Recently my friend Rodney challenged me to write one page on what I believe it takes in our day to be effective in pastoral ministry, and I thought some of you might be interested in what I wrote.
What It Takes
The purpose of a pastor is to prepare his people to live faithfully in the world. This is how to do that.
“In [Negative World], being a Christian is a social negative, especially in high-status positions. Christianity in many ways as seen as undermining the social good. Traditional norms are expressly repudiated.”
We must understand that Americans today—particularly the young and educated—are under tremendous pressure to conform to the culture and abandon the faith. A pastor must come to understand the culture’s claims and then must push back against them, showing how following Christ is superior to what the world offers.
Lead the People
A pastor must lead, which means he must go first. He needs to cast the vision and inspire the people with what’s possible with God. Going first in Negative World will mean the pastor will face opposition; nevertheless, going first is what love and leadership require and what the people need from their pastor.
Teach the Bible
The primary way a pastor prepares his people is through the teaching and loving of scripture. Most American Christians—of either the liberal or conservative variety—are functionally biblically illiterate, so a church must emphasize scripture reading and a pastor must preach sermons that help people understand that the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.
Preach Prayer
It has never been harder to learn to be still and quiet before God, and never been more important. The pastor must constantly preach and model the practice of The First 15—the keystone habit of spending the first 15 minutes of every day in prayer, silence, and scripture.
Make Weekly Worship the Foundation and Furnace of Everything
Nothing is more important than weekly worship for God’s people. Worship must be inspiring to insiders and engaging to outsiders, and the people must understand and believe that their entire lives need to be structured around weekly church attendance—“never miss a Sunday”.
Love the Institution
Our times call for strong institutions, and the pastor must be passionate about stewarding and building on the legacy of those who came before; he must see fundraising and real estate and good governance, etc., as vital to his ministry. Why? Because strong institutions will build strong people.
As I told you last summer, I felt like I needed to step into the leadership gap of the Munger youth ministry for the fall semester to keep the fires burning until we could hire a permanent leader. So, how did it go? As with most important things in life, it was not easy, but it was good. I made this commitment in the midst of the biggest fall we've ever had at Munger, but the extra responsibilities and time away from my family wasn't the hardest part. The hardest part was that I knew that if I were evaluating my job performance as Munger youth minister, I'd give myself a D-. I knew that I wasn't really able to actually be the youth minister our community needs. I knew I didn't have enough hours or energy to lead this vital ministry well. I knew that some parents were frustrated. But, I also knew that there was no alternative, and we were doing our best, considering the obvious limitations. And, despite all of that, the whole experience was a blessing for me personally. We had a selfless and faithful group of volunteers step up, I was able to get to know some of our students and their families, and I learned a lot about what the future could look like for youth ministry in our community.
But, while all that was going on, we were working hard to find a permanent youth minister. Though I'm sure some of our parents were thinking, "Why is this taking so long?" the truth is it is not easy to find great people.
And we needed someone great. The more time I spent in the Munger youth ministry, the more I became convinced that whoever we hired needed to be a game-changer for us. In sports terms, we needed to hire a franchise player whom we could build around for years. And so:
we hired a specialty search firm that we really liked;
I talked to people I know all over the country, asking for names;
I called in every favor ever owed me;
But--of course--our new guy didn't come through any of those efforts!
Instead, a woman in our congregation had been telling a friend of hers for years that she thought he'd be a good fit at our church. Years before, the timing wasn't right and her friend wasn't looking for a job, but this December he said that he was interested. After lots of conversations and evaluations, I'm excited for you to:
Meet Rich Roush, the New Munger Youth Minister!
Rich Roush is the new Munger youth minister! God has answered our prayers with someone great. Not pretty good, not well-we-really-need-to-hire-a-warm-body-at-this-point-so-I-guess-he-will-do, but someone who we genuinely think is the best possible person we could have found.
Rich and Megan Roush and their kids.
Rich is married to Megan, and they have 3 kids aged 3 and under. (I know!) Rich himself came to faith in Christ as a senior in high school through a church youth ministry, and feels a particular responsibility toward and affection for middle school and high school students.
Rich's Record of Longevity
I have kids that will one day be in our youth ministry, and the more I talked with Rich, the more excited I got for my children to benefit from Rich's leadership. Rich has been at both of his previous churches for 7 years each, so he has a record of building a ministry over time. And over time what the Lord has been able to do through Rich's leadership at his previous churches is impressive.
I have kids that will one day be in our youth ministry, and the more I talked with Rich, the more excited I got for my children to benefit from Rich's leadership. Rich has been at both of his previous churches for 7 years each, so he has a record of building a ministry over time. And over time what the Lord has been able to do through Rich's leadership at his previous churches is impressive.
Rich, in His Own Words
Where were you raised? I was raised in Waco, Texas, which was already pretty cool before it became the shiplap capital of the world. Just saying. Where did you go to school? I did my undergraduate studies at Baylor University (BA in Business Administration) and my graduate studies at George W. Truett Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity in Theology). Who’s in your family? My wife Megan and our three kids: Olivia, Griffin, and Shepherd. What brought you to Munger? A good friend of mine, Ashley Dalton, recruited me. It started a few years before I joined the staff. Every time we crossed paths she would rave about Munger and would say she could see Megan and me there someday. So yeah, now you know who to blame. What’s your favorite thing about our church? Its commitment to raising up the next generation of Jesus followers. The best is yet to come.
