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From The Archives: A Sermon for Pastors by Carolyn Moore

From The Archives: A Sermon for Pastors by Carolyn Moore

Over the years at Wesleyan Accent, we have been blessed by numerous authors and articles. In this new space, we are dusting off pieces of wisdom from the Archives we believe still offer a good word to the church. Today, we are revisiting encouraging Kingdom workers in the power of the Holy Spirit. This article originally appeared here in August of 2014. May it bless you as it has already blessed many.

 

Do you mind if we drive around a bit in the Word? I’d like to show pastors some points of interest that have changed the way I understand ministry. If you need to set your GPS, I’ll tell you that we’re going to start in 2 Timothy where we’ll pick up a three-letter key. Then we’ll stop in Luke 9 for a map and we’ll stop for gas in Matthew 8.

That’s where someone is going to ask us: “Have you forgotten how big?” (Remember that question.) And so you won’t have to ask, “Are we there yet?,” we’ll be ready to come home to the Holy Spirit when we hear Jesus telling his disciples to stay right where they are until they receive power from on high.

In the New International Version of 2 Timothy 4:5, I found a three-letter word that seems remarkably poignant for ministry. In this passage, of course, Paul is talking to his friend, Timothy, who he’s mentoring in the ministry and he says this: “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

Until recently, the word I’ve always latched onto in that passage is the word,“evangelist.” My first semester at Asbury, a wonderful evangelist from Australia (Alan Walker) came to speak in chapel. And I went home that night and told my husband, “I want to be an evangelist.” Of course, I had no clue what I was saying. At the time, I thought evangelism was preaching a good message and giving an effective altar call. Or possibly memorizing the four spiritual laws or the Roman Road or working the Evangicube. Or putting tracts in a public bathroom or adding a line to the end of every email that says, “If you love Jesus, forward this to ten friends.”

(I knew a guy who was a genius at asking the ultimate evangelism question – you know the one – “If you die tonight, do you know where you’ll go?” He worked out at the Y every morning, and he said he’d usually wait until he was in the sauna alone with someone – nothing but towels on – and that’s when he’d pop the question.)

I thought that was evangelism and while that may be part of it (though probably not the more effective part), Paul challenges me to think deeper. Here in his letter to Timothy, Paul challenges Timothy to discharge ALL the duties of his ministry. That’s the word that jumped out at me: all. What a loaded three-letter word! It feels like that line at the end of a job description— the one that says, “other duties as assigned.” You don’t find out until you take the job that the “other duties as assigned” take about forty hours of your work week.

Redefining Evangelism: The Mandate for Word and Works

What Paul is trying to tell his first-century audience and also me is that evangelism is a package deal. It is preaching and acts of mercy. Word and works. To do the work of an evangelist, we have to discharge all the duties of ministry. Thomas Fuller, a Puritan, once said that the words of the wise are like nails fastened by masters, but our examples are like the hammers that drive them in. Word and works. In other words, what good is a bucketful of nails if you’ve got no hammer?

I think I found those “other duties as assigned” in the first couple of verses of Luke, chapter 9. This is where Jesus sends out the twelve to do evangelism, and here’s how he defines that little word. Luke 9:1-2 says, When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

So when Jesus gave normal people the power and authority to do evangelism, here’s how he defined that little word “all.” He sent them to drive out demons, cure diseases, preach the Kingdom of God, and heal the sick. Because this is how Jesus believed the Kingdom of God could best be explained. Word and works. Just like Jesus did it; that’s the job description.

To flesh that out, go back to Matthew, chapter 8. This is an amazing chapter, actually — a fireworks display of healing. Right off the bat, Jesus heals a man with leprosy, and by touching him, he heals him all the way through. Then he meets up with a centurion who came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith…Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matthew 8:5-10, 13)

Overcoming Ministry Burnout: Remember How Big God Is

Now, contrast this guy’s faith with something that happens just a few paragraphs down in the same chapter of Matthew. They’ve been healing people and casting out demons and now Jesus has crawled in a boat just to get away from the crowd for a bit. To take a nap. The followers and Jesus are all there in a boat crossing a lake when a furious storm crops up and scares the heck out of his disciples. Jesus is sleeping, of course, so they wake him and that’s when he says, “Oh, you of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

Picture this: On one hand we’ve got a handful of guys who make their living evangelizing and they are scared to death and faithless. On the other hand we’ve got your average Joe Centurion who actually knows nothing for sure, except his need. And the power of God.

I understand these people better than I want to admit. I know what it means to become so focused on the work and the politics and the systems and the next big book that’s going to tell pastors how to really do it right, that I can forget what Jesus is capable of and why he’s filled me with the Holy Spirit and what he’s called me to do. Somehow (I’m sure this is not the correct theological language), it seems like the Spirit leaks out. Or maybe I push him out. I know it has happened when I find myself telling God how big my storm is, rather than telling my storm how big my God is.

Does this sound familiar?

My daughter says I can trace every sermon point back to a scene from Joe Vs. the Volcano. I don’t know if that’s true, but there is this scene in Joe vs. the Volcano. It comes after they’ve survived a typhoon and a shipwreck and they are stranded on a raft in the middle of the Pacific. They’ve been through so much, and now Joe is as close to death as it gets. And that’s when he remembers. He is on his raft facing the moon as it rises over the horizon of the water. It is huge and just there before him, almost as if it could be touched. Joe is delirious, and for him this moon is something supernatural — perhaps even God himself. As the moon rises, Joe sinks slowly to his knees, places both arms in the air and says, “Thank you. Thank you for my life. I forgot …how …BIG …”

How easy it is, in the midst of ministry, to forget how big. All the hoops we jump through and all the personalities we juggle can sap the joy right out. Before we know it, we’ve forgotten just what it is we signed on for, and just how big our God is. Have you forgotten how big? I wonder how it might change the spiritual atmosphere if we could all just put our hands in the air and confess together, “God, I forgot how big!”

My experience after fifteen years of ministry and the start of two congregations is that the only thing standing between me and complete burn-out is not success, but the power of God. It is the power of God that saves me from myself. And make no mistake about it: until we get the bigness of God, we won’t be qualified to discharge the “other duties as assigned.” All the duties of ministry. To cast out demons, cure diseases, proclaim the Kingdom, heal the sick. Because that’s what they are hungry for, these people who come limping into our faith communities. And clearly, this is the work of ministry Jesus expected of his followers.

But here’s the shame of it. The very things Jesus sent his followers out to do are the very things we’ve lost faith in. In fact, our culture has come to accept an hour in church and a blessing before meals as the center of the Christian experience, while driving out demons and curing diseases…well, that’s just weird. But folks, when I read in my Bible what Jesus did and then read what he teaches followers to do, this is what I hear: that followers have power and authority to drive out demons, cure diseases, proclaim the coming Kingdom and heal things that destroy people’s lives. This is the center of the gospel, and the power of it!

