I’ve been wondering, why in the world did I leave my former church to start a new one? Why would anyone want to plant a church, and even more, why would anyone want to plant a church again? I’m not the “move around” kind of person. I like roots. I like long standing friendships. I like to bless a baby and 20 years later officiate at his or her wedding.
Church planting is hard and messy. Everything is uncertain. Several days ago I was going for a walk and pondering how absolutely crazy I was. I asked myself, how in the world did I get here? Not long ago I had solid job security as the lead pastor of a healthy congregation with a nearly paid for building, I owned a home, I had a circle of friends, I had a staff to take up the slack where I was weak so I could focus on being fruitful in areas I was strong. I had a good reputation in a community and close friendships with many pastors and community leaders. And I had spent years of hard work building a church culture that, with all its flaws, I loved being a part of. Now I’m in a new unfamiliar community, I have no idea if this new venture will work out or if I’ll have a job in 6 months, I have no congregation, let alone any staff or building, I’m living in a rented home, I have no savings, we have few friends, no reputation (though at least we don’t have a bad reputation), and we have to start all over building from the ground up. And this time I’m starting out at age 50, not age 30 – my years are number.
So why did I leave beautiful Holland, Michigan and move to eastern Michigan, one of the most economically depressed areas in America, to start a new church? Because my environment had become too safe. I needed to risk again, and risk big. And I felt God himself was nudging me (bludgeoning me?) out of my comfort zone. I had to stretch for God, risk for his Kingdom, step out of my safety zone, and trust in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alone to sustain me and my family. Dangerous? Well, honestly, not anywhere close to dangerous when I compare it to what my brothers and sisters around the world are risking. But, for me, yes, it’s dangerous.
Yesterday I sat done with my sons as they were watching the end of the movie Good Will Hunting. I can quickly get sucked into movies. I asked David, who’d seen the movie a couple of times, “So, how does it end?” He responded, “Well, you’ll just have to watch it and see.” So, I did. In a few sentences, the movie is about Will Hunting, a janitor who is a mathematical and scientific genius. He has a tremendous gift, but he’s afraid of risking and stepping out of his comfort zone in any area of life because of a wounded past. The plot is about Will’s journey out of cynicism and bitterness as he learns to take risks in order to love and to engage in life. I told my sons, that’s why I’m planting this new congregation, because life is short and I don’t want to live in a safety zone where I may miss what God has for me, and for others through me. So, it may be crazy, I don’t even know if I’ll succeed, but I do know I’m taking a chance for my God so that I might bring his love and wholeness to others. That alone is reason enough for me.
Filed under: Christianity, Church Planting, risk
ummmmm….did I write that one? except that I am 35, not 50:)
well said.
traveling together,
charles.
I was reading my Bible today and had a good insight… maybe it was in part so I could respond to your blog entry. Either way, I though I’d share what God put together for me today :
I was reading James 5:7-12, and what stood out to me was verse 7: “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.” It fell in alignment with some reading I’ve been doing on proper nutrition, and how our foods these days are so lacking in proper nutrition. The depleted fruits and veggies we eat, and the overly sprayed produce, come directly from the way we strip our land and don’t farm properly- I never fully realized that most farms in America are massive these days- crops are often grown in land that has not been given the proper time and recharge that it’s suppose to have (hence the depletion of nutrients and need of heavy pesticides). I could go on, but the thought I had was that we aren’t accustomed to “waiting”- in James it says the farmer “waits” and is “patient.” I believe he also TRUSTED that the “spring rains” would come, because they always do/did. And later, in verses 10 & 11 there’s talk of “patience” and “perseverance”- those that have persevered are “blessed.” To extrapolate, the verse doesn’t, in my opinion, reflect the modern, American “hurry up and reap the harvest even if the land isn’t sufficient to grow it….” No. The land simply doesn’t grow the proper, rich, full fruits without patience and perseverance. Oh, yes, and hard work too- yes it does take work to properly care for the earth, let it rest, and find/use other land while letting other soil rest before another planting/harvest, etc. I am not a farmer, not even a gardener, but I get it.
And so, you are here because God has called you to do this work… plant this church… grow this land… make this community fruitful. It’s all new, and yet, it sounds like you share some commonalities with that farmer- that wise farmer that “waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how paitent he is for the autumn and spring rains” because you know, you trust, you have faith, that the rain will come. And when it does, what a harvest!!!
I am pretty sure that I’ve only read one other blog, and probably only responded one other time in my life to a blog. Take the aforementioned for what it’s worth… but “you too, be patient and stand firm” (v.8).
Blessings to you, Tammy and your family for what you are stepping out to do here~
Karen Brumm