CHRIST IS EVERYTHING
By Steve Behlke
July 24, 2008
Hi, it's been awhile. I went back to CA to visit the church that we'd spent 10 years of our lives with, loving and being loved, ministering to and being ministered by. We've been gone nearly 2 years now and after a tiring process they just hired a new pastor. I am so happy for them!!!
This actually isn't what the blog is about — I myself have gone through it and our church is currently going through it for an associate pastor — but it strikes me as peculiar that churches "hire" pastors. And in hiring a pastor, what are we really looking for, what are we expecting, critiquing, searching for, demanding... What is the "perfect" pastor? May we see the myth of this. And may God truly bless Charles and his family and also my left coast church family with humility, love, unity, breaking, healing, failure, success, grace and love and truth and power and weakness...
Well, ever since I've been back in MA I've been behind on everything. Including writing this blog.
When I was in CA at that church, a teaching elder referred to a few paragraphs from Colossians 3. I'm not sure which version he used but the words were slightly yet significantly different than what I have become familiar with. When Cliff read verse 11 as part of the bigger passage, God struck me with three words that sounded a chord in my spirit that still resounds: "Christ is everything!" This is so significant to me,
Christ is everything, not me
Christ is everything, not my background or education or sex
Christ is everything, not what I bring to the table
Christ is everything, not what I lack
Christ is everything, not my sins
Christ is everything, not my felt needs
Christ is everything, not food
Christ is everything, not sex
Christ is everything, not God's Law
Christ is everything, not good morals
Christ is everything, not anything that I might do
Christ is everything, not my faithful prayers
Christ is everything, not money
Christ is everything, not America
Christ is everything, not what's on television tonight
Christ is everything, not the economy or the price of oil
Christ is everything, not being respected, understood and appreciated
Christ is everything, not having things go my way
Christ is everything, not having the perfect marriage
... or the perfect kids
... or the perfect body
... or the perfect yard
... or the perfect car
... or the perfect clothes
... or the perfect vacation
... or the perfect church
... or the perfect pastor
"Christ is everything" - how does that resonate with you?
This resonates well with me! I seem to be feeling that horrible parent feeling. Temper short, not living up to my own expectations or boundaries with how much is a reasonable expectation and I come back to the best advise that I've ever received....from my Mom.
You can never be the perfect parent, in fact all you can do is your best and TRUST that Christ will fill in the difference, and shortcomings along the way.
I cling to that, praise God that I have the ablility to point my kids to the right direction "Christ is everything.....not your Mom" when I fail.
In fact when we recieve a bit of wisdom and truth back from our kids, pointing in the right direction of God's grace I think that is so cool. Today my son,
told me as we have had tons of water in our basement that " Don't worry God will never have a big flood like Noah again." God's Grace!!
As far as "hiring" pastors.... I think it is weird too, but also not all churches are born out of this process. Some are called to plant, lead, council, preach and/or teach.... we need to trust our leaders once God has put them in their ministry. The "hiring" process should be an accountablity check. A perfect Pastor, is only perfect in the eyes of Christ's loving grace.
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I'm a little confused by the phrase "Christ is everything." Do you mean the emphasis to be on Christ, as in "CHRIST is everything to me"? To me the passage is about my identity in Him. I am dependent on Him, but He is not dependent on me, and will be at work regardless of my weaknesses.
Attending a small church has provided opportunities for me to get to know the pastors well, and they are quite humble in sharing about their own weaknesses. Of course in a small church you can't hide much! One of them compared the body of Christ to hedgehogs: We huddle together because it makes us feel warm and cozy, but then we get too close and everything gets a little prickly!
In terms of "perfection," there is no Jew, no Greek, no pastor, and no layman! We all need each other, though we may have different spiritual roles in the Body.
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There is no male or female, at least as if one is better than the other; no elite Greek or barbaric street person, at least as far as our identity in Christ is concerned. I agree, that this passage is about our identity, but also all that we bring to God or try to rely on or elevate or loathe about ourselves. In Christ, we are right with God. In Christ, we are righteous and forgiven and fully delighted in. Christ is everything. Christ alone. To Him be the glory and my eternal happiness and praise. thanks Elizabeth - and God bless your ministry and servic and love and life and Russia.
