The Call to Community

Something that many people often forget is that church leaders are regular people, too, just like the rest of the congregation. They’re fallible, human people who acknowledge that they need a Savior just to help them put one foot in front of the other day after day. Church leaders, especially pastors, are often held up on a pedestal before the congregation, whether the people of the congregation (or the pastors themselves) realize it or not.

The Burden of Ministry

In Exodus Chapter 18, we see that Moses was held up as such a leader before the Israelites after leading them out of Egypt. He was the judge and shepherd of the people, resolving disputes and making known the will of God. In Exodus 18:17-23, Moses’ father-in-law Jethro tells him that doing it all alone is not a good idea—Moses is bound to burn out if he keeps shouldering the weight of the people’s concerns all by himself. Jethro tells Moses to gather trustworthy people around him, people who will help him bear the burden of leadership and ministry, people who fear the Lord.

The same concept needs to be applied to church leaders. Shouldn’t we encourage them to seek out support from fellow leaders, even if those leaders aren’t from their specific congregation? Many pastors burn out or fall off their proverbial pedestals because they don’t recognize their need to surround themselves with fellow ministers who can help them accomplish the mission of the Church with honesty and integrity. The burden of ministry is too heavy for any one man or woman to bear alone. We were never meant to lead like this.

Exodus 18 wasn’t the only time or even the first time that Moses had to learn this lesson. In fact, the Lord showed him this truth the chapter prior in Exodus 17. When the Israelites fought the Amalekites, Moses held up his arms with the staff of God, and when he did this, the Israelites were winning the battle. But Moses’ arms grew tired, and whenever he would lower them, the tide of battle turned in favor of the Amalekites. So he got his brother Aaron and his friend Hur to hold up his arms for him so the Israelites would win the day.

Even pastors and church leaders need to have their weak arms strengthened (Isaiah 35:3, Hebrews 12:12). Everyone who ministers before the Lord needs help. Not every pastor or church leader asks for or receives that help, though. As a result, they risk falling into sin, leading their congregations astray, or exhausting themselves spiritually trying to do right by everyone.

Let’s Build Community. Together.

Leadership in the church doesn’t have to be lonely. These needs can be addressed and attended to.

Our seminaries and pulpits are full of people on fire for the Lord. They’re ready to step up or keep pressing forward, no matter the cost. There are many who have heard the calling of God upon their lives to be leaders, to build ministries and legacies that will point people to Christ.

It’s because of the needs of pastors and church leaders that we at Lead Deep are hosting the first ever Lead Deep Conference! This event isn’t your average church conference, though. It’s a time to network with fellow church leaders, ask the tough questions, and receive truth in return. It’s a time to gather in cohorts, learn interactively with other pastors and lay leaders, and participate in Q&As.

The Lead Deep Conference features two Growth Tracks: the Leadership Development track and the Spiritual Formation track. These two learning paths will provide leaders with the opportunity to receive the tools they need to press forward into the call, to discuss what it means to be a spiritual leader in this increasingly complex and spiritually needy age, and to spur one another on in faith and good works. We will break bread together, drink lots of coffee together, and grow as a result of the ministry of presence.

The Lead Deep Conference will be held at Lynchburg First Church of the Nazarene, from 12:30 PM on Thursday, September 30, until noon on Saturday, October 2. Attendees will also have the opportunity to take part in the Lynchburg First Church of the Nazarene 2021 Revival series during the evenings of those three days, as well as join the congregation for Sunday morning worship. And there will, of course, be plenty of food (not just the spiritual kind!). If you have any questions or are an LFCN member, please contact Stephen Willis (stephen@lynchburgnaz.com) or Mike Lyle (mlyle@lynchburgnaz.com) prior to signing up. Register today, and get ready to experience the work of the Lord breaking new ground in your heart and in your ministry.

Here is Where We Are

“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.’ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’” - Exodus 3:2-4

My family still makes fun of me about something I said years ago while on vacation.  We were taking a shuttle from our hotel to a cute little downtown area along a New England beach.  There were multiple stops and a small map on the side of the shuttle.  Without knowing the area, we had to guess which stop would put us closest to the tourist area.  I didn’t want to get off early and have to walk like a chump when there’s a shuttle that will take me right where I want to go!  When we arrived at our stop, I exclaimed to my family, “Here is where we are!”  They all looked at me and laughed.  Don’t you mean “Here we are?!” they jabbed, pointing out that the phrase “here is where we are” could mean anywhere because anywhere we happen to be is where we are!  I still don’t think it’s very funny; my phrase works.  I was reminded of that phrase because of Moses’s response to God’s call.  Let me explain.

Moses receives the call of God in a specific place from a very common bush.  The call of Moses does not happen in a spiritual vacuum devoid of any earthly influence.  Moses sees a bush and a fire – two earthly things that are not uncommon to the desert.  From these ordinary materials, Moses hears the call of God.  In fact, Moses discerns this call only when he moves closer to these commonplace things of desert life.  

The call to be a pastor is not a call to leave the plain, ordinary stuff of the world.  It is a call to pay attention, to move closer to the things of this earth, and to notice the movement of God.  Our calling is not an ethereal one devoid of any earthly substance.  It is not an abstract, otherworldly calling.  Rather, the pastorate has a very real and local context.  I have heard leaders talk about calling the way people talk about getting a dinner invitation from the Queen of England; It is important and requires going somewhere special. However, Moses fled the “important” life in Egypt.  He had given up the attraction of the next big thing.  He was content to live as a shepherd and make regular trips through the desert with his sheep.  After all, how would he have noticed a strange sight in the desert unless he was already familiar with the normal sights of the desert? There are some leaders who are so unfamiliar with their context that they are unable to notice the strange sights. Not Moses. He was grounded enough in his own life to notice when something required investigation and it wasn’t until he moved closer to it that he heard God’s call.

