`lkkb`qfkd tfqe dlaW Developing an Authentic and Rich Devotional Life by Pat Springle Connecting Innovators to Multiply www.leadnet.org Article Summary The church has a long, rich history of men and women who pursued God with all their hearts. Pat Springle shares many of the difficulties and breakthroughs a few next generation pastors have experienced in their personal devotion times. Further Reading Communicating W ith the P ostmodern Culture: A uthenticity and T ruth by Pat Springle Creating a Culture of Balance: A Mandate for Next Gener ation P astors by Pat Springle L EADERSHIP N ETWORK
Transcript
`lkkb`qfkd tfqe dlaW
Developing an Authentic and Rich Devotional Life
by Pat Springle
Connecting Innovators to Multiplywww.leadnet.org
Article SummaryThe church has a long, rich history of men andwomen who pursued God with all their hearts. Pat Springle shares many of the difficulties andbreakthroughs a few next generation pastors haveexperienced in their personal devotion times.
Further ReadingCommunicating With the Postmodern Culture:Authenticity and Truth by Pat Springle
Creating a Culture of Balance: A Mandate for NextGeneration Pastors by Pat Springle
“When I’m in touch with God’s heart, I’m a betterhusband, friend, and minister,” explains MattEvans, pastor of Rock Bridge Community Churchin Dalton, GA (http://www.rockbridge.cc). “It’s
not about being legalistic.Passion for God producesdiscipline because I instinctivelyprioritize what’s most valuable tome. God invites me to know him:‘Be still and know that I am God’(Psalm 46:10). And when I pursuehim, God reveals himself in waysI don’t expect. When I open myheart to him and his word, hespeaks words of correction,direction, and affirmation.”
But others have difficulty carvingout a meaningful devotional life.One pastor complained, “I
wonder if other pastors struggle with theirdevotional lives as much as I do. Sometimes it’srich and real, but often it feels like I’m just goingthrough the motions. There has to be more to itthan what I’m experiencing. I’m sure God wantsmy times with him to be much closer and muchdeeper than they are right now.”
These conflicting perspectives about pastors’devotional lives are shared by other nextgeneration pastors—church leaders in their 30swho are growing in influence and impact. Everychurch leader admits that a meaningfuldevotional life is important, but several factorsconspire to dilute it: The constant and enormousdemands of leadership threaten to crowd out
time with God, andmisconceptions aboutconnecting with Goddampen the flame ofdesire. These leadersdetest legalistic demands,but they long for God totouch their hearts day inand day out.
The most meaningfulrelationships in our livesare celebrations ofaffection, not rigidlyobserved traditions. Les
Hughes, pastor of Westwood Baptist Church inAlabaster, AL (http://www.wwbc.org) observes, “I don’t tell my wife I’m going to spend 20minutes with her doing one thing and then 20 minutes doing something else, and call that a ‘relationship.’ It’s much more fluid, more varied, and more about understanding andcommunicating ourhearts than goingthrough some arbitrarymotions. In relationshipwith people, sometimesI’m talking, and some-times I’m listening, andsometimes we’re justtogether and nobody istalking. It’s that kind ofrelationship I’m trying tocultivate with God.”
q~áäçêÉÇ íç cáí“One size definitely doesn’t fit all.” The followinganalysis of young leaders’ pursuits of God beginswith the idea of tailoring their devotional life to fittheir personality and lifestyle. It examines the roleof discipline, the complexity of motivation, andthe need for encouragement and accountability.Next generation pastors are deeply committed toGod, and they want their ministries to flow out ofa heart that is full of God’s truth, mercy, andpower. They offer advice to other pastors—adviceas varied as their own personalities andcircumstances. Guilt may produce a strongbeginning, but it’s a poor finisher. Their insightsand advice are designed to kindle heartfelt lovefor God and obedience to him, a heart thatdoesn’t have time or space for guilt.
The church leaders quoted in this paper are allnext generation pastors who have seen rapidgrowth in their churches and who have earned therespect of others in their sphere of influence.
pÉé~ê~íÉ çê tçîÉå qçÖÉíÜÉê\Virtually every next generation pastor interviewedhas strong convictions about whether theirdevotional lives should be separate from theirsermon preparation or woven into it—but thoseconvictions are polarized. Troy Shaw, pastor of
EVERY CHURCH
LEADER ADMITS THAT
A MEANINGFUL
DEVOTIONAL LIFE IS
IMPORTANT, BUT
SEVERAL FACTORS
CONSPIRE TO
DILUTE IT.
Passion for God producesdiscipline.
Relationships are celebrations ofaffections, not rigidly observed
The Oasis Church in Loganville, GA(http://www.theoasischurch.org) remarked, “Ihave to keep my devotions separate from studyingfor my message or they’ll become too academic.I’ve tried it both ways, and blending them makesmy spiritual life dry.”
