Ministry is Moving

With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. (1 Corinthians 15:58 MSG)

Stand firm.  This is a phrase I've been repeating in my mind for the last week or so.  Stand firm.  Trust in The Lord.  Don't lose hope.  I have thought a lot about the ministry of Jesus.  It wasn't a long ministry in terms of time, but the impact of the ministry that happened during those three years has changed lives ever since.  It was ministry in the midst of chaos.  Sure, the chaos may have been different but chaos none the less.  

In the last two weeks my life has been turned a bit upside down.  Life as a pastor never ceases to amaze me.  There are those days when you just think working as a Walmart greeter would be such a welcome respite.  Then there are those moments when you know that you stand right in the presence of God.  In between those ordinary days are filled with Sacred moments, great challenges, despair & hope all at the same time.  It's a strange thing serving God in this way, answering a call that comes as a surprise and dedicating your life to serving God with your all.  As an extrovert (like one that might tip the scales) I love the relational part of ministry.  While it certainly isn't always easy, it is what fascinates me most about Creation.  We are all so unique and yet we can all work together, even when we don't agree.  It's this love of people that makes my life really hard when big changes occur.

I'm heading toward the finish line of my eighth year of ministry.  Only five years ago I finished the process of Ordination and fully committed my life to serving the local church.  Along with that, as a true believer in Wesleyan Theology I signed on the dotted line...I agree to be itinerant.  That means, I agree to move as I am needed.  I agree to go and serve where my gifts line up with a local church's needs.  I believe this is a good system...well most of the time.  Itinerancy demands a lot of trust in and respect for those who serve at the higher level of ministry in the UMC.  I have to place my trust in those who meet around the table with our Bishop to determine next steps for churches and pastors.  I have to believe that this process is about more than "filling slots" and that it is grounded in prayer and the movement of the Holy Spirit.  I must "trust the process."  This is really easy to do when you plan to stay at the church you are currently serving.  

Then comes the phone call out of the blue.  "You are going to receive an appointive call in the next 12 hours."  Ugh.  Yikes.  No!  These were my initial reactions last week when I heard those words.  "I'm not ready to leave," I thought.  "I love it here."  

You see, in the last five years a church that housed many burdened souls, people that had been beaten down spiritually, and people who were afraid their church wouldn't make it...flourished.  God has been so active in our lives that I think we have almost taken it for granted.  Huge mortgage payments have been made, ministry has grown on a dime, new faces smile on Sunday as we sing, pray, and laugh together.  God has blessed us...together.  I have had the great joy of being a part of this ministry, the joy of preaching about grace and love to people that really believe God is working in their lives...and that they can go out and make the world a better place in Christ's name.  

The very appointment that pastors dreaded...going to a broken & hurt church...is the appointment that I could stay in forever.  

But I can't...  I'm being called to something new!  My beloved church is also being called to new opportunities!  God demands that we continue on.  We can't just sit back and build bigger barns...there is more in store for all of us.  

So, I am moving!  I will be the pastor at the First UMC of South Haven.  Who'd have thought?  A church only minutes from my family.  A blessing I did not see coming!  A church much like Lake Ann, that is full of people who want to worship and be the hands and feet of Christ.  

So now I enter that weird place of the "in-between."  The dreaded goodbyes and the overwhelming nature of a new place, moving, and starting a new ministry.  But the thing is, though our relationships will be different, we will continue to work together as the Body of Christ.  I am so grateful for my experiences in Lake Ann.  I can only hope that I will have that same amount of fun in South Haven.  

So if you're reading this and you're really sad/mad/disappointed in the fact that things are changing please STAND FIRM.  And if you're reading this and your overjoyed that something new is happening....please STAND FIRM.

Together we will trust in God's good work, guidance, and love as we live each day to the fullest. 

Blessings my friends!