My Story

As We Begin
Since this is a blog by ministers for ministers about ministry, it seems appropriate if we would all begin by briefly sharing our "ministry biographies," if you will. How were you called to ministry? In what types of ministry have you participated? What is your vision for your future ministry? What are the two most important things you've learned about being in ministry that you would share with a new minister?

Me First
So, since I'm the one proposing all these questions, I'll go ahead and answer them. One Sunday morning during the preaching (I was maybe 13 or 14), I had one of the oddest experiences of my life. I was looking up at the pulpit from my pew, and I saw myself behind the pulpit. The thought that crossed my mind was something like, "You know, I could do that!"

Up to that point, I'd never considered ministry at all. My dad's a letter carrier. I had always told people that when I grew up I wanted to be a computer engineer. (Now, I can't remember why I ever wanted to be that; I've always hated math.) I don't know that I would label that the actual moment of my "calling," but it was the first time I had even considered "ministry" as a career option.

I'm sort of "all or nothing" personality, so I latched on to the idea. I wasn't even in high school but I bought all the required reading for a UPC local license! (As Bro. Blash would probably say, "That's not normal. That's diagnosable!") I really thought that God was calling me to home missions work mainly because I had grown up in home missions churches.

My First "Aha" Moment
Two experiences since then have really shaped my ministry path. The first occurred the summer I turned 18. I was invited, with some other young preachers, to "tag-team" during Youth Day (a Thursday) of Family Camp. What nobody outside my family knew was that 18 years prior, on the Sunday before Family Camp 1979, I had been diagnosed with bacterial spinal meningitis; I was only five days old. The saints gathered at Family Camp prayed for me every day and, on Thursday, when I was 10 days old, the bacteria in my spinal column stopped growing.

Eighteen years later I was preaching at Family Camp. And that's when I recognized that I truly was called to preach.

That was also when I decided to go to Bible college. I stayed home and worked for a year saving money, then came to Gateway in Fall 1998. My goal at that point was to start a home missions work in Kearney. However, coming to Gateway radically changed all that. I discovered an aptitude for academic biblical study (I graduated valedictorian of my class with a 4.o). The instructors at Gateway recognized the aptitude, too; in fact, Bro. Littles had me work as his "assistant" my second year and really cultivated my desire to further my theological education.

My Second "Aha" Moment
My second "aha" moment was less of a "point in time" and more of a process that occurred my senior year of college. And it wasn't just "me and Jesus," but involved leaders. Bro. Johnston approached me about "test-lecturing" my senior year to see if I enjoyed teaching in a Bible college environment. If I thought it might be something I was interested in doing, he offered that I could teach at Gateway while I finished a Master's. I taught two courses (Major Prophets--still my favorite class; and Systematic Theology) my senior year AND LOVED IT!

Now, I know this sounds like bragging, and it certainly would be, except for the realization that dawned on me in the midst of all these attentions and accolades. When I contracted meningitis, my pediatrician gave my parents all the statistics about what could happen to me. He especially warned my parents that, since I was so young, there was a good possibility I would be mentally handicapped or have severe learning difficulties. But isn't just like God to take what should have been my weakest area (intellectual ability/school work) and make it into a strength?

I came to realize that Paul's words: "You are not your own, you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your bodies" (1 Cor. 6:20) literally applied to my brain. My brain should be damaged; I shouldn't be a "good student." Whatever smarts I have are directly the result of God's mercy on me! Therefore, my passion for studying and teaching the Word of God comes right down to this one simple fact: my mind is a gift from God and I must use it for Him. I don't pursue education so everyone will think I'm smart; I pursue it so that I may be counted a faithful steward of the gifts God has given me.

Future Vision
So, where do I plan to go from here? I only know for certain that God has called me to teach. But I also realize that I can teach the Word of God in all sorts of venues--seminary, Bible college, local church, youth group. So, I came into Pentecostal Church with one quest: how can I best share my gift of teaching with this congregation? My goal as a youth pastor right now is to do my best to ground young people in the Word of God. If I become a home missionary, my goal will be to ground new people in the Word of God. If I become a pastor, the goal will be to ground the church people in the Word of God. If I have no formal leadership position in a church, my goal will still be to help ground people in the Word of God!