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Pastor Steve,
Your heart and mind are in the right place.
Steve Camp
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It resonates! It liberates! It is sweet victory for me. Jesus Christ is is my all, my everything.
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At my age I don't expect anyone to be perfect, pastor, friend, myself, anyone. Christ is EVERYTHING! Amen. As far as "hiring a pastor" (or in our case, an associate pastor), I hope we hire a woman. Do we still "not believe in" women pastors at CC? I hope our new "era" as a church will now include a belief that we could certainly have a woman as pastor. Amen.
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"Peculiar" is probably a generous word when it comes to the western practice of hiring pastors. Sometimes I wonder if it and the other "peculiarities" of the structure of the western church rank among the things God tolerates. Somehow I think the divorce certificates God allowed Moses to grant aren't all by their lonesome in that category. The things God allows because we dig in our heels . . .
Your GROOVY BLOGS link to Jesus Shaped Spirituality has some good stuff about church life and pastoring. The interview with John Frye is interesting food for thought.
"Jesus is all" for sure. Fred Hammond has a nice song by that title you might enjoy since the Lord has been strumming your heartstrings with that tune.
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I just read the John Frye blog and I agree with what he says.
"The things God allows because we dig in our heels..." I have come to believe that God allows us to have our way and it is a manifestation of His wrath. [Have you ever experienced anyone who when they get angry and fed up with you they go completely silent? They get so quiet that it is almost overwhelming.] Later down the road we see the result of our poor decision/s for asking God for what He clearly tells us in His word we can't have. Thankfully our God is a God of second chances.
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AMEN!
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Christ is Everything!
Another Truth: AND In Him All things Are Held together
What the word says is true, it requires faith and the Holy Spirit to give God all of us so that we may have more of Him loving others thru us.
Kelly
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Pastor Steve,
This is how "Christ is everything" resonates with me. Colossians 3 is and has been my life chapter for several years, from 1-ff. Below is the NIV version of that verse. It says, " Christ is all..." which is basically the same as "Christ is everything", but it also goes on to say that He "...is in all things" and in all people.
11. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Jesus is one of us. He is a man and He understands us. He accepts all of those things you have listed because they are part of our humanity. He accepts and loves the highly civilized(Greek), the chosen(Jew), the totally uncivilized(Barbarian), the Scythian(beast), circumsized, uncircumsized, slave, free, and all the things you have listed.
He is also God and He is pure justice and cannot accept our sin, but he loves us when we believe in Him and trust Him for everything. The way you have written it makes it seem as if "Christ is everything" is putting up a barrier to all the things that are our humanity. But I think you are saying that although that list of things is where we are all coming from what really matters is that "Christ is everything". Jesus takes that list of things that we own and if we willingly give them to Him He will take ownership of them and He will transform, our minds, our hearts, our relationships, and everything that is ours into His image. That image is not only the image of a man, but it is also the image of the glory of God.
This is a real challenge. Verse 1 & 2 of Col. 3 says, Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
I guess your list of things is all the earthly things. Reconciling it all with Christ, I think, is my difficulty.
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Steve,
Why is it "peculiar that churches 'hire' pastors"? It would certainly be odd if we spoke of a church "hiring" members, but a pastor is quite different insofar as he is seeking pay and benefits for his work. To say it another way, what is the alternative to a church "hiring" a pastor? Should a pastor simply show up at a church and inform them that he's going to minister there and his work is worth $x each year?
Gabe
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Gabe,
I am one of those hired pastors, so I'm obviously not "overly criticizing" the process but questioning a peculiar aspect of American or Western Christianity.
A preferred way: that pastors arise from within the church! That way both church community and surrounding culture are embeddedly understood. Amazingly, in Northampton MA alone, which is anything but a Bible-Belt, we currently have two new church plants from people outside of the area who are moving into town for this purpose.
