What is your philosophy of ministry?

Jesus meets you where you’re at, but He’s not content to leave you where you’re at. And His mission is my mission.

With those outside the church, the goal is Jesus. With those inside the church, the goal is more Jesus. It’s relational, not transactional. It connects principle and practice in head, heart, and hands.

As one way that it touches down, consider how I approach the podcast… #ForTheHope. The truth is that you can go anywhere and hear a great voice. But what if ‘reading through the Bible together’ means doing it like we’re drinking coffee and commenting along the way, leaving in the “keepin’ it real” moments, and actually responding to real listener pastoral needs, questions, and prayer requests?

Because that’s what I do every single day.

We do it every single day because we need spiritual food daily (just like we need physical food daily).

So what does this have to do with pastoring a church?

Two words: curiosity and patience.

To me, that’s relational (versus transactional). It’s life described in relational, attitudinal, and biblical terms instead of programmatical, transactional terms.

Perhaps put another way, systems and programs should support relational development.

Preaching, teaching, small groups, gatherings for men or women or moms or seniors or students or food truck owners — to me, anyway — have the same objective: to encounter the living Christ. Don’t confuse the message and objective with the means/method. One is the goal, the other is the context.

In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity.