This review ofMcKnight’s A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God’s Design for Life Together by Scot McKnight originally appeared as part of CBWC’s Theology for the Ordinary initiative. Learn more here.
As we engaged in the theme of “one anothers” as a church, a few of us read together Scot McKnight’s A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God’s Design for Life Together. This has been an excellent guide to living out the “one anothers” as a church. McKnight invites us to the life of the early church – a church of impossibly diverse people, religious backgrounds and cultures that struggled and thrived together as followers of Christ.
Reading the book together was very rich and rewarding. The principles of the book – everything from honouring and diversity of your congregation, to living in the power of the Holy Spirit, to being hospitable and generous – are clearly and deeply explained.
As you read the book, you will find the possibilities of this Christ-following, community life as inviting. Yet as you warm to every idea and principle, you’ll come to the sinking realization that all of this also feels impossible – after all it involves life with other people, people who are very different and distinct from ourselves. But that is where the book draws us back to essential trust in Christ. There is a tension between the simplicity and impossibility of being the church together – but this life is possible in the power of the Holy Spirit and the shared grace of Jesus Christ.
The highlight of the book for me was a chapter in the section on Flourishing. It was the best explanation of suffering in the Christian life and suffering in the life of the community that I’ve ever read. That section alone is worth the price of admission. There’s also exceptional teaching on vocation for all people (not just ministry people), living life in the Holy Spirit together, the newness found in genuine Christ community life, and so much more. As the book’s context is the church Jesus calls us to be together, I highly recommend you do not read this on your own – find a buddy or a group.
A criticism of the book from our study group was in the examples used. The book gives everyday teaching on how to follow Christ together, but the examples of people living out these teachings aren’t everyday people! But that’s a small criticism in the scope of the teaching given.
This book pairs very well with McKnight’s A Church Called TOV. TOV focuses on many things that have gone wrong in the western church. Using the witness of the early church, the witness of Christians around the world, and well-explained theology, A Fellowship of Differents invites us to imagine and be the church Christ has made possible.
By Tim Kerber, CBWC’s Regional Minister for the Mountain Standard Region.
For me, this past year has been one of stepping back and evaluating much of what—prior to 2023—was just my “everyday normal life.” As I am no longer the pastor of my local church, one of the challenges of this year was determining who is in my core friendship group. When I was in my role as a church leader, everyone in the church was my friend. But I came to realize, as Carey Neuhoff points out in an article he wrote, that many of my friendships were positional and not relational. And to be fair, no one can maintain 180 or so relationships on an ongoing basis. And so, I began to look at my circle, and determine who was there because of the relationship. Which friendships would carry on unhindered despite my no longer having an official role? Which friends would walk alongside me, support me, and continue to pursue a relationship?
I am grateful that as I have done this whittling, I have discovered that I am surrounded by a wonderful group of people with whom I can share life and friendship. In this process, I have found myself reflecting on the importance of accountability. True friendship is not just about sharing interests, but about walking together in different seasons, with the capacity to speak into one another’s lives. There is the sharing of wisdom and experience, and the push and pull of living life together. And as followers of Jesus, this comes with an added significance, as we are brothers and sisters in Christ; part of the same spiritual family! This means that we are in this together, recognizing that our actions and decisions never affect just us. And so, we come back to accountability. For our purpose here, I will define accountability as: relationships that know one another fully and point each other to Christ by mutually loving one another as sufferers, sinners, and saints. This definition is borrowed from the Biblical Counselling Coalition.
Relationships that know one another fully and point each other to Christ by mutually loving one another as sufferers, sinners, and saints.
Often in my Christian life, I have been challenged to address my need for accountability. Is there someone who can ask me the hard questions, someone to whom I can confess my struggles and sins? Through much of my life, accountability has been presented to me as a kind of spiritual discipline. But like my role as a pastor, I would say that most often this was encouraged as a relationship of position. And the problem with this is that with position comes authority and power. The challenge is that when authority and power are involved, we are more reluctant to share all the struggles we face. We can go through the motions, answer the questions, but do we end up with a cup that is clean on the outside, yet inside remains dirty? (Matthew 23:25)
Now, I share this because I am concerned about the challenge of accountability in the world in which we live today. Our world tells us, all the time, that our business is no one’s business. And in a world where truth is often understood as relative, or personal, it can be very easy to hide or justify sin.