Do they know the community? Do they love the people in it, the homosexuals, artists, street-people like the local Christians do? But then again, maybe that supports your argument. Many longstanding Christians have seen the community change and may not like the way the community has "digressed"? Maybe a new way of thinking and seeing grace and truth and of following Jesus in this community needs, at times, to come from outside.
I came from outside the area, however, and am finding it difficult at times, not to navigate the community but the church itself! Fortunately, College Church is quite loving and is being "re-populated" by many new Christians.
Perhaps the best thing would be that God raised up gifted individuals from within the church and brought in fresh thinking and ways of relating through others as well. For someone from the outside may bring in fresh vision, a different scope and insights and ways of loving and following Jesus Christ.
The point of my blog wasn't that it is peculiar to hire pastors, nonetheless, it remains, to me, a somewhat peculiar process. I do not reject it nor say it is most biblical. It simply is. And because of God's sovereign grace and love, it seems to work, although that does not mean it is best. We don't see Paul appointing pastors from far and wide, shuffling this guy here and that guy there to pastor local bodies of believers, though we do see evangelists spread far and wide to present Christ and the Gospel, and then overseeing new believers and indigenous church's, and appointing pastors and elders and teachers to train and shepherd and teach and lead the church and to equip them to do the work of the ministry and mission in their local area.
Gabe, I always love conversing with you! I am often challenged and always loved. Thanks bro,
Steve
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Steve,
When you say that "perhaps the best thing would be that God raised up gifted individuals from within the church", you may not be aware of College Church's history, but this has certainly been a church rich in a history of God using the church to raise up new pastors. If I remember Pastor Jerry's testimony correctly, he began as the CC custodian and became a pastor, then the church plant pastor for one of our planted churches! Of course, the church can financially only support a limited number of paid pastors at any one time, but many people from College Church have been led by God to start all kinds of new ministries, to take over existing ones, and many have gone on to school to become actual lead church pastors for other churches. This is a huge part of our history! And it has always been a church being "re-populated_by new Christians". The testimonies of attenders at CC over the years have been truly incredible, hundreds of people who have come to know Christ through our personal outreach as well as organized ministries. There was an incredible article in Hampshire Life many years ago entitled "College Church, where actions speak louder than words". That is our history, and I am thankful God has led you to be a part of it. Pastor Dave never let the church grow stale for even a minute, and I know you won't either. Praise God.
Teacher
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Yes, I have been made aware of this history (and I love it). That is so awesome to hear again. Our current Youth Pastor, Michael Jones, is also a homegrown product. It speaks well of CC's history and heart. Thanks again for writing this and informing those who did not know!
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Steve,
Thanks for your response...good thoughts. I got the idea from your comments that you opposed the hiring *process*. I completely agree with your concern that we must “import” pastors instead of developing pastors from within. While “hiring” in this sense seems to have become part of how Christianity is done (especially in places of greater wealth and mobility), it seems to be part of a bigger problem.
The bigger problem, in my estimation, is that churches tend to be very pastor-centric. The senior pastor model of the church has led us to believe that ministry occurs when the minister is ministering. Pastors have become local CEOs, and members seem to come around and support the pastor's ministry. Of course this happens to varying degrees in different churches, but it seems uncommon that a pastor or a church focuses on training new leaders. (And according to Ephesians 4, the work of a pastor is to equip others.)
Let's suppose a young man in College Church aspires to be a leader -- either an elder or even a pastor. Is there a comprehensive plan to develop -- or as Paul says, to equip -- him to serve in this capacity? If you're right that raising leaders from within is to be preferred to hiring pastors -- and I think you are -- then there must be a plan at the local level to be intentional about this. Are we identifying giftedness and being intentional about training toward this end?
Gabe
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Let's suppose a young woman in College Church aspires to be a leader--either an elder or even a pastor. Is there a comprehensive plan to develop--or as Paul says, to equip--her to serve in this capacity? Are we identifying giftedness and being intentional about training toward this end?
