Over the past week or so I’ve given you a peak in the window of my heart. I’ve shared with you about receiving a call to a new church and what that means for me and for my family. I’ve talked about determining if I’ve taken my current congregation as far as I am capable.

Today we look at one more question that I have received in one form or another.

Why did you even agree to interview if you’re happy here? Don’t you like us anymore?

Ok so let’s dispel some rumors or hit them off as quickly as possible. We’ll do that by answering a question or two that I’ve heard.

How did the other church get your name? Are you looking for a new place to go? Ah, that’s a fantastic question that is easily explained but hard to understand. Think of it this way. To most of the world I’m fairly invisible, and that’s perfectly fine! But to the church body to which I belong carrying the title pastor all of a sudden makes me visible to every church out there. Having the title pastor is like covering the invisible man with a sheet. Now you know he exists, but you still don’t know anything about him.

The next step is to see if the man under the sheet is even worth looking at. This is where I kind of have a little bit of control. I am allowed to mark myself as closed to interviews, not interested at all, and don’t want to talk to anyone. Some guys do that and that’s ok for them. But I personally don’t feel that’s the most God honoring way to handle things. So my position is that I am really not interested in moving and personally feel there are things left to do here but I am open to the realization that God knows things I don’t know. So I’m willing to prayerfully consider something if it’s of God. And this is what I told the churches who have asked for interviews…all 18 of them.

The church then takes the names of the, now visible, pastors and combs through a fun little document that tells all the details of the pastor. Family stuff. Where he’s been up til now. What size town does this guy want to live in? Are there special interests, hobbies, needs that he and his family have currently? And how does he function in different settings with regard to how he does church work?

If the church thinks, after going through this paperwork, that I am someone worth pursuing and getting to know more, then they ask for an interview. It’s really that simple. And since my philosophy has been that God is way smarter than I am, it’s important that I take the due time to really make sure I go where God wants me to go. Not sure if you know this or not but if you don’t go where God wants you to go you could end up in some fishy scenarios. Just ask Jonah!

So to answer the question don’t you like us anymore, the answer is an absolute yes. I love the people I serve. I have friends and family here. I love the community and the house I live in right now. I love the facility we have for church and the property on which it sits. I value each and every relationship that has been part of this journey up to this point. Yeah I even love the people who aren’t here anymore.

This whole journey isn’t about whether or not I like or even love you all. That goes without question. If you ask around a little bit you’ll hopefully hear stories of how I’ve dropped my own needs to meet yours. And I would do it again today if needed. The journey is about God. Not you or me or them. It’s about God. All these other things are parts of the bigger picture, but at the end of the day where does God need me to be.

If it was about my wants, this would have been a nonissue a long time ago. If it was about my needs, I’m doing pretty good right where I am. This prayer and discernment time is about making sure my wants and God’s plan align. If they don’t, then we both know God isn’t going to change his plan which means my wants need to shift. But if my wants align with God’s plan, then a whole new fire is breathed into ministry because now we all know God is in this and what God brings together man can’t separate.

I hope this has helped you see this a little from a pastor’s perspective. It’s not an easy thing at all. Just because I don’t have a ton of emotion oozing out of me over it doesn’t mean that my sleep and diet and health aren’t messed up a bit during this time of prayer. Look Jesus sweat blood when he prayed because it was a hard thing in front of him. And while I’m not sweating blood or anything, I am taking this whole process very seriously because I love you all tremendously and I love the kingdom of God.

Thank you for the thoughts and prayers!