In the role of pastor, which is often solo, or on a small staff team, what does accountability look like? As a Regional Minister, I often work on my own, arrange my own schedule—what does it mean for me to have accountability? Is there a role for positional accountability? Should this be what I do when I connect with pastors? And if so, what does this look like? I certainly do not want pastors dreading a phone call or visit because they fear an interrogation. Yet should this not be part of what we do together in a healthy association?
What does relational accountability look like? Who are my core people? Is this the role of my spouse, and to what extent?
I know…lots of questions, seemingly few answers. So, let me put a few stakes in the ground.
I want to begin by saying that I believe wholeheartedly that all of us need accountability in our lives. In John 8, we are told that Satan is a deceiver and the father of lies. This means that he attempts to lead us off course in an inviting and clever fashion. One degree of separation from the truth is where most trouble starts. Most sin is incubated in our minds long before it gives birth to an action that can devastate someone’s reputation, family, or career.
So, what can we do? I do believe that there is a place for institutional accountability. Many years ago, I remember reading Chuck Colson’s book, The Body, in which he shared 7 questions that he regularly asked the staff in his church. Here are those questions:
1. Have you been with a man/woman anywhere this past week that might be seen as compromising?
2. Have any of your financial dealings lacked integrity?
3. Have you exposed yourself to any sexually explicit material?
4. Have you spent adequate time in Bible study and prayer?
5. Have you given priority time to your family?
6. Have you fulfilled the mandates of your calling?
7. Have you just lied to me?
While no list is perfect, there is something helpful and good about knowing that as part of a staff team, or church leadership team, there is regular reflection on our integrity. Without integrity, how does anyone lead? Maybe this is something you could use with a church board. Maybe it is not about going around the circle person by person, but about asking everyone to reflect on these questions, and then offering a place to discuss something if there is awareness of the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
What I appreciate is that this takes seriously our calling as leaders of Christ’s church. As 1 Peter 1:16 invites us: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
But alongside simply instituting something regularly in your church context, I want to encourage the importance of building real and honest relationships that grow into places where we are comfortable to share our feelings, thoughts, doubts, and sin. Who are the people in your life who you know will speak the truth because they care about you? Who are the friends who will love you anyways? Who are the people whose wisdom you want to glean? Who loves you, and you love back? Who are your core people? Perhaps my own discernment process, figuring out who is in my core, would be helpful to you. Can you name up to six people whose friendship goes beyond your work at church, or sports, or beyond an affinity for (fill in the blank), or for your kids’ activities?
One of my observations is that in the busyness of our lives, we are sometimes lazy about pursuing these kinds of friendships. We have all said to someone, “We should get together” but then never made any real effort to follow through. We all “know” lots of people, but do we “know” anyone? And who “knows” us? Let me suggest that most people want more significant relationships than they actually have. What about scheduling a coffee once a month with one of these friends? For pastors, local ministerial groups can be one of the places where these kinds of relationships are fostered or begun.
My hope is that you are picking this up; I believe there is a need for both positional and relationship accountability. Discernment needs to come at the level of determining how this is done. Church leaders and staff need to know this is for edification, and not interrogation. Leaders need to lead by example.
So perhaps, for those of us in leadership roles who can institute positional accountability, our task is not only to have regular times in which we ask or reflect on specific questions, but also a times to ask others about their relationships. Do you have significant friendship(s) that give you a place to talk about how you are really doing? When was the last time you got together with one of these people?
John Wesley kept a list of questions that he used with a small group. I find his questions are helpful to me as I reflect on my own life, and that he asks some rather astute questions. Perhaps there is something here for you:
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward, or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
Do I grumble and complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?
As we seek to be God’s people in this broken and needy world, may we walk with honesty and integrity, realizing that we need God’s help, which He often provides in the gift of one another to help us stay the course.
