Okay, so it’s been a little more than two decades. But, since I did spend a few years not pastoring during that time, I figure it’s close enough. As I mentioned in this post, I recently had the chance to visit my old Bible College. It brought back a lot of memories for me. During the long drive home, I spent some time trying to remember how I viewed pastoral ministry as I attended college. I thought I’d share some of those thoughts and compare them to what I’ve found to be true about pastoral ministry over the past 20 years. (From this point forward, I am going to refer to pastoral ministry as simply ministry. I’m a little uneasy doing so. I believe that there are so many different “ministries” other than pastoring. However, I’m lazy and don’t feel like typing out pastoral ministry every few sentences!)
My call to ministry had a number of elements. One of the most significant moments came as I prayed in the sanctuary of Lakeshore Pentecostal Camp. I was asking God to take my life and lead me however he would choose. As I prayed, I had a vision of speaking before a large crowd. In the crowd were all kinds of different people. These people didn’t look like they fit in the typical church environment. I asked God to use me to reach “anyone.”
During my first few years at the school, I simply wanted to fit in. I conformed. It wasn’t hard to do at the school, because you were expected to look a certain way, act a certain way, even talk a certain way. The school was famous for creating cookie cutter preachers. I did my best to fit the mould.
It was in my last year, after meeting Heather, that I found myself defining the kind of ministry I wanted to be part of. I described a church full of outsiders, misfits, addicts, and outcasts. I saw these people sitting next to professionals, suburbanites, and other mainstream people. On more than a few nights, Heather and I would talk about such a place.
The journey of shaping me as a pastor was an interesting one. I had the opportunity to serve in a variety of church settings. But now, two decades later, I find myself pastoring not one, but two churches that easily fit the description Heather and I had back in those college years. I’m in awe of that reality.
As I sat through Brit’s orientation meetings this past weekend, I heard people talk about allowing God to shape them during their college years. God did that for me (and Heather). We were shaped. While it didn’t happen right away, we have seen the fulfillment of the vision God put on our hearts two decades ago. Amazing.
Now, the reality of pastoring such a church isn’t what I thought it would be 20 years ago, but that’s for another post.
What about you? Are you living out what you envisioned you would be doing twenty years ago?
