do not provide appropriate application to the text, or do not give people the opportunity to serve, but that idea will be covered under Lead, in two weeks). James 1.22 says that we are to be doers of the word, not just hearers. If we hear the word and do not do it, then we are deceiving ourselves. In fact, James says this type of inaction is proof that any faith a person once had is dead (James 2.14-17).

So, learning is important, but its primary purpose is so that we might better live. It is not just what we know that counts, it is what we do with it. Of course, we are not perfect, nor will we become so in this life. But our living can set an example for others and help them to better learn how to live for others. That almost sounds like the apprentice model mentioned above. More importantly, it sounds like the discipleship model Jesus used. “Follow Me,” He said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4.17). By following Jesus, the first disciples would learn a new way to live, and could then show others as well (2 Timothy 2.2). The same is true for us today.

Over the past fifteen years, especially, I have learned a great many things. But most importantly, I have learned that what I learn I must then live. It isn't always easy, and I certainly don't always do it well, but that is part of the learning process itself.

So, as I prepare for another fifteen years of ministering in the local church, my focus will be more on teaching others to do rather than simply helping others to know. As I have the opportunity to teach at the collegiate or seminary level, I want to impart the idea to students to make their classwork meaningful beyond a grade at the end of the semester. (This is a major reason why I am so proud to be a two-time alum of, and now an adjunct professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary – @MBTS, which has the mantra of “For the Church.” The courses and teachings are ultimately for the benefit of the church, not just for a student to get an education.)

The reality is that most every professing Christian knows plenty about the Bible, but do not live according to what they know. I am no exception. In response to the fact that Jesus died for us, the question has been posed: “Will we live for Him.” Will I? Will you?

Imagine, for a moment, the difference we could make in the lives of others if we each of us focused on living a little bit more of what we know.

Imagine how much difference we could make in others lives if we began to live out all of what we know.

But imagine how much difference we would see in our own lives, if we heeded the call of Jesus to “Follow Me.”

Reflecting at 15 Years - Learn

As I take a short break from preaching to gear up for our next series, I have been reflecting on my call to ministry, and as pastor because next month will be five years since I became the pastor at my current church. I share a little of that reflection here.

In late June of 2001, I remember listening to a pastor deliver a sermon. I do not recall anything about that particular sermon, other than realizing that God was beginning to call me into ministry during that period of time, and the call was coming to a climax on that day. As I listened, I began to think of all the sermons this man had preached and I wondered, “How does he come up with something original every week?” And the following question was even more daunting, “I am not creative, so how can I come up with something original if I am called to preach?” Well, thankfully, I was not called to serve as a pastor (yet!), and therefore did not have to worry about this issue – yet!

How naive I was! Certainly, I understood that the source for a message/sermon was the Bible, and, as a text it is expansive (wide) and has a great deal of depth (deep). But fifty-two Sunday morning messages, plus the potential of Sunday evening, Wednesday evening, and other studies. That is in excess of 150, if not 200 messages/studies per year. Being in my early 30's at the time, that meant that I might prepare as many as 8000 lessons, sermons, etc., over a forty-year ministry! (For what it is worth, that is about one lesson for every four verses in the Bible).

But what I had not truly grasped was the impact of God upon the process. First, He has given me more creativity that I would have ever dreamed possible, especially since moving to Fairfax five years ago. Second, some lessons take more time. For instance, I recently completed a series on Jesus promise to build His church (from Matthew 16) that took five weeks to cover each of His five words – I will build my church. On April 24, we are embarking on a journey through the book of Mark to discover both the Jewishness of Jesus and how He responded to the various opportunities that came His way. These examples are just two of many, but suffice it to say, God has taught me that He has a never ending well from which to quench my thirst for learning, and from which I can also teach.

But more than anything, I have learned that I must never stop learning. That is actually a mantra of mine, though the mantra developed during this time and stands in stark contrast to how I felt when I finished my undergrad. Specifically, I can be quoted as saying, “When you stop learning, you start dying.” From that day in the summer of 2001, I have started and fulfilled learning requirements for both a master's and a doctoral degree at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. But more importantly, a hunger for learning developed, and I realize that, even (especially) pertaining to the Bible, I have more to learn than I already know. And having recently traveled to Israel, learning biblical details in light of the cultural context has become even more important to me,

Ultimately, I now know that even if God grants me forty more years to teach, I will never run out of material because I will never run out of material to learn. And even if the material were to be fully absorbed, I would still need to perfect applying it to my life and helping others to do the same.

Truthfully, I have learned a great deal about myself and my God over these past fifteen years. I look forward to seeing what the next fifteen years hold for me as well.