This review ofHow the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church by C. Christopher Smith originally appeared as part of CBWC’s Theology for the Ordinary initiative. Learn more here.
What might how we communicate within the church have to do with a healthy church culture and the promotion of healthy environments for our leaders? ~ Cailey
C. Christopher Smith has written a helpful book entitled, How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church. Smith attempts to address the question, “How can our churches initiate and sustain practices of conversation?” (p. 12) He then attempts to answer the question in three parts; Part 1 is entitled Setting Out on the Journey, Part 2 is A Spirituality for the Journey, and Part 3 is Sustaining for the Journey.
In Part 1, Smith writes about the dynamics of conversation, topics to talk about, and the healing potential of conversational methods. Smith writes well about topics such as group size, homogeneity, as well as formal and informal conversations. Wisely, he suggests it is especially important not to talk about abstract matters and highly charged topics if a congregation is only beginning to have conversations together. Rather, he offers some practical resources on what to talk about, such as ground rules, the identity and mission of the church, sermons, and working together as a congregation. Once a community of faith has had some practice at conversations such as these, more potentially divisive topics could be addressed. Smith goes on to describe different conversational techniques, suggesting that different techniques can be employed, given the conversation topic.
In part 2, another section comprised of 3 chapters, Smith writes about spirituality for the journey, and here he discusses prayer, abiding, and preparation. He relies on people like Henri Nouwen to suggest that patience is a very important aspect of conversations, especially around controversial topics. He reminds the reader that conversations in community are not known to comply with the virtues of our culture such as efficiency, predictability, quantifiability and control.
Instead, abiding in relationship, even when we disagree, roots us in the hope of mutual giving and receiving. Our faith communities, Smith argues, need to change from catering to consumption to centering on participatory life, which includes the practice of preparedness. He writes about preparing our minds and bodies for conversation in community.
In the final section of the book, Smith writes about sustaining the journey, and for him that includes cultivating a sense of mission and identity, sustaining conversation through conflict, and enmeshing ourselves in community. He urges churches to own the story of the congregation, which can lead us to sustained habits of conversation, and this includes the faithful and unfaithful stories of the congregation. Inevitably, we will face conflict, and Smith helpfully details that conflict is different than disagreement, in that conflict ensues when we layer all sorts of sin and distrust on top of our disagreements.
In his final chapter, congregations are urged to move from religious communities to real communities, where real communities are intimately engaged in the health, housing, education, employment, diets, and recreation of their members.
I think Smith has succeeded at answering the main question he proposes at the beginning of the book. He offers philosophical, sociological, theological, and practical insights as he attempts to answer the question. I appreciate that he understands that not all churches are accustomed to conversations as he describes them here, and thus begins at foundational levels in terms of describing the trajectory of what conversations could look like in a community of faith. The scope of the book is for a local congregation, and if your church hasn’t had conversations outside of regularly scheduled meetings, this book can serve as both an impetus and a guide for you. It may also offer your congregation different tools if yours already practices conversations, but needs a new format.
Although Smith has succeeded in answering the question he poses, there are some questions that I would have for Smith after a reading of his book. First, I would ask about the importance of consensus. Many folks believe that consensus is the better route to go in church conversations and meetings, as opposed to majority votes, and I would explore this further with Smith. I would also ask about the limits of conversation; how diverse can the opinions be while seeking unity?
Finally, there is plenty to like about this book. Smith draws on his own experience, and has read widely, which makes his case compelling. Certainly he has his own presuppositions in terms of what a faith community ought to look like, and what embodiment in a community looks like, but I do think he offers valuable ideas for churches to pursue. I have a hunch, too, that as we can no longer anticipate that folks in our churches have any sort of historical Christian experience or grammar, that these sorts of conversations will become more important in our communities of faith and serve to experience a deeper sense of community.
Let’s be honest: tough conversations are really…tough. It takes a lot of emotional energy and prayer and focus to have a hard talk with someone—especially in the church world because our emotions and identity can be so tied to our ministry work.