But others take an opposing view. Daniel Montgomery, pastor of SojournCommunity Church in Louisville, KY(http://www.sojournchurch.com) has a holisticview: “Pastors are achievement oriented, and wework with words all the time, so I find itimpossible to divorce my devotions from myministry. They necessarily bleed over into eachother. At first, I felt guilty about that, but not anymore.” But Daniel doesn’t feel that weaving hisdevotions and sermon prep is a static model. Heexplains, “Sometimes God uses my study for amessage series to grab my heart and teach me richlessons about him, but at other times, mymeditations are separate from my study formessages. Sometimes, I read devotional booksthat have nothing to do with a sermon series, but
quite often, God uses my times of study to convictme of how far I fall short of his best. Either way, Iconnect with God because he reveals himself andcalls me to obedience.”
The pressure of leadership sometimes necessitatesunusual measures to stay fresh in ministry. TomHughes, Fusion Team Leader at the ChristianAssembly Foursquare Church in Los Angeles, CA(http://www.caeaglerock.com) kept a hecticschedule. At one point in his ministry—prior tocoming to his current church—he taught 150times a year. He remembers, “Every time I openedthe Bible, it was to get something—anything!—formy next message. I felt like I was following a pacecar. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t catch up.Before long, I felt empty, but I couldn’t ever stopand refuel. For me, creativity takes time, and Ihad trouble just finding something to say threetimes a week.” In this situation, Tom found thatkeeping two separate journals helped him carveout a meaningful devotional life that was separatefrom the pressures of message preparation.“Work life was consuming my devotional life, and
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Larry Osborne, Lead Pastor of North Coast Church in Vista, CA(http://www.northcoastchurch.com) and author of The Contrarian’s Guide toKnowing God
Be careful when t looking for recipes for your devotional life. Instead, find what worksfor you. Our relationship with God is much like marriage. Some couples try to followprescribed formulas that promise success, their marriage is in shambles. Others break allthe rules, but have a great relationship. Discover what stirs your heart toward God andprompts you to become more obedient to him.
Fact is: some of us are highly structured and love to read, so the traditional methods may work well, butthe dyslexics in our church will have a hard time reading, and those who are highly relational won’t getmuch out of lengthy solitude. I recommend trying all the traditional tools of spiritual discipline to seewhat works for you, keep what works and cast the rest aside.
The goal isn’t to feel close to God. Jesus said, “If you love me, you’ll obey my commands.” Whereverpeople define their devotional life as a way to primarily feel close to God, I like to ask them about theirobedience. Feelings can be flighty. Real love of God shows up in obedience.
I find that people feel guilty about their devotional lives for one of two reasons: They either feel badbecause they aren’t measuring up to some arbitrary, unreachable external standard of Bible reading andprayer, or they feel convicted because they know they aren’t being obedient to God in some area of theirlives. The second one is the prompting of the Spirit. The first is a dead end street.
Finally, young leaders today need someone in their lives to serve as a truth teller. Too often, we wait untilthere’s a crisis to find help, but we need someone to step into our life on a regular basis to speak truthand encourage.
It’s not enough to hope we’ll have a close walk with God. A plan and a few good partners make thatgood intention a reality.
I wasn’t hearing from God about me,” heremembers. “During that time, I needed help toseparate my relationship with Christ from mywork for him.”
“kç oìäÉëI gìëí oáÖÜí”The advertising slogan for Outback Steakhouse fitsmany next generation pastors’ attitude about theirdevotional lives. Instead of feeling constrained tofit a traditional devotional model, they recognizethat they get far more out and give far more backif they recognize the impact of their personality,gifting, and life’s seasons on every relationship,including their relationship with God.
mÉêëçå~äáíó ~åÇ dáÑíáåÖMost pastors know the importance of recognizingdifferent personality traits in themselves andthose they lead, but strangely, some still take a “cookie cutter” approach to spiritual life. Manynext generation pastors, however, realize
that their personalitiesand gifting shape their devotional lives.Some are action-oriented, but othersare reflective. Someenjoy extended timesof solitude, but othersprefer interaction.Some connect withGod through nature,music, or other things that stimulate
worship, but for others, these things are annoyingdistractions.
Though the fundamentalingredients of Bible reading,reflection, and prayer arecommon in virtually everymodel of devotional life, theytake widely varied forms. Tocreate a meaningful devotionallife, wise leaders recognize thelink between personality andparticular models.
Noel Heikkinen, pastor of Riverview Church inHolt, MI (http://www.rivchurch.com) explainsthat some of the spiritual disciplines used forcenturies simply don’t fit his personality: “I’msuch an extrovert that solitude canactually become a destructive disciplinefor me if I’m not careful. When I’malone with my thoughts and pray toolong, my mental process gets tied into aknot and I get stuck. I’m a verbalprocessor, so any time of solitude mustbe accompanied immediately byinteraction and verbal processing.”
Noel’s perspective about hisdevotional life correspondswith his theology about theway God leads his people. Heexplains, “I’m convinced thatGod gives direction incommunity, and I’m convincedthat he seldom gives it to someone apart fromcommunity.” Western culture,and particularly American culture, is fiercelyindividualistic, and in many churches, the pastoris perceived as the channel who uniquely hearsthe voice of God, receives direction, andcommunicates it to the people. Noel reacts tosuch a view: “This perspective distorts ourdevotional lives so that we expect God to give usdirection apart from the Word and input orfeedback from others. If we’re perceived as thesole the arbiters of God’s voice to our people, weget defensive if they question us. And as pastorsmodel this individualistic approach to spirituallife and leadership, other believers follow us andclaim, ‘God told me’ to do this or that, and theydefy anyone to disagree.” At the Jerusalemcouncil, church leaders wrestled with some of themost important issues of the early church. Theydidn’t look to one leader to tell them what Godwanted them to do. Instead, God led them as theycollaborated: “So we all agreed to choose somemen and send them to you with our dear friendsBarnabas and Paul” (Acts 15:25). Noel asserts,“That’s the model of spiritual life and wisdom weneed to follow.”
