This is the 3rd installment of "Letters to a Young Planter", the contents came from my journal. The idea I stole from Pastor Calvin Miller's book Letters to a Young Pastor
Dear Young Planter,
You will ask this a million times "What's my church's biggest weakness?" If you don't ask that every once in a while, you are foolish. I guess the answer varies from church to church, but overall I've learned that my answer isn't that hard.I've learned who the greatest weakness in the plant is. It's me!
That's not silly false humility, I believe God has equipped me, just like he has you. You will find (I hope) the greatest ministry work you will participate in is, of course, Prayer! Planters that don't pray; don't stay (pretty catchy?) It's true. Pastoral work drives you to your knees and planting keeps you there.
I would pray and pray; I would pray for God to move, do powerful things, and he would often answer as only he can, but after reading 1 Peter, I realized I had neglected my greatest gift other than Jesus- my wife. I wasn't an absentee husband, but I could be overly critical and sometimes mean spirited.
It was not intentional, but it happens.... It also is bad for ministry.
The book of 1st Peter offers admonishment we need. As a planter, you will get to know 1st Peter well, it's a book that gives instruction to a misplaced, misunderstood and marginalized church. Two verses should grip you. They are 1st Peter 3:7 and 1st Peter 4:7. To summarize, the first one says that you need to love your wife in an understanding way, SO YOUR PRAYERS won't be hindered. The 2nd says we should be self controlled and sober minded FOR THE SAKE OF OUR PRAYERS. Pretty powerful; God cares how we live our lives. Here's a more direct translation.
Translation: all that begging God for resources and people and vision and stuff doesn't matter if you are mean to your wife and don't take personal holiness seriously. Desire for a "touch from God "and spiritual power and vision can be held in check if we don't fight to be sober minded and love our family! The key to your success may not be your cleverness or "cultural exegesis" (you will learn that term in time), but it will probably be rooted in your integrity of character.
Look around, the pastors that "fall from Grace" are often the most talented and most brilliant. They simply forgot to take their non-public life seriously; this cut off the spiritual lifeline to Christ through prayer and over time they "Died on the Vine". If you want to last, cultivate character.
Finally,You want to be missional and impactful. Praise God, but you won't do it without prayer and your prayers won't do it if you're greatest gifts: your relationship with God and your beautiful bride aren't first in your life! Learn this lesson now; hopefully God will bless your family and your ministry!
Keep Plowing
Richard