Sometimes the hard questions are aimed at vision and structure: are we being who we claim we want to be as an organization, and what methods can help us get there? But often the hard conversations are about “people issues.” As humans, we’ve all got our talents and our foibles, so ministering together can get tricky. However, working through our differences and difficulties can be one of the best ways to mature as individuals and develop unity as a team.
Mac Mcarthy suggests that most of us turn to the “Name and Blame” method of dealing with issues. Here’s his experience:
A few years ago, my plan would have been simple and straightforward: name and blame.
I would have leveraged my positional power as his boss to apply pressure toward the desired outcome. I would have sat him down, named the problem, provided evidence for the problem, demanded that the problem be rectified, and attached a deadline to ensure a timely fix.
“Here’s the problem. Here’s why this is a problem. You need to fix this problem. This is how much time you have to do it. Oh, and is there anything I can to do help you fix this in time?“
The conversation would have taken no more than 15 minutes, I would get my point across, and the onus would be on him to improve things…or else!
But what I’ve been learning is that this approach doesn’t do good work for anyone involved.
I have been on both sides of the name-and-blame game and it sure doesn’t feel great, but it can be difficult to imagine an alternative. How about you? Check out the rest of the article on the Gravity Commons Blog, where Mac shares his learning that emulating Jesus in hard conversations will involve letting go of our perceived power and clinging to the way of Jesus: humility, gentleness, patience, empowerment.
For a deeper dive, check out C. Christopher Smith’s How the Body of Christ Talks. We’ll share a review of this book next week, so stay tuned!
Join us for our next masterclass, “Evangelizing Cross-Culturally” taking place April 2 at 11AM MST. Sign up for free here!
CBWC has partnered with Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) and Salvation Army for Evangelism Masterclasses, free webinars where you will hear disciples on the ground talk about joining God in many different aspects of having relational conversations with folk from wherever they are in a journey of curiosity about life, meaning, hope, love and joy.
I’ve grown to enjoy biographies in recent years. Whether I’m reading about C. S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, the band Heart, Stevie Ray Vaughan, or Leonardo Da Vinci, reading the stories of their lives, what drove them, what they were aiming at and why, how they got there, what the struggled with along the way helps me think more creatively about my own life and vocation. A Burning in My Bones, the biography of Eugene Peterson by Winn Collier, has been one of the most impactful for me.
Like many pastors, I’ve read a number of Peterson’s books and found them helpful in understanding my job. Reading about Peterson’s life was helpful on a whole new level. As I struggle to pastor my church well, wondering what exactly a pastor is supposed to be and do, what my priorities should be, and how I should approach them, it was encouraging to read about Peterson’s similar struggles and see what conclusions he came to and how he went about his ministry.
The biography traces his life from his early years in Kalispel, Montana, to his university years at Seattle Pacific University, seminary at New York Theological Seminary, and further studies at Johns Hopkins University. It then details the 29 years he spent founding and pastoring Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, his subsequent tenure at Regent College as James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology, and his eventual retirement. Through it all, of course, we hear about his process writing a small library of books, including his famous translation of the Bible: The Message.
What I love most about his life is that he never gave up striving to fulfill his vocation the way God wanted. Peterson wrestled, especially in his early years, with the internal drive and external pressure to achieve as a pastor: to grow the church, to spend large portions of time running the church administratively, and to show something tangible and measurable to justify his salary. Deeply as Peterson’s competitive streak ran, he had a conviction deeper still that that wasn’t what pastoring should be about. He kept coming back to prayer and studying the scriptures as central to a pastor’s vocation, things congregations often fail to value on their pastor’s time card.