4
Some next generation pastors enjoyconnecting with God through nature.
pÉ~ëçåë ~åÇ oÜóíÜãëTraditional forms of spiritual disciplines (or atleast, common perceptions of them) don’t seem toadapt to changing conditions in people’s lives.Habits in devotional life can be very constructiveand profitable, but if they become too rigid, theyfail to draw us closer to God. Jesus followed asteady rhythm of public and private, engagement
and isolation. This patternprovided rest and refresh-ment so he could teachwith clarity and power,face opposition with aclear mind, and be readyfor every opportunity andobstacle.
In a slightly different vein,author and professorDallas Willard encouragespeople to align disciplinesof engagement with theirsins of omission, and align
disciplines of abstinence with their sinsof commission. Wes Furlong, pastor of Cape Christian Fellowship in CapeCoral, FL (http://www.capechristian.com)applied this principle when he wasspending too much time trying to growhis church. He relates, “I wasn’t servingpeople outside the walls of the church enough. Compassionate ministry
became a spiritual discipline where I learned toserve people as an ‘end’ rather than as a ‘meansto an end.’”
Young pastors feel the pressure of growingchurches and the demands of being a parent toyoung children. They realize that the opportunity
to pastor a church in the future will always bethere, but if they miss their children when they’regrowing up, those times are gone forever. StephenRussell, Jr., pastor of Calvary Baptist Church inBaltimore, MD (http://www.calvarybaltimore.com),has found that the rhythm of his life today is fardifferent than it was only few years ago. As ahusband and the father of small children, thedemands and joys of family life early in themorning consume the time he used to spend withthe Lord. He relates, “When one of my childrenneeds me in the morning, I want to be there. Fora while, I felt guilty because I was spending this time with my kids instead of following theprescribed time with God that I had done for years, but I got over it. Now I carve out timeduring the day toread God’s word andpray. Someday, whenthe children aregrown and gone,maybe the morningswill work again formy devotions, butnot now.”
Many pastors feelthey and their staffshouldn’t spend timewith God during theday because they’re “on the clock.” They feelguilty when they spent time with God at the officebecause, they insist, the business people in thechurch can’t do that. But some next generationpastors believe that pastoral ministry iscategorically different from the business world. Ifstaff members are getting their work done, theyare free to spend time with the Lord during theday. Some leaders encourage their staff to take
5
COMPASSIONATE
MINISTRY BECAME A
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
WHERE I LEARNED
TO SERVE PEOPLE AS
AN “END” RATHER
THAN AS A “MEANS
TO AN END.”
WES FURLONG
Michael Henderson, Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Community Church inMatthews, NC (http://www.nbccministries.org)
The goal of our devotional lives-and of life itself-is to develop an intimate relationshipwith God. Jesus modeled a wide variety of forms of spiritual life. Sometimes he prayedall night; sometimes he prayed short prayers. Sometimes he got away from the crowd tobe alone with the Father; sometimes he talked to the Father with people around. Theforms aren't the answer. They are simply tools to use in order to cultivate intimacy withGod. For me, the methods only make a difference if my heart is right toward him. ThenI'm open to his word.
As life changes many pastors must findnew times and ways to meet with God.
“short sabbaticals” of a couple of hours eachweek and a couple of days each month torecharge their spiritual engines.
Some next generation pastors notice that some oftheir friends in ministry have overreacted tolegalism, so they don’t meditate, pray, read theScriptures, or reflect on God’s truth. In theopinion of these next generation pastors, thosewho react so strongly against legalism andneglect their devotional lives aren’t tapping to thesource of grace and strength they need for lifeand ministry. For them, the decline of spiritual lifemay be swift or slow, but unplugging from thesource of life eventually will cause catastrophiceffects in these young leaders, in their familylives, and in their churches.
Brian Howard, pastor of Copperhill Community Church in Valencia, CA(http://www.copperhillchurch.org) remarks, “I’vegone to a number of church planting conferences,and I’m alarmed by all the leaders who have zerodevotional life. Without drawing on God’s grace,wisdom, and strength, they don’t have any way tofight against the flesh, temptation, and pride. Inmy life, my greatest temptations are sin and self-reliance. I have to stay close to God and let hisword sink deep into my heart. Pastor and authorJohn Piper says, ‘Prayer is the fuel for ministry.’Many things pull me away from God. I have tostay close to him—it’s not an option—so I haveenough fuel for my life and ministry.”
qÜÉ oçäÉ çÑ aáëÅáéäáåÉNext generation pastors reject guilt as amotivation, but discipline isn’t a dirty word tothem. They simply want their devotional habits tobe flexible, meaningful, and driven by theirpassion for God. Tyrone Barnette, pastor of PeaceBaptist Church in Stone Mountain, GA(http://www.peacebaptistchurch.org) relates, “I’vestruggled with legalism, but in the past couple ofyears, I’ve found new passion and a lifestyle ofdevotion to God. All day every day, I try to live ina prayerful mindset, aware of the presence ofGod. To do this, I have to eliminate distractions,like television, and fill that time with reflectionsand prayer. I sense God is drawing me closer tohim as I have become more aware of him all day.‘Practicing his presence’ is becoming a lifestyle.As I become more sensitive to the needs aroundme—a worry about my family, a church member’schild struggling, a marriage in trouble, a friendwith an addiction—I go to God dozens of timesevery day because I need his wisdom anddirection. Sometimes it comes quickly, sometimesit takes weeks, but I stay with him until I feeldirected and released.”