I once visited with a pastor who serves a downtown church. We talked about a mission center he was asking his church to develop for their community and he said, “Some of our people don’t get what we’re doing. And I tell them, ‘If you knew Jesus better, you’d get it.’” He went on. “I’m trying to get my people to meet Jesus, so they’ll get it.” Because when we get Jesus, we get what it means to follow him. And as we follow, we find ourselves more and more in the company of the broken-hearted, the blind, the poor, the prisoners — even those oppressed by demonic forces. People who are hungry for healing, and who need spiritual leaders who have a heart for healing — not because we’re that big-hearted, but because God is that big.

The Secret to Power in Ministry: Waiting for the Holy Spirit

This is where most of us need to glance at our spiritual GPS. We understand the destination, but how do we get there from here? Jesus maps it out plainly to his followers in the last chapter of Luke, even using Paul’s powerful three-letter word. There he is, standing with his friends after the resurrection and he says, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’” (and then Jesus says …listen to this) “You are witnesses of all these things. And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But (and this is the punchline) stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (Luke 24:46-49, NLT)

Here’s the secret: don’t leave here until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven. This seems too simplistic to be enough, but it is a critical piece. The fact is, Jesus’ Church has met its quota of pastors who can get the bulletin printed, follow an order of worship and preach three points and a poem. But the Kingdom Church is starving — and “the fields are white” — for Spirit-filled followers who are willing to do all the work of an evangelist.

Whether you are worn out or burned out, you owe it to yourself and your sense of call to find a place of prayer, then shake the gates of heaven asking for the Holy Spirit to come and fill you, or fill you again. Don’t leave that place until your heart aches again for those who are hungry for healing and waiting for someone to come, who brings with them Holy-Spirit power to cast out demons, cure diseases, proclaim the Kingdom and heal the sick. Don’t let go of the hem of Jesus’ garment you until you’ve received that. After all, what good is a bucketful of nails if you’ve got no hammer?

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Workers For The Harvest by Jorge Acevedo

Workers For The Harvest by Jorge Acevedo

In the economy of the Kingdom of God, many of the ways the followers of Jesus are invited to live are counter intuitive. For example, Jesus taught his students strange things like, “If you want to be first, then be last” and “If you want to be great, then serve.”  We also see this counter-intuitive way of living in Jesus’ invitation for his apprentices to join him in Kingdom expansion work. In Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV), we read:

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

First, notice that Jesus models a Kingdom lifestyle of teaching, preaching (proclaiming) and healing birthed from deep, gut-felt compassion. Second, notice how our Rabbi charged his disciples to partner with him in this Kingdom harvest work. And third, note that Jesus does not ask them to pray for harvest, but instead to pray for harvest workers. This seems to me to be a counter-intuitive impulse. Honestly, for most of my ministry, I’ve prayed for harvest. “Lord, please send us more people!”  Counter-intuitively, my Rabbi is inviting me to pray for harvest workers. 

Can I honestly suggest that this seems to be an absurd command from our Rabbi? I thought harvest was the goal. Isn’t making more followers of Jesus our assignment as the Church? The answer is of course “Yes,” but Jesus here couches harvest work in how we pray. He inverts our strategy. Instead of praying for more harvest, he invites us to pray for harvest workers. I think Jesus understood that the heavy lifting in expanding the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven would require more workers. The harvest is plentiful. It’s ready for harvesting. What Jesus calls for is more workers. He needs more women and men from every station and strata of life to join him in this harvest work.

 

John Wesley and the Power of Lay Leadership

Dr. Kevin Watson has given contemporary followers of Jesus in the Wesleyan stream of Christianity a great gift by summarizing the Wesleyan Standard sermons on his blog. His comments on the 33rd sermon, “A Caution Against Bigotry” are captivating. The message is based on the biblical text Mark 9:38-39 (CEB): John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” Jesus replied, “Don’t stop him. No one who does powerful acts in my name can quickly turn around and curse me.” Dr. Watson remarks on this sermon:*

This sermon is written in the context of Wesley’s leadership of Methodism as a renewal movement within the Church of England and the tensions that were often just below the surface between his ordination as a priest in the Church of England and his leadership of Methodism. Wesley’s use of lay preachers, in particular, was controversial and is an important part of the background of this sermon…

As committed as John Wesley was to the Church of England and all things Anglican because of the sovereign movement of God through the people called Methodists, he refused to diminish it by sequestering the work of ministry to the ordained alone. This robust lay preacher strategy made and kept the fires of the Methodist revival stoked. This sermon defends his strategy to train and deploy lay preachers regardless of ecclesiastical pushback.

Watson also points out that Wesley’s argument for using lay preachers was the undeniable fruitfulness in the ministry of lay preachers. He comments, “…the sermon should be read in part as an appeal for not interfering with lay preachers whose ministry bears fruit [they are “casting out devils”] by leaders within the Church of England. The sermon has a variety of intriguing applications in the contemporary context.” 

 

Fruitfulness as the Proof of God’s Call

Watson discerns that the “key quote” in this sermon is:**

‘But what is a sufficient, reasonable proof that a man does (in the sense above) cast out devils?’ The answer is easy. Is there full proof, first, that a person before us was a gross, open sinner? Secondly, that he is not so now; that he has broke off his sins, and lives a Christian life? And thirdly, that his change was wrought by his hearing this man preach? If these three points be plain and undeniable, then you have sufficient, reasonable proof, such as you cannot resist without willful sin, that this man casts out devils. [III.3]

To quote a much-used southernism, “The proof is in the pudding.” The irrefutable personal life transformation and abundant ministry wrought by lay preachers was Mr. Wesley’s defense. But it wasn’t always this way for Wesley.

An incident in 1741 with the Assistant at the Society in London captures Wesley’s change of heart regarding lay preachers. Thomas Maxfield was a gifted young leader whom Wesley left in charge of the Society. The young, inexperienced leader took it upon himself to gather the entire Society and preach. This was beyond the scope of Maxfield’s responsibility and authority. Wesley quickly returned and scolded the young leader. Susanna, John’s mother, challenged him on his actions. Thomas Coke and Henry Moore record the incident like this:***

His mother then lived in his house, adjoining the Foundery. When he arrived, she perceived that his countenance was expressive of dissatisfaction and inquired the cause. ‘Thomas Maxfield,’ said he abruptly, ‘has turned Preacher, I find.’ She looked attentively at him and replied, ‘John, you know what my sentiments have been. You cannot suspect me of readily favouring anything of this kind. But take care what you do with respect to that young man, for he is surely called of God to preach as you are. Examine what have been the fruits of his preaching, and hear him also yourself.’ He did so. His prejudice bowed before the force of truth: and he could only say, ‘It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth good.