One thing readers will have to wrestle with is how much Peterson was enabled to pastor and write the way he did by his wife, Jan. The book opens with an account of how Peterson spent two hours studying the scriptures and praying in the mornings before breakfast. There’s no question that it’s admirable. But while he was praying and studying, Jan was getting the kids up, ready for school, and cooking them all breakfast. In the evenings, Peterson was often off at meetings, giving himself to the work of pastoral ministry. Again, Jan was at home, running the house and taking care of the family. The pattern is apparent throughout Peterson’s life and Collier deals with it well. He doesn’t gloss over it, but writes frankly about Peterson’s own journey in learning to balance his family with his work and devotional life. To be fair, it was a different time. We can hardly hold him to the standards of the 2020s, when he was pastoring in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Peterson’s approach to pastoring needs some adjusting for those pastoring in a time when parental duties are often shared more equally, wives often have careers, and pastors are often women. We need to do the work of learning from Peterson without simply imitating him.
All in all, I recommend A Burning in My Bones to anyone who is trying to faithfully live out the vocation of a pastor. I’m thankful to Peterson for the life he lived and to Collier for taking the time to write such an excellent biography.
Confession time again. I struggle with Valentine’s Day, and I struggle with Lent. The irony that Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day both fall on the same day this year sets my mind spinning.
Both these observances can appear orchestrated. My daughter and her husband refuse to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the “orchestrated” way, instead choosing to express their love and devotion to one another in a continual living into their relationships. She postulates “why do we need to do something that should already be a part of our lives? It loses its deeper meaning when I get a box of chocolates and dinner on one day a year.” She would prefer being loved and to love all the days of the year as the means to journey with one another in a marriage and other relationships.
Lent, in many ways, is like that for me. I’m not at all opposed to the time set aside to consider and contemplate deeper understanding of the sacrifice of Christ – there is deep discipleship value to this. What bothers me is the idea that my “giving up something” is the similar to what Christ gave up. I have never understood how my giving up coffee, or meat, or even smoking (note: I do NOT smoke but I do LOVE my coffee), is somehow equated with Christ’s sacrifice–in the same way that a box of chocolates does not prove my husband’s love for me.
I was reminded a few weeks ago, in a reading of Isaiah 1, of God’s view of our sacrifices, and it grieved me to recognize, in my own heart, that sometimes my sacrifices are shallow and self-serving. The very opposite of Christ’s sacrifice.
The sacrifices we bring, while not necessarily evil or without some meaning to us, are meaningless to God if, in our comfortable, safe, affluent, lifestyles, we replace the sacrifice(s) God has called his people to. I am far more comfortable on my couch, having given up television for Lent, than standing with, and advocating for, those who are experiencing injustice, poverty, marginalization, and oppression. It is hard work to do so! And I am ultimately lazy; self-satisfied; well-fed; and comfortable.
So, I ask God, what do YOU require of me for Lent? And, His response, every year is pretty much the same: act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. These are the offerings, the sacrifices God requires of us. And while I have tried to figure out a way to do so from my couch, it just isn’t the intention of God at all. No wonder He detests our symbolic, time-limited, offerings.
God of heaven and earth, of justice, love, mercy, creativity, and salvation, set our hearts afire for your ways and your requirements anew. Make us uncomfortable with how comfortable we are. Break our hearts for what breaks yours. This Lenten season may we truly understand what it means to live a life of sacrifice for You. So be it.
This is a terrifying prayer, my friends, but, as those called out as the people of God to be God’s image bearers in this world, it also seems the very best gift to us all – peace and justice in our broken world.
In case you are wondering what all this “Evangelism Masterclass” talk is about, let’s recap: CBWC has partnered with Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) and Salvation Army to hear and share stories of everyday pastors and leaders engaging on mission in our complicated culture. In this series of free Evangelism Masterclasses, you will hear disciples on the ground talk about joining God in many different aspects of having relational conversations with folk from wherever they are in a journey of curiosity about life, meaning, hope, love and joy.
The next class is with Shelley Roxburgh, CBWC Pastor and Elder at The Neighbourhood Church in Burnaby and Surrey, BC. On March 5 at 11AM MST, Shelley will share our her decades of experience working alongside marginalized and vulnerable folk and how their stories have shaped her and helped her see God in the midst of their situations. Sign up for free here!
As we dive into our series on Healthy Church Leadership Cultures, we hope to hear from many CBWC churches about the way you do leadership and where you see health happening in your congregation. We begin with a conversation with Rev. Nate Collins, Co-Pastor at Hillside Church, North Vancouver.
