When we think of our lives, we also think of the friends that God has blessed us with. Our prayer has often been that God would show us how to form lasting friendships with people in the same life stage where we are not just the pastor and pastor's wife, but people known. It is good to be known. Our closest friends are those who are in our 20s and 30s group. Yes, they are all younger than us - especially me. But as they are in the same life stage as us in some cases, young couples just starting their families, it fits. And just as it was when I was a youth pastor in MN, being identified with the 20s and 30s in our church keeps me young. Probably Emily too although she needs less help.
One of my prayers as Living Waters church has grown is that Emily and I would have another couple on staff with us who were about the same age as us, with whom we could "build this church." God has provided Jonathan and Lindy, as Jonathan is now our youth minister. These two are some of the most faith-filled and trusting Christians I have ever met and I am proud and thankful to have their influence in our lives and in our congregation. They are facing some hard times right now, but soon, I believe, God will lead our two families together to understand how he wants this church to develop.
So that brings me to the reason that I am back on this blog. I need some place to work out what I am feeling in the "ministry" side. So that means we have transitioned from the Life to the Ministry part of this post. As a pastor I am anticipating a new stretch at hand. It is going to be a bigger stretch then when I first came to Living Waters, taking on the mantle of a lead pastor in a mission church. This stretch is going to change me in how I see myself in leadership and, I pray, the impact that my ministries in Christ will make. I pray for this stretch because without it I know that me and the church I serve will just begin to drift into "nameless Lutheran land". Those of you who understand Lutheran land know what that means... a medium size church with good community feel, potlucks, VBS, a Christmas program, Confirmation once a year, baptisms when people have babies, and bland conversations about the need for evangelism. If you do not know what nameless Lutheran land feels like here is a great description in a word - comfortable. Jesus had another word for it - lukewarm, Revelation 3: 16. I have wondered at points whether the main themes of the Biblical message are woven through the scriptures and attached to the numbers 3:16. That is certainly the case with John's Gospel. Comfort and lukewarm always go together. And Lutheran folks left to themselves seek it out. Maybe that is because those from historically Lutheran backgrounds come from cold lands and anything that feels like a warm blanket serves as an opiate. That might be an overstatement, but if you have experienced Lutheran community, you know the temptation. We start to think - it is so good to be part of Jesus' in-crowd with so little expected of me.
This is where I do not want to go. Jesus would not let his disciples go there. I cannot let our church go there either.
So this is the reason I am sitting at One World Café across from Bradley University on January 3, 2014. It is time for me to take stock of where I am at in my service to the Lord. I need to ask hard questions like this: Do I have a ministry, or am I just a pastor? Am I really reaching anyone with Gospel that brings life? Or, am I just clarifying and reinforcing things that the people in our pews already know? These are the question that make me uncomfortable after three years at Living Waters. I could use some more of this!
I can thank my friends Chris who is the headmaster of the Christian school that meets in our church for me being at One World this afternoon. He is the worship leader on the weekends at a new Anglican Mission that started in Peoria about the same time Living Waters began, for about the same reason. They have a small church right now that is composed mostly of people in their 20s. Their base of operations is a coffee shop downtown - that is not where they worship - that is where they meet during the week to talk, plan, pray, and further their friendships in Christ. I was talking to Chris about my discontent, about the thorn in my flesh, and the burr in my saddle. He said that those of them on staff have had to ask similar questions. They have concluded that if you are going to reach a new generation for Christ you have to be where they are. So Chris asked me - Mark where do you spend most of your time? The answer was easy. I didn't even need do speak. I just pointed to the chair that I sit in each day behind my desk in the pastor's office of Living Waters. At that moment I realized his point - reaching a new generation for Christ meant asking a basic question about where I spend my time. And I do not spend any time anywhere near unchurched young adults. Not even close. The only time I do is when our awesome 20s and 30s come to church on Sunday and when we have our small group. That is no a recipe for growth - personally or spiritually speaking.
So here is my idea. After I have finished my sermon on Friday afternoons I am going to come to One World to think, write, pray and hopefully meet the community I intend to impact with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel that brings life. And, I am going to invite the Bradley students I know to join me. I envision, in time, a One World Group. A small group, or a prayer group or a discussion group that happens at a consistent time and place. A small group that is advertised somehow in student circles at Bradley. A theological discussion? A faith/life interface? Something like that. All I know is that it takes time to enter a community. But at some point you have to decide to do it!
Lord I give this idea to you. I believe it came from you. So 2014, let it be about something new and something stretching that will reach a new generation.
