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Leadership
Recently I sat down with about a dozen 20-somethings and asked, “What do you think the Church, however you have experienced it, is doing well or poorly?” and “What do you wish Lead Pastors knew that they don’t seem to grasp?” I learned a great deal from them and if you want to hear what 20-somethings are thinking, keep on reading.
I was in a Starbucks recently waiting for a friend to arrive. My ears heard a husband and wife talking about the schedule of the day. I saw a couple of students browsing social media on their cell phones. What really caught my attention was two pastors talking about how annoying old people are. The story went something like this…
“Is there a doctor anywhere? Please, we need a doctor! Someone is not breathing!” These are not words anyone wants to hear. I was seated in an airport waiting for my assigned boarding time to arrive when chaos erupted. I began to pray while the walkway quickly congested with onlookers who watched him lay there. Thankfully someone arrived to administer CPR but 15 minutes later the chest compressions were still ongoing while they found a way to transport him to an ambulance.
When I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico I was honored to know a man named J.B. Duke. He was a strong but gentle Christ-follower who loved to drive a red Ford truck. He would take a couple of us pastors on an annual quail hunt in the eastern desert farmlands of the state and there we would see how the desert, sand-filled winds can impact the homes, cars and trees. If you saw a tree in the middle of the desert you knew it earned the right to stand there, even if it looked tired and worn.
It was over 15 years ago but it is a moment that haunts me to this day. I was a graduate student taking courses through my denomination's seminary and I was learning things that others did not have the opportunity to learn. Unfortunately, the knowledge only served to puff my own sense of self.
When I look back on my childhood, I can remember some of the things that my mom said that made me very happy. “Do you want some ice cream?” “Would you like to have some friends over?” and “What would you like me to make you for dinner?” There were other questions and comments that made me shudder. “Just wait until your father gets home!” “If your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump too?” and “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt!” I still remember the things my mama always said.
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