“God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called.”
In
his powerful book, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, Pastor
Kent Hughes shares this story:
“The wife of a close pastor friend of ours
enjoys telling how she awoke one night to find her husband asleep on his elbows
and knees at the foot of the bed. His arms were cupped before him as if he were
embracing the base of a tree, and he was muttering. ‘George! What on earth are
you doing?’ she cried. ‘Shhh,’ he answered, still asleep. ‘I’m holding a
pyramid of marbles together, and if I move, it’s going to tumble down…’
A classic pastor’s dream! First, because it
was the subconscious revelation of a pressured parson. Second, because the
pyramid of marbles is an apt metaphor for a pastor’s work.”
Today is my last Sunday before a several week
Sabbatical. Words can’t adequately express my appreciation to our leaders and
church family for supporting and encouraging this!
What
are our plans? Jane and I will take a few vacation days to work on some
needed projects in our home and then we’re headed to Florida where we’re renting
a pastor friend’s winter home. On the way, as we go through Georgia, we’ll
connect with my family for a few days.
What’s the purpose of this Sabbatical?
Spiritual
focus.
I need undistracted time for prayer, study and focus. Lord willing, I’d like to
pastor Grace for another decade, if my health holds and the Lord allows me that
privilege. This fall I’ll be 60. To do that though requires planning and preparation.
Our culture
is rapidly changing and with our growth, our church is changing. The next decade
needs wise and godly planning. During the past few months I’ve wished that I
was nearing 40, not 60. Prayers, dreams and visions that I’ve long had for our
church are now coming to fruition.
We’re making
strides in ministry now that years ago I only longed for. For example, in the
last year and a half, we’ve had nearly 200 visitors, and these are the ones who
have shared their information with us. What a stark contrast to 2017 prior to
our new building. That year we had less than 40.
More people
means more opportunities for the gospel! We have many who regularly attend who have
not yet committed their lives to Christ. God has blessed us in that we’ve seen
several others come to Christ and move forward spiritually. What was a trickle is
a steady stream, and we are very, very grateful for God’s goodness to us!
Yet, our purpose
is not a big crowd. Our purpose is to see more come to Christ and become
committed Christ-followers. If you study the life of Christ, that’s supremely biblical.
The Lord never commands us to attract a crowd but to make disciples. The
Christian life is one of total commitment of “taking up your cross” (Matt. 16:24).
Our church
is sailing into new waters. Tragically, we’re unusual in American Christianity
in that we are a growing church. I was shocked to recently learn that less than
20% of churches in America are growing.
With growth,
the needs also grow. The weekly pastoral responsibility is all consuming. Even
as I was typing this, I had to stop and deal with several “emergencies.” Then, weekly sermon preparation
alone demands some 20 hours a week. Add to that, counseling, hospital calls, administration,
church ministries and outreach. Wonderfully, I’m never bored, yet often I’m tired.
For our
church to move forward, we must continue to move forward into more of a team
ministry. That requires training and empowering leaders. Scripture is clear
that one has not reached spiritual maturity until you are reproducing yourself spiritually
in those who can then reproduce themselves (2 Timothy 2:3).
We must plan
generationally. The pages of church history are littered with examples of
churches that failed to do that. They had a great period of victory and success,
yet because they were locked in the past, resting on their laurels or unwilling
to give away power and authority, the ministry peaked and declined. While our
message must never change, in that we seek to base our ministry on God’s authoritative
and unchanging Word, yet methods and messengers continually change.
During the
next six weeks I am so thankful that my good friend, James Hauser, is filling
the pulpit at Grace and teaching a series on the family – Family: Some
Assembly Required. James is truly a kindred spirit. Please be praying for James as he
shares God’s Word with us. And please invite family and friends. The key to
family success is to follow the Master- Designer’s original blueprint. If you’re
a grandparent, invite your children and their families to join you.
Personal and
marital focus. While one can be the President with a bad marriage, marital discord
disqualifies one from ministry. Wonderfully, Jane and I have been married 36 years.
We began well and want to end well. Please pray that this will be a time of
drawing closer to the Lord and each other. We want to use this time wisely.
Pray that I will utilize the right resources and the Lord will give me wisdom
as I seek to lead our church for the future. Pray, too, that we will be able to
get deep soul rest. After our building project, I’ve been aware that my internal
resources are low.
Please pray for our leaders and their families
as they will be carrying the ministry load during this time. Pray for our church.
Pray for protection, unity and growth. None of us are essential or irreplaceable.
What a blessing it would be if this time of my Sabbatical and absence was a time
of great spiritual victory and growth for His glory in our church!
God has
blessed our family with a great church family! We love you all and will be
praying for you while we are away!
Can
we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out
more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at
262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life,
I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My
Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy.
Please include your mailing address.
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