What Happens Next?
Rich's first Sunday with us will be February 10. This spring, we're going to keep our regular Wednesday evening schedule (7:00-8:30 PM) for middle and high school students, and 11 AM Sunday schedule for 6th Grade Confirmation; this will allow Rich to join in and get to know the students, families, and volunteers. Other stuff will be added as we go. Stay tuned and sign up here for the Munger youth ministry newsletter.
Do You Already Receive the Munger Youth Newsletter?
We have over 100 spots reserved for Big Stuf at Panama City Beach, July 11-15. Registration will go live on our website at noon on Thursday, March 21. It will be first come, first served, and it will sell out. (More info to come.)
Rich and Megan want to move up to Dallas ASAP, but they own a house in Waco that they need to sell. (Rich has been working at Baylor University for the past year.) Please pray that their move and housing situation goes as easily and quickly as possible.
But Wait, There's More New Hires to Come!
The Munger Youth Ministry has HUGE potential, so we have set aside the funding necessary to allow Rich to hire at least one more full-time youth ministry staff member. Good people are hard to find, but I certainly hope we'll be able to make at least one more great hire this year. Pray for that!
Can You Imagine?
The opportunity we have at Munger to reach middle school and high school students is HUGE.
Can you imagine what it could mean for the students in our community when we have the ministry built to reach them, teach them, and unleash them in the name of Christ?
From Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, my website went down. I know you folks have been worried sick that the Russians got to me. Good news: I'm okay, and it appears we fixed the problem. The eagle will fly again.
Last night, we had a youth ministry volunteer vision dinner. I was really worried about it--would anybody show up, and if they did, would it even be worth it?We ended up having a great turnout and a great time, and we closed the evening by having folks circle up in small groups and pray for our students and our church. I took the photo above while folks were praying.I've been worried about taking over the leadership of our youth ministry this fall.
Is the additional responsibility going to drive me into the ground? Will I be able to keep up my energy? Will this commitment hurt my family?
Will anyone step up to help? Are we going to get buy-in from parents?
Seeing all those folks praying last night was a good reminder:Everything is going to be all right. We are so blessed.
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"I don't know what to say." When we're confronted with someone who is grieving or in pain, most of us feel inadequate and intimidated. But, grieving, suffering people are all around us, and we need to learn how to appropriately engage with them: ignoring them is not an option. On the first anniversary of the murder of the five Dallas police officers, I thought it would be helpful to briefly offer what I've learned about speaking to people in pain.
It's Not About You
Over a decade ago ago, I was working in youth ministry at a church. One afternoon, the pastor of our church came rushing into my office: "Just got a phone call: so-and-so has killed himself." A high school boy from our church shot himself at home, and his parents had found him. The pastor drove the two of us to to meet the boy's family. I've rarely been so sick with nerves. I was worried that I would say the wrong thing or somehow make the situation worse. In other words, I was only thinking about myself. What I realized after visiting with the bereaved father was that it wasn't about me at all, and to worry about saying the wrong thing or otherwise making the situation worse was selfish and foolish.In this particular example, literally the worst thing that this father could possibly have imagined had just happened; there was nothing I could do that could make the situation worse. But, in any interaction with a grieving or suffering person, your words are not going to fix the situation no matter what you say, and if you worry about what you say or how you'll be perceived, you'll be making it about you, when it's really about the other person anyway. So, remember: it's not about you.Which is not to imply that in those situations you should say whatever crosses your mind.
Resist the Urge to Explain
It's one of those phrases my dad always says that has stuck with me: "Resist the urge to explain." We humans like neat explanations, but one of the problems with pain and suffering is that they are ultimately inexplicable. You and I do not know why that child has cancer or why that couple can't conceive or why those cops were killed.Do not speak about that which you do not know. What I mean is that we should not resort to greeting card pablum along the lines of:"Everything happens for a reason;"or"I guess God just wanted another angel;"or"God knew you could handle it."Those sorts of statements are not helpful to people who are grieving or suffering. Resist the urge to explain that person's suffering to him or her. When you do that what you are really doing is making the interaction about you, exactly what I warned against above. There isn't a neat, clean explanation for suffering, and since there isn't,?resist the urge to explain.
Don't Compare Sufferings
In the same way that you should resist the urge to explain, you should also resist the urge to compare sufferings with the other person. You don't know exactly what the person is going through, and it's unhelpfully self-centered to think that you do. It's okay to reference your own experience with suffering, but be sure to refrain from assuming that your situation is comparable to the other person's (even if it seems to be, from your point of view).
Say "I'm So Sorry"
Rather than trying to compare sufferings, I've learned that it's better to instead share 3 simple words with people who are grieving: "I'm so sorry." That sentiment is always appropriate and has the virtue of being true and normal.
Be Normal
Normal people smile when they greet each other and when they say goodbye. Normal people talk about things in specifics. I've found that many people are worried if they should smile or mention the source of the pain when they interact with someone who is suffering, but remember: it's not about you, and you're not going to make it worse. (It's already terrible.) Treat the grieving person as you would any other normal person. This means it's important to give the other person the courtesy of a smile (even if it's a sad smile) and a courteous, friendly look when you greet him or her, and I think it's important to specifically mention the source of the pain. When parents have just lost a child, it's okay to say, "I'm so sorry for your loss." It's okay to say to your co-worker, "I heard about the death of your mother and I wanted you to know I'm really sorry to hear that." I've heard people say that one of the ugly parts of grief is that you feel like such a leper--everyone avoids talking to you about your loss or tries to change the subject. When talking to someone who is grieving, therefore, just be normal.
