the greatest obstacle to following Jesus

I recently had the opportunity to attend a great conference called 'Sentralized' in Olathe, KS a few weeks back that focused what it looks like for the Church to be a missional people. There were several speakers at the conference that I learned a great deal from.  One of the keynote speakers, Michael Frost, challenged people to 'listen to the heartbeat of your city' in order to find out how to be the hands and feet of Christ to them.  He went on to say that we must really know the inhabitants of our community in order to effectively minister to them and we must listen to their cries.

Here is my issue.  I understand what Michael Frost was getting at.  We must have listening ears and hearts in order to properly and effectively do the work of the Kingdom in our communities.  You don't start an 'Obesity Recovery Club' in a village that is starving nor do you offer English speaking classes for Japanese people in a town that is 70% Caucasian and 30% Spanish.  Listening with a prayerful heart is essential.

But what if the greatest desires, wants, and 'needs' of my community is a flat-screen to replace their 'old tv' from 2005?  What if what people desire most is a better car than the one they already have now?  A job that pays better so they can afford to go out to eat more and to support an excessive lifestyle?  Someone to repave their driveway so it looks as good as they neighbors new driveway across the street?

I hope my point is coming across.  What does ministry look like to a community and a people whose greatest desire to get more and have more than what they already have?  What does ministry look like to those who have been fully baptized into a lifestyle of consumption, comfort, and getting everything we want?


Before I go on, I thank God that I was not struck dead as I typed those last words.  I see the signs of consumerism in my own heart on a daily basis and I must bring that before the Lord in repentance regularly.

Alan Hirsch makes a great point in his book 'The Forgotten Ways' by saying the greatest obstacle in the Western Church when it comes to following Jesus is not Islam, Eastern Religions, New Age Spirituality, or whatnot.  Instead, the greatest obstacle is consumerism: the belief and desire that life is all about doing me and getting mine.  Consumerism preaches instant gratification and immediate results whereas the way of Jesus is found in pouring one's life out in servant love to one's brother and sister.  It is in the daily surrendering of one's own selfishness and asking God to renew our hearts to look more like that of our Lords.  It is the complete opposite of the consumer mindset.  The text that continually comes to mind is the descent of our Lord spoken of in Philippians 2.  We serve one who being in the very nature God made himself nothing (2:5-11).

So, what does ministry look like to those who have become entrapped in the ideology of consumerism?  

grace/mercy

While helping pastor the church here at Fort Osage, there have been several times where I have found myself thinking thoughts like, "why didn't we think about doing 'this' years earlier?"  Or, "Imagine if we came up with this idea five years ago, we could be much further along!"

I am currently having one of these experiences.  There is this amazing opportunity to serve our community and as I am dreaming and brainstorming, my thoughts have drifted to, "why didn't we start this years ago?"  As I pondered the question, I gradually came to a realization.  I am so thankful that we serve a God who is patient with his children and nurtures us along the long road of maturity and growth.  When I finished up college and seminary, I remember thinking to myself that it shouldn't be long until I reach full maturity as a pastor and leader.  Having that type of mindset naturally lent itself to discouragement as I would become increasingly aware of my limitations and shortfalls as a minister.

But may I say it again, praise God for his mercy and grace in our lives.  Thank God for continuing to speak truth and love to his children as we seek to grow and understand what it means and looks like to be faithful.

staying too long?

This past Sunday our church honored my Sr. Pastor, Shaun Sutton and his family, for being here at Fort Osage Nazarene for 20 years.  It was awesome to listen to people share memories and express their gratitude for the influence he and his wife have had in people's lives..  This church is definitely blessed to have had Shaun and his family for this long.

I have always been an advocate for long term investment into a community when it comes to pastoral ministry.  To be honest, there is a small amount of pride I take when I tell people that I have served at my church as the youth pastor for 6 years due to the fact that the average stay is much shorter than that.  It takes a long time to earn trust, build relationships, etc.  However, for the first time I find myself considering the negative effects of such a long term investment.

