2007 was my first full-year as a daddy and lead pastor. 365 days of learning! Here's what God has taught me on this journey...
7. TALL TREES ATTRACT WIND.
I'm a start-from-scratch church planter. A year and a half ago, Catalyst did not exist. Now it does. In 2007, we literally tripled in weekend attendance - just one of many signs of lives being transformed by the Gospel and God's hand upon our feeble efforts as missionaries in north-east Ohio. Seriously, Catalyst would have flopped long ago if God hadn't intervened!
When healthy things grow, people notice.
Some cheer, some criticize.
Some encourage the efforts of church plants, others seek to tear down.
Or as an ancient Chinese proverb says, "Tall trees attract wind."
Higher education in North America teaches 2 things:
1) Deconstructionism of authority
2) Relationships are disposable
As a result, I'm learning that in a church plant environment, we can't be surprised when rocks are thrown; it's just people living out what they have been taught by higher education (yes, I am also a product of higher education with a master's degree; this is something I'm unlearning as a result!). Honestly, being a target can be discouraging.
But as my wife once told me,
"Instead of telling God how big your storm is,
why don't you tell the storm how big your God is!"
Heading into 2008, I'm choosing to be part of the former group that cheers and encourages.
I want to be waving the flag of "The Kingdom," not "My Kingdom."
I want to be a pastor who is more about unity and less about fragmentation.
I want to be a father who initiates reconciliation and seeks to find common ground amidst misunderstanding.
At a corporate level, our leadership at Catalyst is specifically encouraging 2 different church planters to choose Kent as their planting sites in late 2008 and 2009! Can you imagine what would happen if north-east Ohio got rocked by a Kingdom-minded movement?
It's not about competition, it's about Jesus.
Great post! Keep the lessons coming!
Posted by: ryan | Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 05:43 PM