Many next generation pastors practice tried andtrue spiritual disciplines of Bible reading,meditation, and prayer, and most include someform of journaling to capture the insights Godgives them. In the past few years, thousands ofchurch leaders have been exposed to WayneCordeiro’s devotional approach, SOAP, which he
6
Prayer is the fuel for ministry.
Many pastors enjoy using Wayne Cordeiro’s SOAP method of devotion.
describes in his book, The Divine Mentor.1 Brieflystated, Cordeiro’s method can be outlined this way:
S… Scripture—After studying a longer passage,focus on a particular verse (or two) and write it inyour journal. O… Observation—Look carefully at the verse andask the questions who, what, when, where, how,and why? Write down your answers.A… Application—Consider how you canspecifically apply the truth of the passage so itbecomes real in your experience. P… Prayer—Write out a prayer asking God tohelp you apply the insights to your specificrelationships or circumstances in your life.
Discipline, personality, and flexibility cometogether in creative ways for some pastors. ShawnLovejoy, pastor of Mountain Lake Church inCumming, GA (http://www.mountainlakechurch.org)says that his mornings begin very early with along walk before life’s demands crowd in on him.He explains, “When I’m out there all alone withGod, I feel the freedom to express my emotionsand be real with him. It’s a different—andvaluable—exercise for me each day. When Iwhisper or pray quietly in my study or write in myjournal, I’m tempted to pray ‘pat’ prayers insteadof being authentic. For me, these walks are thetimes when I connect with God most fully. Thegoal isn’t to check off a box that I’ve done myduty to have a devotional time; the goal ofspiritual disciplines is to create a climate ofexpectation. My long walks do that for me.”
In their pursuit of authenticity, these pastorsrecognize that their flight from legalism requires
them to find a new way to “keep score.” Mark DeYmaz, pastor of Mosaic Church ofCentral Arkansas in Little Rock, AR(http://www.mosaicchurch.net) speaks for manyof them when he says, “I no longer look at timesor forms or practices as an end in themselves. I’mlearning to look for genuine passion for God, thedesire to connect with him and obey him, and I’mlearning to look for the fruit of that connection inlove, compassion for the disadvantaged,spontaneity, and thankfulness.”
Clive Neil, pastor of Bedford CentralPresbyterian Church in Brooklyn, NY(http://www.bedfordcentral.org) takes score-keeping a step farther: “I’ve learned to gage thequality of my devotion to God by the quality ofmy family relationships. My love, listening,compassion, understanding, and patience in myrelationship with them are physical, relationalmanifestations of my hearttoward God. If theserelationships aren’t doingwell, I’m sure myrelationship with Godneeds to go deeper andgrow stronger.”
Some see fasting as theultimate spiritual discipline,and many pastors have triedit from time to time. Dave Nelson, pastor of K2 The Church in Salt Lake City, UT(http://www.k2thechurch.com) has found that thespiritual power he experiences in fasting isbeyond his expectations, and even hiscomprehension: “By far the most significant thing
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BY FAR THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT THING
I’VE EVER DONE TO
CONNECT WITH
JESUS IS EXTENDED
FASTING.
John Jenkins, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Landover &Upper Marlboro, Md (http://www.fbcglenarden.org)
The key to our connection with God is the attitude of our hearts. If our hearts are sensitiveand pliable, any of the disciplines and forms can work for us, but if our hearts are cold,we'll use the disciplines to prove our spirituality, and that's dangerous. God's wordchallenges and softens my heart. If I have an open mind as I read the Scriptures, God useshis truth to affirm me, correct me, and guide me. The secret to thriving spiritually is todelight in God's word. That's what I've tried to impart to the people at our church.Sometimes it's rigorous work to study the Scriptures, but sooner or later, if I stay with it,God touches my heart and I delight in his truth.
I’ve ever done to connect with Jesus is extendedfasting, a month at a time. It’s unbelievablypowerful—so powerful that it’s a mystery—and itaffects me in every facet of my life. Fasting helpsme throw off things that hinder me in the race.When I’m fasting, the temptation to waste time,like watching ESPN for hours at a time, just goesaway. It’s not a hard choice at all. Fasting cleansesme from the things that aren’t sin, but are excessbaggage that slows me down. Then I can runmuch farther and faster.” Dave recounts hismotivations for extended times of fasting: “Thefirst time I fasted for a month was because I feltGod inviting me to do it. I was just responding tohis invitation. But I’ve also done it because Iwanted to seek God for an answer to a particularneed in our church.” Other people who have triedfasting found the experience counterproductivebecause gnawing hunger distracted them fromseeking God. Dave explains the turning point forhim: “For the first three days, it’s hard, but afterthat, I’m not hungry at all, and I feel incrediblyalive to God.”