Upon carefully examining the preaching ministry of Maxfield, Wesley could not help but to see that God indeed had given the young leader gifts and graces for the preaching ministry. This was a defining moment for Mr. Wesley.

 

Raising Up Emerging Leaders for Today’s Harvest

I think we can infer from all of this that both Jesus and Mr. Wesley would affirm the need for fruitful, gifted workers for harvest work if the harvest is going to be “brought in.” Jesus modeled this with his apprenticeship of the disciples and Mr. Wesley rather begrudgingly at first, but enthusiastically later enlisted harvest workers to join in harvest work. Neither Jesus nor John Wesley embraced a caste system in their approach to leadership development.

So, what does a spiritual leader 2000 years removed from the ministry of Jesus and 275 years since the movement of the early Methodists do about enlisting, training and releasing emerging leaders? In reflecting on my experience of 40 years as a spiritual leader enlisting younger and newer leaders to join me in harvest work, I’ve noticed six common cries of emerging leaders. Wise and prayerful recruiters to harvest work intentionally hear these cries and build systems to careful harness them for harvest work. The six cries are:

  1. “Perceive me. Acknowledge and see me and my potential.”
  2. “Pick me. I want to be mentored and led well and honorably.”
  3. “Prepare me. Pour into me. I want to learn from you.”
  4. “Promote me. Give me opportunities that stretch me.”
  5. “Platform me. When the time is right, push me to the front.”
  6. “Pass it on to me. I need your blessing for my future.”

In enlisting, preparing and releasing younger and newer leaders for harvest work, we join in answering Jesus’ prayer for harvest workers and stand in the center of the stream of our Wesleyan tradition. The harvest is still plentiful. The cries of emerging leaders still echo. Will we be the ones who perceive, prepare, and pass on the mantle to the next generation of Kingdom workers?

 

 

*Kevin Watson. John Wesley’s Sermon “A Caution Against Bigotry: A Brief Summary.”

**Watson. John Wesley’s Sermon “A Caution Against Bigotry: A Brief Summary.”

***Adrian Burdon. Authority and Order: John Wesley and his Preachers.

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We Can Never Gain As Much As God Gives by Rob Haynes

We Can Never Gain As Much As God Gives by Rob Haynes

A celebrity was being interviewed on a TV talk show. The host asked, “Can you recall the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?”

“Yes, Next question!”

 

When Embarrassment Leads to Transformation

Most of us would like to forget our embarrassing or humbling experiences. We would like to move past the things that we aren’t proud of, or don’t put us in a positive light. However, the Bible is full of stories where people share their highest highs and lowest lows. That is because the thing that came after the embarrassing situation was worth more than anything in the world. One such story that is often overlooked is found in Daniel, where King Nebuchadnezzar proclaims to “people of every race and nation” that “’I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations.’” (Daniel 4:1-3, NLT)

 

The Humbling of King Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar is more often known for his conquest of Judah, his prophetic dreams, his construction of idols, and his attempt to punish Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for their refusal to worship a giant idol. It is also worth taking a closer look at the transformation that happens to him in chapter 4. We have an account, mostly in his own words, of another prophetic dream and the subsequent works of God that transform his life. This dream tells him of his own pending humiliation, if he does not give glory to God. The king fails to do so, instead looking upon the riches of his capital city and the empire and claims these to be works of his own “majestic splendor.” (v. 30)

Babylon was, indeed, a majestic city. It was the center of the known world in the areas of art, music, science, mathematics, and literature. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are still considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. True to the vision God gave Nebuchadnezzar he lost it all in an instant. He suffers the fate that so many fear: exclusion, alienation, and abandonment from family and friends. He is forced to live outside for seven years and even eats grass like a cow. He proves that too many times we try to climb ladders of success only to find that we have been leaning them against the wrong walls.

 

Success Is Not Proof of Righteousness

While many of us may not state it this way, an incorrect thinking can sneak in among Christ followers that goes something like this: “”If success is not by might nor by power, then it must be by my righteousness.” God answers through Nebuchadnezzar that our achievements are not by our might nor our own righteousness, but only through his grace. The Lord will use our obedience to bless us, but he is not obligated by our obedience to grant us earthly success.

If we have accomplished anything, it only takes a little reflection to see “worse” people who have done far better—and better people who have done far worse. It would be foolish to claim that our accomplishments are because of some sort of moral superiority. Nebuchadnezzar was the richest, most powerful man. Was he morally good? Absolutely not. He was a cruel, wicked, vindictive man. This flies in the face of a supposed cause-and-effect relationship between our “good works” and big successes.

That must mean that the only explanation for earthly success is God’s gracious provision to us. You see, we can never gain as much as God gives. Nebuchadnezzar had more of an earthly kingdom than most of us could ever imagine and will ever obtain. And he was spiritually bankrupt. In an instant, he lost all those material blessings as well.

 

God’s Grace Is Greater Than Our Failure

But God did not leave Nebuchadnezzar there. God’s extravagant grace breaks in. Nebuchadnezzar is restored, both spiritually and physically. So much so that he proclaims: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.” (v.37)

All of us are just one step away from that lowly state ourselves. It only takes:

One phone call from the boss

One rejection from our children

One heartbreak from a loved one

One change of health

That same Grace that transformed Nebuchadnezzar’s life is available to all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. God’s grace is above or below any place you may find yourself today. No pride is too monstrous to block it. No humiliation is beyond his redemption.

What are you training to gain that only God can give? The Good News is that God is more ready to give than we are to ask. So let’s start asking.

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Prevenient Grace and God’s Calling by Luciano Pereira Da Silva

Prevenient Grace and God’s Calling by Luciano Pereira Da Silva

I remember as if it were today, the day I entered the house of the youth leader and participated in a small discipleship group. My life was never the same after that moment. Until then, I was a teenager full of problems and doubts, marked by my father’s abandonment, the wounds of violence, and vices. I knew bitterness, sadness, feelings of rejection, and deep confusion about my identity.

At that time, I was convinced that my life would not last long and that there was no hope for me. The only way out, or so the lie beckoned, was to drown myself in alcohol and start experimenting with other drugs. However, what I didn’t know was that the Holy Spirit was searching for me, wanted to free me, and offer a new life.

I am a living witness of what we call prevenient grace. God was reaching out to me in the midst of darkness before I even had a clear understanding of Him. In the late 1980s, while I was completely drunk in a nightclub, I heard the voice of God saying: “Leave this place; this is not where you belong.“

At that moment, I thought it was just my imagination or the effect of intoxication. However, over the years, I understood that it was God searching for me, just as He did with Adam in Genesis 3:9: “Where are you?”

God, in His grace, was calling the fallen man to return to Him. That voice impacted me so deeply that I left the nightclub and never returned to that kind of life. It has not been easy, but it has been so good. Praise be to God.