Pray
It's normal to want to remove someone's pain and it's normal to want to pray. However, when someone is hurting, prayer isn't going to change the source of that person's pain--what's happened has already happened. What prayer can do is change that person's future. When someone loses a loved one, for example, you can't pray that the loss goes away--it's a real, permanent loss. Rather, what you can pray is for God is be with that person in the midst of his or her pain. I've found that it's helpful to pray a version of 2 Corinthians 4:8-9:
?We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;?persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
When I pray for someone who has lost a loved one, for example, I'll say:
Lord, this person is hard pressed on every side; let her not be crushed;This person is perplexed at this inexplicable event; let her not be driven to despair;This person is feeling persecuted; let her know that she's not abandoned;This person is feeling struck down; let this grief not destroy her.
Suffering is All Around Us
Suffering is a part of life and no one is exempt. One of the ugly parts of pain is that it makes you feel alone. But, there can be a solidarity in suffering, as we reach out with kindness and courtesy to others as they suffer, and when they in turn do the same to us. I hope the thoughts above are helpful to you the next time you find yourself confronted with a person in pain.
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I saw this happen this past Sunday morning as we celebrated our 6th birthday as a congregation at Munger Place Church. I know these people; I know their stories; they are my friends. As I watched them share their cardboard testimonies, I couldn't help it: tears ran down my face. (And I'm not a crier.)
2016 Munger Cardboard Testimonies [VIDEO]
As I watched these people share their stories, I kept thinking, "I am so grateful, God, that I get to be a part of this."2016 Munger Cardboard Testimonies from HPUMC on Vimeo.
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I just got back from a month-long vacation. (I know, I know: nice work if you can get it.) I also took off blogging, dear reader, so allow me to fill you in on what I did on vacation. Or, to be more specific, here's what I?didn't?do on summer vacation.
I Didn't Feel Guilty
"You're gone for a whole month? [eye roll] Must be nice..... " I'd get this response when I'd tell folks we were taking a month-long vacation. I realize how blessed I am to be able to take that kind of time off (most people in my church are lucky to get a week), and I realize that lots of people don't understand why a pastor needs vacation at all ("I mean, what do you really do anyway?"). But, I'm unapologetic in taking vacation time, because I know that I'm running a marathon in ministry, not a sprint, and if I don't care for my soul and my family, I could lose my ministry, my family, and even my soul.Being a pastor is not like other jobs--my job is to pour myself out for my congregation and my community. I've written elsewhere about the pressure that comes from preaching week after week, year after year. In addition to that, I need to be able to be present to people in all aspects of their lives--joys and sorrows and sicknesses--and, paradoxically, for me to be present with people, I need some regular time away from my community.Being a pastor is also a burden on the pastor's family. We can't take weekend trips. We can't travel on Christmas and Easter. We don't go out on Saturday evenings. My family knows that there are phone calls I get that mean I need to make a late-night visit to the hospital or have a long conversation about a failing marriage. My family sacrifices a lot for my ministry, and I owe it to them to have some time away from the relentless needs of our community.The very?first day of our summer vacation--the very first day--I read a news story about how South Carolina megachurch pastor Perry Noble had been fired from the church he founded for personal issues that included a dependence on alcohol and a failing marriage. I don't know Perry personally, but I've heard him preach several times and was extremely impressed with his ministry from afar. Perry appears to be a talented and faithful leader, and yet the pressures and demands of ministry got the better of him.I'm going to do everything possible to make sure that doesn't happen to me.
I Didn't Look at Email for 30 Days
I don't need to tell you that to be truly off from work, one needs to be off email. Completely. This summer I had all my work email forwarded to my assistant for the entire time I was gone. I needed to do this for 2 reasons:
for the health of my soul and my family, I needed to be completely off email and not tempted to check it from time to time;
I didn't want to return to thousands of unread emails.
I know this arrangement was inconvenient for some people who needed a timely response from me, but I also know that I'm not able to be present on vacation if I'm still virtually in the office.
I Didn't Check Facebook
I'm not a fan of social media, but I use it. I've found, however, that for me social media is not life-giving. So, I decided to completely stay off Facebook for 30 days. I can honestly say I didn't miss it at all.
I Didn't Skip Church
I tell my congregation that I believe that they should be in church every Sunday unless they are sick or out of town, but honestly, I should really tell them that they should be in church every Sunday even when they are out of town. Whether I am at home or on vacation, I need to be in worship every Sunday.
church reminds me that life is not about me;
church reminds me that God is in control;
church reminds that Jesus rose from the grave;
church reminds me that all I?have comes from God;
church reminds me that I have a reason to be grateful in every circumstance.
So the four Sundays we were gone from Munger, we were at church. We attended:
Church of the Outer Banks (an Anglican church start that meets in a YMCA in Kill Devil Hills, NC);
Redeemer Presbyterian Church (their downtown location on W. 14th Street in New York City);
Brewster Baptist Church, twice (an American Baptist congregation on Cape Cod, Massachusetts).
