I spent most of yesterday with Jeff Forester,
lead pastor of Heritage Church outside Detroit.
Heritage is a great name for a church.
And as a side-note: I loved their worship guy's name - Jimmy Savage.
Seriously, that's not a stage name, it's his real name.
Isn't that rockstar awesome?!
Anyhow, Jeff is an experienced visionary with an encouraging heart. From the outside looking in, Heritage looks like an overnight success story, reaching 1200 every weekend at their recently-opened new building.
Get this: they completely renovated an old AMC 10-screen theater into a new, Gen X-style worship center. Fantastic location. Trust me, it's amazing.
But Jeff will be the first to tell you that Heritage is Built Over Time.
Ministry vibrancy today only came after
15 years of ministry failures and heartaches.
Hearing his church leadership journey was inspiring:
letdowns, false accusations made very publicly, relationships treated as disposable by past friends... Jeff has experienced it all.
He walked through 15 years of bumps and bruises in the church world wilderness before his family finally arrived at their promised land, Heritage.
You see, God allows church leaders to walk through misunderstandings, sheep bites, and criticisms to prepare you for what He has lined up ahead.
In Jeff's case, leading a then 5-year-old church plant of 240 people
toward greater vibrancy and health.
God's not done with you yet.
Heritage is built over time.
So persevere.
It's part of His refining process.
Just ask Jeff.
