Calling my Job or Jobbing my Calling

Student Pastor is one of the hats that I wear here at Still Water. It is part of my job description, and one of the ministries I am expected to oversee as an employee of Still Water Community Church. But even more than that....it is a calling that God gave me many years ago. And one I've followed for 20+ years.

There are certain duties (I said duty) that come along with the "job" of student pastor. And to be honest, if this was just a job, some things would be no more than just a pain in the butt. For me, those things look like administrative tasks. I am a relational person that needs human interaction and thrives in social environments. Other guys I know are the exact opposite of that. The point is...there are things about the "job" of student pastor that are not my strong points, but still have to be done. There are things about the "job" that are right in my sweet spot and do not even feel like work.

But the fact that God called me to this ministry changes the whole scope of things. It is imperative that all parts of the job be done in order for me to fully answer the calling God has placed on my heart to minister to students. Whether or not it's what I'm "good at" or what I "want to do" makes no difference. I must continue to grow and mature in Christ, and allow Him to lead me in ministry.

Truthfully...there is a lot of laziness in student ministry today. And sadly enough...I'm not talking about the kids, I'm talking about student pastors. It seems that more and more, guys are using student ministry to get where they really want to go. I know guys that barely even teach the kids they've been called to lead. Plugging in a video or pushing the majority of teaching responsibilities onto volunteers is not leadership....it's laziness. Sure there are volunteers that are great teachers...even better than the youth pastor...I have some here....and they should be empowered and given the opportunity to exercise that gift. But don't use that as an excuse to not teach the students in whom God has entrusted you.

As with any ministry, there are students who are still craving and needing spiritual milk, but there are also those who are ready for more solid food. It is our calling that directs us to help them grow and mature. It is our calling that says....lead. And when we reject that calling by devising the plan of least resistance, or least discomfort, we risk stunting the spiritual growth of those we've been entrusted to lead.

And those that are seeking will either find another place to eat, or walk away from the table. When either happens, it's very easy to blame someone else or accuse the student and/or family of church hopping, being non-committed, etc....but where does the blame actually fall?

There are many methods, schedules, and approaches to student ministry, but laziness cannot be a part of our approach. We must teach and empower students for the years ahead. That cannot be done in 15 minutes a week and a couple of videos. It cannot be done by simply looking for the latest, greatest fad and force feeding it to your group. It takes prayer, relationships, communication, and work. Student pastors.....God has gifted each of you with unique gifts and abilities. We are to use them and continue to get better at teaching and mentoring students. Our relationships with students should go well beyond the years they are in our buildings. Our words and actions should stick and the relationships continue well beyond their student ministry years, and into adulthood.

The person who signs your paycheck hired you to do what God called you to do. Thank God for calling you and actually giving you the opportunity to do it for a living, and then work daily to answer the call. Do not get lazy in your teaching, preparation, and relationships and then look to blame someone else, or God himself for those issues.

It is a privilege serving God and actually getting to do it as a vocation. God has afforded me the opportunity to make a lot of friends over the years through His calling on my life. To cut off relationships based on geographic location would be asinine, and not in keeping with a kingdom minded, Christ centered way of doing ministry. My prayer for student ministries and student pastors around the globe is that we would stop looking for the easy way, and start looking for the right way. The fact is...the more people speaking truth into our student's lives; the more effective we become in our calling to reach kids. As a parent...I need as many adults as I can get speaking into my kid's lives. As a student pastor.....I refuse to compete with other ministries, and/or feel guilty for loving kids and ministering to families that may not be coming to my building on Sundays. That's my calling, not my job.

I'll save the competition for Monday night softball games and fantasy football.

I'm out....

NWLC '11 Recap

Well...The National Worship Leaders Conference 2011 is done. We got back in town yesterday after a great week in Kansas City (Leawood, KS) at The Church of the Resurrection. As is the case with most conferences, there is so much that I still need to wrap my head around. Great general session speakers, incredible music, outstanding workshops, etc...there is just so much information that is given out. I have to sit down and look back through my notes and start putting things together.

Off the top of my head....here are some takeaways:

1. I need to pick up some more of Leonard Sweet's books. He was good!

2. I am a big fan of Casting Crowns now. I've always liked them, but after hearing that Mark

Hall (the lead singer/songwriter) share that he is in the office Sunday-Wed. as the Youth Pastor at his church, and the balance he strikes between that and being a top-selling artist was impressive.

3. NEW MUSIC!!

4. At some point I probably need to work on a british accent....apparently it makes your songwriting much, much better (Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Brenton Brown, Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding....UNBELIEVABLE!).