There are lots of dead churches in America, but I do my best to avoid these. Instead, I like attending churches (big or small, traditional or contemporary) that are full of LIFE and the Holy Spirit. The churches we attended on vacation this summer were all very different from each other, but each was alive and reminded me that God is active in the world, and that the Lord has faithful witnesses everywhere.
And I Didn't Not Want to Come Home
I know that's a double negative, so let me explain. The first couple weeks we were away, I did my best not to even?think of home. I love Dallas and I love our church, but the worry that comes from being a pastor never stops, and it took several weeks of being away before I could feel relaxed. However, with about a week left in our vacation, I began to feel eager to return. I think that eagerness was a gift from God, and although I was sad for our time away to come to an end, I wasn't sad at all to be returning home.And now, I can't wait to see my church on Sunday.
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I'll be the first to admit that the Bible is a difficult book. One of the reasons it's difficult is that it's not really even?one book, but rather a collection of books. (That's what "bible" actually means: a?collection of books.) Over and over again people will say to me, "I'd like to read the Bible, but I just don't understand it." I hope the following simple framework helps you get a little more clarity and understanding.
All of History in?3 Acts
The Bible tells the story of the great drama of History in 3 acts, with a prologue at the beginning and an epilogue at the end.
Prologue
Subject: Beginnings. Adam to Abraham. The Prologue tells us why the world is the way it is. After a beautiful beginning ("And there was light....") the story quickly becomes a story of blood and betrayal: Cain kills Abel, and we've been killing our brothers ever since.Scripture: Genesis 1-11
Act 1
Subject: Israel. The Lord's plan to save all of humanity begins with one man--Abraham--and it culminates in one of Abraham's descendant's: Jesus of Nazareth. Act 1 is about God's chosen people Israel, and Israel's slavery, exodus, kingdom, exile, and return.Scripture: Genesis 12-Malachi
Act 2
Subject: Jesus. Act 2 is all about Jesus, from his birth to his death to his Resurrection.Scripture: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Act 3
Subject: The Church. Act 3 is about how the church is God's means to redeem the world. It begins with a small group of disciples in Jerusalem on Pentecost Sunday and?it's still going, right up to and including the present. We are living in Act 3.Scripture: Acts-Revelation 20
Epilogue
Subject: Forever and Ever Amen. The Epilogue is about History's culmination, when Jesus returns and all the bad things come untrue and evil is finally ended.Scripture: Revelation 21-22
Conclusion
I realize that the above doesn't answer most of our good questions about the difficult parts of scripture, but it does give us a framework within which we can at least get our bearings when reading scripture. Keep reading--it's worth it.
We had asked some folks from our congregation to share their "cardboard testimonies" immediately following my sermon. Nothing I could ever say could be as powerful as what those folks wrote on their cardboard signs:[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjpUm6ROR-0[/embed]I feel so grateful to get to be a part of a place like Munger and to see the saving power of God up close.Amen.
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Five?years! The congregation I serve in East Dallas celebrated our 5th anniversary today, and my friend Lin Thomas--a great Mungarian!--blessed us with a birthday poem. Check out the 90 second video, below.
Lin's Birthday Poem
Lin, who is blind, is a faithful and generous member of our congregation. (You might remember that he shared a Thanksgiving prayer with us last November.) This morning, this is what he had to say to a packed house of Mungarians:[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs9-XMdy1jk[/embed]We are so blessed.
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Our community was shocked last week when we heard the evil news that an 18 year-old young woman named Zoe Hastings was found murdered. What do we do in the face of this kind of loss? I don't know the Hastings family personally and I don't presume to have any idea of the hell through which they are walking. But, I have been thinking about loss, and I humbly offer the following thoughts to anyone struggling with the question, "What do we do in the face of evil, death, and suffering?"
We Grieve
When we experience loss, we grieve. It is appropriate and necessary to be filled with anger or dread or numbness. It's okay to scream and cry. When someone you love is taken away, anything less than grief would be an obscenity. And, because grief comes in all different forms and in different ways and at different times for different people, whatever you are feeling is fine. Don't analyze it. Just grieve.
We Resist
When we experience evil and loss we want to scream out "Why?" When evil comes upon us, it is always inexplicable, but for some reason we still feel the need to offer an explanation. Don't. One of the wisest things I ever heard my father say: "Resist the urge the explain." We don't know why Zoe Hastings was murdered. No one knows. "Why?" is a useless question, and do not attempt to offer an explanation or a platitude--however well intentioned--to someone grieving. Resist the urge to explain: it won't do any good.
We Hope
I may not have an answer to the "Why?" questions, but there is something else that I do have. Please know that I mean no offense in sharing the following, as I am aware that not everyone reading this shares my faith. But, as a Christian, in the face of evil, pain, and loss, I have hope.Now, Christian hope is not wishful thinking. It is not a vague sense that we should think positively or put a sunny gloss on our grief. Wishful thinking has nothing to offer to those who grieve.No, Christian hope is?certainty. Christian hope is based on the fact that Jesus is risen; Christian hope knows that the?Resurrection proves that evil will not win and that everything sad will become untrue. Christian hope is the certainty that God will ultimately right every wrong.That is the hope I have.So, in the face of evil, death and suffering, we grieve. And we wait until the day when God will make everything new.And we hope.Lord, help our unbelief.
