Once upon a time (when I first moved to Denver) I found myself at a mega-church which had recently removed its wildly popular senior pastor. The church was in danger of going from "boom to bust." I was asked to do some consulting for the church.
I spent most of a year hanging around the church, coming alongside the staff in some ways, helping where I could. There was a guy on that staff, Karl, who had come along as an interim teaching pastor (I think). He is a great communicator, loves Jesus, and probably could have stayed at that church for many years.
But Karl (and others on staff) had a new vision for Church, and wanted to see if the dinosaur of a mega-church could change. In the end, the leadership of that mega-church would not take a chance on this new vision. They paid a lot of money to a head hunter who found a "high octane" pastor. The church has exploded with growth in the past 6 years. The rest is history, as they say.
These years later I am reminded of Jesus' words, "the first shall be last and the last first" when considering this mega-church and Karl. You see, Karl now co-pastors a church of self-declared misfits and people who don't go nicely into a box. The church is small with few material resources. It's a real community, but not outwardly "successful" by some standards.
The mega-church had income of more than $8 million last year and a staff of about 60 people, up from 25 when Karl and I were there 6 years ago. By many standards this church is successful, and certainly makes an impact in the community and around the world.
I track with Karl via his blog and almost always find myself horribly confronted by his insights on what it means to have faith in Jesus. It strikes me that he has traded in success (after all, he could pastor a lot of big churches around here) for something else - weakness, humility, frailty. Hmmmmm... I'm not sure I am that courageous.
Here's to you, Karl. You gained my respect years ago at that mega-church. My respect for you continues to grow.
I spent most of a year hanging around the church, coming alongside the staff in some ways, helping where I could. There was a guy on that staff, Karl, who had come along as an interim teaching pastor (I think). He is a great communicator, loves Jesus, and probably could have stayed at that church for many years.
But Karl (and others on staff) had a new vision for Church, and wanted to see if the dinosaur of a mega-church could change. In the end, the leadership of that mega-church would not take a chance on this new vision. They paid a lot of money to a head hunter who found a "high octane" pastor. The church has exploded with growth in the past 6 years. The rest is history, as they say.
These years later I am reminded of Jesus' words, "the first shall be last and the last first" when considering this mega-church and Karl. You see, Karl now co-pastors a church of self-declared misfits and people who don't go nicely into a box. The church is small with few material resources. It's a real community, but not outwardly "successful" by some standards.
The mega-church had income of more than $8 million last year and a staff of about 60 people, up from 25 when Karl and I were there 6 years ago. By many standards this church is successful, and certainly makes an impact in the community and around the world.
I track with Karl via his blog and almost always find myself horribly confronted by his insights on what it means to have faith in Jesus. It strikes me that he has traded in success (after all, he could pastor a lot of big churches around here) for something else - weakness, humility, frailty. Hmmmmm... I'm not sure I am that courageous.
Here's to you, Karl. You gained my respect years ago at that mega-church. My respect for you continues to grow.
I haven't read Karl's blog, but in a way I don't need to. He's heard the call of Jesus and responded to it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the deacons at my church chose ministry to the homeless as his personal mission many years ago. He and his wife, Francine, have devoted hours and hours every week to the "least of these" in Baltimore, and our church provides support (financial, volunteer hours, clothing, food, etc.). Ed and Francine have been there every weekend for many years to offer not only a nice meal but also to really listen to the stories our homeless brethren tell.
Francine passed away last week, somewhat unexpectedly. Our deacon was completely overwhelmed by the love his homeless friends poured out over him. Hugs, kind words, reminiscences, poetry, prayers...and a huge effort to turn out for Francine's funeral. One homeless man walked five miles to our deacon's home to offer condolences. Another told the story of how Francine gave her shoes away one Friday night and served meals barefoot.
I think Karl and our beloved Deacon Ed have much in common...if they can't meet in this world, I pray they will meet in Heaven at the feet of Jesus.