A few updates on ministry…
(I haven’t forgotten about this. Trust me. I’ve gotten started on about seven followup Part 2′s and somehow never quite get them there. I have appreciated your comments and insights so much. I am still processing through it and that’s part of the reason why I’m writing it out. I process things by writing and so I appreciate that you all are on this journey with me.)
We heard back from the C&MA denomination. They received all of our work and references and wanted to set up a panel interview for accreditation. So Brian had that interview last Thursday. It went very well. He was accredited on the spot. They particularly remarked on his “passion and humility”. I think that really sums up so much about him these days, how he has changed and grown over the years. A lot of people have described him as passionate or driven or focused over the years. The humility is a new addition. And it’s true.
I have been rather introspective about the accreditation. This is a bit like the first shoots in the ground after a long planting season in our life. We have been planting, tending and waiting for years now. And so to be seeing these first bits of movement towards pastoring again is humbling and sweet. We were talking it over and realised that without these four years, they likely wouldn’t have described Brian as humble. These four years have planted the seeds of humility in him.
Oh, the changes we’ve experienced. They are staggering sometimes.
Plus they asked him tons of theological and scriptural questions. Things like “explain to me why the deity of Christ matters” or “what is redemption?” and then just handed him a Bible. And he knew where to go and what to say. I don’t know that he would have been able to do that four years ago. Even after university undergrad in theology and pastoral care. He just knows his Bible so much better because its written in his heart now.
Our next step is to investigate and pray about starting a church. Yes, for reals. We’re going to do a bit of a church planters assessment and then a boot-camp of sorts (that’s what they call it…which makes me laugh and shake my head a little – oh, these denominations). Then, if we decide to move forward with that, then we’ll likely be partnered with an existing church that has a heart for mothering a new church, work there as pastors for several years and then be sent out to start the new church.
It’s an ideal situation from my perspective right now. I feel we could use a few more years of pastoring and mentoring. Plus I have never felt comfortable with the Darwinian method of church planting (survival of the fittest) and just starting something up to hope for the best. This feels much more organic and purposeful, family and community driven.
So there’s that.
