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Race and Religion

I am so grateful to my father for charting the course over 20 years ago for ROCK Church to be a multi-racial church. It has not been easy. But, we do do it all over again. Here’s to another 20+ years of tearing down walls of segregation and prejudice because we still have a long way to go.

Check out the newspaper article HERE.

Let’s hear it! Does race play a role in where you choose to worship? How?

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Some thoughts on my legacy

Many years ago, my Mom and Dad had a horrible marriage. Our family was falling a part. It even got so bad that they discussed calling it quits.

But, they didn’t!

They could have given up. Few people would have second guessed their decision if they did.

But, they didn’t!

We went from living in a huge house in an exclusive neighborhood to living in the back two bedrooms of my Grandparents house. My parents left the ministry for a season and my dad sold used cars… old… used cars. Mom and Dad went through a season of being broken and allowed God to show them how to put the pieces back together.

When my Dad stepped back into the ministry, it was with a whole different perspective. Our family is better because of it. Mom and Dad’s ministry is stronger and more effective than it has ever been. It’s obvious if you look around our church today.

Listen very closely to yourself as you read these next few lines out loud.

If you don’t have a healthy family, you can’t have a healthy church. Your relationship with Christ is the only thing that should be placed over family. Ministry should never come before building a strong family.

If I cannot love Jennifer the way she deserves, I will never be able to lead our church in a way that honors God.

My parents are leaving me a legacy by their example. Their marriage is strong because they work to make it strong. This church is strong because they have led us the same way they have lead their family.

Mom and Dad, thank you for showing us how it’s done. We will honor you in this new season by leading the way you showed us.

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In four days…

This Sunday, I will step into a role I have never experienced before. I will become the senior pastor at The ROCK. I have a few qualifications for this role.

• I grew up in our senior pastor’s home
• I have a strong relationship with Christ
• I know how to hear Him speaking to me
• I burn with a desire to see our city changed
• I was here the first Sunday in 1988
• I have faithfully served the vision of our senior pastor for 20 years
• Over 17 of those in a staff role
• More than 14 of them as a pastor
• I have directly overseen or served in a key role of quite a few ministries during this time
  • Youth
  • Children
  • Men
  • Prayer
  • Small Groups
  • Ushers
  • Greeters
  • Tech
  • Advertising
  • Inner City Outreach
  • Marketing
  • Worship
• I have been a key part of casting vision for The ROCK for the last 3 years
• I have shared a substantial part of the teaching role for the last few years
• I have helped raise up leaders and train them for their roles in ministry

Here is what I do not have.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN A SENIOR PASTOR!

The closer I get to Sunday, the more I realize the weight my father has carried for this ministry for over 20 years. You can be very close to the leader and still not understand the load they carry. I know I am ready to step into this role, even though I know it carries a whole new level of weight and responsibility.

How can I trust that I am ready? The man who has carried the mantle of leadership for the last 20 years is the same man who taught, guided, corrected, disciplined and cheered me on. He is the only one at The ROCK who understands what it takes to lead and he believes in me.

Thank you, Dad. I’m going to lead by the example you have already set. You are great man and I am honored to follow in your footsteps.

So, dear readers, what will you be doing in four days?

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Segregated Sundays

I thought I might stir a few things up and offend a few people today. Here goes.

I just finished reading a very interesting article over at cnn.com about Why many Americans prefer their Sundays segregated. Take a look at this excerpt:

Americans may be poised to nominate a black man to run for president, but it’s segregation as usual in U.S. churches, according to the scholars. Only about 5 percent of the nation’s churches are racially integrated, and half of them are in the process of becoming all-black or all-white, says Curtiss Paul DeYoung, co-author of “United by Faith,” a book that examines interracial churches in the United States.

DeYoung’s numbers are backed by other scholars who’ve done similar research. They say integrated churches are rare because attending one is like tiptoeing through a racial minefield. Just like in society, racial tensions in the church can erupt over everything from sharing power to interracial dating.

DeYoung, who is also an ordained minister, once led an interracial congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that eventually went all-black. He defines an interracial church as one in which at least 20 percent its membership belongs to a racial group other than that church’s largest racial group.

“I left after five years,” DeYoung says. “I was worn out from the battles.”

The men and women who remain and lead interracial churches often operate like presidential candidates. They say they live with the constant anxiety of knowing that an innocuous comment or gesture can easily mushroom into a crisis that threatens their support.

As The ROCK quickly approaches 20 years of leading a multi-racial church in a city that once traded slaves, I can relate to some of the issues presented in the article. We have had white people complain that our music was too black and black people who probably wish it wasn’t so white. White people have been disowned by their families for going to church with a n*#gger loving pastor. Black families have been disowned for attending a church with a honkey pastor. There have been times (not often) when black members of our church felt my passing them by without a hug was racially motivated.

In all of this, we rarely hear hispanic, asian, native american or other groups complain. I am afraid this may be a result of having not reached out and gotten close enough to get personal and that bothers me.

I refuse to pastor a church that is one sided and only reaches out to one demographic. I will not pastor a young church, old church, white church, black church, latino church, asian church, rich church, poor church or any other single classification. I will pastor God’s church. I believe every Sunday should look like heaven.

If it means talking and dealing with the real life issues. I’m in. I love that there are so many cultures and backgrounds at The ROCK. I am so grateful that we are a part of the 5% of churches in America that are truly multi-cultural AND we are not moving toward becoming all-black or all-white. We still have a very long way to go at The ROCK, but we will not rest until we are truly one body.

Go read the article and then come back and tell me what you think. What could we do to be more effective at becoming a mulit-cultural, multi-racial example of Christian community? Hit me with your best shot.

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Three amazing years

Yesterday marked three years ago that Jen left a very successful career in nursing, take a pay cut and become my assistant. When I wooed her away from the hospital, she was working on her master’s degree. It was a huge step for her to leave what she had known to step into the fray with me.

About ten months ago, she took another huge step as she took over Kid’s ROCK. She moved from my assistant to the leader of our children’s ministry without a pay raise. She did this at a time when it was ailing. She took over when the budget had very little money. She took it when volunteer morale was low. She said yes during a very difficult time in our church and she performed a miracle.

Now our children’s ministry is growing like crazy. She leads an amazing team of volunteers every week. She has resourced our teachers, started a mural on both sides of a 200′ hallway and created an exciting atmosphere every week!

Why would anyone do this kind of thing? It was because she believed in the vision God had given us for our church. She believed in the dream and she has given her life for it.

Jen, I could not have made it the last three years without you by my side. Thank you for your willingness to leave the known for the unknown. Thank you for stepping up to the challenge. Thank you for believing in the dream. Thank you for letting God use you.

Thank you for three amazing years. Our church loves you and is forever grateful for what you have accomplished. But, I love you more.

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