Many next generation pastors don’t feel tied toparticular rituals, no matter how sacred they haveseemed to other generations. They look at theirpersonalities, seasons of life, and any othercircumstances that affect their devotional lives,and they use disciplines that work for them.
qÜÉ “tÜó?” nìÉëíáçåThe Scriptures offer a wide variety of motivationsfor following God and obeying his commands,and pastors are motivated to pursue God for all ofthese reasons, including longing, wonder, andpain. Rock Bridge’s Matt Evans speaks for many ofthem: “I want to seek God as his dearly lovedchild to develop a vibrant personal relationshipwith him. For me, it’s too easy to go to him as aresource for sermons or for power to do ministry.We live in tension between our personal passionsand our pastoral responsibilities, but we can’tlead people beyond where we are with God. Forthat reason, I have to always go deeper, but ‘goingdeeper’ often means going back to the basics ofspiritual disciplines so I can experiencefruitfulness and contentment.” {CAPTION: PastorMatt Evans strives to seek God as his “dearlyloved child”
Jesus’ disciples were often amazed at his powerand his teaching, but modern marvels intechnology and medicine threaten to pull oursense of wonder away from God and towardhuman scientific accomplishments. Recently,however, several authors have written books topique our sense of wonder in the greatness andgoodness of God, including Recapture theWonder by Ravi Zacharias and DangerousWonder by Mike Yaconelli. For some nextgeneration pastors, the awesome size of theuniverse doesn’t create as much wonder as the amazing grace of God. J. D. Greear, pastor of Summit Church in Durham, NC(http://www.summitchurch.cc), remarks, “Thegreatest wonder in all creation is the gospel ofgrace. My task every day is to center my mind onthe phenomenal truth of God’s unconditionallove, forgiveness, and mercy. It’s so easy for me tolook to others for approval, but I need to live foran audience of one. The more I understand howmuch he loves and accepts me—and that I don’tdeserve it at all—the more I delight in him andlive for him. Then I can see the work he has forme each day through the lens of the cross, and Ilearn to care for the things he cares about. Realchange happens when we experience, not justteach, the gospel. We love because we firstexperienced his love, we accept others becausewe experienced his acceptance of us, and weforgive because we’ve experienced his forgiveness.”
The wonder of God’s grace sometimes producessurprisingly rich insights and strong convictions.Devin Hudson, pastor of Grace Point Church inLas Vegas, NV (http://www.gracepointvegas.com),
8
Pastor Matt Evans strives to seek God as his “dearly loved child.”
relates, “The longer I walk with God, the moreconvinced I am of my own depravity and mydesperate need for grace. Recently, I’ve becomemore aware of my sinfulness, and I see the beautyof the cross more than ever. The journey for meisn’t becoming better and better, but realizing thedepth of my depravity and my need for God’sunconditional love and forgiveness.” Theseinsights have radically altered Devin’s dailypursuit of God: “My devotional life has changedwith this understanding. I don’t focus as much onwhat I can do to be successful, but more on God’sdesire to change lives in his way and on his termsthrough his grace. I always trusted the gospel tosave people, but now I trust the gospel totransform people. I had thought after salvation,people needed to do certain things and check offboxes of discipleship, but now I realize that thepower of the gospel truly transforms lives—including mine.”
Like J. D. and Devin, many pastors recognize thatwe never “get beyond” the gospel of grace and“move on to deeper things.” They expect tocontinually marvel at the message of the crossand the resurrection. Dave Nelson comments,“The wonder of Easter is that Jesus is alive. InEphesians, Paul prayed that we’d experienceChrist’s ‘incomparably great power.’ When I readthat, I think: Are you kidding me? That’s true, andit’s fantastic. At this point in my life, I’ve onlybegun to sniff what that means. I long to taste itand really experience it. Devotionally, when Iopen the Scriptures today, I wonder, ‘Is it today,Lord, that you’ll show me what that means? Is ittoday that I’ll experience your incomparably greatpower? When I pray, will I experience more depthand intimacy?’ Jesus didn’t do anything on hisown. What he did and said came from the Father.Christ’s death paid for my sins and hisresurrection makes me alive so that I can havethat kind of intimacy with the Father—so thateverything I do and say will be directed by him,and I’ll experience his incomparably great power.I don’t think I’m even close to that, but I think it’spossible… and that gives me incredible hopeevery time I open the Bible and pray.”
Wonder, though, presents some problems—andsome opportunities—for those who were taught tobe theologically precise. Greg Lee, pastor of
Suncrest Christian Church in Saint John,IN (http://www.suncrest.org), observes,“My role as a teacher is to capture thetruth and be crystal clear, but the wonder,beauty, and mystery of our relationshipwith God are beyond words. I’m finite;he’s infinite. As a teacher, I try to givepeople truth and stepsto apply those truths,but wonder captureshearts and propelsgrowth. So, both areessential. Interestingly,one of the results ofwonder is a sense ofconviction. The goal ofmy teaching and thegoal of my devotionsisn’t just under-standing, but toconnect with the Godof the universe in all his majesty andbeauty, which createsa fascination that gripsour hearts.”
