(WARNING- This is a long post... This is a heartfelt post... Do not read if you want to get stronger! DO not read if you are weak, stiff necked or are insecure... Be cautious how you implement but please implement these thoughts.)
I have been processing church planting and what it takes lately. I ran into a friend, business owner/starter, turned pastor, the other day. Four years ago told me something that has stuck. He said...
"entrepreneurs (that is what a church planter is) live with three false realities. They basically live deceived in three ways. 1) the always think it will be easier than it is. 2) More profitable than it is. 3) The competition is stupider than he truly is. But in the failing and frustration you rework your plan and out of the ashes of failed expectation you either come up with something that works or fold."
Life was meant to be lived with challenges. Life was meant to be lived on the edge. Look at Adam in the Garden and you see evidence of a man who traversed the great wilderness of EDEN studying animals and talking to God about what he saw. (Seems pretty Awesome to me!) Think of What Jesus did on the Cross. (That took some serious stuff to fallow through. His humanity was screaming through the entire ordeal.
I think sometimes in the church world we lack the stones Honesty heart to challenge people before they jump out into the great unknown of what they "feel" called to do. So we say with a smile and a pat on the back... "Go for it... and think we have done the person a favor." Callings need confirmation and clarification.
Confirmation- Does what you feel in your heart match with what you have the aptitude for, have the fortitude for and have a positive track record for. If you want to plant a church/ start a restaurant/ get our masters degree but have never started anything from scratch successfully then this is not the thing to "TRY IT OUT WITH".
For example- I always wanted to be a rock star... I cant remember lyrics... chords... have horrible rhythm and look really bad in spandex... But I can speak simple truths to people that resonate with them. I have a track record from childhood of public speaking, leading, presenting. My school groups had a writer, an editor, a clown and a presenter... which do you think I always was? (HINT- not the editor or writer.) So I saw that ability and paired it with my love and compassion with people, my heart for Gods word and my passion to see church make sense to people.... BAM! Ministry was for me.
Do you have outward confirmation?
Clarification- So they have the aptitude and track record to support the calling Lets refine it a bit. This is where it gets hard to be honest with people. I had a person recently come to me and tell me they wanted to start a church and then they told me their plan and I was thinking... You do not fit that Demographic. It was like a 5' 4" man telling me I want to be a basketball player for the T-Wolves. (he may get the job based on last year) I am not a small town guy I would not fit in a rural setting. The problem lies in not challenging the person to clarify their calling. We set them up for frustration, failure and feelings of unsatisfaction. How can you be satisfied doing what your called to do? A misguided calling is a missed calling!
Have you had our calling Clarified?
My Buddy Peter Haas always asks... "Is their inward calling confirmed by their outward calling." If they want to be the next Billy Graham... How do they speak publicly? Are they winning people to Jesus with out the mic in their hands? If not then your calling probably is general and you need to find some aspect of it that matches your Confirmation.
Are you willing to challenge those of your loved ones, friends and peers to see if their calling is legit? (2 legit 2 quit) Let me give you 3 examples...
1) A guy, who I love deeply, decided he wanted ot leave the church because I told him not to do something that was potentially destructive. I told him, "that's crazy talk... just because you do not agree doesn't mean we cant stay in community... I challenge you in this because I care." He stayed.
2) A Friend fro college called and told me an idea he and his wife had about leaving "full time ministry". I told him, "You better know this is GOD... It sounds like you are getting very far away from what God has previously doe in your life and what your outward calling is confirming. Then I said I think you are confused because of these few areas of hurt in your life." I am not sure what the outcome will be but I cared so much i had to challenge the process for Him...
3) E and I were were 25/26 years old and knew that we knew we were going to plant a church in the Twin Cities... We just didn't know how or when. We thought it would have been later in life but the challenge we got during this time confirmed te timing for us. I remember it like it was yesterday... I got on the phone with Billy Hornsby (Pres. of the ARC) and he scared the crap out of me Challenged me. It was hard to hear. Their were things he called out in me and E that I knew needed to be refined. I hung up took a deep breath and with tears streaming down my face went upstairs and told my Honey...
"I don't think we have it but I feel the calling is true and right and now... Lets give it everything we have and if Billy and The ARC say its not the time... then we will know. But we will give everything we have."
We gave it all... more than we thought we could or would give. Something in us changed or came alive. The challenge saved us from a half baked idea destroying our lives and future ministry. In the End we did it! We were a success. Billy Hornsby, Rob Ketterling, Matt Keller, Elizabeth Farina, Sam Farina, Darin Poli, Peter Haas and so many more have challenged my callings on many occasions and will continue to... They Make me STRONG!
Unless we challenge the process of those we love we allow people the dive into a pool without water. Lets say we are wrong lets say they go and do what we thought prayerfully about and challenged them with. Then we are stronger and so are they. Lets say we challenge them and they realize we are at least partially right... WOW! we have saved them from a world of HURT! Let say the friendship is hurt... At least we have done and said what we have needed and it is up to the Lord from Their...
Confront in grace and love and much MUCH prayer... Love deeply... It is for them not for you
Oofta! So true.
Posted by: Joseph | April 24, 2009 at 12:37 PM