I continued attending the small group and started going to church. Then, one day at a youth retreat, the Holy Spirit took hold of me so powerfully during a prayer vigil that I fell to the ground. When I got up, I had the certainty that heaven was open for me. I began to pray for others, and God started using me—those I prayed for also received the Holy Spirit.

From that day on, I understood that God had called me into ministry and wanted to use me. I was set free from sin and the demons that had bound me. I started preaching, and with the support of my church, I was sent to seminary, where I studied theology. I became a pastor, fully convinced that my calling was the path I needed to follow, obeying God without needing anything else.

Throughout my ministry, I have faced difficulties, but always with the certainty that God was guiding me. I have witnessed the move of God and have preached in many places around the world, seeing the work of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of His power.

If someone were to ask me: “What is the secret to ministry?” I would answer without hesitation: surrender.

People often see ministry as a matter of achievements, results, numbers, and success. However, this mindset has led many to discouragement and frustration because they have begun to act as “gods of their own ministry,” believing that their performance and efforts are the key to success.

The apostle Paul asks a crucial question in 2 Corinthians 2:16: “And who is sufficient for these things?“

With this, he highlights human incapacity for ministry without total dependence on God. Paul himself lived with an attitude of surrender, considering everything as loss for the sake of gaining Christ (Philippians 3:8). He also taught that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We should not be afraid to be honest and recognize our limitations. God did not call us because we were capable, but He loved us when we were still sinners and brought us out of darkness for His glory.

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Passing The Light: Mentoring Lessons from Elijah, Elisha, and John Wesley by Larry Frank

Passing The Light: Mentoring Lessons from Elijah, Elisha, and John Wesley by Larry Frank

“We transfer this mantle from our generation to the young, indicating that the responsibilities of the older generation will be caught up and carried on by the young, and that the spirit of today’s Elijahs will rest on today’s Elishas.” Nearly a decade ago these words rang across the retirement service as a retiring elder handed me a symbolic lantern.  

I had been selected by my peers as the ordinand to “receive the mantle” and carry on the light from the retiring class. I’ll admit I had often tuned out of that particular service, often opting for coffee with friends. But when it came to the moment for me to actually receive the lantern and hear those words, I felt the full weight of the handoff. That day 31 gifted and dedicated pastors were retiring, collectively representing over 950 years of service to Christ and His Church. I imagined all the sermons preached, the lives changed, the baptisms, funerals, and weddings. I thought of all the joy lived out in their churches, all the hard transitions and moments of grief. And with the passing of a lantern, over 950 years of combined ministry was symbolically passed to 4 newly ordained elders. 

The lantern felt heavy in my hands as I barely squeezed out my response, “we who come after you say, may we receive a double portion of your spirit.”

The emotion of the moment pierced me as I realized that given the state of the world, and of the church, we were going to need at least a double portion. That day was a confirmation in my spirit we needed a new way to operate.  Much of my training for ministry set me up to be a solo-heroic leader. I needed mentors. I needed to mentor others. This has become a drumbeat for my life and ministry ever since. 

In wrestling for a way to share this idea of calling wrapped up in mentorship with my church, I found direction in 1 Kings. The Biblical story of Elijah and Elisha offers a beautiful narrative on mentorship and handoff, emphasizing the deep, transformative relationship needed for spiritual maturity. This narrative, intertwined with John Wesley’s emphasis on communal spiritual growth and accountability within micro-communities, reveals the enduring power of mentoring in nurturing a committed, maturing faith. 

Elijah and Elisha: A Model of Spiritual Mentoring

The relationship between Elijah and Elisha serves as an exemplary model of the mentoring relationship. Elijah, a powerful prophet of God, had been used by God in powerful and dramatic ways to purge the land of Baal worship. After defeating the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18), an act that in Elijah’s eyes should have been the final triumph over idol worship, Elijah finds himself pursued by Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1-2). In God’s goodness, Elijah is cared for (nap and a snack, amen?), and shown how his calling would play out in the next phase of God’s unfolding plan. Elijah learns that he would soon be used in less dramatic, more subtle ways. In other words, Elijah had to accept the reality that while he was a part of God’s plan, he was not the plan (1 Kings 19:3-18). God’s ultimate triumph over Baal worship would be accomplished through the intentional (and rather unremarkable) act of prophetic succession. 

Elijah is told to anoint Elisha as his successor. And without much explanation, Elijah throws his cloak over Elisha, signifying the transfer of prophetic authority and an invitation into a new way of life (1 Kings 19:19-21). This simple moment marks the beginning of an intimate and transformative relationship. 

Elisha’s own journey of being mentored by Elijah would be characterized by learning, observation, and deep discipleship. Elisha faithfully serves and follows the elder Elijah, witnessing his prophetic ministry while growing in his understanding of his own call. The relationship is about far more than passing on knowledge; it is about Elisha experiencing and embodying the ministry of a prophet. The climactic moment of their relationship is when Elijah is taken to heaven in a whirlwind, and Elisha receives that double portion (2 Kings 2:9-12). This is the culmination of their mentoring relationship, with Elisha now fully equipped to continue the work of God begun by his spiritual father. 

John Wesley and the Power of Group Mentoring

For all that is made of John Wesley’s genius in innovation, perhaps the most valuable facet was his grasp of communal spiritual growth and accountability. Group mentoring in societies, classes, and bands were foundational elements to the early movement. These groups were designed to foster spiritual maturity through mutually practiced accountability, prayer, and the study of Scripture. Those early methodists saw that true spiritual growth and preparation for a life of ministry happened best within the context of community, where all members were supported and challenged in their faith journeys. 

In these groups, the mentor (class or band leader) would guide and support individuals in their spiritual formation. Through teaching biblical truth and modeling a life of holiness, they helped those in their care navigate the challenges of life, discern God’s will, and apply scriptural holiness to their daily lives. 

These groups were the secret sauce of the Methodist-Wesleyan movement. Francis Asbury, reflecting on these groups, referred to them as “our universities for the ministry.” Wesley himself believed that the neglect of this group mentoring experience would tear at the fabric of the entire movement:
Never omit meeting your class or band; never absent yourself from any public meeting. These are the very sinews of our Society; and whatever weakens, or tends to weaken, our regard for these, or our exactness in attending them, strikes at the very root of our community.

Wesley’s approach to communal spiritual growth and mentoring aligns with what we read of Elijah and Elisha’s relationship. Both the biblical account and the group model of Wesleyanism emphasize the importance of close, personal relationships in nurturing spiritual maturity in mentoring relationships.

Mentoring: Handing Off Deep, Transformative Faith and Leadership

Mentoring, as illustrated by Elijah and Elisha and emphasized by Wesley’s practices, is not merely the impartation of knowledge. It involves nurturing deep, transformative relationships that foster spiritual and emotional maturity and a deeper commitment to following the call of Jesus. A true mentor invests time, energy, and resources into the mentee, guiding them along the way. 