What I've Learned
You see, I had unwittingly defined "ministry" as "home missions" andtherefore almost missed my true calling as a teacher. I now realize that being a teacher doesn't exclude home missions work (Duh! Most home missionaries spend a good part of their time teaching Bible studies to new converts.) or, for that matter, any other specific "ministry position." The mistake I made has led me to these two key pieces of advice for a new minister:

1. Define your calling not your ministry.
The first never changes; the second never stays the same. I am called to be a teacher; I am currently involved in Bible college and youth ministries. But even if I stop working I Gateway or being youth pastor at Pentecostal Church of Creve Coeur, I will never stop being a teacher of the Word. Evangelism (winning new converts) is the calling; evangelist (itinerant preacher) is just one type of evangelistic ministry.

Let me add another difference: God defines your calling; the Church defines your ministry. I couldn't teach at a Bible college if we didn't have them. I couldn't be a youth pastor if we didn't have any youth in our Church. Which leads to the second thing I've learned . . .

2. Ministry means "service."
To paraphrase JFK: "Ask not what your church can do for you (what titles or offices could be conferred on you), ask what you can do for your church (what gifts and talents do you bring and how can those best be utilized to the benefit of this group)." I'll admit, I'm not very comfortable (or very good at) teaching the Bible to high-schoolers. But it's what our church needs, so it's what I'll do . . . and I'll do my best to get better at it!

I know this was a rather long post. Maybe your journey in ministry has been totally different than mine. Maybe God has given you a very specific job description. But, now that you've heard my story, I'd love to hear yours!

Tremendous! I believe this is going to be a great opportunity to polish our ministry skills. There are so many people, like Barnabas, bursting with potential and this blog can be like Paul's ministry developing potential into ability.

Pastor D.

Here's How It Works . . .

The Plan

Basically, the Barnabas Project is a guided reading group. We will choose a book to read together and use the blog as our forum to discuss our thoughts and impressions about what we're reading.

My role as facilitator is to ask leading questions that will help guide your reading of the book and spark discussions about the fundamentals of ministry.

The Book

So, to begin this experiment, we have chosen Michael Quicke's book 360-Degree Preaching: Hearing, Speaking, and Living the Word. Quicke is professor of preaching and communication at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. He offers the concept of the "preaching swim" as a way of integrating all aspects of sermonizing, from choosing the text to pulpit delivery and as a way of addressing the challenges of preaching to a postmodern generation.

Some quick notes about book choices: first, we will rarely find a book with which we totally agree. In fact, total "agreement" means the book isn't challenging us and we aren't really learning anything! So feel free to disagree with aspects of what we're reading; it's expected and even welcomed. Secondly, let me know if you think of a book that you would like to read and discuss together. This is supposed to be a collaborative learning effort, so we want to address the interests and concerns of the group. Thirdly, Bro. Dumaresq will have final say in what books we read and in what order we read them.

So, with these few things in mind, let's begin!

The Problem of Preaching . . . And Church Work in General

Anointing or Skill?
It goes without saying that all preachers have men and women whose preaching simply amazes us-- "homiletical heroes," if you please. Perhaps Jerry Jones or Bobby Wendell or Scott Graham or Vesta Mangun. Or T.D. Jakes, but we don't like to admit we listen to him because he isn't . . .ahem . . . UPC.

But have you ever asked yourself what makes that person a "good" preacher (as opposed to the "bad" preachers who make us all wish we'd stayed in bed Sunday morning)? What sets him or her apart? Is it their pulpit presence? Is it the content of their message? Is it their effective use of illustration? Is it their passion?

This is where the confusion sets in. We Pentecostals, with our emphasis on the work of the Spirit in the life of the Church, have almost unwittingly created an opposition between "anointing" and "skill." In fact, many would reject calling preaching a profession because that makes it sound human-centered rather than God-centered. (That's partly why speak of being "called" by God into ministry.)

