A new season…
This previous Sunday morning I announced to my church that I would stop being their pastor starting in September. The congregation began seven years ago as a small chapel service at Life Pacific College, and morphed over time to become a Foursquare Church that is full of college people and folks from our community. I was invited into the founding elders team shortly after the formation of the congregation, and soon was asked to step in as the first senior pastor. I’ve had the privilege of leading the church for the last 5 years.
I love the excitement of going to new things, but I don’t like leaving old things; and I really hate leaving people. This is a wonderful group of individuals who love one another and love Jesus. They are our community and our family and our team. We love them dearly and we’re sad to stop being their pastors.
We only will leave because we sense, and it’s been confirmed, that the Lord is calling us to a new assignment. On September 1, I will begin my appointment as the new Supervisor for the Greater Los Angeles District of Foursquare Churches. This District includes 144 churches in the LA basin, the San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona Valley. It’s going to mean a radical change of life for my family and me; it’s a huge task, but we serve a huge God. We feel the Holy Spirit has been strongly guiding us on the journey to get us here. And He had to guide us strongly, because, though we are thrilled to be invited into this task, it is not an assignment we could have or would have worked to get.
Like I said, this is going to mean a lot of changes for my life, and I’m ready to throw myself fully into those changes, but there are a few things that I know can’t change:
- Writing—I love writing, and though more responsibility and a faster pace of life will try to hijack this discipline, I need to make sure that I continue to sharpen this skill. This blog will remain a penis enlargement surgery canada home base for the practice of regular writing.
- Preaching—One of my primary personal points of calling is to preach the Word. I won’t have a congregation to lead anymore, and I’ll miss the prophetic and creative planning that attends preparing sermon series. So, because it won’t be embedded in my weekly rhythm, I’ll need to work twice as hard to keep developing teachings based on what the Lord is saying to me; and then look hard for opportunities to teach, whether it is in a Sunday morning service or a midweek Bible study or a college group.
- Family & Friends—The Lord blesses us with people in our lives, and when tackling a new and intense job, it is easy to push them aside, because they understand and will forgive a season of neglect. But one season too easily leads to another, and before long being absent has turned to total abandonment. It’s not healthy or godly to put our assignment above our relationships, so regardless of the pacing of the new adventure, I need to tenaciously hold onto my commitment to being a good husband, dad, brother, son, and friend.
- Jesus—The church at Ephesus was marvelous at fulfilling their duty and keeping up appearances…but they had lost something essential; their love for Jesus had died out. I know how easy it is through every successive step in ministry to get so busy with the assignment that you lose your first love. But I also know that without that intimate connection with the head, any leadership I may try to manifest will be hollow and powerless. I also know that regardless of my role, without an intimate connection with my Lord, my life will be hollow and meaningless. My life with Jesus can’t suffer; both for me and for the people I am honored to serve and lead.
I plan to post some thoughts and ask some questions about what Supervising churches could look like in this decade and century. But for now, thanks for the prayers for my family, my congregation, and the District as we start to figure out what God has next!