This time of relationship requires vulnerability, trust, and a willingness to be shaped by the wisdom and experience of another. For Elisha, following Elijah meant leaving his former life behind and embracing a new identity. In much the same way, members of Wesley’s groups were challenged to live out their faith authentically and transparently within their communities. 

Building a Legacy: Investing in the Next Generation of Leaders

The impact of such mentoring relationships extends beyond the spiritual and leadership growth of an individual. It plays a crucial role in the development and expansion of faith-sharing movements, like World Methodist Evangelism. Elijah’s mentoring of Elisha ensured the continuity of the prophetic ministry in Israel. Elisha’s subsequent ministry, while quite different from Elijah’s, showed the effectiveness of Elijah’s guidance. 

In the case of the early Methodists, Wesley’s emphasis on small groups and communal accountability and mentoring led to a vibrant and growing movement. The strength of the movement lay in its ability to cultivate committed disciples who were in turn equipped to lead and mentor others, multiplying the impact of the gospel. 

This type of relational investment not only deepens discipleship, but also enhances effective evangelism. Mentored individuals are equipped to articulate their faith, engage in faith-sharing, and invite others into a similar journey. 

With every handoff, we hold in tension remembering one’s own calling while at the same time embracing the handoff to those coming behind. When I think of someone who has done that well, I think of Rev. Dr. Maxie Dunnam. As a young pastor, I knew Maxie as someone who was working tirelessly for renewal in the Wesleyan way. Several years ago, we happened to be at the same conference in Chicago. One evening, we were waiting for dinner and I took the opportunity to say thanks for working so hard for a better Church for my generation and that I realized that I was standing on his shoulders. I’ll never forget his reply, “Larry, I may not get to see the whole thing, but you will. I get to hand it off to you.” 

Later, through Flame Fellows, I got to spend a year being mentored by Maxie. In preparation for a sermon titled ‘Handoff’, I wondered if Maxie even remembered that conversation in Chicago. So we had a zoom chat about it and I shared the last few minutes of our conversation with Grace Church. (You can view the sermon here  – the conversation with Maxie is at the very end). 

If not for mentors like Maxie (and several others) who have invested in my life, I would not be the follower of Jesus, pastor, husband, or father that I am. I am grateful for my current mentors who continually push me to be the best version of me I can be. And in these days, I take very seriously my responsibility to be that person for others. In a recent staff meeting, our Executive Pastor and I had a wonderful realization that at 40 and 37 years old, respectively, we are among some of the older staff. We must pour into our Elishas as they hone their own call and leadership style.

In a world increasingly dominated by individualism, the biblical and Wesleyan models of mentorship remind us of the profound importance of community, accountability, and relational investment in nurturing faith and calling. The time to act is now; we cannot afford to wait until a retirement ceremony to pass the torch to the next generation.

Taking Action: Practical Steps to Embrace Mentorship

Here’s some practical steps:

  • Become a Mentor:
    If you have experienced the transformative power of a mentoring relationship, consider becoming a mentor yourself. Reflect on the wisdom and experiences you have gained and seek out those who might benefit from your guidance. Whether it’s within your church, workplace, or community, your investment will make a significant impact.
  • Seek Out Mentorship:
    If you are seeking to grow in your faith and leadership, find a mentor who can guide and support you. Look for someone whose life and ministry inspire you and approach them with humility and openness. Express your desire to learn from their experiences and be ready to commit to the journey of growth.
  • Join or Form Small Groups:
    Small groups are the heartbeat of communal spiritual growth. Join an existing small group at your church or consider starting one. These groups provide a safe space for mutual accountability, prayer, and study of Scripture. They are fertile ground for mentoring relationships to flourish.
  • Invest in the Next Generation:
    Identify potential leaders within your community and invest in their development. Create opportunities for young people to take on responsibilities, learn from experienced leaders, and grow in their faith. Encourage them, support them, and let them know that you believe in their potential.
  • Commit to the Handoff:
    The handoff is not a one-time event but a continuous process. Commit to regularly assessing and renewing your mentoring relationships. Stay engaged, be adaptable, and continually seek ways to support and empower those you mentor.

Lighting the Way Forward: A Call to Mentorship and Legacy Building

By embracing the call to mentor and be mentored, we can ensure the continuity and vitality of our faith communities. The church is too precious, and our calling too significant, to wait any longer. Start the handoff now. Let’s build a legacy of faith and leadership which will endure for generations to come.

Who are your Elijahs? Reach out to them and express your gratitude. Who are your Elishas? Begin investing in their journey today. Together, let’s light the way forward.

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A Prophet Present Among Them by Maxie Dunnam

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A Prophet Present Among Them by Maxie Dunnam

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This is the season in many denominations when changes take place in clergy leadership. I’m in a good bit of conversation with clergy and lay leadership about the nature of ordained ministry. I urge clergy and lay leadership to read and consider chapter 2 of Ezekiel as a part of the experience of “clergy appointment.” 

A few years ago I was smitten by a word I heard in the ordination service of the Free Methodist Church. It was verses 4 and 5 of Ezekiel 2 that made me give special attention:

The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (NIV)

In his story, Ezekial sees the “glory of Yahweh” coming down from heaven and it is so overwhelming that he falls on his face. But the Lord will not let him remain there. “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And the Lord does speak. The message which Ezekiel is to preach is given to him in a kind of scroll. So, Ezekiel receives his appointment. It is not a promising situation. Not the planting of a new church that is sure to grow in an exciting fashion. Not to be the senior pastor of First Church downtown which has tremendous influence in the entire community. Not an appointment to a rapidly growing church in suburbia. 

It is a hard call and God makes it clear. In exercising his prophetic office, Ezekiel will have to preach to deaf ears and dwell among scorpions.

Now all of us clergy have preached to deaf ears – but very few have dwelt among scorpions – though one of our student pastors told me recently he had “some polecats” in his congregation. There was no prospect of success laid on the prophet in his initial call to ministry. And that burden of no prospect continues to increase as God continues to speak.

In this call of Ezekiel, there are some lessons, especially some directions and powerful promises to us clergy as we contemplate our leadership.

First, God says, “Stand on your feet and I will speak to you.” (2:1) The lesson? We are to listen. Our stance must always be a receptive one. “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

Note a second thing. After hearing God tell him to “stand on his feet,” so that He might speak to him, Ezekiel says, “As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet and I heard Him speaking to me.” The lesson? It is not our ability to do what God calls us to do, but our willingness to respond, to yield, to attempt what He calls us to that releases God’s power. God called Ezekiel, “Stand on your feet” but then – as Ezekiel says – “a Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet.

