:: M squared T ::

:: Sunday, June 15, 2003 ::

Why do you want to be a pastor?

Somebody asked me this tonight. I had trouble answering.

Why?

None of the "Christian" answers would do in this conversation. The person who asked did not have a "Christian" vocabulary, so words like "call" were nonsensical.

My first surprise was that I couldn't communicate why I am training for church leadership to someone outside the church. I've been around Christians so much that I've lost my edge. Language of "serving God" and "transforming the church" - language I use often in Seminary and other Christian relationships - seemed irrelevant here.

My second surprise was how long it took me to come up with an answer - and where my mind went in that few seconds. I couldn't come up with a sensible answer - and I began to wonder if I had an answer at all. Somehow, "I just ended up here" (I'd already ruled out "God led me" as something that wouldn't make sense) just wasn't going to cut it.

I stumbled. I floundered. I fished for an answer. "I... I want to h-help p-people..." I squeaked. No, that wasn't going to work.

Somehow I managed to state a case of bettering people's lives by connecting them to Jesus - what he did/does and who he was/is. I was able to expand upon this and ended up having a great conversation. We talked a lot about Jesus - in the practical, day-to-day.

I need to learn a new language. And every language "thinks" differently. The language I need is the language of those around me.

Do you speak "non-Christian?"

:: Matt 6/15/2003 01:33:00 AM :: permalink :: ::
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