Faithful.

I was just made aware of yet another name to add to the depressingly long list of pastors and leaders I once looked up to who confessed to grievous sins warranting separation from the ministries, churches and networks they built. This particular pastor confessed to, among other things, sexual misconduct and abuse of authority. I'm not going to share his name or the link the articles now being published about him. I simply don't have the energy or mindset to do it right now. My heart is just too heavy.

Like many who came before him: I attended this pastor’s conferences. I read his books. And, for a long time, I “bought” his philosophy of ministry and leadership style. There was a time, I wanted to be like him — and those with whom he often wrote and spoke. In reality, I think I just wanted his clout. I wanted the attention he garnered. I wanted to be a leader among leaders who shaped and influenced those in my field.

Today, looking back, I'm so grateful that God never permitted me to walk down that road. I can remember being a young 20-something, fresh out of college and seminary, desperately wanting to be "one of those guys" on stage at conferences, wearing skinny jeans, sipping their whiskey, smoking their pipes, selling their books, and making ministry look like something far more alluring than sitting at bedsides, preaching to half empty sanctuaries, and attending endless committee meetings. From my young, impressionable eyes, those guys on the stage, were “changing things.” They were “the future of ministry.” And, they understood Jesus and His Kingdom far better than those stuffy old church leaders and pastors of the past.

Ironically and tragically, so many of those people are now as far removed from active Christian leadership as one can get. While some have found a niche selling their services as “consultants,” most are doing anything other than ministry. Some have renounced their faith. Some are even in prison. And, heartbreakingly, there's more than a few who literally didn't survive.

When I look at my humble ministry, serving and supporting people who are dying, my amazingly faithful little church, and the overall work to which God has called me, I give thanks. Truly, I’m just so grateful. There was a time when I would’ve allowed Satan to tempt me towards something bigger, something “better,” something flashier that would make me a more popular name in my field. None of that matters to me anymore. I'm so grateful to a few who served as the voice of God in my life and encouraged me toward what truly matters in ministry…

Faithfulness.

Faithfulness - not to my image or my reputation, but faithfulness to the One who called me, wherever He may lead. I can vividly remember an elderly pastor who has since passed offering encouragement to me and other students whom he was mentoring at the time. He said…

"He’ll be faithful to you always, so you must remain faithful to Him and whatever work to which He leads you, no matter how big or small. Be faithful whether you’re standing before a crowd of thousands or in a quiet room, with one or two others. Be faithful with your craft. Be faithful with your eyes and your ears. Be faithful as a husband and a father. Be faithful as a student of His Word. Just be faithful and everything else will work itself out."

I'll be 41 later this year. Soon I’ll be marking the completion of my tenth year as the pastor of The Hills Church. I was ordained in 2005. I’ve been a chaplain in one form or another since 2006 (military, medical, hospice, etc). Overall, I’ve had the title of “pastor” and “chaplain” next to my name for nearly 20 years. In that time, I’ve never pastored a “large church.” Over the years, I’ve been forced to work multiple other jobs just to ensure my family is fed and we have a roof over our heads (I intentionally choose that lifestyle now for reasons I will explain in another post). I’ve never spoken at a large conference. My social media following is tiny. I’ve toyed with a book for years, but chances are good it’ll never get published. By my own shortsighted standards of nearly 20 years ago, the standards formed as a young, impressionable pastor staring up at those “heroes” on the stage, my ministry and work is nothing — barely registering on anybody’s radar. With one notable exception…

Thanks in large part to those who intervened and guided me away from the people and leadership styles that were “trendy” and “flashy” decades ago and focused my eyes, instead, on the One who is eternal, my ministry, the quiet, humble work to which I have faithfully committed myself day after day carries on. Despite the assurances of “experts” (many of whom are no longer even in the field) that this work cannot last, will not survive and “certainly won’t make much of a difference,” I’m still here, guiding people to their eternal home one by one.

Years later, I’m still here.

So many of the people whom I spent years studying, doing my best to emulate, are long gone, yet, the faithful remain. This isn’t to suggest I have it all figured out. My faults are many and I try to be the first to point them out. But, through it all if I’ve learned anything it’s that He is gracious to those who remain faithful. Those who remain faithful to their callings, to their relationship with Him, and to the moral and theological Truths found in His Word are still quietly carrying on the work of the King without the accolades or recognition so many others have received. It’s a shame the way that works, but it’s nothing new. Trends will change. There will always be someone with a new book to sell and a new brand to promote. However, through it all, God and His Kingdom will remain. Always the same. Never changing. And, we who are faithful to Him will carry on, trusting that our reward will be found in those precious words spoken by our Lord and Savior when He calls us home…

“Well done, good and faithful servant!” -Jesus (Matthew 25:23)

Stay faithful.