God does not call us to a ministry or a mission that we can accomplish in our own strength and with our own resources – but only with His divine aid. In that way, we’re kept on our knees, dependent upon Him.

Then there is a third lesson and a promise that comes in Ezekiel 3:1-3: 

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.”  So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.  Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. (NIV)

The lesson? We pastors must become one with God’s word. What we say must be matched by how we live. 

Regardless of our location, we must offer a listening stance, a yielding and willing posture, and a life lived by the Word. When these are seen in the pulpit and on the street, people will know that a prophet is among them.

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Remembrances of Training Leaders in Cuba by Winston Worrell

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Remembrances of Training Leaders in Cuba by Winston Worrell

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For 25 years, I was blessed to serve as Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute.  Through service to the local church, I was blessed to travel the world and see our good God at work.  It is good to remember the work the Lord has done.

In 2001, I coordinated with Dr. H. Eddie Fox of World Methodist Evangelism and with Cuba’s Methodist Bishop Ricardo Pereira to teach at the Cuba Methodist Church’s training seminar at their Canaan Camp for several Methodist pastors and lay persons from across Cuba.  At this seminar, we presented several lectures and workshops on evangelism. We worshiped together with wonderful singing, great music from several musical instruments, and great enthusiasm for evangelism. In the workshops I led, I was privileged to share the love of Jesus and to teach the pastors and laity the emphasis on practical faith-sharing. I remember handing out outlines of my presentations, which had been translated into Spanish, that focused mainly on a wholistic understanding of evangelism and faith-sharing. There was great receptivity to teachings on evangelism.

Then three years later, in 2004, I coordinated our Institute’s “Evangelism Conference of the Americas” in Havana, Cuba. The 250 pastors and laity who attended this conference on evangelism were from all the Americas (North America, Central America and South America). Again, we focused on presenting several lectures and workshops on different evangelism themes. Bishops, pastors and laity from across the entire Americas also presented lectures and workshops. Again, we worshiped with wonderful singing, great music, use of several musical instruments, and great enthusiasm for evangelism, and again, there was great receptivity to teachings on evangelism.

Under normal circumstances, once we have led a seminar in any country, we move on to leading seminars in other countries. After a season, we would normally receive follow-up reports from a few key leaders, but we didn’t often hear from regular attendees regarding the impact of our seminars.  We believed we were sowing seeds for a Kingdom harvest our eyes may never see. By the grace of God, this all changed a year ago during a return trip to Cuba after almost 20 years.

In February 2023, I returned to Cuba with another group of World Methodist leaders. Our time there included visits to several local congregations. It was truly refreshing to again experience the vitality of the Cuban Methodist congregations in worship. During this visit, we attended worship at one of the congregations which was packed to overflowing. We were asked to share with the congregation who we were. I shared my name, briefly about my former visits, and a general word of encouragement. The other leaders shared as well and the microphone was returned to the pastor of that local congregation, Pastor Armando. He shared about how God had been doing a mighty work through this congregation by the power of the Holy Spirit. He specifically noted how they were practicing evangelistic practices he learned at a seminar nearly 20 years earlier. I did not recognize him, but he was a past attendee of our 2001 training seminar in Canaan. He had immediately remembered me and was very happy to introduce me to the congregation as one of his former teachers. He thanked me openly for the training that he had received and said that he was still using some of the handouts that I had given him so many years ago to move his congregation forward.

Here is a part of the email that Pastor Armando sent me on my return to Atlanta from Cuba last year:

Dear Brother Winston, it has been a great blessing for me to be able to share with you after so many years of having met you at the Canaan Camp in May 2001. I thank our God for your visit to our church and for being able to testify how useful it has been for my ministry your ‘Workshop on Sharing the Faith.’ Thanks for praying for us. We will also be praying for you. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ fill your life and ministry.”  ~Armando

Thanks be to God for God’s blessings in our ministries, especially where God continues to multiply the witnesses for Christ through your ministry and mine for the sake of the Gospel of Christ and his Kingdom.

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Embracing the New Wine: Reflections on the Changing Landscape of Ministry by Larry Frank

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Embracing the New Wine: Reflections on the Changing Landscape of Ministry by Larry Frank

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“In the crushing, in the pressing

You are making new wine

In the soil I now surrender

You are breaking new ground…”

New Wine by Hillsong Worship

My story of crushing and pressing really began in the middle of the pandemic. That’s when I gradually realized that the seminary training I received no longer aligned with reality. The U.S. Church faced successive shockwaves – COVID, the tragic death of George Floyd, a tumultuous general election, January 6, and more. One of my mentors describes those days as marked by disease, disaster, disorientation, and division. The fallout exposed the fault lines in most churches, including my own shortcomings as a leader and follower of Jesus.

For nearly 15 years, I served as a pastor, climbing the “leadership ladder” with zeal. A few years ago, I found myself as the Lead Pastor of one of the larger churches in my conference. I thrived on metrics like average worship attendance and professions of faith. Everything seemed to trend upward until it didn’t. It all abruptly changed. The division stemming from polarizing events made it challenging to sustain congregational unity. Beloved members left the church. Many chose alternative activities over Sunday morning services while we operated solely online. Many never returned.

The limitations of the attractional church model, which I was trained to implement, became glaringly apparent. Regardless of the soaring music or meticulously crafted sermons, attendance didn’t rebound. Beautiful buildings, student ministry programs, affinity groups, classes, and bible studies lost their effectiveness. As I grappled with this realization, I came to understand that the future church would not be the same I encountered as a 14-year-old new believer.

I initially resisted change, echoing Mr. Wesley’s tension toward the established church of his era. Wesley was simultaneously committed to its structure while acknowledging its need for renewal. In his Letter from Dublin in 1789, he wrote, “In religion I am for as few innovations as possible. I love the old wine best.”* But this wine was no longer good for the table.

I began to press into what it would look like for tradition and innovation to coexist. In my research on church structure and strategy, I leaned into an approach of “both/and.” Could there be a sacred synthesis of attractional and incarnational, established and emerging, all existing together?

This journey led to an awakening in my spirit. The emerging church in our context could look more like field preaching of Wesley’s day than anything else. While the Sunday morning gathering remains relevant, church in pubs, coffee shops, breakrooms, under shade trees, and in homes also finds its place. Yes, there will be vocal detractors. However, the misconception lies in viewing established churches and emerging forms as mutually exclusive; they can and should coexist, enriching and shaping one another to share the gospel in diverse contexts.

I still find some of these more innovative ways of doing and being church strange, so I continue to find great comfort that John Wesley was still uncomfortable with field preaching many years after its beginning. He would write in his journal, “What marvel the devil does not love field preaching? Neither do I – I love a commodious room, a soft cushion, an handsome pulpit. But where is my zeal if I do not trample all these under foot in order to save one more soul?”** Two decades of field preaching and he still had difficulty reconciling the practice. Still, Wesley was willing to embrace it as he saw the gospel reach people.

