paradoxum

"away from the center" is my attempt to blog through my first year of church planting. This is my second post in that series. Part i is found HERE.

I'm not blogging answers, only experiences.

How do you know when you’re called to church planting? How was I called? I hesitate to tell you my story since I may not be the best case study. You see, I usually figure out I’m “called” to do something well after I’ve made the decision to do it. That was my experience in church planting. In fact, my little girl (8 yo) and I were laying down last night and she asked me, “why did you decide to start element?” Not your typical bed time question, huh?!?! It gave me reason to pause and reflect on the past year and how I actually decided to help start element. 

I must admit that in the beginning I don’t think my motives were all that altruistic. In fact, I think my motives were probably pretty bad. I was the youth pastor in a church where I had a great salary, a big budget and a GREAT group of  students. I was extremely comfortable. There was, however, one big problem: I was changing...and I was beginning to see things quite differently from the church leadership.

My first move towards church planting was really a move AWAY from the traditional church.

When you find yourself totally out of step w/ the church in which you’re serving, what do you do? I knew what I had to do: I had to leave. In fact, I was dying to leave. I was so different...I continued to run into fences...and I was slowly suffocating. I knew that I would suffocate those around me if I didn’t get out. So, what do you do when you’re in a spot like that? I began looking for another avenue in which to do what I love to do.

And what do I love to do? I love communicating. I love culture and interacting w/ it. I love being creative. I love connecting w/ people. I love compassion...caring for people who are overlooked. So, I was looking to find a place where I could do what I loved. I reached a point where I was “okay” w/ the church in which I served. I was finally at a place where I could function there w/out anger, bitterness, and constant turmoil. I was still going in the opposite direction, but I was a pleasant rebel...a likable revolutionary.

The biggest thing I did was pray. I really totally surrendered my future to God. I loved on the people around me...and begged God to get me out! I often heard God say, “why are you blaming me for where you’ve found yourself? If you want to leave...just quit!” We argued about that a lot, but at some point I agreed, and began actively looking for a way “out”. The easiest “out” for me was to plant a daughter church for the church in which I was currently serving.

It made absolute sense. The church in which I served had an aggressive church planting strategy and I was on the senior ministry team. If I wanted to plant a church with them I was sure it could be arranged. As it turns out, that wasn’t the case. Once I made it known that I wanted a change in my ministry position, I was offered a very enviable position at the church. I prayed about it, thought about it...and turned it down. I wanted OUT and I felt the best way “out” was to plant a church for them...a win / win. HINT: turning down an enviable job at a big church is probably NOT what you want to do if you want to stay at that church. I was told I could “apply” to be the next church planter but would have to go to assessment, etc. (this is a church in which I’d been an elder, a deacon, and a senior minister). In other words, “don’t let the door hit you in the arse on the way out.”

I wasn’t angry. I was relieved. I knew it was over. I knew I was getting out. I just didn’t know when or how. I was able to do my job with a renewed energy because I knew God had given me permission to leave. Now, all I had to do was figure out how that would happen.

As it turns out, I didn’t have to look too hard...if at all. On a Sunday afternoon my family and I were invited to have lunch with some old friends who had just made a decision to plant a church in Charlotte. I thought I was going to hear about what God was doing in their lives. I ended up leaving the “lunch” at 11 p.m. and on my way to a brand new adventure. As I drove home that night I was reminded of what Bilbo Baggins used to say: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your front door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”  That's the way it is w/ the adventures of life isn't it? We don't find them, they find us.