Or are we going to smile condescendingly and point her to the coffee table and the Sunday school rooms?
Why is it that missionaries from the U.S. serving overseas are predominantly female? Why is it that they sweat and toil and teach and preach and baptize in the name of Christ to great effect, but when they come home they're viewed differently? The attitude is hypocritical.
People shouldn't view becoming a pastor as a career choice. "Pastor" in the bible means something different than the way we use it now. It's listed among several other leadership gifts that ought to be operating in church. Prophet, Apostle, Evangelist, Teacher, etc. These roles are selected by the Holy Spirit, and those in the body should be able to see the gifting in both genders.
Most people in the church can hardly define "apostle" or "evangelist," let alone remember the biblical roles women fill alongside men in serving Christ.
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Cecelia,
You raise some interesting questions. As you know, these matters have been hotly debated in recent years. And there are good arguments on all sides, which I'm not going to get into right now.
The way I phrased my question to Pastor Steve was not "gender-inclusive" because I was asking a question about College Church, the church he pastors. (I'm not sure if you attend CC or not...) Since I was asking about CC, and CC only allows men to be elders or pastors(?), I asked what they do if a man aspires to be a pastor. That said, your question is of equal important: What's the plan for young women who aspire to leadership?
Gabe
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Gabe,
I would prefer to word things slightly different, rather than "young women who aspire to leadership", I think more correctly it is "women, of any age, who GOD HAS CALLED to leadership", as the women I know who have been called to pastor churches have been called by God, it was not a career aspiration but an answering of the call.
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Teacher,
My original question was about men aspiring to leadership. It sounds to me like you're concerned with phrase 'aspire to leadership.'
I used this phrase because it is almost verbatim from Paul's first letter to Timothy. He said, "It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do."
Aspiring to something - e.g., leadership in the church - is not opposed to being called by God. In fact, hopefully the two go hand-in-hand.
Gabe
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Ditto to what teacher wrote. See the fourth paragraph of my previous message.
People of both genders get into trouble when they want something independent of seeking God's heart and listening to Him.
You say you don't want to get into it and that your question was phrased without including both genders because of what CC allows, but I think you're letting yourself off the hook. I doubt it occured to you as you were writing your question that leadership, giftedness, and training are matters which are also relevant for females in CC. Do you understand? I don't think you intentionally left out young women--I don't think you had them in mind at all. Call me cynical, but the lack of intentionality in some churches contributes to the absence of awareness.
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Ceceila,
To be honest with you, I was actually very intentional in my wording of the question. I was intentional in my use of the word 'aspires' and I was intentional in my lack of gender-inclusive language.
That said, the primary purpose of my question was to ask Steve if he thinks CC has a plan in place to "train people from within" so that we don't have to "hire from without." Again, the reason I used the word man is because CC does not ordain women as elders or pastors. Was I trying to let myself off the hook? Perhaps. In my view, all questions are on the table, but we can't have all questions on the table at the same time. But, you, others, and now Steve, have brought this question onto the table.
Again, I really appreciate your follow up comments which raise questions of at least equal importance. I have wrestled, and continue to wrestle, personally with the question of women in positions of leadership and authority in the church.
Gabe
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Paul's descriptive qualifications for elders and deacons are clearly male, but the spiritual leadership gifts in 1 Cor 12:28 are devoid of gender specificity. Perhaps this is the root of the hypocrisy concerning missionary activity that Cecelia points out. Maybe we try to make 1 Cor 12:28 only about males as well?
The fact is, denominations DO need to examine why they make an hypocritical distinction between their local mission fields and their overseas mission fields regarding the roles of women.
Is CC's policy hypocritical? If it is, then it should be resolved. The church would need either to stop supporting female missionaries who "do what pastors do"--surely a diseased resolution--or it would need to reexamine and perhaps alter its teaching about females overall.
A plea--spare us, dear readers, the insulting rationale that female missionaries are allowed exception for the same reason Rosie the Riveter was in the factories--a dearth of available males. Rosie was not some kind of ersatz male, and neither are female missionaries.
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