a new hope... and a deep bullpen
One of our core values is "hope."
A rarely discussed part of this, in my mind, is the investment we as a community offer the next generation of leaders for the Church.
As I moved through my 20's and made my inevitable newbie mistakes in ministry, mistakes of pride and hubris as well as people and relationship mistakes, what I never heard was "it's okay- we are committed to you." The feeling I often got was that I was an interchangeable bible college/seminary unit, expendable and easily replaced.
It seems as though everyone "knew" I would be moving on, so they paid me (or failed to pay me) like I would and treated me like I would and thus created a self-fulfilling prophecy. There was a lot of talk about "passing the baton", but the day never seemed to come, and I don't think I ever even got to see that stupid baton...
What I really needed was a safe place to make those mistakes. What I needed was for someone to invest in me, not see me as simply an employee. I needed real entre' into the leadership of church, not just a title like "youth pastor" and the occasional job review. The only way to really train someone for leadership is, oddly enough, to actually let them lead.
Now, not all my ministry experiences were like this. In fact, there were some really notable exceptions... but, I think a lot of people have experienced this as they "paid their dues" in ministry. And I want to do my little part to change stuff like this.
I'm with C. Peter Wagner and others when they say that the absolute best way to reach people for Christ is to plant churches. I believe this... so we are going to plant churches. My dream is 20 churches in 20 years. I think we'll be partnering in helping to launch a church this year and hopefully launching our first true plant (core group/leadership from evergreen) in 2006.
The question is, who will pastor these churches? Who will help them come into existence?
I still believe in both the calling and the necessity of pastors. In thinking through issues of organic church planting, I know that the pastoral role needs desperately to be refocused, but I'm more convinced than ever that shepherds are essential for the body of Christ. God gave pastors to the church (Eph 4:11)... and if He did so, how will we nurture that in people? How will we call it out, take care of it, and invest in it?
One of the odder goals I have for church planting is never to need to look at a resume. It seems as though if we are doing our job "right," we as a community will be developing those that we will send out. Rich, our worship pastor, will be developing, discipling and training musicians and worship leaders. I and our other pastors and elders will be doing the same with those we will send out as pastors and elders- those who will teach and lead.
It's important, I think, to have a fairly deep bullpen if you are going to do things this way.
With that in mind, I'm always talking to people who may be interested in church planting, telling them to come to evergreen, become a part of the community, work their way into leadership, build trust with people, build themselves a congregation, and... take it from there!
And in preparation for future communities we launch out of evergreen, this is also why I'm eager to begin paying my associate pastor ASAP. I love the guy. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'll be twice the pastor I am, and I can't wait to see that. I know how effective he's been while working full-time at an "outside" job this last year... and how hard it's been for him to do this. He's done his best at being a pastor after "normal" work hours and on his days off.
But, I know his heart is in full-time, vocational ministry and I want to invest heavily in him in a way I was rarely invested in. I don't think he'll be our first church planter or even our second... but after that? I just want to see this guy get as much experience and education, as much investment and support as we can possibly muster.
And I can say the exact same for our worship pastor (whom I selfishly hope we never "send out." I'd personally like to keep him to myself for a long, long time). I want to see his time freed up from working for "the man" down at the county courthouse, and devoted to developing musicians and worship leaders who will serve not only Evergreen, but generations of church communitites yet to be born.
Lord... may our bullpen be both deep and wide! May the men and women you are calling to give their lives to your church and your people and to forming new missional communities for the bringing of the Gospel to a hurting world find in us a home that will prepare them for ministry, trust them with that ministry and then bless and release them into ministry... and to start the process all over again.
A rarely discussed part of this, in my mind, is the investment we as a community offer the next generation of leaders for the Church.
As I moved through my 20's and made my inevitable newbie mistakes in ministry, mistakes of pride and hubris as well as people and relationship mistakes, what I never heard was "it's okay- we are committed to you." The feeling I often got was that I was an interchangeable bible college/seminary unit, expendable and easily replaced.
It seems as though everyone "knew" I would be moving on, so they paid me (or failed to pay me) like I would and treated me like I would and thus created a self-fulfilling prophecy. There was a lot of talk about "passing the baton", but the day never seemed to come, and I don't think I ever even got to see that stupid baton...
What I really needed was a safe place to make those mistakes. What I needed was for someone to invest in me, not see me as simply an employee. I needed real entre' into the leadership of church, not just a title like "youth pastor" and the occasional job review. The only way to really train someone for leadership is, oddly enough, to actually let them lead.
Now, not all my ministry experiences were like this. In fact, there were some really notable exceptions... but, I think a lot of people have experienced this as they "paid their dues" in ministry. And I want to do my little part to change stuff like this.
I'm with C. Peter Wagner and others when they say that the absolute best way to reach people for Christ is to plant churches. I believe this... so we are going to plant churches. My dream is 20 churches in 20 years. I think we'll be partnering in helping to launch a church this year and hopefully launching our first true plant (core group/leadership from evergreen) in 2006.
The question is, who will pastor these churches? Who will help them come into existence?
I still believe in both the calling and the necessity of pastors. In thinking through issues of organic church planting, I know that the pastoral role needs desperately to be refocused, but I'm more convinced than ever that shepherds are essential for the body of Christ. God gave pastors to the church (Eph 4:11)... and if He did so, how will we nurture that in people? How will we call it out, take care of it, and invest in it?
One of the odder goals I have for church planting is never to need to look at a resume. It seems as though if we are doing our job "right," we as a community will be developing those that we will send out. Rich, our worship pastor, will be developing, discipling and training musicians and worship leaders. I and our other pastors and elders will be doing the same with those we will send out as pastors and elders- those who will teach and lead.
It's important, I think, to have a fairly deep bullpen if you are going to do things this way.
With that in mind, I'm always talking to people who may be interested in church planting, telling them to come to evergreen, become a part of the community, work their way into leadership, build trust with people, build themselves a congregation, and... take it from there!
And in preparation for future communities we launch out of evergreen, this is also why I'm eager to begin paying my associate pastor ASAP. I love the guy. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'll be twice the pastor I am, and I can't wait to see that. I know how effective he's been while working full-time at an "outside" job this last year... and how hard it's been for him to do this. He's done his best at being a pastor after "normal" work hours and on his days off.
But, I know his heart is in full-time, vocational ministry and I want to invest heavily in him in a way I was rarely invested in. I don't think he'll be our first church planter or even our second... but after that? I just want to see this guy get as much experience and education, as much investment and support as we can possibly muster.
And I can say the exact same for our worship pastor (whom I selfishly hope we never "send out." I'd personally like to keep him to myself for a long, long time). I want to see his time freed up from working for "the man" down at the county courthouse, and devoted to developing musicians and worship leaders who will serve not only Evergreen, but generations of church communitites yet to be born.
Lord... may our bullpen be both deep and wide! May the men and women you are calling to give their lives to your church and your people and to forming new missional communities for the bringing of the Gospel to a hurting world find in us a home that will prepare them for ministry, trust them with that ministry and then bless and release them into ministry... and to start the process all over again.
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