5. I am PUMPED to back with my church next weekend!

Awkward moment of the Week:

I go to the restroom in the main lobby, which is ginormous, of the church. This is the first thing Thursday morning. I walk in and there is an older man in the stall absolutely destroying the bathroom. When he is done he steps out of the stall with his pants down to his knees, shuffling across the floor to the sink. He stands in front of the mirror, tucking his undershirt into his draws as his pants slowly fall down around his ankles. Me and the other two guys in the restroom walked out laughing. I saw the old guy a few more times and could not even look at him without laughing.

For now...that's all I've got. I will share a little more as I process the things that I saw and heard. I'm encouraged and excited about where God has me and where He has Still Water right now. We have a great team and I am excited to share some things from the NWLC with them as we move forward.

I'm out....

National Worship Leaders Conference '11

Okay....now that I've somewhat figured out this mess Google put us in with their new system...here is the update for Day 2 of NWLC.

Started out this morning with music led by Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding of Hillsong United, and Kari Jobe. It was the coolest acoustic worship set I have ever been a part of in my life! Crazy good!

Miles McPherson was the speaker for this morning's session. I had never heard him before, but will listen to him on a regular basis now. I only knew him as a former NFL player back when I was a kid. He played DB for the San Diego Chargers back in the '80's. He was great!! He had a great message for walking with Christ based on 5 principles:

1. Preparation...God has prepared you to do everything you are called to do

2. Purpose...to obey the Father

3. Pain....sometimes we have to go through pain

4. Power....power that overcomes earthly power

5. Passion....you cannot quit!

The first of my workshops today was a New Song Cafe hosted by worshiptogether.com. Reuben Morgan, Ben Fielding, and Kari Jobe shared with the group. New Song Cafe is a regular video series (you can search them on youtube...there are quite a few). The artists shared some brand new songs with us, including a couple that have yet to be released. It was awesome!!

Stan Endicott had some good words and direction for mentoring and empowering the next generation of leaders. And last, but not least, John Chisum spoke on creative settings, staging, etc...for smaller churches with smaller budgets. I've got some ideas....

Got to hear some new artists today....Sons and Daughters. Very good songwriters! I always love hearing new music!

The day was not without it's humorous parts though....

1. The three teenagers standing in line for the New Song Cafe playing the ukelele, harmonica, and singing. 3 kids, 3 instruments, 3 different keys....drove everyone nuts!!

2. The unknown class member in my second workshop that ripped one just after the speaker said of himself, sometimes things happen unexpectedly. I don't care how old you are....there is nothing like a fart to break the tension.

3. And then there was the two young adults tonight in Red Robin dressed in the Harry Potter best, including wands. I understand why they may want to wear it to the movies, but into Red Robin...really?!

Well....since I didn't get to this blog till pretty late, I'm gonna shut down for now. Up early tomorrow to start Day 3. Casting Crowns and Leeland tomorrow night! Micah Stampley leading tomorrow morning. Should be a good wrap up to the conference. I'm hoping to win one of those IPads I registered to win at a few of the exhibitor booths......fingers crossed.

I'm out...

National Worship Leaders Conference '11

Well....finished with Day 1 of the National Worship Leaders Conference '11. This is my first time to attend this conference and so far, so good. It is held at The Church of the Resurrection in Overland Park, Kansas. This has got to be the largest Methodist church I have ever seen! It is a very cool facility, and their volunteers are doing a great job of serving.

The day started with a general session taught by Dr. Leonard Sweet. I had seen some of his stuff before, but had never read any of his books or heard him speak. I'll say this....I'll be coming home with a couple of his books and adding him to my podcasts and blog list. He was awesome!! Highlights of his session:

*Why is Jesus' mission statement for all of us not enough. Do we form our own mission statements because His is just not good enough?

*We must speak in the language of the culture we exist in so that the people hear us.

*People understand narrative and metaphor, not words.

He proceeded to tell the story of the birth of Jesus by using the historical narrative of some of the things surrounding the birth. Not that scripture is not important, but when told through narrative and metaphor, it comes alive.....and so do the people.

Tim Hughes led worship and made me want to have a British accent. I don't know...there's something about the worship leaders with British accents that make me feel like I need to repent or something.

The conference is full of your typical conference stuff. The exhibit hall is full of companies who have lots of fun stuff for your building, ministry, etc....This one has lots of fun stuff because it is centered around the creative and worship arts.

This is the first conference I've gone to by myself. I don't have a problem with meeting or talking to new people, so I've had fun meeting worship leaders from around the country and talking strategies, styles, etc.. I must say though, it's not as much fun playing some of my favorite conference games like, "You Might Be Trying to Hard If....." or "Church Titles You May Have Never Heard Of" without a friend to play with like my buddy Robert. I thought of him today when I was standing in the bookstore of the church, Casting Crowns song "If We are the Body" came on, and the guy next to me started singing at the top of his lungs, raising his hands, and practicing his leading skills for all of us in the immediate vicinity. I don't know if he was applying for a job somewhere or just overcome by the sheer excitement of hearing Casting Crowns, but he was definitely trying to hard.

