How Did We Get Here? Part 1

After living in the Seattle area for 27 years and working in ministry at four different Presbyterian churches over 23 years, we were a part of a new church on Capitol Hill that was a marriage between Church at the Center and Westminster Presbyterian. We were staffed for growth, which means among other things that we had more staff than we could afford, and after a year we realized that things needed to change for the church. One of the results was that two associate pastor positions were eliminated as of October 15, 2007. While this was a reasonable financial decision, it is much bigger than that.

During the time of that decision making by church leadership, it was clear to us that this was God's plan for us and for the church. He has more for all of us and it necessitated our leaving. As we initially wrestled with this, God spoke very clearly to me. A number of people, starting with my wife, were asking me if I'd ever considered being a senior pastor. I had never desired this. The same day that these conversations were piling up on me, my friend Eric, taught on taking risks, saying, God always wants to take us to places where, if He doesn't show up, it all falls apart. I realized that I didn't risk much in my job (it's hard for associate pastors to do that).

The next morning I was on my prayer walk - this was a regular rectangle of blocks in our neighborhood - when I got to the northwest corner, instead of turning, I felt a strong pull in me that I was to go an extra block. I had no idea what for, but followed that sense. As I came around the block and was getting back on to my regular route, I complained to the Lord - I don't know what that was for! I'm sure You were doing something in the unseen realm and I may never know about it... when I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to see my senior pastor, James, on his morning run. We have never encountered each other in our morning times and if I had done my regular route I would have been heading south by this time and would have missed him - so I was on alert.

As we talked, he said that he was glad that we had a level of trust in our friendship so that he could tell me the things he needed in my staff review that week. I wondered what required a level of trust but he didn't say, so I told him about conversations I'd been having lately and about Eric's talk on risk. James blurts out, "Okay, here is the thing - as I am running this morning, right before I saw you, I was praying for you and I was praying about the fact that you never take risks!"

So, God orchestrated our morning to give me the message that it was time to take a risk. As this message coincided with several conversations about senior pastor positions, I began to look and get my resume out for some. I felt a great sense of freedom and inadequacy - it wasn't my idea after all. If it was going to happen, Jesus would have to make it happen and would have to equip me.