Well...I can finally talk about something that has been in the works for quite a while now. After months of prayer, soul searching, talking with trusted friends, more prayer, and more soul searching...I have accepted the Senior Ministry position at First Christian Church in Monroe, GA.
Last night, as I sat on a stool in front of my youth group at Crosspoint Christain Church and explained my decision to them, the thoughts and emotions running through my head were too many to describe with mere words. I have spent the past 14+ years of my life in full-time youth ministry and I still love working with teenagers. As a matter of fact, the group I have now is the most spiritually mature and committed group I have ever worked with. Leaving them is going to be hard.
As I made the announcement to them, I read the story from Matthew 9:9-13 where Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him and joins Matthew and his tax collector friends for dinner. The Pharisees couldn't understand why Jesus would want to hang out with these people, you know - the sinners, the non-religious types, the dispised people of their culture. Jesus' simple reply was, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Jesus made it clear that He was going to go to the greatest need. He wanted to be where He was needed most.
First Christian Church in Monroe has been through an amazingly difficult struggle in the past year or so. Many have left the church for a multitude of reasons. I have had several people try to discourage me from taking this ministry because of these "problems". I am fully aware that it is not an easy or coveted task that I am taking on.
The natural question to ask is, "WHY?". Why leave a healthy and growing youth ministry with a strong core group of kids who are thinking about going into ministry themselves one day? Why leave that behind to face an uncertain struggle with a church that has faced some serious problems in the very recent past?
To be honest, the only way I can explain it is to say that I truly sense the Spirit of God calling me to do something hard for His kingdom. I truly believe He is calling me to the greater need right now. We need a strong Christian Church in Monroe, GA. We need a church that is passionate about serving and loving that community. If I am the tool that God wants to use to make that happen, I am honored to answer that call. I truly believe that God wants this church to succeed and to carry out His mission no matter what struggles they have faced.
As I concluded my message to the youth group last night I saw the looks you would expect when you tell a group of kids that you are leaving them after six years of loving and mentoring them. There were tears and there were questions. But there was something else that I have never seen in a youth group before. Right after we dismissed with prayer, a couple of our student leaders called the core group together in our prayer room and asked me to join them. What I heard confirmed my decision. These kids were starting to plan how they were going to rise up and lead this youth ministry forward. They understood that I was following God's call and it was time for them to answer that call as well by making sure this youth ministry continues to reach students in its community. They understood that it was up to them to apply what we have been teaching and talking about for so long.
It is awesome thing to see the discipleship process at work. I can't wait to see how God uses the students at Crosspoint in ministry. I also can't wait to see how God is able to use me as I begin a new journey with FCC Monroe.
No comments:
Post a Comment