Handing off one of the most precious things I have ever known.....
My recent days have been filled with reflections on the move my family is making to Medford. For those who don't know, I am taking an assistant pastor position at Heritage Christian Fellowship. In the process of making this transition there have been moments of sorrow and realization....
Sorrows...
1- The people who should know you the best...
It is a strange thing to make a move like this and see the reactions of the people around you. In the last couple of weeks I have had some of the people closest to me question my motives more than anyone. In fact, the newer believers are often more confident in who you are in the Lord than the people who have travelled with us the longest. It is a great sorrow to see some of the friends who we have shared life with simply decide that our hearts aren't pure in the decisions we are making. Maybe it is due to the kinds of grieving that people go through. Or maybe it is because they know you well enough to know your flaws, and doubt your decision making. I don't know. But it is painful....
2- The fear of the future....To witness firsthand the power of fear in the lives of God's people has been distressing in some ways as well. I have seen the faithful in the church become the most faithless. It is as though God is not sovereign, and the universe is spinning helplessly out of control of the God who made it. Even more distressing than seeing it in others is to see it in myself. I find my thoughts often turning to the church I love and wondering if it is strong enough to handle this type of change. It's as though, my presence there is what hold the body at BCC together. Father, forgive my pride. You are the Chief Shepherd. By You all things consist and are held together. Even now, the gates of hell will not prevail against your church.
"a heart that is a soft as baby
and skin as thick as a rhino"
3- Pastors are people too...
Maybe it is that people somehow get a perception of you that you are superhuman, or maybe it is that their own glaring need seems more important, but people seem to forget that a pastor is actually a person too. If you cut him, he will bleed. Often, my wife is the only one who still remembers. It has been said that a pastor has to have "a heart that is a soft as baby and skin as thick as a rhino". That has proven to be true.
Maybe it is that people somehow get a perception of you that you are superhuman, or maybe it is that their own glaring need seems more important, but people seem to forget that a pastor is actually a person too. If you cut him, he will bleed. Often, my wife is the only one who still remembers. It has been said that a pastor has to have "a heart that is a soft as baby and skin as thick as a rhino". That has proven to be true.
4- Where has all the teaching gone...
It is surprising to see how much time and energy can be poured into teaching the foundational biblical principles that undergird our church only to have them discarded with the latest opinion. When we made the transition to Bridgeview, one of the main things that needed to happen was a change in church government from a congregational (everyone votes) to an elder led (those with spiritual maturity and a heart to bear the responsibility make the decisions). Much time was spent explaining the necessity of these changes. We then spent about 7 months teaching an introduction to theology. During this time we talked about the biblical model for church leadership that we see in the scriptures. But now that God is leading the leaders, some want the right to vote. Don't we remember the teachings?
It is surprising to see how much time and energy can be poured into teaching the foundational biblical principles that undergird our church only to have them discarded with the latest opinion. When we made the transition to Bridgeview, one of the main things that needed to happen was a change in church government from a congregational (everyone votes) to an elder led (those with spiritual maturity and a heart to bear the responsibility make the decisions). Much time was spent explaining the necessity of these changes. We then spent about 7 months teaching an introduction to theology. During this time we talked about the biblical model for church leadership that we see in the scriptures. But now that God is leading the leaders, some want the right to vote. Don't we remember the teachings?
5- The untamed tongue...
James says that a huge fire is started by a small flame...There can be much destruction as the result of those who just haven't tamed their tongues. The after church meetings, the coffee discussions, whispered conversations that leech into the heart like septic lines. Oh the poison I wish I could unhear...
Realization...
1- I have realized the importance of handing off ministry…
You might think this is so that you can get more things done but that is not the emphasis that I see as being of utmost importance. Ministries can become very lop-sided in that the work of church is left to the “professionals” and those in the body will not take ownership of their own part in the Kingdom. Handing things off keeps it from being all about the “professional”, and when God calls the professional out the work will continue.
2- Being senior pastor isn’t more important….
Although the role of senior pastor carries a large responsibility it isn’t the only one. It is just as much a sin for a man called to be a janitor in the public school to not be as it is for a man called to be a pastor to not be. We are given a position in the Kingdom of God to play. No matter the position, play it with all your heart. I am now called to take a role that seems like a demotion in the eyes of the world, but it is just the King moving the members of His Kingdom around. The King’s agenda is bigger than any one player. The truth is, a ministry is more accurately judged by the body than the Pastor.
3- People matter...
We know that. But you really don’t realize how much people matter until you are getting ready to say goodbye to them. The church has become closer to us than our own extended family in many ways. These are the people we dream about hanging out with, these are the people we think of first when we make plans for a BBQ, or family camping trip.
4- It’s good to plan for your departure….
You never know when God is going to shuffle you around. Pastors, structure your church so that you are replaceable. This is for the Kingdoms sake and the sake of the people you love. We make plans for our families (if we can afford life insurance), why not give the body assurance as well. It’s just loving. Secondarily it gives you the freedom to be able to go when God says go without worry. I am thankful God gave me a man like Sonny who will love the church like I do. I am thankful for the men who are standing with their sword in one hand and a trowel in the other, ready to build and protect rather than pick apart and destroy.
"Handing off a church is like
watching that child you love go."
5- Having a church is like having a kid….
When the day comes that you actually have to hand your daughter off, or watch your son drive out the driveway, there is a fear and sorrow that only love knows. Sorrow because it leaves a big hole. Fear because you realize you are going to have to trust God with the outcome. Handing off a church is like watching that child you love go.
When the day comes that you actually have to hand your daughter off, or watch your son drive out the driveway, there is a fear and sorrow that only love knows. Sorrow because it leaves a big hole. Fear because you realize you are going to have to trust God with the outcome. Handing off a church is like watching that child you love go.