Now, it is obvious that skilled preaching never saved anyone. The only thing that convicts the sinner's heart is the work of the Spirit, not homiletical skill. However, my concern is that, when we disparage "skilled" preaching in favor of "anointed" preaching, we begin to think of the anointing as replacing skill. In fact, in such a concept, God's Spirit actually plays a reduced role--it becomes a crutch for our own lack of preparation and attention to our craft. "I'm not prepared for tonight's message; oh well, I'll just get 'anointed'!" Want to know what that really means? "The reason I need the Spirit of God when I preach is to 'rescue' me from my own laziness."

Well, part of the issue with that statement is what exactly is meant by "anointing," but we'll have to save that discussion for another time. For now, it must suffice to say that good preaching requires both anointing and skill. Or to say it more precisely: preparation is required for true anointing; seeking the anointing is part of true preparation.

The Same Goes for Leadership and Counseling. . .
Not much more needs to be said here--everything mentioned above relates to every ministerial role. I'll only add a couple things. First, great preachers, great leaders, and great counselors are rarely the same person. Second, preaching is the smallest part of church leadership.
That means that great preachers rarely make good pastors. It also means that developing as a minister requires much more than simply learning how to preach.

What We're All About. . .
In conclusion, skill is as necessary as anointing to an effective ministry--and not just one skill but a set of skills in preaching, leading, and counseling! Furthermore, skill is not talent. Talent is an in-born ability given by God; skill is the result of education and practice. While no one can increase their level of talent, everyone can increase their level of skill.

So, the goal of the Barnabas Project is actually pretty narrow . . . we are going to attempt to increase ministerial skill through education. The Barnabs Project is not about "scouting talent" or "calling people to ministry," but about helping those whom God has called to develop their skills.

An Exciting Venture

Welcome to the newest ministry of the Pentecostal Church of Creve Coeur, MO! This ministry is designed to provide an avenue within the church to train local members who have been called to leadership ministries within the Church.

Which leads us to the name of this venture: "The Barnabas Project." Barnabas is a key figure in the Book of Acts--he gave a significant financial contribution to the struggling Jerusalem church (Acts 4:36-37) and led the first missionary journey of the early church, followed by a greenhorn preacher named Paul.

But what is often forgotten is that Barnabas first invited Paul to come be part of the exciting new ministry to Hellenistic Jews in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). Paul had already attempted an evangelistic effort which ended badly; he literally ended up a "basket-case" (Acts 9:20-25) and eventually made his way back home to Tarsus. Now, the Bible doesn't explicitly says this, but I would imagine that Paul was pretty hurt and discouraged about how his preaching in Damascus had been received. It would have been very easy at this point for Paul to "hang up" on the call of God, to look at the results of his ministry and conclude that God really didn't have anything special in mind for him.

But then here comes this well-known leader Barnabas whose name, not coincidentally, means "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36). He had been comissioned by the Jerusalem church to check out the missionary efforts of the Syrian Antioch Christians. When he had arrived there and seen what wonderful things the Lord was doing, he "departed for Tarsus to seek Saul." Barnabas thought, "Here's a perfect place of ministry for Saul! He'd do really well!" And, of course, we know that Paul did really well. In fact, that first missionary journey in Acts 13 begins with Barnabas in the lead (references early in the chapater are to "Barnabas and Paul") but by the end of the journey, Paul seems to have taken over the reins of authority (references later in the chapter are to "Paul and Barnabas"). Paul went on to become the single greatest missionary of the early church plus author of almost half of the entire New Testament!

Now, what if Barnabas hadn't invited Paul to Antioch? What if he hadn't recognized God's ministry gifting to Paul or hadn't been willing to give Paul a second chance and help him polish his ministry skills?

Barnabas was gifted with recognizing the ministry potential in others (I haven't even bothered to tell the story of John Mark) and developing that potential. And that's precisely what this project is about: recognizing and developing ministry potential and potential ministries. So, won't you join us as we try together to "cultivate our callings"?