P.S. One of My Favorite Bible Verses
Jesus says, I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Want to come work with me and my team at our great church? Know someone who does? We are looking for a youth minister to lead our ministries to middle and high school students. Our church has been blessed with a lot of growth in the past year (our worship attendance is up 36%) and we're reorganizing our staff, which means we have a great opportunity for the right person to lead our youth ministry. Is that you? The job details are posted below. (Please note that job applications do not come to me; in fact, I'm not involved in the hiring process until the final interviews.)
Director of Youth Ministry - Munger
Responsible for all aspects of Munger Place Church's ministry to youth in grades 6-12, to?help families raise their middle school and high school students to love and follow Jesus Christ. This person will work within Munger Discipleship ministry and with a team of volunteers to plan, coordinate and execute the ministry.Location:??HPUMC's Munger Place Church in Old East DallasResponsibilities?include the following, with additional duties as required or assigned:
Pastoral:? Minister to youth and their families through Sunday school and other church programs, being present in their lives outside the church walls, available for common concerns and in crisis situations, and through pastoral care visits.
Leadership:? Recruit, training and nurture Youth Ministry and Confirmation volunteer teams; lead adult volunteer leadership meetings, trainings and retreats; participate in the research, design, and implementation of a ministry to parents of youth.
Administration:? Manage the planning process and coordinate all regular ministries to youth and their families, which includes youth Sunday mornings, Confirmation, special events, trips and retreats, parent meetings, etc.; update Munger Youth and Confirmation web pages.
Stewardship:? Ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of youth programs/events and reacting accordingly; manage youth ministry budget; collaborate with Confirmation and youth ministries at HPUMC.
The Director of Youth Ministry - Munger is expected to maintain high Christian values and professional integrity in order to provide an example for the youth and families of our community. This position will also encourage all youth and families of the community to strive for the same standards.HPUMC/Munger Place is a high-performing, fun and supportive environment where your work is appreciated!? We provide competitive pay, full benefit package and generous holiday schedule.WE REQUIRE?a Christian (preferably United Methodist) committed to living a life that reflects the Gospel who is comfortable working in a United Methodist church and has the following qualifications:
Bachelor's degree; seminary or other formal religious education a plus
At least 3 years experience in church ministry as staff or lay leader
Ability to build, lead and empower volunteer teams
Ability to implement a ministry vision
Familiarity with United Methodist doctrine required; must be comfortable teaching it and representing the church
Proficient computer skills?using applications such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, database, email, Internet and social media
Supervisory experience preferred
Ability to evaluate and adapt curriculum preferred
Must have excellent organization, communication (verbal and written) and listening skills, with a high degree of initiative and accountability
Exceptional interpersonal and relational skills required, with sensitivity to church members and visitors
Understanding and enjoyment of youth and families and guiding their spiritual development
Familiarity and comfort with diverse socioeconomic populations
Good driving record; ability to drive church van with passengers
Exactly one year ago the bishop put his hands on my head and said:?David Andrew Forrest, take authority as an elderto preach the Word of God,to administer the Holy Sacraments,and to order the life of the Churchin the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.I was ordained on June 2, 2014. (I wrote about my ordination day here.) What follows are some quick thoughts on what's changed in the past year.
It's Like Getting Married....
I've heard Hollywood couples‘say "We don't need a piece of paper to prove our love for each other; we love each other now, even though we're not legally 'married.'" At first, that statement makes sense--if you are already living together, sleeping together, and sharing finances, what difference would getting married make?Anyone who has ever been married, however, can attest: something does?change after you say "I Do." It's hard to explain, but you are different when you walk out of that church than you were when you walked in.It's the same with ordination. I was already serving as a pastor at Munger, but when I walked out of the service that humid June evening one year ago, I was different. It's hard to explain, but it's true.
The One Thing I Never Question
I feel secure in my calling. There are lots of things I question, but I?never wonder if the Lord has called me to be a pastor: I?know that I'm doing what I was created to do.
And One Thing I Was Wondering This Past Sunday
This past Sunday at my church was Confirmation Sunday, when our 6th graders step up and claim the Faith as their own. It was my great privilege as their pastor to baptize and confirm 45?of them. During my confirmation sermon at our 11 AM service, I gave an aside in which I spoke to the students and told them that if any one of them was feeling called by God to do what I do--be a pastor, i.e., a shepherd of people--that they should do it. I mentioned what an absolute privilege it is to be with people cradle to grave, to share their greatest joys and sorrows, to preach the Word in season and out.Later on, it was time for me to go along the line of kneeling 6th graders and place my hands on them and say:
[Name], the Holy Spirit work within you, that being born through water and the Spirit you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ."
As I moved down the line, the thought occurred to me that about 25 years ago (turns out it was 23 years ago--see below), a pastor put his hands on my head during my confirmation service at little Providence United Methodist Church in Dare, Virginia. I remember my confirmation as being a powerful moment--a "red letter day"--in my life.What if one of the 45‘students that I confirmed on Sunday were to find himself or herself in my place a quarter century from now? That would be too beautiful for words.May God make it so.
