I resigned from the first church I pastored without anywhere to go. It was a difficult church - and I learned later, it was known for being a difficult church even though it was less than 10 years old. To provide for my family, I fell back on my undergrad work and began working in an internet start-up. Seven years, three internet start-ups and a Microsoft certification later, along with some PhD classes in organizational and mass communications, God opened a door to again pastor a young mission church in Delaware. One year later, we’ve accomplished a lot organizationally and foundationally.
In my first pastorate, and in seminary and college, I read deep stuff. I translated the passage that I was preaching for the week. I sat around with people discussing the whether or not part of Ephesians was a hymn inserted by Paul. I loved it. My girlfriend in seminary, who later became my wife, called me a nerd because I was so into the deep things.
Spending all that time with young, immature christians in churches and pagans in the marketplace, I lost that edge. Preparing myself for ministry, should that arise again was my goal while I wasn’t in full-time ministry, so I read the pragmatic stuff. Pastoring again, I have spent more time on how to make something practical and applicable to the people’s lives, more so than taking them into the depths of scripture.
It’s time to make a change, however. Deep is calling back to deep. I have to say that this is very intriguing to me.
It’s amazing to see the necessity of the theological underpinnings within a person’s life. A person can only go so long without depth. There is such a need for myself to dig deep, to struggle through the issues, and it cannot be avoided. What I worry about is the pendelum swinging the opposite way, that it becomes extreme doctrine and theology, without the practical application.
And I see our people needing it, and longing for it, whether they know it or not. And it’s changing my approach, my thought process, my own personal longings. I have an idea as to what we are going to do, and I am looking forward to the people responding to it. The church will only go as deep as I teach them, and it’s time to go deep.
Deep is calling to deep! And I’m diving in.
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Deep Calls to Deep
August 4th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
Personal application in a christians life outside the church walls is essential, but before they can be passionate they have to understand.