Attended a couple of workshops today, the best of which was a songwriting workshop with Matt Redman. Awesome! That guy can write a song, and he has some incredible wisdom when it comes to leading, writing, and just being a worshipper. I thoroughly enjoyed his workshop.

After dinner at a great pizza place, D' Bronx, we went to the night of worship which is part of each night here at the conference. Tonight's service was led by Brenton Brown and Matt Redman. It was great! Got some great new music to take back home to Still Water and put into our repertoire.

Gonna turn in and get ready for Day 2 tomorrow. General session tomorrow morning led by Pastor Miles McPherson, Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding (Hillsong United). Tomorrow's Night of Worship.....Gungor, Rebecca St. James, and Kari Jobe. Gonna be good!

I'm out....

Connection

One area that the church must continue to get better at is reaching the younger generations. People between the ages of 13-29 are becoming more and more disassociated with the church. And it's not because they have issues with Jesus; they have an issue with the church.

Most see Christ followers as arrogant, intolerant, and narrow-minded. When you combine that perception with the fact that rather than asking if that is true, they are asking "do I want to be like you?" ... we have a problem. If the perception is one of arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and intolerance, then no; they do not want to be like us.

We have to get better. Connection is something they long for in a deep, life-changing sense. I recently spoke to a youth pastor in our area who thought that the connection and relationship that the former youth pastor at his church had with the kids was hindering his ability to lead. In actuality, that relationship could probably have helped in more ways than hinder it. Problem is, he is stuck in a mindset that says I'm competing with you; my church v. your church; my ministry v. your ministry.....makes me want to throw up.

True, Godly connection and ministry reaches well beyond any building and in the very fabric of community and relationship. We are dealing with a rapidly growing adult population that is reeling from broken trust, lies and deceit, brokeness, and aloneness. They are hurting like no generation before them has ever hurt. They are trying to write their life into a story in which they win, but they can't find the hope they are looking for in what the world has to offer. We, the church, have to step up and stop giving a great verbal explanation of hope, and start showing it in all that we do.

How many churches are in your area? How many of them are working together on a consistent basis to reach the community? What are you doing to reach the younger people in your church body? Investing in changing the perception of the narrow-minded, arrogance of Christ followers means developing life-long relationships. Relationships that constantly challenge each other to raise our game. Relationships that are strong and encouraging.

Church... your challenge is to find your place in this revolution. Figure out where it is that your local body needs you to serve in order to best reach a floundering generation of potential. This generation wants to be involved; they want to make a difference...help them!

Pastors....stop whining! No more building envy; no more blaming other people for not getting it done. If we are going to tell our congregations to love one another and work together in community...we better be the example.

I'm out.

LIFE with each other....

Last night we wrapped up a series with our students called LIFE with Jesus. Over the last 5 weeks we've talked about a lot of stuff with our students concerning what it looks like to walk daily with Jesus. Being able to support what we believe, walk what we talk, and do what needs to be done to continually develop the relationship we have have with God.

It wasn't that long ago (15 years) that I was struggling with my commitment to the ministry that God had called me to as a 17 year old kid. I was fed up with the attractional attitude of many churches. It just seemed to me that many of our churches were so focused on doing things to draw people to their building that they had lost sight of the call to take Christ to the world.

The story of God leading me from a point in my life that I wanted nothing to do with the ministry of the local church to leaving my coaching/teaching career to be on a church staff is a different story that I may share at a later time, but I find myself still struggling with the competitive, attractional attitude of some churches. As a pastor, the example we should be setting for our congregations is one of relationship and community; loving people as God has loved us; staying focused on the mission at hand....using our gifts and abilities to draw people into a relationship with Christ. This will almost certainly include people that are not ever going to walk through the doors of our buildings.

I was told by a pastor recently that when God calls you from one church to another, it means you cut off communication with the church you leave and focus solely on the church in which you currently serve. He credited and "unwritten code" with that rule. Maybe I am wrong, but I just can't buy into that philosophy. God brings people into our lives throughout our journey. As I read through Paul's letters, I see a man who had many meaningful relationships in those cities, and he stayed in communication with them. Granted, social networking 2000 years ago was not what it is today, but had the churches of Philippi, Ephesus, Galatia, Colosse, or Thessalonica been worried that communication with Paul would somehow hinder the ministry of Timothy, Tychicus, or any other pastors that followed him into these cities, what might have happened to these churches? Or had Timothy, Tychicus, or any of those pastors spent more time whining about Paul communicating with the people of "their" church than they did with doing what God called them to do there...what might they have missed?