The motivations of longing and wonder, however,are sometimes eclipsed by painful circumstancesthat drive people to the throne of grace. In manycases, the stresses of being a young leadergrappling with difficult issues in a growing churchproduces tremendous stress, and in other cases,personal problems compound the professionalstresses. Scott Ridout, pastor of Sun ValleyCommunity Church in Gilbert, AZ(http://www.sunvalleycc.com), relates, “Mydevotional life has been propelled by desperateneeds. I experience stress in different parts of mybody. In my 20s, it was my stomach; in my 30s, itwas my neck; and now in my 40s, I’veexperienced vertigo. A few years ago, the roomseemed to be spinning constantly out of control. Icouldn’t stand up, and I couldn’t sleep unless Iwas sitting up.” Scott’s church was growingrapidly, but he was falling apart. When hecouldn’t explain away the symptoms any longer,he realized that his physical symptoms were theresult of spiritual problems: “I was depending onmyself to accomplish great things for God, andthe stress was shattering my life. I only
occasionally loved God and walked with him—the rest of the time it was all about me.” Scott sawhis health problems as God’s clear invitation tocome to him. He remembers, “About a year ago,I went back to the basics. I started reading thegospels slowly and expectantly, and I beganjournaling. These aren’t revolutionary disciplines,but they were revolutionary to me. This processhelped uncover all the things I was worriedabout, anxious about, and angry about. Now,reading the Scriptures, prayer, and journaling aremy daily routine. It’s not a magic formula, butthese disciplines have me on a steady path ofpursuing God and learning to trust him.Gradually, the physical symptoms of stress havesubsided, and I now experience more peace andjoy than I ever imagined.”
Some next generation pastors planted thechurches where they serve, and the very nature ofplanting churches creates enormous stress. Thehours required for a church to get off the groundand the reality of tight finances causes marital
and physiologicalstrains. Some craterunder the pressure, butmany recognize theirneed to depend onGod more than ever.
Whether they arefounding pastors orsuccession pastors,many next generationpastors believe thatthe weight of their
responsibilities sharpens their sense ofdesperation for God to work in andthrough them. Jeff Little, pastor ofMilestone Church in Keller, TX(http://www.milestonechurch.com), recallsthat in the garden before Jesus’ arrest, hisdisciples couldn’t pray even for an hourwhen their friend needed them most, but
after the ascension, the weight of responsibilityfell on their shoulders, and they were suddenly“devoted to prayer.” Jeff recalls, “I rememberstarting our church and getting on my face beforeGod asking him to open our neighbors’ hearts.The responsibility of starting a church made me
realize that I couldn’t produce spiritual fruit. OnlyGod could do that.”
Authenticity with God about the needs in theirlives is essential, but some find that they need toshare their struggles in appropriate ways withtheir congregations. Not long ago, Mark DeYmazexperienced intense struggles in several differentareas of his life and ministry, and he plunged intoa time of confusion and darkness. He and his wifesupported each other and chose to obey Godeven though they didn’t feel his presence. Markdecided to tell his church about some of thestruggles so they could pray more intelligently. Hecommunicated his vision for the church’smultiethnic ministry and he talked about theresistance to that ministry that he hadexperienced from some in the church as well asfrom (what he sensed) were forces of darkness inspiritual realms. He also talked about the grief heand his wife felt from the deaths of two familymembers. In addition, Mark gave a briefdescription of a couple of the struggles he facedin the ministry. He told them, “Here’s part of whatwe face, but I can’t tell you more than that. Weneed your prayers. We’re the ‘tip of the spear,’ butwe feel quite vulnerable.” The people in hischurch had no idea Mark and his wife shoulderedsuch heavy burdens, and when they understood,they were very supportive. After that day, herecalls walking into a meeting where people werepraying for him. He relates, “It meant more thanyou can imagine knowing people were prayingfor us with such intensity and love. The churchprays for us very differently now.” Soon thedarkness lifted, and they experienced manyspecific answers to prayer. The authenticity ofMark’s devotional life overflowed into richer,deeper relationships in the church and directevidence of the Spirit’s work.
Gratitude provides a lot of staying power in youngleaders’ connection with God. If they focus toomuch on mistakes in the past, current stresses,and opportunities for the future, they fail to relaxand thank God for all he has done for them, inthem, and through them. Harry White, pastor ofWatts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church inRaleigh, NC (http://www.wattschapel.org), saysthat his richest times with God have come when
he expressed gratitude to him.The sense of connection duringthose times helped him be morehonest with God during difficultmoments in his life. For Harryand other next generationpastors, thankfulness rivets theirattention on God’s goodness and
strength and enables them to see currentproblems in a more hopeful light. Gratitude, then,is a springboard to honesty and hope.
båÅçìê~ÖÉãÉåí ~åÇ ^ÅÅçìåí~ÄáäáíóAlmost universally, next generation pastors askmentors and friends to hold them accountable intheir devotional lives. They recognize theirpropensity to drift spiritually, and they’ve seenenough wreckage in the lives of other pastors toscare them. They take the initiative to findsomeone to ask them hard questions on a regularbasis. Les Hughes comments, “If I don’t havesomeone holding me accountable for mydevotional life, it’s easy for me to let it slide or useit only as sermon prep. The people in our churchcount on me to communicate Gods’ heart tothem, and if I’m not fresh in my walk with God, Ican’t do that.”