It's sad but true: "pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world." What C.S. Lewis meant by that phrase is that it's often not until we are really hurting from self-inflicted wounds that we are ready to turn from running away from God to running to God, only to find that the God is there to welcome us home. My friend Mike's story of redemption and healing is one more example of this pattern. And it's a great story....On Highland Park United Methodist's website, Mike tells of his anguish after learning his marriage of 12 years was ending:
I was in the backyard with our three dogs (two of whom were about to move away) and I fell to my knees and starting howling like a wounded animal. Eventually, it resolved into something resembling words, 'Oh God, Oh God, Oh God?'"
God put great people in his life at exactly the time Mike needed them, and one of them invited Mike to both our church and his men's group. I remember well the first interaction I had with Mike, which he describes here:
I made arrangements to meet with Josh [Mike's friend and a member of my congregation] and he left me with one key takeaway: I should join him and Kimberly [Josh's wife] at Munger Place Church that Sunday. I wasn‘t particularly interested, but I was too weak to say no.I walked into Munger, my first steps into a church for the better part of 20 years. I was pleased to find that the music was incredible. I was further pleased and surprised to find that Rev. Andrew Forrest‘s sermon was both thoughtful and gracious towards those who weren‘t all-in. I agreed to come back for a second week.That second week, Rev. Forrest preached about a mishap in a river that led him to realize that swimming against the current is a fruitless and tiring exercise. It touched my heart and I felt better for the first time in a month. I wasn‘t ready to believe, but I?d at least see where the current would take me.I arranged to have breakfast with Rev. Forrest and nervously posited that I wanted to be a part of the community I saw growing at Munger. But, I wasn‘t sure that I believed. Was there still room for me? (In retrospect, I can almost see Rev. Forrest reeling the fishing line as he welcomed me.)"
(What Mike calls "reeling the fishing line" was really just the grace of God hooking and bringing him in!)
God Really Does Want Good Things for Us
Neither Mike nor I believe in the so-called prosperity gospel, i.e., the idea that God just wants to make us healthy, wealthy, and wise. After all, Christ was crucified, and sometimes the "prosperity" that God has in mind for us is cultivated in difficulty and suffering.But, I also don't believe that God wants us to suffer, and I definitely believe that God wants to bless us. In Mike's case the blessings that have resulted from him stumbling back to the Lord have been abundant:
Through my time in that group [a men's group to which he was invited], continued immersion at Munger, a little C.S. Lewis, and a lot of Tim Keller, within a couple months, I returned to the fold. I believed as I never had before. I prayed a lot. I started doing all I could to make up for lost time, joining in a mission trip with 28:1 and making room for Jesus in every day. I'm not one to subscribe to the so-called prosperity Gospel,?. But I found myself thriving in all areas of my life, including the launch of a successful new business venture that put me in a position to influence clients, employees and the public.I felt His hand in my life in a way I?d never imagined.You?ll remember there was a second name that God put in my head [after Mike's cry of desperation in his backyard]. That was Crystal Decker, a woman I?d never met. Somehow through business connections she?d wound up a Facebook friend. I recalled she and her husband handling their social media-age divorce as well as I thought it could be done.I met her and she quickly became my divorce coach, then a friend, then my best friend. She was a great advocate, but seemed pretty hard-boiled. So I was surprised when one Sunday she asked if she could go to Munger with me. She had avoided church for a long time too and thought Munger sounded like a place where 'thinking people of faith could be in a community without being talked down to every week.'Crystal and I married at Munger Place on October 5, 2013."
One Result of This: A One Day Conference on Faith in Business
Mike would be the first to tell you that he's not perfect and doesn't have all the answers. But what he does have is faith in a God of grace and love and power, and Mike is doing the hard work of what it means to be an imperfect follower of Jesus. As a follower of Jesus and a successful digital entrepreneur, Mike finds himself asking, "What does it look like to be faithful at work?"As part of his attempt to answer that question, Mike and some other folks are putting on a conference called Faith in Business that we're hosting at my church on Friday, May 1. It's only $15, and that includes lunch! Mike Ullman, the longtime CEO of JC Penney, as well as other folks, will be there.We'd love to have you. More info here.
Exodus begins in medias res with a listing of the names of the children of Jacob. (Jacob is also called Israel, and so his children are called the "Israelites." The Hebrew name for the book we call Exodus is "Names," taken from the first word of the Hebrew text of Exodus.) But who is Jacob, how did he have so many children, and how did they all end up in Egypt? To learn all that, you'll need to read Genesis....A few notes about Exodus 1:
The Israelites are an immigrant people to Egypt, but the Egyptians, who initially welcomed them, begin to fear them because they grow numerous.
The Egyptians decide to start oppressing the Israelites, but their oppression has the opposite effect (v.12): "The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread."
Pharaoh then commands the death of all the Hebrew baby boys. In other words, Pharaoh plans to commit genocide. Some things never change....
In Exodus 1, we already see what will be the main theme of the first half of the book: a struggle between Pharaoh, the divine king of Egypt, and the Living God. Things will get interesting.
Leave thoughts or questions in the comments below.