As pastors, you form deep, loving relationships with the people of the local church. These relationships are not squelched with a geographical move. I am in no way supporting or condoning allowing bitterness, or anger of an ugly breakup become a divisive tool on your way out. What I am saying, is that when you leave a place on a good note, you leave people that you love, and God moves you to a new local body, it does not mean you stop pastoring those that are still at the church you left.

God has led me on an incredible journey, loved me through a lot of things, and used me in spite of my best efforts to mess things up. There are a lot of people that God has given me the privilege of meeting, and partnering with in ministry. And I realize that some people have the capacity to maintain relationships and others do not, but to drop communication with those people does not reflect the kind of love God has called us too in our walk with Him. It is not a competition between pastors or churches, it is about a calling to minister to people.

I love hearing stories of what is going on in the churches in my area. I love hearing people talk with excitement about what's going on in their walk. We should celebrate with each other what is happening in the local church; partner with other pastors; maintain relationships with those God has led our way; and continue to encourage people, even when God leads us elsewhere.

I thank God for allowing me to do what I do, and for leading so many incredible people through my life. He has used so many people to speak into my life, and help shape and form me that I cannot count them all. He continues to use people to teach me and I am grateful for each of them. When my time is done here, I hope that the relationships left behind would not just be relationships of years passed, but of relationships that remained current and active through communication and ministry over the span of my time here on earth.

I'm out.

On my mind...

Things running through my mind...

1. I ate too many tacos for dinner....

2. Those tacos were really good.......

3. My kids are growing up too fast....

4. Sometimes I miss coaching..most days I don't

5. I love what I do now

6. Proclaimed gospel v. Lived out gospel

7. I don't want to be guilty of only proclaiming the gospel.

8. I have to speak at my friend's funeral Thursday.....I am incredibly honored

9. Life is fragile....relationships are important.

10. Students have to know that you care for them regardless if they are in your building or not.

11. There are only 10 weeks of school left

12. Less than that for my kid in college

13. Those tacos were good!

14. Only one more month till the NFL draft

15. No one is going to show up

16. Will there be NFL football next year?

17. I've gotta go fishing this week

18. Russell Brand is going to make an awesome Arthur

19. I'm looking forward to the new series we're starting with our students tomorrow night

20. Going to bed....need to sleep through the night tonight.

Pizza, Toe Nails, and Bob Henis

Well.... there are times when I sit here and stare at this blog wondering what to write. Most of the time it's just a place for me to throw up whatever thoughts are in my head onto virtual paper. That can be a dangerous thing..... read some of my old posts. But then again, if it were more than that somebody would pay me to write, and that ain't happenin'.

My middle daughter turned 17 last week. I've got 3 kids, and each one of them are very different. With this one...everything is a production, so birthdays are huge. I feel like we've been celebrating her birthday for 2 weeks! Her party is not until this Friday..... 2 weeks after her actual birthday. As long as I can remember in our family, my in-laws come over and take our family to lunch or dinner to celebrate. This is one of the more entertaining moments of the birthday celebration.

Over the years we've heard my somewhat deaf father-in-law announce to everyone in Panchos that he forgot his beano. We've seen my mother-in-law forget to button the blouse under her sweater, only to have it fall out from under her sweater while walking through the restaurant. The father-in-law also spit coke out of his nose when that happened.....good stuff.

Last night.....we hit Cici's with the in-laws to celebrate birthday #17, and it did not disappoint! The night started pretty calmly.....we got to Cici's with no incident. But then my father-in-law started talking about an old friend named Bob Henis...... yes Bob Henis. Of course when he said it the first time my 13 year old son about fell out. It's just a funny name he said....especially when you say it fast. He's right..... funny name. Kinda like Turd Ferguson, but funnier....Bob Henis.

The laughter was interrupted only by my 6 year old niece walking back to the table from the arcade with a knot on her forehead. She was chasing her bouncie ball that she "won" and went head first into the change machine....greatness...... I mean poor thing.

Then it was "medical story time!" I know you can identify. Everyone has a family member that does not mind sharing medical stories...and usually ones that you don't care to hear. Both of my in-laws are diabetic. I'm not sure of the connection between diabetes and toenails, but evidently there is one. I was in mid-bite of a delicious Cici's cinnamon roll when he tells us that each doctor visit costs him an extra $40....why? Because they have to clip his toenails!!!!

The look on my wife's face= priceless.

Of course my son's question....."Did you go to Dr. Bob Henis?"

I'm out......