The support system, though, may be more effectiveif it includes people outside the church and thedenomination. Scott Wilson formed a network ofleaders and counselors to encourage him, but theyaren’t connected to his church in any way. Heexplains, “I wanted men who didn’t have mixedmotives to care for me and to make sure Isupported their particular ministry. These men giveme honest, direct input with no strings attached.”
Tyrone Barnette and a group of other pastors inhis community meet weekly for breakfast at oneof their homes. They realize that unless they staystrong in grace and grow in wisdom, the ministrycan become a mistress and they’ll become dry.They ask each other hard questions, not justabout their spiritual disciplines, but about thequality of their connection with God. They calltheir tight-knit group “The Cave of Abdullum”(after the site in 1 Samuel 22:1-2 where David hidwith his family and followers) and they invite
young pastors to join them from time to time tomodel authenticity and accountability for them.
An often-overlooked potential account-ability partner sleeps beside nextgeneration pastors. Brian Walton, pastor ofCalvary Christian Church in Winchester,KY (http://www.calvarychristian.net), askedhis wife to hold him accountable andsupport him in his devotional life. Hecomments, “Some of thegreatest moments of myspiritual life are in devotionswith my wife. I resisted that for years, but I’ve found that it’s the richest communicationand accountability I canimagine. It was a revolutionarydecision, but it has brought ustogether and given us a singleheart about our family andabout our ministry. I highlyrecommend it.”
^ cÉï pìÖÖÉëíáçåëThe pastors interviewed for this paper offersuggestions for connecting with God that are asvaried as their personalities and experiences.Overall, their advice is: Try something. If it works,keep doing it. If it’s stale or unworkable, trysomething else. But by all means, find a way tomake your devotional life rich and rewarding.
Here are some of their suggestions:
• No matter what form your devotionallife takes, avoid legalism. It will rob youof the joy of your relationship with God.
• Be both intentional and flexible. Findwhat works for you. Don’t be afraid toalter your devotional style and scheduleto fit the season of your family life andministry.
• If you’re easily distracted by emails,schedules, and lists of things to do,keep your laptop turned off until youfinish your time with God each day. Anddon’t go to Starbucks to be alone with
• When people don’t have exceptionalresponsibilities (like having littlechildren at home), encourage them toinvest more time in soaking up theScriptures.
• For younger people who are justlearning how to have a meaningfuldevotional life, more structure isnecessary and helpful. Encourage themto use a 1-year Bible.
• We can learn the value of time withGod by either revelation or tribulation.Choose revelation.
• If your life is hectic, soak up time withGod when you’re away on vacation withyour family. And don’t schedule everyminute of every day you’re gone. Findsome relaxed, unhurried time for God tospeak to you. When you’re relaxed,you’ll get great ideas about messageseries and wisdom about particularissues at the church. We need to slowdown so we can listen to God.
• To keep your brain from gettingcluttered with too many things you haveto do, make lists to get the thoughts onpaper. Then you won’t be overwhelmedtrying to remember all the people andthings to do.
• Have realistic expectations about yourdevotional life. Some of us thinksomething is wrong if we don’t touchChrist’s garment and hear his voiceseven days a week, but that kind ofintimacy isn’t reasonable in anyrelationship. Be comfortable with threepretty good times and severalmaintenance devotionals each week.
• Find a balance between wanting toprogress in holiness but not takingyourself too seriously.
• Put some margin in your daily andweekly schedule so you can relax. Ifyou’re too stressed, you won’t be
present with your family or with God,and ministry will suck the life out of you.
• Go off for a few days with a group ofmen every year—with no demands orexpectations. Just relax and have funtogether drinking beer, grilling steaks,mountain biking, and camping. Don’tforce anything. Great conversationsabout God will happen spontaneously.
• Like Jethro told Moses, delegateresponsibility so you can devoteyourself to the things only you can do.
• Learn to “waste time with God.” Don’tdemand to get something out of yourdevotional life, but just be present withGod. It’s amazing what happens whenwe’re relaxed in hispresence.
• Recognize the tensionbetween yourpersonal life and yourministry. Resolveexcess stress, andaccept the rest asnormal so you don’tresent it.
• To give your entirechurch a sense ofdirection and unity inyour devotions, studyand meditate on abook of Scripture each month. Thismakes God’s truth a topic ofconversation throughout the churchcommunity, and it inspires everybody tostay in the word each day. It creates aculture of reflection.
• Consider having all the groups in yourchurch study the scriptures and answerquestions from the sermon series.
• Measure the quality of your relationshipwith God by your obedience.
• Ask God to make himself real to youand speak to you. You do not havebecause you do not ask.
12
SOME OF US
THINK SOMETHING
IS WRONG IF WE
DON’T TOUCH
CHRIST’S GARMENT
AND HEAR HIS
VOICE SEVEN DAYS
A WEEK.