Have you ever known things about people that you had to keep to yourself?On Sunday afternoon, May 1, 2011, President Obama and the rest of the National Security Council gathered in the White House Situation Room to watch the final tense minutes of the Bin Laden raid. As Pete Souza's famous photo conveys, those were minutes of high drama, quite different from the President's surroundings of the previous evening.Less than 24 hours earlier on that previous Saturday evening, April 30, President Obama was watching an event with much less significance than the Bin Laden raid: the White House Correspondents Dinner. During the course of the evening, host and comedian Seth Meyers made a Bin Laden joke and President Obama smiled politely, all the while knowing that the Navy SEALs were already on their way to Abbatabad. The contrast is striking:‘the President surrounded by frivolity while events of life-and-death importance unfold. And he can't tell anyone....
I Know Things About People
I know what it's like to have to keep things close. As a pastor, people tell me their stories, and so I know things about people that they normally keep private. I'm often struck, at the end of a day, at how much suffering so many people carry around with them. And the striking thing about their sufferings is that they are often carried in secret: life carries on all about them in its ordinary way.
"About Suffering They Were Never Wrong"
The great 16th century Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder was aware of the strange juxtaposition of how everyday life and life-altering suffering might often rub shoulders throughout the course of any given day. In fact, this juxtaposition is a part of two of his most famous paintings.I referenced this 1566 Bruegel painting--Census at Bethlehem--in my 2010 Christmas Eve sermon. It's an ordinary Flemish town on an ordinary winter day, but the title of the painting hints at something more, and when you look more closely, you see, in the bottom right corner, a hunched-over man leading a woman on a donkey. You think for a bit, and then you understand: it's Joseph leading Mary, in the pain of the last moments of pregnancy, hoping to find room in the inn.Bruegel probably painted the above landscape scene in the 1560s, and like Census at Bethlehem?it seems at first to be an ordinary scene from Flemish life. But with the help of the title--Landscape with the Fall of Icarus--you look more closely and notice two white legs sticking up out of the water in the bottom right of the painting. Icarus, of course, is the boy from the Greek myth who flew too closely to the sun and fell from the sky as a result.So, in the one painting, ordinary market day life goes on while the most important birth in history is about to take place in the most humiliating and filthy of circumstances; in the other, the plowman is pushing furrow after furrow while Daedalus's son falls out of the sky. What is Bruegel trying to tell us?
Mus?e des Beaux Arts
The Anglo-American poet W.H. Auden saw both of those paintings in 1938 while visiting the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, and he was moved to write the following famous poem about his insight into the paintings:
About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters:How well they understood its human position;How it takes place while someone else is eatingOr opening a window or just walking dully along;How, when the aged are reverently,Passionately waiting for the miraculous birth,There always must be childrenWho did not specially want it to happen,Skating on a pond at the edge of the wood:They never forgot that even the dreadful martyrdomMust run its course anyhow in a corner,Some untidy spotWhere the dogs go on with their doggy lifeAnd the torturer's horse scratches its innocent behind on a tree.In Breughel's Icarus, for instance:How everything turns away quite leisurely from the disaster;The ploughman may have heard the splash,The forsaken cry,But for him it was not an important failure;The sun shone as it had to on the white legsDisappearing into the green water;And the expensive delicate shipThat must have seen something amazing,A boy failing out of the sky,Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.
Mus?e des Beaux Arts (1939)
Auden's poem elaborates Bruegel's point: suffering goes on?right in the midst of ordinary life.
One mother addresses envelopes for her six year-old son's birthday party, while another holds her son's hand as he receives his weekly chemotherapy treatments;
One hotel room hosts a man whose wife has just left him, while another contains a pair of giddy newlyweds;
One man picks up his coffee from the coffee shop, his only small pleasure in a day of misery, while another pays for his cup while on his way to his much-anticipated yearly hunting trip with his adult son.
As Bruegel and Auden remind us, suffering is not separated from ordinary life; rather, it's woven into it. All around us are people carrying what would seem to be unbearable burdens, people in the midst of intractable problems, while the rest of us go about daily life. I know this is true, because I hear people's stories.
Strawberries, Small Talk, and Suffering
A few weeks ago, my wife and I had planned to have my staff over to our house for lunch. Right beforehand I had heard sickening news about someone I care about, and that news was heavy on my mind. But, the news was confidential, and we were expecting lunch guests, so I tried to push it aside and jovially welcome our guests. It was a surreal contrast: curry chicken lettuce wraps and summer strawberries and small talk, while I kept thinking about the suffering person I'd just heard about not sixty minutes before.But that's life, isn't it? I hear more about other people's sufferings than the average person, perhaps, but you know about sufferings too, either your own or others, and you also know that life goes on. Bruegel was right: the greatest sufferings happen right alongside the greatest trivialities.
The Power of a Simple Courtesy
People all around us are carrying heavy burdens, and most of the time, you can't tell by looking at them. This fact makes me regret all the times I failed to show courtesy to strangers, or took unnecessary offense or became annoyed at the behavior of another person. Who knows with which secret difficulties they were ensnarled?Here's what I do know: in a world in which so many people are carrying secret sufferings, small, simple courtesies can mean the world.
Today was a red-letter day.I don't remember my granddaddy baptizing me.I do remember my confirmation, kneeling on the lumpy pad at the communion rail in my little church, my dad--my pastor--placing his hands on my shoulders, charging me with living into the faith that the saints in the church had passed down to me.I remember my wedding day.I remember when my son was born.And I'll remember today, my ordination day. A Red Letter Day.It's very late and I have to get up early tomorrow, but here are some unsystematic thoughts on my ordination:
It was a beautiful worship service. When I was at the communion rail listening to the choir sing and waiting for my turn to mount the steps and kneel and receive my ordination, I felt my heart would break at the beauty and power of the music and the words and the occasion.