If Shaun were to leave this church tomorrow, whoever replaced him would be in for absolute failure.  No one could fill his shoes... Not necessarily because they would not be as qualified, relational, or intelligent, but because the community has become so emotionally attached to Shaun and his family that any replacement 'just wouldn't be the same.'  So, my question is pretty simple: Can building long term friendships/relationships and becoming so deeply rooted into a community actually end up as a potential hindrance to the gospel?

ministry life lessons

I remember a professor at Eastern Nazarene telling the graduating 'ministry majors' that, statistically, 50% of us would no longer be serving in a pastoral ministry setting beyond five years out of school.  He believed that history had proven his statement to be a relatively safe bet.  I have heard and read other statistics that claim that the average stay of a Sr. pastor is around 3.5 years while youth pastors average closer to 2 years.  What is scary about a statistic like that is that I feel like I am just recently becoming rooted in the Fort Osage/Independence community and I have been here for 6 years.  And while I am still relatively young and growing as a minister, there are a few things that I have learned over these 6 years and I thought I would share them :-)

1. Rarely does the apple fall far from the tree.  While there are many books, studies, and people that talk about the increasing influence that friends and the media have over the shaping of student's lives, I would strongly argue that parenting still reigns (by far) as the most influential contributer in the shaping and molding of a students development and life.  And while my last name is not Dobson, unstable and inconsistent parenting produces students who develop similar traits in their own life.  It is very rare to look at a student and to be surprised who their parent(s) are.  I am a firm believer that the greatest gift a mother/father can give their child is to model an uncompromising love and commitment towards their spouse along with intentional and involved parenting.

2. Empower others to do the work of the church.  I am still learning the importance of this.  When I started at Fort, I remember I would take it personally if a student gravitated to another adult sponsor and could care less about getting to know me.  Now I celebrate it.  How silly it is of me to think that every student would connect to my personality, interests, and background.  It is essential to empower a team around us to engage in God's work.  God equips all people with unique gifts and it is the church's responsibility to encourage and empower others to utilize their gifts.

3. They won't remember much of what you said.  I am sure this last one is on one of those corny inspirational picture frames with the silhouette of the person climbing a mountain with the sun in the background... But people will only remember a handful of lessons/sermons/discussions.  Instead, they are much more likely to remember the 'heartbeat' of their teacher.  Again, not so much the individual messages, but the 'over the course of several years' heartbeat of what was taught.  There have been many times where I have thought to myself: "I wish I emphasized this more over the last several years," or, "It would be nice to start all over with what I know now."  And while it would be nice to start as a 23 or 25 year old with 50 years of wisdom and experience, it is simply not a possibility.  What I do hope is that over the course of 6 years is that the students have come to know and see my heart and the heart of the youth staff.  I hope that we have demonstrated to them what it looks like to strive to love God and love others.

This list is somewhat random and I am sure if I thought about it some more, I could add to it.  How about you?  What are some things that you have learned that you would like to share?

being real

There is a group of about 8-10 men who meet at my church every Thursday for an hour around lunchtime to gather around God's Word.  Every guy in the room is either retired or works a blue collar job of some sorts.  There is no one in the room who would claim to have any specialized education in the area of theology, ministry, or the scriptures.  While they have been meeting for about three months in a room very close to my office, I had never joined them in their small group despite being invited.  Last Thursday, I decided that I would join the guys for their hour long study/conversation and can I also add that it was one of the most refreshing experiences I have had in awhile.

What was it that I enjoyed so much about this little band of brothers?  The men are quick to confess their utter need and dependence upon Christ.  There is no fluff, no smoke and mirrors that they use to somehow make it look like they have their crap together.  Prayer requests consist of help with meth and alcohol addictions.  I couldn’t help but think that Brennan Manning would thoroughly enjoy a group like this.  There is no ‘scholar’ among them that feels necessary to somehow exalt himself or let it be known that he is the ‘superior Christian’ among the group.

Don’t get me wrong; with a group like this, you will certainly come across some interesting theology and conclusions.  For example, this Thursday we read the entire book of Colossians and discussed its content in one hour… An impossible task.  And this is what I couldn’t help but wonder as the group was coming to a close: what would many of my seminary professors think about what took place in that small group setting?  Would they be disgusted at the lack of proper exegesis?  Would they be disappointed that I did not take more of an authoritative role among the group so I could correct false conclusions?  Would they be able to see that Jesus looks at a group of men like this and is so proud to see his sons seeking his face the only way they know how? 

I have a lot to learn from these men.