Live from CCDA - Day 3
New Friends, Honoring our Elders, and Persevering Power
I can’t believe that the final day of the Christian Community Development Conference in Portland is here. It has been an amazing three days. I have absolutely loved my time in the Pacific Northwest and will be back, but this time zone difference is wild. To all the people I texted and emailed back home at crazy times, oops, my bad ☺️.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and supported me on this trip. A big shoutout to Pastor Mike Jones and Harvest Community Church, Jerry Coatney, David Dada, Sharron Brown-Brister, and my beloved wife (she doesn’t like me to send her name out to the masses),
.During this trip, I had the opportunity to connect with new friends and deepen some relationships. CCDA people are some of the kindest and hardest-working leaders, and it’s always refreshing to be around people on the front lines of social change and community transformation. They are doing impactful gospel work in every sector of society.
I remember the first two times I came to the conference and how I needed refreshing. The theme of the 2024 conference in Charlotte, NC, was Well-Being. I wasn’t well, and neither were so many others. I was tired. I had led through a challenging year, and the Lord used that conference to refresh me. The 2023 Conference focused on Embrace. It was about love and justice. Cincinnati is a beautiful city, and I had the opportunity to hear from some fantastic speakers and make some professional connections that will bear fruit for years to come. Both of those times, coming as an attendee, I was able to get refilled by the service and sacrifice of others.
This time, it was my pleasure to serve by providing free consultations to business leaders, ministry leaders, church planters, and people seeking clarity on the next stage of their lives. There are godly and gifted people all across our nation who are doing transformative work in hard places and need community and leadership development.
Honestly, one thing that has become clearer to me is that they also need pastoring/shepherding. The beautiful thing about CCDA people is they have a strong call to take the gospel wherever. To work with the lost, last, and least of our society. But sometimes, they (we) struggle with traditional church structures because it appears the church has left people behind. They are often the reformers of society, so disruptive in their approach that they find themselves marginalized in their Christian community. This is unfortunate and detrimental to their local church and their holistic development. That’s why CCDA comes alongside to provide a national and local community to train and support these leaders and organizations.
Though CCDA can be many things, it is not a local church; it is the local church that pastors the people of the community. I won’t soapbox this, but I will say that this is one of the most significant challenges of pastors and church leaders moving to virtual, mass reproduction through multi-site campuses, megachurches, and this obsession with clicks, downloads, and subscribers. Don’t get me wrong, I also create content through writing and podcasting, and I want as many people as possible to engage with it, as it might be a blessing to them and me. That blessing includes transformed lives and additional opportunities to make income from my writing and speaking. That is not a hidden motivation, but it cannot be the totality of my engagement.
As Christian leaders, when we give so much of our time to go viral and to entertain and reach as many people as possible through whatever means necessary, we do damage to the role of pastoring. There is this movement to see the pastor as CEO, but those are two different roles. A pastor is not a CEO. At least not in the business definition of CEO. I’ve been a chief executive, and I’ve been a pastor; they have overlapping functions, but they are not the same.
I said I wasn’t going to get on a soap box, and this topic is more nuanced than I have time to write about right now (I have to catch a flight). My final word on this is, Pastor, your people need you not to be famous among the nations but to be known among your flock and community. They need you. They need your love. Your presence. Your care. Your concern. Your guidance. Your leadership. They need your organizing skills and passions. They need you to see them and love them. They need you to create systems that equip them to do the work of the ministry. You are not called to do this work alone, but you are called to do this work before the social media blows up or the podcast starts jumping. They need you to love Jesus, love your spouse, and be serious about your sanctification and development.
Honoring Our Elders
Yesterday, we had the opportunity to honor those who have been doing this work for over 30 years. One of our local legends and change makers—Tracy Hipps— stood proudly at the front and declared that he’s been a part of this movement for over 35 years. Tracy serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Christian Service Mission in Birmingham, AL. His dedication to service and bringing pastors and leaders together in our city and region has profoundly impacted my life and the lives of so many others. It was a joy to honor him for all he has done for Birmingham.
Resource of The Day
I only had the opportunity to attend one workshop session yesterday, but it was exactly what I needed. Bruce Strom and Helen Strom, founders of Administer Justice, led a workshop entitled Discover Persevering Power for Sustaining Healthy You, Family, and Ministry. It was based on Bruce’s book Persevering Power: Encouragement for When You’re Oppressed By Life. It was such an encouraging session.
Get the book. Read the book. I know that I will. Let me know if you’d like to read it through as a group.
Love y’all. Until next time! I need to catch this train so I don’t miss my plan! (Bars)