CHURCH PLANTING: How would you describe the leadership structure at your church? Tell us about the makeup of the leadership and staff teams, Elders’ Board etc.
NATE: We have three co-pastors, a youth pastor, an administrator (who is also director of children’s ministries), a building manager, and often an intern or two. The three co-pastors share the responsibility of leading the church as a whole (along with our board of elders). We divvy up tasks based on gifting and available time. Decisions (at least big ones) are usually made in consultation with each other.
On paper, we are an elder-led church. Jeff, Pauline and I are not technically pastors from the church’s perspective, though we use the term plenty conversationally. Technically we are paid elders. We have 5 non-paid elders, too. Of course, we need some paid elders because non-paid elders don’t have time to run a church. The idea is that we are all equals on the elder board in terms of authority and influence.
In practice, though, it doesn’t quite work that way. Most of the elders do perform an important function: One oversees our tech team and leads worship a lot. One is an intern and on our preaching team. One spearheads our efforts toward reconciliation with indigenous peoples along with her husband. One oversees our finances. I don’t want to minimize that, because it’s really important and good. At the same time, I usually feel like it’s up to the pastors to make most stuff happen, whether it’s calling elders meetings, setting the agenda, leading vision casting for the year, planning what events we’ll do, etc. That’s not what I would imagine if I were to hear about an elder-led church with paid and non-paid elders who are all equal. I’m not complaining, but I think it’s important to be honest about both what we’re supposedly aiming at and how we actually function!
CP: How do people join the leadership team? What’s the relationship between congregation and leadership?
NATE: Basically, our elder board has a brainstorming session about who we think might make a good elder. Elders have a 3-year term, which can be renewed for a total of 6 years as an elder before a mandatory year off of being an elder. That means we’re usually looking for a new elder or two each year. When we think of someone who would be a good candidate, we ask (and sometimes beg) them. If they agree, then the congregation votes at our AGM on whether they should be an elder. People could ask to be an elder and people could nominate someone to be an elder, but I’ve only seen that once.
As for the relationship between elders, staff, and the congregation, it’s pretty open. We get some people in the congregation who like to see mainly the pastors as on a separate level from them, but that’s definitely not something we are trying to communicate at Hillside. Oddly, Pauline rarely gets put on a pedestal the way Jeff and I do. Lots of times people don’t feel like it counts as a pastor contacting them if Pauline does it. It drives her up the wall, as I’m sure you can imagine! In general, we try to foster an atmosphere of equality and accessibility.
CP: When you think about health and vitality in your congregation, what comes to mind?
NATE: Health and vitality in my congregation means people in active relationship with God and living as the people of God together. That’s vague, I know, but there you have it. I think it looks different for different people. I’m thinking a lot lately about how important it is for people to know how to go about their daily lives as followers of Christ. What does it mean for them to do their jobs as Christians? How do they interact with their co-workers as Christians? I can give a few examples:
Diana, who is from Colombia and an accountant, is very passionate about prayer. She leads our prayer team, who pray regularly for our church and occasionally organize prayer meetings of various sorts for the rest of the congregation. The fact that she is that engaged in prayer is definitely a sign of health to me.
Shannon is really passionate about welcoming people. Every Sunday she organizes greeters and, if a new person comes in, she’s right there, introducing herself and introducing the new person to whomever she thinks they will connect best with in our congregation. She also has people over for dinner to connect them or will meet people for coffee.
We had a young couple from Australia start coming to our church. Partly due to their own intentionality with getting involved and partly due to the openness of our young adults, within a week they were at the birthday party of another person in our church and really quickly were at the heart of our little young adults group. That kind of attention to seeing new people and including them is a great sign of health to me.
Two people, Bill and Wally, volunteer a lot of their time to look after the elderly in our congregation by calling them to check in or driving them places. They will even help out with grocery shopping from time to time.
CP: What elements of culture do you think drive the vitality you mentioned above? What do you think is behind the health?