Last June marked a significant change for my family as we departed from the familiar confines of our state and the denomination we had always called home. We bid farewell to the “commodious room” and “handsome pulpit” to embark on a new journey as part of the pastoral team at a multisite church located in southwest Florida. Here, the principles of attractional and missional converge seamlessly. Our Sunday gatherings are vibrant, drawing in many souls. Yet, amidst the effectiveness of traditional ministry programming, I find myself engaging in more and more field preaching. Nowadays, this entails sitting on a sidewalk, sharing a simple bottle of water with a homeless couple, lending an ear to someone’s story, or assisting them in finding their way to detox. It involves sharing a meal and embracing individuals whose lives and perspectives differ vastly from mine. These endeavors provide the same gospel space as the pulpit on Sunday morning. 

My affection for traditional brick-and-mortar churches remains unwavering. There’s undeniable passion and vitality in that model. However, I’ve come to realize that the future of the church, especially in reaching new people, lies in smaller, more adaptable structures grounded in authentic relationships. 

Reflecting on Christ’s command to spread the gospel, I invite you to ponder with me the sacrifices we must be willing to make (trample under foot) in order to make room for reaching even one more.

The new wine is worth it, can we make this our prayer?

“Jesus, bring new wine out of me…

‘Cause where there is new wine there is power

There is new freedom

And the Kingdom is here

I Lay down my old flames

To carry Your new fire today.”

* Letter from Dublin, June 20, 1789, The Letters of the Rev. John Wesley, A.M., ed John Telford (London: Epworth, 1931), 8:145.

** John Wesley, Journal and Diaries IV, (1755-1765), ed. W. Reginald Ward and Richard P. Heitzenrater (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1992), 21:203.

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Christ Between Us by Joseph Seger

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Christ Between Us by Joseph Seger

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“Good morning, pastor.”  “I am so glad you are my pastor.”  “If only we had a different pastor.”  “It must be nice to be a pastor and work only an hour a week.”  “Sorry, I shouldn’t say that in front of a pastor.”  “You, are a pastor?”

I have been a pastor for more than a decade now. The comments no longer surprise me even if the emotions raised may linger. The blessings of the calling far outweigh the predictable misunderstandings of the many. I get to meet so many gracious people and bear witness to meaningful moments in their lives. Through this, I have learned the intimacy held in sharing the gospel is not so unique. I joke with people that I get to be a ‘professional Christian.’ Laughter often follows, but then a pause, as the thought clicks. There is something about pastoring that all Christians can be about. It can be found by anyone who places Christ before them. And this is good news for all.

As a pastor, I have many stories and received many blessings as I attempt to be faithful to the office. I appreciate Eugene Peterson’s vision of a pastor, “The role of the pastor is to embody the gospel. And of course to get it embodied, which you can only do with individuals, not in the abstract.” Diving into the everydayness of people’s lives creates an intimacy which is singular, and ever present.  The uniqueness comes with the privilege of the calling. People who love Jesus grant me an unearned peak into the vulnerability of their lives. The good, the bad, the ugly, the downright scary, and the tucked-away, hidden dramas that yield great hope and great pain in what’s to come.

I knew of this before being a pastor, but it becomes more profound as each encounter reframes and refreshes this truth. Encounters made possible by the name of Jesus – not me and my own glory. Many of those I encounter are meeting me for the first time. Why would I have any intimate connection with the person who just met me? Why would anyone feel at ease in sharing guarded truths of life and the longings of the heart with a stranger?

I can point to training, title, theology – no matter.  It’s not earned. It remains a privilege. Because of Jesus. One more closely guarded the more we hear of people who abuse the office of pastor. (Lord hear our prayers) Peter knew long ago the temptations which come with such unearned trust, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:2-3)  

Before being a pastor, I thought they (do not ask me to tell you who I thought ‘they’ were) taught pastors exactly what to say to earn this trust. Like a reference book in which one could look up ‘teenage drama,’ ‘dying friend,’ ‘’moving across the country,’ ‘childhood trauma,’ ‘wedding nerves,’ ‘unexpected cancer diagnosis,’ ‘family dysfunction,’ etc. – find the phrase, posture, or prescription – and then fix what is broken. Indeed you can find these books on shelves, but no matter how many are obtained, are appropriate, or have the perfect post-mortem point – none ever fit. Real life never imitates the precision of a crafted scenario or the cold analysis of what should have been.

Seminary does not prepare you for the intimacy the gospel provides in ministry. It can be a wonderful and formative experience. It can teach all about how others have thought and acted throughout history about matters near and dear to your life. Indeed good seminaries will open, challenge, and guide your perspective into expansive mysteries previously unknown. However, they do not then live your life, make your decisions, or wrestle with the reality of a broken world in real-time. They do not address the administrative challenges, random conversations, and frequent interruptions to a perfectly planned day of abstract theological reflection. Only time with Jesus and others does this.  And this happens in the reality of everyday encounters common to all.

Real life is so much better than ivory-tower abstractions and self-help scripts. There are imperfect people sharing with each other about real matters which have temporal consequences and eternal implications. I have found the words shared in those holy moments often seem unpolished and sparse, far from the theological precision and self-help wordsmithing of the guidebooks and classroom. Yet, they become the right words, for they bear witness to the uniqueness of a moment entrusted to our mutual faith in Jesus. And though I can share the entire journey and humbling experiences which brought me to my current role as pastor – it is still the people’s love of Jesus, entrusted to the local church, which connects us.

I thought this was unique for the few called and privileged who got to be a “professional Christian.”  Only, I hear stories. Good news about how God is working in and through people who never went to seminary. People who often could not quote chapter and verse to back up their unorganized theology. They have the audacity to believe their love of Jesus and His love of them is enough to meet strangers on the road of life. Without theological training, prescribed psychological approaches, or prior experience they sense the Holy Spirit calling them to share their love with others. Because Jesus is enough.

Venturing into the real world, I hear of prayer in office break rooms and school hallways. I know of studies amongst friends and families which no church has organized. I see testimonies on social media which no pastor curated. I know of strangers who have prayed for me in public. Time and time and time again, without knowing who I was or what I did, people have prayed for me in airports, provided for my family in a moment of need, and ministered to me because of their love for Jesus. Jesus is a bridge between us all.

As a pastor, I am deeply moved and humbled by this.  I still see clearly the need for pastors in Christ’s church in this muddled, distracted world. It remains a privilege to ‘professionally’ preach the Word, sit with others, listen, share, and challenge to live like Jesus. I am just astonished and joyful this ministry happens so often outside of the church, and by so many. God may have known what He was doing when he put the world peace plan on the line with ‘love your neighbor.’