It's a powerful thing when the bishop places his hands on your head and commands
"David Andrew Forrest, take authority as an elderto preach the Word of God,to administer the Holy Sacraments,and to order the life of the Churchin the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
I do actually feel different, now having been ordained. Even though few specific things in my life will change, still, something is different. I think I feel the responsibility more, and the power of it more. The bishop prayed for the Holy Spirit to pour out on me to give me strength--I'll remember that the next time I'm discouraged or feel weak.
I felt the same on my wedding day, and numerous times since then: I am abundantly blessed to have a wife like I do, one who feels called to be my partner in ministry. We are in ministry together. She's quieter, kinder, and more faithful than me, and though I get the attention, without her, I'd struggle.
?My parents flew in tonight for the service and leave tomorrow. My dad is an ordained minister, as was my grandfather. I was overwhelmed during the service, thinking about what a gift my parents gave me: the gift of faith. They took their own baptismal vows seriously and raised me in the church and taught me about Jesus. It is literally a priceless gift.
Ordination by the laying on of hands goes all the way back to Peter and Paul and Jesus himself. Amazing. The bishop who ordained me was once ordained by the laying on of hands, as was the bishop who ordained him, and so on, all the way back for 20 centuries.
My church and I have done this together and we are growing together.
It was really humbling to see so many Mungarians there tonight. My wife and I constantly say to each other, "What did we do to deserve such great people, such a great church?"
Question: Is it okay for pastors to get rich by doing the work of ministry?Over at First Things, James Duncan has written a brief essay with a provocative title: "Celebrity Pastors' Walter White Problem." He summarizes the problem for many celebrity pastors, namely that they make a lot of money from their churches, but then have a difficult time spending it, as no congregation likes the idea of a lavish pastoral lifestyle. Their situations are similar to that of Walter White, the anti-hero of the television show "Breaking Bad," who made millions from dealing drugs, only to find himself unable to spend the money without clearly advertising his illegal activity. The post is worth reading. On the One Hand, Yes: They Are Talented, Hard-Working GuysI don't know any celebrity pastors, but I do know a little bit about the pastoral ministry, and it's obvious to me that the celebrity pastor church-growth types are enormously talented entrepreneurial individuals. Were they not in the ministry, they would be very effective leaders of other large organizations. Also, it's impossible to be a celebrity pastor and not be an excellent public speaker. All of these guys, had they been generals or C-level executives, would be earning a lucrative living on the speaking circuit. Additionally, the celebrity pastor is almost always a best-selling author. It's hard work to write a best-selling book--shouldn't that hard work be rewarded?It seems unfair to restrict their earning potential just because they chose to work for the church. On The Other Hand, No: Pastoral Ministry Shouldn't Be About Making MoneyThe talent of the celebrity pastor is not the issue--the issue is integrity. It is hard not to question the integrity of a celebrity pastor who becomes wealthy through the work of ministry. Some Observations About Wealth and the Church
The pastor's authority is mainly a moral authority, authority that is enhanced when the pastor is seen to be living more simply than his or her peers, authority that is diminished when the congregation sees the pastor living at a standard far above most of them. I think the appeal of Pope Francis is due in large part to his well-publicized simplicity.
It's easy to criticize people who are in situations different than your own. Would I be able to resist the temptations to wealth that so many celebrity pastors face? I'm not sure.
The vast majority of pastors in the world are faithful people who sacrifice for years, doing difficult work for very little pay.
Compared to many (most?) pastors in the world, I am extraordinarily well-paid. My lifestyle and that of my grandfather, who pastored a rural church on the Eastern Shore of Virginia during the Great Depression, are vastly different; mine is much more comfortable than his ever was. It would be the height of hypocrisy for me to throw stones at wealthy celebrity pastors while justifying my own lifestyle.
On the other hand, it is not hypocritical for me to admit that both I and the celebrity pastor have a problem with money.
But this problem is not exclusive to those of us in the pastoral ministry: anyone reading this is many times more wealthy than the majority of the people on this planet. We need to beware the self-righteousness that comes from comparing ourselves to a few wealthy outliers while ignoring our own unseen and suffocating materialism.
Conclusion: It's All About MeI don't know any celebrity pastors, and so I can't speak to the condition of their hearts. What I do know is my own heart, and it is a greedy thing, and materialism is my disease. It's easy for me to criticize others' financial choices, but much harder for me to live at a lower standard of living than I can afford. Maybe the benefit of the recent attention paid to the lifestyles of celebrity pastors is that it forces me to ask: "Lord, what do you want me to do with what I've been given?" One day, I'll have to answer only for myself. I'll let God be the judge of the others.
![[And with my family on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.]](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d70f59aefca59000162e4e6/5d7fcef39f682762992c8aca/5d7fcf0b9f682762992c8e32/1568657163861/G0722168.jpg?format=original)
![[Redeemer's downtown location is the Salvation Army building on W. 14th St.]](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d70f59aefca59000162e4e6/5d7fcef39f682762992c8aca/5d7fcf0c9f682762992c8e39/1568657164285/FullSizeRender-34.jpg?format=original)