NATE: I don’t think it’s so much about structures and guiding principles as it is about a mindset and a worldview. I think one of my main tasks is to help people see that their relationship with Jesus isn’t something they add to their life to make it better like we might add an exercise program or mindfulness exercises. Rather, our relationship ought to transform how we conceive of everything we do and experience because it changes who we are. This is God’s world and we are the people of God living in his world in the ways he wants. That changes everything, but subtly I think.
For me, there are a few main ways I try to shepherd people. One is sermons. I put a lot of work into my sermons because I think good preaching really matters and is key in shaping the way people understand God, the world, and their place in the world in relationship with God. It doesn’t happen with one killer sermon, but rather happens over years, I think, with each sermon being a small nudge in the right direction and doing work that neither I or they even notice, but that accumulates through the years. At least, that’s what I believe. I sure hope it’s true!
I also lead a young men’s Bible study (Katie leads one for young women) and we have some young adult gatherings and a retreat during the year. Those are important times, both for teaching on a more conversational level as well as relational connection.
After church is actually pretty important too. Someone (maybe Eugene Peterson?) coined the term “the ministry of small talk.” I don’t do well at small talk, but it is so important for people to feel connected and cared for, so I give it the old college try on Sundays, and it makes a difference.
I wish there were more ways. We’ve had more Christian Education stuff in the past and are planning something again for the new year, but that’s been on the wane lately.
CP: What do you wish people were talking about more when it comes to healthy leadership?
NATE: Healthy leadership is not about programs and numerical growth, but faithfully shepherding and nurturing your congregation. That’s really hard to measure, but I still think its right.
CP: What do you personally need to grow into a healthier leader?
NATE: Time to have more practice, advice from more experienced leaders, but I think the advice kind of needs to come at the right time. I don’t need people downloading all their thoughts on leadership into my head; I’ll just forget it all. What I need (and thankfully have with Jeff and Pauline) is people I can come to when I run across a situation in which I’m unsure how to proceed.
Candidly, I think my biggest weakness as a pastor is meeting with people one-on-one. I find it really hard to make happen. I always sort of imagined people would ask to meet with me. When they do, I think it goes fine. But, while it’s happened once or twice, it’s quite rare. And I’m terrible at making it happen. Partly, my natural inclination is to get other stuff done (prep for a sermon, schedule worship musicians, whatever), but also, I just get insecure about it. What if I can’t think of good stuff to talk about with the person? What if I’m awkward? When I do meet with people, it’s never as bad as I fear, but I do find it difficult to get down to deep conversation. I can ask questions about work or family or hobbies or what they did on the weekend, but I have a hard time drilling down to how their relationship with God is going or how they are doing with their spouse or struggles they are having with family or job or health. Pauline is great at it. She doesn’t beat around the bush. Somehow, she can be really direct with people and compassionate and sensitive all at once.
CP: Do you have any resources or ideas to share around developing health for and through the leaders in our congregations?
NATE: Honestly, I think the recent biography of Eugene Peterson, A Burning In My Bones, is a great look into how one guy tried to find a really good way of pastoring.
Thanks to Hillside and Nate Collins for your detailed and thoughtful comments! Watch this blog for Nate’s book review of A Burning In My Bones coming soon.
If you’ve been around Christians much, you’ve probably seen a wide gamut of strategy, opinions, and methodology about evangelism. Even whether we should still use the word “evangelism” is up for debate. But across all fronts, the call to “go and make disciples” is referred to as our Great Commission: we know that introducing people to Christ is an important facet of following Him.
Yeah, but how? In my context? In this neighbourhood?
On February 6 at 10am PST, Cid Latty from Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec will be hosting an “Evangelism Incubator” masterclass–a chance for all of us to bring our roadblocks, questions, and ideas on evangelism to the table and imagine together some ways forward. Our CBWC church planters who will be on the ‘hot seat’ in the incubator are Pastor Jessica Lee from Makarios Evangelical Church in New Westminster, and Pastor Heather Hitchcock who is planting a new community in West Kelowna. Come and learn from two innovative church planters! The event is free and online. Register here!
CBWC Church Planting 