Following on from a rather depressing post regarding the lack of emerging pastors and Christian leaders I found myself wondering if I would do it all again if I had the chance or if I would stick with teaching or maybe go a bit harder in the business world.
And the answer is an unequivocal and enthusiastic ‘yes!’
Of course the question is ‘why?’ If so many emerging leaders are not seeing the local church as a setting in which they can express their gifts and capacities why might any of us consider doing it all again?
‘The Call’ – ah the mysterious ‘call’… What do we mean by that? For me, by the time I was 18 I was concerned that we lacked good quality leadership in our churches and I found myself listening to cassettes about leadership development and discipleship. (Howard Hendricks for those who remember!)
I had a deep discontent both with how things were done internally and how we went about mission. This was all prior to any local church ministry work. I worked voluntarily for Youth for Christ in ‘Campus Life’ clubs, alongside people of the calibre of Stuart Wesley and Mark Wilson. We cut our teeth in parachurch ministry, but eventually we all found our way into leading local churches. I sense ‘the calling’ started there, but by 22 I was convinced my teaching career was all but over and I was going to be a missionary. I had thought that meant overseas in the Philippines, but it turned out my own backyard was the mission field.
I sensed ‘the call’ building over my life so that by the age of 40 I would have rather led a church with no income whatsoever than given my life to any other job. Even now I cannot explain how deeply I feel the call to both local mission, church planting and local church leadership. Its one of those ‘if you know then you know’ things. But I imagine it will be with me until he day I die. I certainly hope it will be.
Alignment of Abilities – in short I had skills and gifts that were useful in a church setting. I can lead people, communicate well and help organisations and communities get healthy. I even enjoy it.
I know I could use those skills in settings other than churches and probably make a lot more money, but I genuinely love the local church and I love the sense of mission I carry with me each day. My ‘future orientation’ means I am often looking to new and next, which is very much needed in communities that so easily focus on nostalgia and now.
It would be wrong to have a bag of great tools and not use them.
The Challenge – I realise some people probably want a quiet life, a decent paypacket and minimum of fuss in their job. I would be so bored… I find joy in figuring out and implementing processes that help people grow in faith and churches grow in their understanding of their missionary calling. I can do other stuff – but this is where I choose to invest my focus as its where i have done the most learning.
I’ve enjoyed a restful summer, but right now I’m chaffing at the bit to get into a new challenge! We are hoping to join with a country church later in the year and help them consider ‘where to from here?’ and that excites me.
I look at the challenge in front of us to help churches get healthy and to see missionary work done well in our culture and I begin to get tingly… This is what I live to do…
Calling, gifting and passion all align. Sure, the pay is not always amazing, but that’s one reason I keep a bivo job ticking away on the side.
Work is Meaningful – I weigh caravans and fit diesel heaters in order to make some $$. It pays well, but it does lack a little bit of the significance that goes with helping people find their meaning in life and take their place in the world.
What could be more invigorating than walking with people as they walk with God and helping them tune into his frequency and follow his leading. Sure – a lot of church work is droll and tedious – admin can be a killer – but knowing that I get to do life-changing work is so very worth it. Last year we did a funeral for the dad of an old youth group leader and to see how that guy has lived his life since coming to faith in our youth ministry gives me more joy than I could ever express.
We have quite literally had people tell us ‘you changed our lives!‘ No one says that after I fit a diesel heater… and it would be quite sad if they did. We hope to keep being in the ‘life changing business’ for a while to come.
I mean what else would you do? Once you’ve walked that path it’s hard to not go back for more – not for an internal ego boost – but because in those moments of connection you know that you have been gifted to do the very work you are doing. It’s the idea of ‘flow’ – being in the sweet spot of life and it’s gooooood!
Personal Development – I guess this isn’t true for all pastors as the various scandals highlight, but for me this has been a significant benefit to my leadership roles over the years. I become a better person for serving in those roles. I am stretched, developed and challenged and I enjoy that.
Over the years I’ve had the benefit of being around some very good leaders and missional thinkers and it has only served to form me more fully. As well as that I have friends on the faith journey, some older some peers who take the time to invest in my life and as a result I am healthier and still trying to live more like Jesus each day.
I’m not sure I would have been able to approach this with the same intentionality in any of my non-church jobs so I am grateful for that.
It’s Flexible – tired of the 9-5? Considered ministry?!… It certainly ain’t 9-5 and for some people this means it’s not flexible – it’s just constant. If that’s the case then you are doing it wrong…
Sorry (not sorry) if that is harsh – but we are the ones in control of our lives and we need to be making the calls about where and how our time is used. I understand there are some not negotiables in church ministry, but if we simply see ourselves as always on call then life will go pear shaped very quickly.
To be flexible (ironically) requires some clear boundaries that give form to your life. For example you may work 4 days rather than 5 – because you would rather do 4 x 10 hr days that 5 at regular hours. You can go surfing when the swell is up and the wind is playing nice. You get to negotiate work and pay conditions with your employer, so maybe (as we did) you would take 6 weeks annual leave rather than 4 because you like to travel.
Flexibility is there – use it and enjoy it.
It’s Good for my own faith – I know I probably learn more than anyone else in the church each week because I am paid to learn and then teach. I am also paid to participate in spiritual formation practices and to lead other people in this also.
If you are intentional and focused in what you are doing then you simply cannot avoid faith development – at least faith challenge if nothing else. Some would suggest you can’t ask difficult questions or rock the boat if your paypacket depends on it. I would beg to differ and perhaps this is where my bivo approach really gets some traction. My paypacket doesn’t hang on someone else’s willingness to part with their $$ and my need to conform.
I feel like a lot of people want to ask difficult questions in a safe place and that is one of the things I enjoy doing – partly to help people in their malaise – but also to keep building rigour and strength into my own faith.
And it helps me as I wrestle with my own God questions, challenges and doubts. As a leader I can’t look away from the serious questions and challenges of our time and I feel like it’s good to be ‘forced’ to engage and consider what is right and good.
It Has Been FUN! – Who would have thought the ‘F’ word would have been a reason for doing it all again? When I think back over 32 years of paid ministry as well as another 8 or 9 unpaid I can remember so many fun times with great people.
One of my favourite times was our youth leader meetings during the youth ministry time at Lesmurdie Baptist. For some reason the chemistry in the room was great, so we laughed probably more than I have ever done since!
But fun has been a major part of the equation for me. Being around some wonderful people, pulling off some crazy events, sharing some very significant times… It has been a privilege and joy.
So if you’re reading this and you are one of those younger leaders I am lamenting the absence of then these are my reasons for doing it all over again… maybe they might inspire someone to give it a shot for the first time. I have just read the intro to this book – but it taps into some of what I have been saying here. For me being in ministry was like all the planets lining up!
Local church mission and ministry has been more satisfying and life giving than I can express in words on a page. But you can’t approach it as a job or as a career. It is a vocation – a calling – and when you follow a calling you enter a space where your heart comes alive.