There is something about the good news of Jesus which compels us – no matter our calling – to share beyond ourselves and into community with others. There is something about Jesus that connects us, no matter our calling. 

And this is good news for all.

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The Grief of Leaders: Solitary & Shared by Pete Bellini

When church leaders grieve, there is sometimes a spiritual reality that makes the grief of a pastor or priest slightly distinct from the grief of other leaders. Grief and reality pair together; anytime we find ourselves grieving, we find ourselves responding at multiple levels to what we perceive to be true, as cartoons remind us whenever someone cries over a character thought to be dead, their tears changing to joy when someone proves alright. So anyone’s experience of grief may itself be real even if it doesn’t correspond either to reality or to the usual proportions of navigating this world: senior citizens with Alzheimer’s “sundowners” syndrome may at the end of the day weep at things they only perceive in their minds, quite apart from the physical surroundings of a nursing home. Young children may cry “big tears” over something that, to adults, seems quite a small thing, and yet, to the child, it is enormous; the child, who doesn’t yet know of genocide or extinction.

When we read in Scripture that Christians do not grieve as the world grieves, the point made is that we do not grieve as those do who have no hope. Another ramification is that we do not grieve as the world grieves because in terms of epistemology – how we know – by the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of Christ, we see differently and know differently and therefore grieve differently; we grieve many of the same things, yet some very different things. The spiritual reality in which we participate is connected to the presence of God and also to our role in the universe we affirm God created. Christians may explore and study the empirical world with joyful glee and curiosity and also express that there is this and. There is more to the world than the tangible.

So in addition to what might be called the “natural grief” that pastors and church leaders encounter, there is the grief that echoes, originates from, returns to, and expresses the heart of the Trinity – a kind of spiritual grief or lament that sees evil, sees the out-of-joint misalignment of the world, sees disordered loves, and responds with sorrow. The liturgy of the church, like bumpers on a bowling alley lane, prevents us from going off-course by any instinct to “grieve” over the evil in our world without also sitting with remorse for the lack of love in our own hearts: “most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.”

So what are some of the “natural” griefs pastors and church leaders experience? They may range from sitting with someone’s loved ones to deliver bad news, to sorrow at moving to a new church, to shepherding a congregation through property destruction from natural disaster, to learning a beloved church member and friend has died suddenly. Many pastors are accustomed to encountering many more funerals and hospital waiting rooms than the average person – yet by and large, these are things that most people would also grieve, whether or not they’re a Christian.

Some of these “natural” griefs are experienced largely in isolation, like moving to a new church, while others are experienced as shared grief, like the loss of a church building to a tornado, or when a congregation mourns a terminal cancer diagnosis for a child. Though Jesus later raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus saw the mourning and grief over Lazarus’ death, and first wept with those affected by the death. This was a communal, shared grief over the death of a good and beloved man.

When leaders experience spiritual grief or lament, it brings a new – and sometimes draining or demanding – layer to natural grief. When Jesus came near to Jerusalem, what was his response? “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:41-42, NRSV)

Unfailingly, the anointing of the Holy Spirit reshapes what and how we grieve, the actions we take in response, and how we take those actions. Unfailingly, whatever our own natural temperaments or cultural upbringing, the Holy Spirit is kind to the gaps in our awareness by gently or not-so-gently revealing what we fail to love, by what we fail to grieve – usually by allowing us to see, if we’re willing, and to grieve, if we’re willing. Unfailingly, the Holy Spirit calls us to see and apprehend and grieve what Jesus Christ grieves, not just what your Grandma grieved, not just what your culture grieves.

There are times natural grief and spiritual grief and lament overlap. There is natural, communal, shared grief over the death of a good and beloved man. There is also spiritual grief and lament over evil, when that man was Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who died while leading a Bible study because an armed White supremacist was determined to follow through on his plan to kill members of a historic Black church. For Rev. Pinckney’s friends and family, the natural grief of loss collided with grief at the past and ongoing active evil of White supremacy. Those who didn’t know him personally were still able to grieve the evil that ended his life. Where did spiritual grief take family members of some of the churchgoers who died at that Bible study? Through their natural grief, their spiritual grief also allowed them to tell a young man who took many innocent lives that they forgave him, that God loves him, but that he needed God’s mercy on his soul for the lives he took. They saw both: both the horrible crater blasted in their families through the loss of their loved ones, and the damage to his own soul that this young man caused when he chose to terrorize and murder others.

Why is it helpful, as a pastor, to ask yourself if you’re experiencing “natural” grief, or spiritual grief or lament, or a combination of both? Because they’re dealt with in different ways. Good therapists, strong support systems, healthy life rhythms, friends in the same vocation, sabbaticals, emotionally healthy discipleship, antidepressants, all these can at times be helpful to anyone grieving and to pastors and church leaders in particular.

Spiritual grief also needs those good foundations in place, yet comes with that earlier and. There is the tangible world, and. Why does the Holy Spirit allow us to see, to perceive and apprehend, to join our mourning to the revealed heart of the Trinity that spills out a fraction of the grief of God at the suffering and evil by, in, and toward humans and creation?

Spiritual grief allows you to pray differently; beyond outer circumstances into the reality with and beyond. Spiritual grief cues you to pay attention, to make room to pay attention, and to practice the hard work of listening and discerning between your own grief or responses or ideas, and God’s. Spiritual grief allows you to see and act differently, when God allows you to come face-to-face with suffering to which you’d previously been oblivious. Spiritual grief drives you back to the Word of God as sustaining, irreplaceable, life-giving, and perspective-setting; truly, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Spiritual grief is understood by and to a degree also carried by mature people of faith who have a deep life of intercession and deep experience of both the grief and the joy and confidence found in the practices of the life of faith.

Grief of any kind is never comfortable. We would outrun it with busyness, if we could, or hide from it silently as it prowls back and forth, or give voice to it, longing to broadcast our tormented howls daily on a loudspeaker.

Whatever month grief first appears, however long it stays, once a year, the church marks a day where “natural” and spiritual grief or lament overlap. On Ash Wednesday, Christians set aside a day for grief – we grieve mortality; we grieve, perhaps, those we have returned to the earth; and we grieve the decaying effects of evil, and the reach of evil into our world, into even our own hearts. And then, we turn our eyes toward Lent, and the long road to the cross, and the shaking road away from an empty – an empty – a definitively empty tomb, that proclaims the last word, anchoring even spiritual grief in the reality of hope; because both spiritual grief and hope find their origin in the heart of God, who enters our dusty mortality, weeps with those who weep, and sets all things toward the inescapably new.

Thanks to Dr. Pete Bellini for his related insights on the spiritual gift of prophetic intercession.

Elizabeth Glass Turner is Managing Editor of Wesleyan Accent.

Featured image courtesy Kira Porotikova via Unsplash.