As Christian leaders, this is an invitation to become familiar with the people, places, stories, and ordinary routines of our everyday lives. All too often, we are too focused on seeing some better world that we forget to pay attention to the ways God is moving in our actual one.  God is speaking in every bush, in every person, and in every moment.  We need eyes to notice Him.  I think one way to gain this perspective is to remember, “here is where we are.”  

You are not in some other life - a different church, a better organization, a stronger financial standing, or a more simple set of life circumstances.  Here is where you are.  If you are going to hear the voice of God, it is going to be here.  Your actual life is the only context you have.  It’s a good thing it is also the context that God enters into.

The Other Side of the Wilderness

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. “ - Exodus 3:1

When I think of the wilderness, I picture a cowboy and his horse, which he has loosely tied to a nearby tree.  He is laying on the ground next to the smouldering embers of a dying fire, which he started a few hours ago by lighting a match on his whiskers. His head is propped on a rock with his hat tipped down over his eyes as he settles in for a good night’s sleep next to the rattlesnakes and scorpions.  There’s a small part of me that would like to identify with that cowboy. However, if I’m honest, I’d rather watch him on my television with a bowl of ice cream in my hands and a comfortable couch under my legs. I’m just not all that interested in experiencing the actual dangers of the wilderness.  So, for me, It is noteworthy that Moses didn’t receive the call of God until after he had gone through the wilderness. Are we to understand that going through the wilderness might have been something that clarified and solidified his calling?

Let’s remember what brought Moses to the wilderness.  As an infant, Moses, the Hebrew, was rescued by the providence of God, the faith of his mother, the quick wit of his sister, and the soft heart of Pharaoh’s daughter.  He grew up in an Egyptian palace but he never forgot his Hebrew roots. In fact, it was this identification with the enslaved Hebrews that propelled him to the wilderness.  He killed an Egyptian guard who was mistreating a Hebrew slave.  In this moment, we might be able to say that Moses’s desire/calling to lead the Isrealities out of slavery was already present.  He just didn’t know how to do it and it led to murder.  As a result, he was a man on the run.  He eventually found himself in the wilderness...and he needed it. Up until that point, Moses’s leadership led to murder and then isolation. When we try to lead without going through the wilderness, our leadership usually comes out sideways.  We end up hurting people and sabotaging our own leadership. If Moses received a clear calling from God on the far side of the wilderness then, perhaps, our calling comes that way as well.

In the wilderness our resources are limited and our options are few.  Thus, we are forced to be with ourselves in a way that isn’t possible in the luxury of an Egyptian palace.  This aspect of the wilderness is called solitude.  We find ourselves alone, without the crutches and distractions we are accustomed to.  In this solitude, God is able to whittle away the parts of our calling that are stained with ego and ambition.  The wilderness shows us that we aren’t as strong and self-sufficient as we think we are.  It will sapp us of our strength and remind us that we are dependent upon outside forces for the most basic things of life - things like food and water.  The wilderness forces us to surrender our strategies and plans because it is, after all, wild.  For all of these reasons, we often avoid the wilderness.  Who wants to feel weak or out of control? Nobody.  But, the wilderness is necessary for shaping our calling and training our leadership.

The young Moses’s desire to free the Israelites from Egyptian oppression would be realized.  However, his calling had to be focused on the power of God rather than the strength of Moses.  For him, this clarification of calling happened on the other side of the wilderness.  I think it happens that way for us as well.  So, when you see the wilderness approaching, walk into it.  You just may receive a clear calling from God on the other side.

Just Jesus is going to print!

What began as a year-long sermon series at Lynchburg First Church of the Nazarene is now being produced into a 52-week devotional book entitled, “Just Jesus.” We are so excited because, today, the book is in the hands of the printer!!! That means that you will soon be able to get your hands on a copy. In the meantime head on over to our store and pre-order a copy so you can get it in time for Christmas.

We believe that this book will really help you experience Jesus through a wonderful rhythm.

Welcome to Lead Deep

Lead Deep is a non-profit organization that exists to help equip the local church for more effective leadership, discipleship, and stewardship. We are excited to announce the release of our latest book entitled “Just Jesus.” In this 52 week devotional, you are invited to engage in a weekly rhythm for the purpose of focusing on Jesus and only Jesus. The Christian leader is one who is continually being transformed into the image of Christ. We believe this book can help!

Here an excerpt from the opening of “Just Jesus.”

Beach vacations are great—family, water, relaxation. I love sunsets at the beach: they’re bright, almost shocking, and so easy to enjoy. You just have to notice when they come, and they can make your dinner of boardwalk French fries feel so much more special.

Sunrises are different: they’re easier to miss, and you have to be purposeful about seeing them—they come early, right when it would feel really nice to stay in bed! When I do manage to catch the sunrise at the beach, though, I never regret it. The morning sun seems to take the stage like a great conductor in nature’s orchestra, calling the whole world to attention as it rises above the ocean. Its muted pastels, like the quiet opening bars of a symphony, take my breath away, and the anticipation builds. If I want to participate in this experience, I have to arrange my day to make it happen, just as I would for an appointment I need to keep. I have to plan to set my body to the rhythm of the sun.

What if Jesus is more like a sunrise than a sunset? It would mean that if we are going to focus on Him, we need to be deliberate about it—to adopt habits that help us to give Him our full attention and to set our own lives to the rhythm of the Son. This devotional is written with that purpose in mind. We have provided four large movements of three months, which loosely follow the Christian Calendar. The purpose of this is to provide a Jesus-rhythm for the whole year.