• In every staff meeting, ask people whatthey’re hearing God say to them. Thisconversation raises the expectation ofGod speaking to them.
• Encourage worship-based prayer withyour staff.
• As a staff team, fast once a month.
• Find somebody to be a partner ormentor. Make your hopes andexpectations very clear, and let theperson say “no.” If that person doesn’twork out, keep looking until you findsomebody.
• As pastors, our true success isn’t in ouradministrative skills, leadership abilities,or church growth strategies, but fromthe spiritual power we get from ourrelationship with Christ. Don’tshortchange it.
• Longtime pastor Charles Stanley oftensays, “Everything flows from arelationship with Jesus Christ.” Becauseministry is tangible and immediate, weare tempted to let it become central inour lives, but that inevitably leads totrouble. Guard your heart.
• Have devotions with your spouse. It canbe humiliating, but it can becomeincredibly rich. If we want to be thespiritual leaders of our homes, it startswith our devotions with our spouse andkids.
• In your devotional life (and every other
aspect of life), follow John Maxwell’sadvice: “Don’t make a lot of decisions.Make a few decisions and manage themdaily.” Choose to make your devotionallife a priority, and manage it every day.
• Don’t schedule any meetings before8:00 any morning. Your time with Godis more important than anything else.
• Have your devotions in the passagesyou’ll preach in a sermon series in amonth or two. This will give you time tolet the truth soak into your heart soyou’ll preach with clarity andconviction.
• Young leaders should read long sectionsof Scripture to get the broad context ofGod’s word. Older, more seasonedleaders can focus their time on shorterpassages. If young leaders study only averse or two, they often come awaywith odd interpretations andapplications.
• We can’t eliminate all distractions, butwe can become aware of the ones thatrecur too often and get us off track. Dosomething about those.
• Read a book of the Bible over and overfor a month. Familiarity with a texthelps people connect concepts and seeindividual ideas in light of the largerthemes of Scripture.
• Consider using some of the tools themystics used, such as Lectio Divina. Thefour movements are lectio (reading thepassages slowly and carefully),meditatio (trusting the Spirit toilluminate the passage as you reflect onit), oratio (responding to God’sprompting through the passage), andcontemplatio (wordless reflection onGod who has revealed himself to you).
iççâáåÖ _~ÅâI iççâáåÖ cçêï~êÇThe church has a long, rich history of men andwomen who pursued God with all their hearts.From the church fathers to the leaders of thespiritual movement today, these people provide
13
Accountability partners or mentors are invaluable resources for many pastors.
an example for us toemulate. Brian Howardreflects, “We stand on theshoulders of great menwho pursued God with alltheir hearts. They madethe Scriptures and prayercentral to their lives and
their ministries. Who are we to do anything less?The consequences of not making God central are
too great—self-reliance, sin, destroying ourfamilies, stress, and lost opportunities in ministry.We simply must make seeking God the centraldrive of our lives.”
14
WE SIMPLY MUST
MAKE SEEKING GOD
THE CENTRAL DRIVE
OF OUR LIVES.
Devotional resources suggested by next generation pastors:
Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster
Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard
Too Busy Not to Pray, Bill Hybels
Fresh Encounters: Experiencing Transformation through United Worship-Based Prayer, Daniel Henderson
The Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God, Larry Osborne
Shaped by the Word, Robert Mulholland
Recapture the Wonder, Ravi Zacharias
Dangerous Wonder, Mike Yaconelli
Patrick Springle is the president of BaxterPress in Friendswood, TX. He served on thestaff of Campus Crusade for Christ for 18years, 11 as the Texas state director. He wasSenior Vice President of Rapha for three yearsbefore starting his publishing business.
Leadership Network welcomes your response.The primary writer is Pat Springle. Editorialadvisors were Linda Stanley, Director of NextGeneration Leadership Communities forLeadership Network and Warren Bird,Director of Research and Intellectual Capital Support for Leadership Network. Contactthem via [email protected]
Want to find more resources like this one? For the mostcurrent listing of free and purchasable resources, someof which are distributed solely through LeadershipNetwork, go to http://www.leadnet.org/papers (alternate:http://www.leadnet.org, then select “resources” then“downloads”) or call toll-free 800-765-5323 or 214-969-5950 outside the U.S. and Canada.
Leadership Network’s mission is to identify, connectand help high-capacity Christian leaders multiply theirimpact.
* Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken fromthe NIV translation.
CREATING A CULTURE OF BALANCE: A MANDATE FOR NEXT GENERATION PASTORS This concept paper exposes many of the stresses and struggles that next generation pastors-senior pastors in their 20sand 30s who are growing in influence and impact-are dealing with, and opens conversations to creating a balancebetween the demands of a busy schedule, a growing congregation and maintaining spiritual vitality.
COMMUNICATING WITH THE POSTMODERN CULTURE: AUTHENTICITY AND TRUTH “Wow is out; real is in.” Next Generation pastors have observed a significant shift in the culture. Pastor Toby Sloughobserves, “If we’ll invest the time and effort we used to spend in ‘Wow!’ and put those resources into authenticity,people will come in droves, and they’ll respond to even the most demanding truths in the Scriptures.”
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